:Peanut Butter News

Full Story At ABC News

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, said Tuesday it will pay between $352 million and $640 million to settle 63 wage and hour abuse lawsuits against the company.

The discount retailer, which has more than 1.4 million employees, said the total amount to be paid depends on the number of claims submitted by those who are eligible. Each of the settlements must be approved by a trial court.

Wal-Mart, one of the few retailers doing well in a dismal holiday season, said it would take an after-tax charge to continuing operations of about $250 million, or approximately 6 cents per share, in its fiscal fourth quarter.

No Comments

Full Story at Yahoo! News

AP – In this Sunday, May 18, 2008 picture, David Spade arrives at the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music …

* ShowBiz Minute: Hilton, ‘Yes Man,’ Foxx Play Video TV Video: ShowBiz Minute: Hilton, ‘Yes Man,’ Foxx AP
* Hollywood Nation: 12/19 Play Video TV Video: Hollywood Nation: 12/19 FOX News
* ShowBiz Minute: Cruise, McMahon, Bottoms Play Video TV Video: ShowBiz Minute: Cruise, McMahon, Bottoms AP

LOS ANGELES – The Phoenix Police Department has gotten some high-powered goodies courtesy of actor David Spade.

The one-time Phoenix resident donated $100,000 so that the department can buy approximately 50 AR-15 rifles.

Spade said he wanted to make the donation after seeing a TV news report about Phoenix officers having to buy their own rifles. Spade grew up in the Phoenix area and graduated from Arizona State University

No Comments

Full Story At  CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Pirates holding a ship full of tanks and ammunition off the coast of Somalia are likely to be paid millions of dollars in ransom within days, senior U.S. military officials said.
Somali pirates holding the MV Faina stand guard on the merchant vessel’s deck on October 19.

Somali pirates holding the MV Faina stand guard on the merchant vessel’s deck on October 19.

The pirates have been holding the Ukrainian-operated, Belize-flagged MV Faina and its 20-person crew in the Gulf of Aden since September 25.

Military officials said the cash payment will be brought on the ship, directly to the pirates. Such a procedure is common because of the lack of electronic banking in Somalia.

The officials would not say how much ransom is being paid or who is paying it because it would be up to the individuals or company to make that announcement.

What’s known is that the pirates originally asked for a $35 million ransom, but lowered their demand to $20 million, Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers Association told CNN in November.

No Comments

Full Story At CNN.com

HOLLYWOOD, Florida (CNN) — A deceased drifter long suspected in the abduction, murder and beheading of 6-year-old Adam Walsh committed the crime that put missing children on the national agenda, police said Tuesday.
Adam Walsh 6, disappeared from a mall in August, 1981. His head was found two weeks later, 120 miles away.

Adam Walsh 6, disappeared from a mall in August, 1981. His head was found two weeks later, 120 miles away.
Click to view previous image
1 of 3
Click to view next image

“If Ottis Toole was alive today, he would be arrested for the abduction and murder of Adam Walsh on July 27, 1981,” Hollywood Police Chief Chad Wagner said at an afternoon news conference announcing the end of the 27-year investigation.

The chief apologized to the boy’s parents, John and Reve Walsh, for what he called “lapses” in the initial investigation.

He added that there was no “magic” piece of evidence that led investigators to officially name a suspect now.

“This case could have been closed, and should have been closed years ago,” Wagner said.

No Comments

Full Story At  USATODAY.com

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A state legislator wants to dump a 19th-century law banning the sale of yellow margarine, though it’s been years since any violator was ordered to spread ‘em.

Rep. Sara Lampe said Tuesday she plans to file legislation repealing the law when the 2009 legislative session starts in January.

Most of Missouri’s restrictions on imitation butter date to 1895, and they were last amended in 1939. Although the state no longer enforces them, the penalties could still make dealers in contraband dairy product toast: up to a month in jail and a $100 fine for first-time offenders and six months in jail and a $500 fine for repeat offenders.

Enforcement of the law falls to the state Agriculture Department, and officials there didn’t know when someone was last prosecuted under it. Case records from the late 19th and early 20th century show that Missouri courts upheld the constitutionality of the restrictions in several appeals.

No Comments

Full Story At Boston.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. credit card industry, harshly criticized for imposing surprise fees and interest rate hikes on consumers, may face a day of reckoning on Thursday.

The Federal Reserve is to vote on credit card reforms that may bring some relief to customers who face a variety of ways for being hit with late fees, universal defaults, shorter payment periods and confusing payment allocations for different balances.

Credit card users likely also would see easier-to-read tables in their monthly statements as a result of the changes.

The new rules, which were proposed earlier this year, are expected to total some 1,000 pages. They need approval of the Federal Reserve, the Office of Thrift Supervision and the National Credit Union Administration, which all are expected to act on Thursday

No Comments

Full Story At ABC News

Chicago Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., is the anonymous “Senate Candidate No. 5″ whose emissaries Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reportedly offered up to $1 million to name him to the U.S. Senate, his attorney confirmed today after it was reported earlier on ABCNews.com “The Blotter”.
Jesse Jackson Jr. denies any involvement in probe of Gov.

According to the FBI affidavit in the case, Blagojevich “stated he might be able to cut a deal with Senate Candidate 5 that provided Rod Blagojevich” with something “tangible up front.”

Jackson told ABC News this morning he was contacted Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Chicago whom he said “asked me to come in and share with them my insights and thoughts about the selection process

No Comments

Full Story At msnbc.com

LONDON - A British television channel said Wednesday it was planning to broadcast the death of an American man at a Swiss euthanasia clinic.

The death of 59-year-old Craig Ewert in 2006 is due to be shown Wednesday during a documentary on the Sky Real Lives channel.

No Comments