The Home Depot will pay $17.5 million to resolve investigations into its 2014 data breach that exposed the payment card information of about 40 million Home Depot customers across the nation. Hackers gained access to the company's network and put malware on its self-checkout system. Read more →

About 280,000 Kingsbury 70-inch ceiling fans are being recalled by HKC-US. The light globe can fall from its housing, posing an impact and laceration injury hazards. HKC-US has received 76 reports of the light globe falling, including four laceration injuries. Read more →

This year, instead of Amazon Prime Day being in July, it’s Oct. 13 and 14. What bargains should you look for? The most important thing to do is to compare prices. The “bargain” may or may not be saving you any money. Read more →

Lithonia Lighting is recalling about 318,500 CFMK surface mount brackets used with CPANL LEDs in the United States and about 11,600 in Canada. The brackets can fail to securely surface mount the CPANL LED and fall unexpectedly, posing a risk of injury from impact. The firm has received 24 reports of CPANL LEDs coming loose or falling from the CFMK bracket, resulting in one injury. Read more →

Intertex is recalling about 189,000 B-Air, BlueDri, BlueDri Pro, and Soleaire Blowers in the United States and about 8,153 in Canada. The utility outlets on the side of the blowers aren’t protected by a circuit breaker. If the outlet becomes overloaded or short-circuited, it could overheat, posing a fire hazard. No incidents or injuries have been reported. Read more →

Problems with car sales and repairs and home improvement and construction once again topped the list of complaints reported to state and local consumer agencies across the country, according to an annual survey by the Consumer Federation of America. The survey asked about the most common, fastest-growing, and worst complaints agencies received in 2019. Read more →

It’s week 18 of covid-19 restrictions for many of us. I dawned on me the second week in March that I should be staying home. I had been walking in the mall during the winter, but I thought heading there wouldn’t be wise. I’d ride my stationary bicycle for exercise instead until the weather warmed up. Read more →

The first Mother's Day was celebrated in 1914, but a holiday honoring fathers didn’t become official until 1966, when President Lyndon Johnson declared that the third Sunday in June would be Father's Day. President Richard Nixon made this proclamation permanent in 1972. However, Father’s Day was celebrated before then. The idea for Father's Day is attributed to Sonora Dodd, who was raised by her father after her mother's death during childbirth. While listening to a sermon at church on Mother's Day, she thought about all her father had done for her and her siblings and decided fathers should have a day, too. Because Dodd's father was born in June, she encouraged churches in her area, Spokane, Washington, to honor fathers that month. The first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane in 1910. Over the years, the idea spread, and people lobbied Congress to establish the holiday. Shopping This year three-quarters of consumers say they plan to celebrate Father's Day, according to the annual survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. Read more →

Memorial Day sales have begun, even though stores aren’t operating like they usually do due to the coronavirus pandemic. Shop online for safety or pick up items you’ve ordered from local retail stores. Many states have opened retail stores, including Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Iowa. However, I wouldn’t take the risk to go shopping for clothes yet. About a dozen states – Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, North Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Mississippi – have opened retail stores even though their coronavirus cases are going up or have plateaued rather than dropping. See this New York Times article on the reopening plans of states. DealNews.com suggests consumers look for Memorial Day deals on: Read more →

Sterno Home is recalling about 77,000 hampton bay, patriot lighting, and paradise light kits with LED power supplies. The path lights have a defective Sterno Home LED power supply that has a plug blade that can remain in the AC outlet when the LED power supply is pulled from the outlet, posing a risk of electric shock to the user.   The firm has received one report of the light’s power supply plug blade detaching in an AC outlet. No injuries have been reported. Read more →