Eleven deaths and nearly 12,000 emergency room-treated injuries from fireworks occurred in 2015, the highest number in 15 years. With more states relaxing their laws and allowing more types of fireworks to be used by consumers, consumers need to do more to prevent kids and adults from being rushed to... Read more →

What are your plans for the Fourth of July this year? Here’s a look what Americans will be doing to celebrate the holiday plus some facts on the important day. Travel Nearly 43 million Americans will travel this Independence Day weekend, AAA predicts. This is the highest Fourth of July... Read more →

Volkswagen has agreed to spend up to $14.7 billion to settle charges of cheating on emissions tests and deceiving customers. The company will offer consumers a buyback and lease termination for nearly 500,000 model year 2009-2015 2.0 liter diesel vehicles sold or leased in the United States. It will spend... Read more →

I’m the host for the Best of Boomer Blogs #454. As a photojournalist, I’ve wanted for years to get a photo of the president for a book of my photos I’m preparing. When I heard President Obama was coming to Seattle, I jumped at the chance to go to a... Read more →

HP is recalling about 41,000 lithium-ion batteries in the United States, 2,600 in Canada, and 4,500 in Mexico. The battery packs can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards, the company and U.S. Consumer Product Commission said. HP has received seven reports of battery packs overheating, melting, or charring, including four... Read more →

Nearly one-third of Americans polled by Consumer Reports said they had experienced a drug price hike in the past year, with some reporting not taking medications as prescribed, postponing medical tests and doctor’s visits, and spending less on groceries. In an investigation into prescription drug costs, Consumer Reports identifies five... Read more →

As the pharmaceutical industry and insurance company battle over profits, consumers are reeling from the uncontrolled rise in drug prices. Nearly one-third of Americans polled by Consumer Reports said they had experienced a drug price hike in the past year, paying a total of $2 billion more for a drug... Read more →

The National Institutes of Health will not take action to authorize generic competition for an expensive, patented, and taxpayer-funded prostate cancer treatment, Francis Collins, director of the NIH, said Monday. The drug, enzalutamide, is sold as Xtandi by only one company, the Japanese corporation Astellas Pharma. Researchers at the University... Read more →

If you bought tickets from Ticketmaster between Oct. 1, 1999, and Feb. 27, 2013, you may be entitled to benefits from a class action settlement. Consumers who paid an “order processing fee” that was never refunded are eligible. Ticketmaster is sending out vouchers, which are good for four years, by... Read more →

Carol Cassara of Heart•Mind•Soul is the host for this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs #454. Cassara reports boomer bloggers are writing about all things retirement. Whether you’re young or older, retirement is coming to you, too, one day. And faster than you think. Boomer blogger topics include the difficulty of... Read more →