Page 47 - Consumer Issues News Today

Election Day is November 8, and Utah elections officials say it isnt too early for voters to start making a plan for casting their ballots. For many, voting by mail is a popular way to save time and avoid long lines at the polls. Utah county clerks will begin sending mail-in ballot packages to all active registered voters after October 28, which is the last day to register. ...

Ballots for the November election are headed to mailboxes across the state, and Nebraska voters will get to decide if the states minimum wage should gradually rise - about $1.50 per year, until it reaches $15 an hour by 2026. Kate Wolfe - campaign manager with Raise the Wage Nebraska, the group behind Initiative Measure 433 - said when working families are earning a sustainable wage, they have more money to spend. "More money in peoples pockets is more money that is spent in main-str...

Voting advocates say more and more Michiganders are choosing to cast absentee ballots to save time and avoid long lines on Election Day. In 2020, two-thirds of the 5.5 million votes cast in Michigan were mail-in or absentee ballots. Although turnout is historically lower for midterm elections, officials expect voting early will remain a popular option this time around. ...

Those 50 and older make up more than half of Wisconsins registered voters, and a new statewide poll shows they want candidates to hear their concerns about issues such as inflation. AARPs 2022 election survey found along with inflation, taxes, government spending, and protecting Social Security and Medicare are key concerns for older voters around Wisconsin. Lisa Lamkins, advocacy director for AARP Wisconsin, said while rising consumer costs affect everyone, they are especially felt by those 5...

Consumer groups are pressing for legislation to reform the way credit agencies handle errors on credit reports. The calls to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act come in the wake of an admission by Equifax last month that a coding problem caused sizable shifts in the credit scores of about 300,000 people. U.S. ...

The work of some nonprofit organizations has only increased with the pandemic and the needs that have come from it. An author and expert in the field of trauma speaks at a Montana conference today about many workers feelings of being overwhelmed. Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, founder and director of the Trauma Stewardship Institute and author of "The Age of Overwhelm", said theres a cycle for nonprofits in which they become overextended because of structural issues within society,...

Another income-tax season is approaching and a program to help people with low and moderate incomes do their taxes for free is looking for volunteers. AARP Idaho is recruiting people for next year to be part of the AARP Foundations Tax Aide program. Nationwide, AARP volunteers have been helping people with their income taxes for 55 years. ...

As states like North Dakota debate whether to stay committed to fossil fuels, an online scorecard gives people with retirement accounts a glimpse into what role their investment portfolio plays in keeping the industry funded. The nonprofit As You Sow is out with its latest Fossil Free Funds ratings. Andrew Montes, director of digital strategy for As You Sow, said they grade investment firms based on which energy sources their funds are linked to. ...

A new internship program is looking to investigate health disparities among Massachusetts immigrant population. The Immigrant Scholar Internship Program at the Leah Zallman Center for Immigrant Health Research is designed to have scholars examine the health of immigrants. According to a 2021 report, residents in the city of Chelsea, 45% of whom are foreign born, said fear of immigration repercussions prevented them from seeking critical health care. ...

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