CHARLOTTE, N.C. – When Jaclyn Brzezinski in May found a stolen image of herself with her parents next to anti-Semitic text on social media, she had no idea at the time that was the tip of the iceberg of what has become a long and stressful journey.

Over the next few weeks, she received threatening messages, found a Twitter profile posing as her and even found interior and exterior photos of her home posted to her harasser's account.

Brzezinski says the impersonation runs deep.

"I've actually had people reach out to me and tell me that they were online dating with someone who was using my photos,” she relates. “I had one guy reach out to me and say, 'I've been in love with you for months.'"

"Doxing" describes online impersonation and defamation – just what Brzezinski is experiencing. She suspects she was targeted by white supremacists who mistakenly assumed her last name is Jewish, and found her because her jewelry business – Chrysalis Studios – has 19,000 followers on her social media platforms.

Brzezsinki is now seeking a change in state laws and action from Twitter.

Twitter claims "doxing" is against its terms of service but offers no way to report it. Brzezinski began reporting the harassment to Twitter and says she was unsuccessful getting her harassers' account taken down until she threatened to sue the platform.

"Twitter does not block IP addresses of offending accounts,” Brzezinski states. “So it's in their policies that you cannot make another account once they have suspended your account, however they do absolutely nothing to enforce it.

“So as soon as they delete your account, you can turn around two seconds later and make a whole new one."

Brzezsinki's story has caught the attention of North Carolina state Sen. Jeff Jackson (D-Charlotte), who says his staff will look into the state's current cyberstalking laws and the ambiguity in them that she's experienced. Brzezinski also has started an online petition on Change.org.

"I've talked to three different lawyers, and they've basically all told me that North Carolina's cyberstalking laws are some of the weakest in the country, and so there's definitely room for improvement," Brzezinski relates.

A detective at the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department is working with Brzezsinki to file a court motion to force Twitter to provide the IP addresses of the accounts that have been impersonating and stalking her.

Reporting by North Carolina News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the Park Foundation.


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Air travelers could face fewer obstacles in securing a refund if their flight is canceled or changed under new federal rules announced Wednesday.

The moves are being praised by watchdog groups. The Department of Transportation said airlines are now required to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when they are owed one.

Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, said some carriers have not adhered to standards, leaving passengers in a bind.

"They would drag their feet, and they would say, 'Well, you bought your ticket from a ticket agent, so we don't know where your money is. Or, here, have a voucher,'" Murray explained.

Amid higher complaint volumes, companies will be forced to act quickly. The new rules, which are being phased in, provide clearer definitions for travel disruptions, including delays of at least three hours on a domestic flight and six hours on international flights. A key industry group responded to the announcement by touting transparency efforts among carriers.

Murray acknowledged most people are not frequent flyers, and it is hard for them to keep up on all the least practices and policies among airlines.

"The average person only flies once every 18 months," Murray pointed out. "This will just bring transparency to that process and it kind of evens the playing field."

Murray added it could come in handy for Midwestern customers when a winter storm wreaks havoc on air travel. The new rules also require refunds for baggage fees when a piece of luggage is delayed by 12 hours or more for domestic flights. And there must be upfront disclosure on fees for first and second checked bags and carry-on bags.


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Wisconsin lawmakers recently debated reforms for payday loans. Efforts to protect consumers come amid new research about financial pain associated with cash advances offered through smartphone apps. The Center for Responsible Lending is out with findings that detail how "earned wage advances" from digital platforms come with extra costs disguised as things like tips. Traditional payday lenders are often criticized for charging excessive interest rates on loans that are usually around $500.

Lucia Constantine, a researcher with the Center for Responsible Lending, said customers are usually seeking smaller amounts from the apps, but she warns they can be just as costly.

"They are trapping consumers in a cycle of borrowing that is similar to that of a payday loan, " she said.

The report said after using these financial products, customers are seeing overdrafts on their checking accounts increase by 56% on average. Industry leaders deny they're barraging consumers with hidden fees, stressing that features such as suggested tips are optional. More broadly, a bipartisan payday loan reform bill in the Wisconsin Legislature failed to advance this month.

Constantine said like longstanding payday lenders, these cash advance apps can be hard to regulate. Meanwhile, she urged those in a bind to explore other options.

"[They should] try talking to their friends and family as a first source. The other option which I would recommend is reaching out to their credit union or banking institution to see if they can get some sort of small-dollar loan," she said.

She noted places such as credit unions typically provide more transparency on loan costs. According to the report, three-quarters of consumers took out at least one advance on the same day or day after a re-payment was posted.


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Food prices remain high, in Montana and across the country.

A new report by the Federal Trade Commission says the country's largest grocery companies are gouging consumers, by keeping prices artificially high.

Many grocers, retailers and wholesalers have consolidated to cut costs. Grocers continue to blame supply chain problems, even though regulators have said most of those issues have been resolved.

President of the advocacy group Farm Action, Angela Huffman, said retailers were doing more than making up for lost revenue during the pandemic-era supply chain disruptions - and the FTC report says they continue to do so.

"In 2021, the retailer revenues, they rose to more than 6% higher than their total costs, and that those profits are still going up," said Huffman. "So, in the first nine months of 2023, the profits increased to 7%."

At nearly 6.5%, Montana had the nation's ninth-highest grocery price increase in 2023.

The FTC data show Amazon, Kroger and WalMart each gained market share during and after the pandemic - while profits continued to rise.

Other large retailers and wholesalers have consolidated, which they say gives them more buying power and the ability to pass those savings on to customers.

Huffman said that isn't what's happening, and calls on regulators to fine the grocers, or more.

"This would be kind of the farthest extent of what they could do, but go so far as breaking them up," said Huffman. "In years past, they broke up the telephone companies and the railroads and, you know, that would be the ideal outcome for us, is to take away their excessive power."

Huffman also points to a 150% increase in egg prices in 2023, which producers blamed on the avian flu. The FTC says the disease did not justify the drastic price hike.