Page 52 - Consumer Issues News Today

Three projects in Idaho have been selected to receive grants from the AARP Community Challenge. Among them is the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise. Dan Prinzing, executive director of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, which oversees the memorial, said they received a grant of more than $21,000 to install a permanent sound system. ...

The nation still is dissecting revealing testimony from this weeks committee hearing on the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. A top White House aide testified about former President Donald Trumps actions that day, most notably his desire to allow armed supporters at a rally before they stormed the complex. ...

A campaign in Maine is gathering signatures to replace the states investor-owned energy grid with a consumer-owned utility. Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant serve the majority of Maine utility customers, but they consistently rank lower for customer satisfaction, have more frequent power outages and have high rates, compared to consumer-owned utilities. Seth Berry, former Democratic state representative from Bowdoinham and former House chair of the Maine Legislatures Energy Committee, lef...

A proposal to change the way Nevada votes is one step closer to getting on the November ballot after the State Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge. The "Better Voting Nevada" campaign wants to end closed, partisan primaries where you can only vote for your registered party, and move to an open primary. Sondra Cosgrove, professor of history at the College of Southern Nevada and a supporter of the "Better Voting Nevada" campaign, would like to change the ...

A new coalition of businesses and nonprofits in West Virginia is ready to create at least 3,000 new green industry jobs. They say they just need the funding to do so. Brandon Dennison, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Coalfield Development, is leading the coalition called Appalachian Climate Technology (ACT Now). ...

Starting Friday, Connecticut residents may start to see a sharp increase in energy costs just as summer gets into gear and inflation hits people hard, but resources are available, especially for older adults who are feeling the pinch. Connecticuts electric standard service generation rate is expected to increase significantly in July depending on the energy provider, with the biggest spike at more than 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. John Erlingheuser, director of advocacy and community outreach a...

Workers at a hospital on the Oregon coast are citing a victory in contract negotiations with their employer. More than 100 members of SEIU Local 49 at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City will receive raises averaging 10% over the first year of their new contract. Brittany King, a CT special imaging technologist at the hospital, said many workers have been struggling to afford living in the community, and this raise makes the hospitals wages competitive with the local job market. ....

Washington states primary election is coming up, and election officials are calling on voters to be vigilant about misinformation. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said misinformation at election time has become more prevalent. He said local election officials are being more proactive and encourages people who have questions about the voting process to reach out to their local county auditor. ...

Pennsylvanias budget deadline is looming on Thursday. Gov. Tom Wolf is calling for a minimum-wage increase that would get the state to $15 an hour by 2028. ...

A new Minnesota law, which goes into effect Sunday, removes requirements restricting Social Security recipients from receiving full jobless benefits as well. Bill sponsors noted Minnesota was the last state to have the offset requirement. It reduced by 50% unemployment aid for laid-off workers who, within the first year, either received or started to apply for Social Security. ...