Page 35 - Consumer Issues News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Alzheimer's disease is the eighth leading causes of death in Pennsylvania, prompting state officials to educate the public on the condition and other related disorders. In the Commonwealth, more than 400,000 people have Alzheimer's. Heidi Champa, aging services specialist with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, says there is still a lot of stigma associated with a dementia diagnosis. ...

Credit unions in Colorado and across the Mountain West are helping high school students tackle money challenges through "Bites of Reality" fairs. The app-based program forces students to make budgeting and spending decisions in real time. Sarae Bay, vice president and managing director of the GoWest Credit Union Association Foundation, said the fairs -- which assign each participant a persona including a job, income, a family, monthly expenses and debt -- allow students to experience the effects of their financial choices in a safe environment. ...

Educators in New Hampshire say the state's approval of a financial literacy course by conservative nonprofit PragerU spells trouble for public schools. PragerU describes itself as "an alternative to the left-wing ideology...in education." Its "Cash Course" requires students to watch a series of videos and pass a multiple-choice test for school credit. Megan Tuttle, president of the National Education Association in New Hampshire, says the course lacks rigor and signals a watering down of the state's education standards. ...

October is Financial Planning Month and an engaging event is helping high schoolers think about their money managing futures. More than 90 "Bite of Reality" fairs have reached 9,000 students across the west, including in Washington state. Sarae Bay, manager with the GoWest Foundation, an organization that works with credit unions in the region and sponsors the fairs, said during the events, each student is assigned a persona. ...

Oregon is one of 17 states to join the Federal Trade Commission in its lawsuit to break up the online retail giant Amazon. The FTC has brought an antitrust suit against the marketplace behemoth, charging the company with illegally maintaining a monopoly. Ron Knox, senior researcher at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, said half of online sales happen through Amazon's website, meaning small businesses have to play by Amazon's rules if they want to reach potential customers. ...