Category: Consumer
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On Victory Drive, soldiers defeated by debt
By Paul Kiel, ProPublica and Mitchell Hartman, Marketplace
Seven years after Congress banned payday-loan companies from charging exorbitant interest rates to service members, many of the nation’s military bases are surrounded by storefront lenders who charge high annual percentage rates, sometimes exceeding 400 percent. -
Popular, but flawed novelty helmets account for hundreds of motorcyle deaths; regulators don’t act
By Rick Schmitt
FairWarning
The results were tragic, but not surprising, last May when Suzanne Randa and her fiance, Thomas Donohoe, crashed while riding Donohoe’s Harley Davidson on Highway 79 near the Southern California city of Loma Linda. Donohoe, who was wearing a helmet meeting federal safety standards, escaped injury and walked away from the accident. Randa, 49, who wore a so-called novelty helmet that was cheap and stylish but offered but no real protection, died at the scene -
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Course load: The growing burden of college fees
By Marian Wang
ProPublica
At the University of California Santa Cruz, where tuition runs to nearly $35,000 for non-residents, students every year pay more than 30 additional fees — including a small charge for what’s billed as “free” HIV testing. Students at Oklahoma State University pay a handsome sum to attend one of the state’s flagship schools, but they are also responsible for covering 18 different fees, including a “life safety and security fee.” -
Wal-Mart looks to enter Ft. Lauderdale market; eyes unprosperous area near downtown
By William Hladky
BrowardBulldog.org
Walmart wants to build its first store in Fort Lauderdale – a Neighborhood Market on a seven-acre site on the southwest corner of Andrews Ave. and Sunrise Blvd. If built, it will be the first Walmart store in east central Broward County. -
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New data shows drugmakers’ payments to hundreds of thousands of doctors
By Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein
ProPublica
Dr. John W. Draud is the medical director of psychiatric and addiction medicine at two Tennessee hospitals. But he’s also notable for another professional pursuit: during the last four years, he’s earned more than $1 million for delivering promotional talks and consulting for seven drug companies. -
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Judicial Secrecy Turns Consumer Protection Case Into a Mystery
By Lilly Fowler
FairWarning.org
It’s about as secret as a lawsuit can get. When the Consumer Product Safety Commission two years ago launched SaferProducts.gov, a database allowing consumers to report and learn about hazardous products, it was inevitable that some business would go to court to keep a customer’s complaint private.
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