STIHL is recalling bout 73,000 polycut mowing heads.
The bolts connecting the plastic blades and holding the mowing head together can come loose and the mowing head can come apart, posing a risk of injury to the user or bystanders.
STIHL Inc. has received 28 reports of loose bolts or mowing heads coming apart, including two reports of injuries.
Continue reading "Mowing heads recalled by STIHL due to injury hazard" »
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On Thursday, the Trump administration finalized its plan to repeal the Waters of the U.S. rule or WOTUS – an Obama-era rule that prohibits the dumping of industrial and agricultural pollution into sensitive waterways that provide tap water for more than 117 million Americans.
The repeal of the rule will remove protections for many small streams and wetlands, which were put in place in 2015. The rule determines which streams, rivers, and lakes are protected from pollution by the federal Clean Water Act and extends protection for millions of acres of wetlands that filter drinking water.
Small streams are where big rivers start, and the best science confirms that dirty streams lead to even dirtier rivers, said Craig Cox, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources for the Environmental Working Group. Millions of Americans drink water directly connected to 234,000 miles of small streams that will now be unprotected as a result of the repeal.
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Under the Trump administration, the federal agency that’s supposed to protect consumers from Wall Street and financial predators has thought of yet another way to strip consumers of their protections. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or CFPB announced Tuesday that, working with seven state regulators, it launched the American Consumer Financial Innovation Network or ACFIN, a network that it said would "enhance coordination among federal and state regulators to facilitate financial innovation."
The CFPB invited all state regulators to join ACFIN, and the attorneys general of Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah took the offer.
Consumer advocates criticized the CFPB action because it gives banks, fintech companies, and other corporations no-action letters and approvals that will protect companies from enforcement and determine potentially new risky financial products and services to be in compliance with the law.
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Photo: Sarah Stierch
On Monday, I went with a group of colleagues to a local restaurant for a meeting. The menu said you could get an Impossible Burger for $2 more in any of its burger options. Knowing I was going to post the Consumer Reports reply to Impossible Foods’s article about them, I wanted to try one. However, I was told the Impossible burger wasn’t available. The company hasn’t been able to keep up with production to meet all the new demand. Disappointing.
Here’s the Consumer Reports statement on Impossible Foods’ beef with its critique:
In response to Consumer Reports’ recent article “Meat Gets A Makeover” focusing on plant-based alternatives to traditional beef burgers, Rachel Konrad – Impossible Foods’ PR chief – published an inflammatory and misleading attack on the motivations and methods behind our coverage of the safety of a key ingredient in the Impossible Burger. Oddly enough, she seems out for blood about an article that very fairly compares several plant-based alternatives based on taste, safety, and environmental impact.
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Whirlpool is recalling about 26,300 Whirlpool, KitchenAid, and JennAir brand glass cooktops with touch controls in the United States, 2,800 in Canada, and 128 in Mexico.
The recalled cooktop surface units can turn on by themselves, posing burn and fire hazards.
Whirlpool Corp. has received 133 reports of incidents involving the cooktop surface units turning on by themselves. This resulted in 14 reports, including 13 in the U.S. and one in Canada, of heat damage to nearby items and four reports of items catching on fire, including one report of property damage. Two minor burn injuries have been reported.
Continue reading "Glass cooktops are being recalled by Whirlpool due to burn and fire hazards" »
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Google and its subsidiary YouTube agreed to pay a record $170 million Wednesday to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission and New York Attorney General’s Office that YouTube illegally collected personal information from children without their parents’ consent.
The settlement requires Google and YouTube to pay $136 million to the FTC and $34 million to New York for allegedly violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule. The $136 million penalty is the largest amount the FTC has gotten in a COPPA case since the law was enacted in 1998.
In a lawsuit filed against the companies, the agencies allege that YouTube violated the COPPA Rule by collecting personal information – identifiers that track users across the Internet – from viewers of child-directed channels, without notifying parents and getting their consent. YouTube earned millions of dollars by using the identifiers – cookies – to deliver targeted ads to viewers, according to the lawsuit.
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The terms “Uncured” and “No Nitrate or Nitrite Added” shouldn’t be allowed to be used on labels for meat processed with nitrates or nitrites from natural ingredients, such as celery powder, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Consumer Reports told the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wednesday. The groups urged the agency to revise its rule because the labels are misleading and may give consumers the false impression that these products are healthier.
Tests of deli meats by Consumer Reports show the labels are misleading. Consumer Reports tested 31 packaged deli meats – name brands and store brands – including chicken, ham, roast beef, salami, and turkey. It’s tests showed that nitrates and nitrites, which have been linked to cancer, are found in processed meats labeled “Uncured” or “No Nitrates or Nitrites Added” at similar levels to those prepared with synthetic curing agents such as sodium nitrite.
“The ‘Uncured’ and ‘No Nitrate or Nitrite Added’ labels could make people think these meats are healthier, but our tests show they are not,” said Charlotte Vallaeys, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports. “Deli meats carrying these labels pose the same health risks as traditionally cured meats because the nitrate and nitrite levels are essentially the same.”
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Contigo is recalling about 5.7 million kids cleanable water bottles in the United States, 157,000 in Canada, and 28,000 in Mexico.
The water bottle’s clear silicone spout can detach, posing a choking hazard to children.
Contigo has received 149 reports of the spout detaching including 18 spouts found in children’s mouths.
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With summer coming to an end and the back-to-school shopping keeping people busy, it’s helpful to have information about Labor Day sales so you can get the best deals possible. During the Labor Day sales, you'll find lots of bargains. Look for reduced prices on clothing, appliances, computers, phones, electronics, and furniture.
WalletHub, a personal-finance website, has analyzed the Labor Day sales this year and offers information on the top deals:
Best labor day deals and sales
Dishwashers are the best items to buy in September, compared to the rest of the year.
2019’s 10 best Labor Day deals
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1. Invicta Women's Watch – 50 percent off |
6. Sealy Queen Mattress – 63.09 percent off |
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2. Kenmore Washer – 46.15 percent off |
7. HP OfficeJet Printer – 33.34 percent off |
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3. Abbyson Giorgio Sofa Set – 50 percent off |
8. Samsung Refrigerator – 33.34 percent off |
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4. Nikon D3500 DSLR Camera - 41.22 percent off |
9. NordicTrack Elite Elliptical – 59.38 percent off |
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5. Women's Laguna Bike – 33.33 percent off |
10. Samsung 65" Smart TV – 31.25 percent off |
See WalletHub's report the “Best Labor Day Deals & Sales” for more information. The report has a listing of the amount of discounts dozens of stores are offering on clothing, appliances, computers and phones, electronics, packaged goods, furniture, toys, and other categories.
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