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Tuesday, September 17, 2024

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TX League of Women Voters participates in National Voter Registration Day; Trump's golf outings have long concerned Secret Service; Palm Beach County schools tackle post-pandemic chronic absenteeism; College students press Israeli divestment campaign as the school year begins.

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Washington considers the need to tone down anti-Trump rhetoric. Senate Democrats are likely to force a second vote on a national right to in-vitro fertilization, and Trump allies repeat falsehoods about migrants amid bomb threats in OH.

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Rural voters weigh competing visions about agriculture's future ahead of the Presidential election, counties where economic growth has lagged in rural America are booming post-pandemic, and farmers get financial help to protect their land's natural habitat.

CA consumer groups pan bill 'repo man' would give rave review

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Tuesday, August 6, 2024   

Consumer groups are speaking out against legislation proposed in California which would make it easier to repossess a car or other property, by exempting "repo" agents from trespassing laws.

Assembly Bill 2120 would allow repo agents to seize vehicles parked on private property, such as a driveway.

John Van Alst, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, opposes the bill.

"We see a number of folks killed, injured every year," Van Alst pointed out. "We see repossession agents and consumers hurt and killed, we see children still in the car when it's repossessed."

The California Association of Licensed Reposessors argues it is safer to seize a car from a person's home rather than leave them stranded in public. The bill has passed the State Assembly and is now in the Suspense File, awaiting consideration by the state Senate Appropriations Committee.

Van Alst noted police may need to help mediate during lawful repossessions.

"There is a procedure in California that allows a more orderly process, called Replevin," Van Alst explained. "You can get a court order and the assistance of law enforcement if that's necessary."

The bill applies only to agents registered with the Department of Consumer Affairs, who leave within a reasonable amount of time after seizing the vehicle or other property. In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill, citing concerns about the potential for abuse or altercations.


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Toledo's Dorr Street once boasted more than 130 businesses between Collingwood Blvd. and Detroit Ave., including retail shops, restaurants, lodging, medical offices, entertainment venues, and services like auto repair, laundry and beauty salons. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Toledo's historic Dorr Street Corridor was once the beating heart of Black culture, wealth and business in the city. Now, community leaders and local …


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A year-old U.S. Supreme Court case means relief for two Nebraskans who faced losing their homes and all the equity they had built, when investment …

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Colorado's second-largest electricity provider, the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, projects new federal clean energy funding will …


Early voting for the upcoming general election runs from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. (Rob Goebel/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

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Today is National Voter Registration Day, and volunteers with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters are holding voter registration events across the …

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Palm Beach County schools are working to curb chronic absenteeism, which has surged since the pandemic. Nearly 39% of Palm Beach County students …

Minnesota's Center for Rural Policy and Development said in rural settings, parents are often forced to take a child to the emergency room during a mental health crisis. (Adobe Stock)

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Gaps in mental health care are a common research topic right now and for Minnesota youth in rural areas, a new report showed their families face big …

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September is Workforce Development Month and North Dakota offices managing energy assistance programs hope people in need of a fresh career start will…

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In observance of Hunger Action Month, a new statewide collaborative has launched to address food insecurity in South Dakota. Nearly 14% of U.S…

 

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