Bethesda, MD
Business
Burn Hazards Cost Fitbit $12M+ After Delayed Smartwatch Recall: CPSC Burn Hazards Cost Fitbit $12M+ After Delayed Smartwatch Recall: CPSC
Burn Hazards Cost Fitbit $12M+ After Delayed Smartwatch Recall: Cpsc Fitbit will pay more than $12 million for failing to promptly report that its Ionic smartwatches posed serious burn risks, officials said. Fitbit LLC, which is now owned by Google, has been fined $12.25 million to settle claims by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency said in a news release on Thursday, Jan. 23. The defect caused the Ionic smartwatches to overheat, leading to second- and third-degree burns for some users. Between 2018 and 2020, Fitbit received multiple reports of its Ionic smartwatches overheating and injuring users, the CPSC said. In ear…

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by Chris Spiker
Simsbury, CT
Business
Nationwide Recall Issued For This Corn Puff Product Nationwide Recall Issued For This Corn Puff Product
Nationwide Recall Issued For This Corn Puff Product A nationwide recall has been issued for a popular snack brand. Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. has issued a nationwide recall of its Shirakiku brand Curvee Puffs Corn Puff Snack Curry Flavor due to undeclared milk. The FDA announced the recall on Monday, Jan. 20 after the company discovered the allergen was not listed on the packaging.  This oversight poses a serious health risk to individuals with milk allergies, potentially leading to life-threatening allergic reactions. The affected product is packaged in 2.46 oz flexible bags and bears the UPC code 07441078512, found on the back right…

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by Joe Lombardi
Brookfield, CT
News
REAL ID Enforcement Set To Begin Nationwide: Here's When REAL ID Enforcement Set To Begin Nationwide: Here's When
Real ID Enforcement Set To Begin Nationwide: Here's When Travelers and those accessing federal facilities will soon need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or another approved form of identification under new security requirements. The REAL ID Act, passed in 2005 in response to 9/11 Commission recommendations, requires stricter security standards for state-issued licenses and ID cards.  These credentials will be essential for boarding commercial flights, entering federal buildings, and accessing certain restricted facilities. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator David Pekoske emphasized the importance of compliance, …

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by Joe Lombardi
Alexandria, VA
Lifestyle
Full Wolf Moon To Eclipse Mars In Rare Lunar Event — Here’s When, How To Watch Full Wolf Moon To Eclipse Mars In Rare Lunar Event — Here’s When, How To Watch
Full Wolf Moon To Eclipse Mars In Rare Lunar Event — Here’s When, How To Watch Skywatchers are in for a rare treat as January’s Full Wolf Moon aligns with Mars in a celestial event called a lunar occultation.  On the evening of Monday, Jan. 13, the Moon will pass directly in front of Mars, temporarily hiding the planet from view in a stunning display visible across much of the world. When To Watch The Full Wolf Moon will reach peak fullness at 5:27 p.m. EST on Jan. 13. Shortly after, the occultation of Mars will begin. The exact timing of the event depends on your location: In the continental United States, most regions will see the occultation occur between 7 …

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by Joe Lombardi
Cape May, NJ
News
Mom Found Dead In Fridge In Cape May Forest Had Moved To NJ To Be Closer To Daughters: Family Mom Found Dead In Fridge In Cape May Forest Had Moved To NJ To Be Closer To Daughters: Family
Mom Found Dead In Fridge In Cape May Forest Had Moved To NJ To Be Closer To Daughters: Family Laura Hughes moved to New Jersey from Virginia in 2023 with the hope of being closer to her two teen daughters. "We thought it was a new beginning," said Cornel Alston, the father of her girls. Instead, the family is left mourning Hughes' loss days after the discovery of her remains, found stuffed in a refrigerator in a wooded area of the Belleplain State Forest on Sunday, Dec. 22. The timeline around 50-year-old Hughes' death isn't adding up for Alston, who says authorities have given him little information, compounding the pain of the loss. The NJ Courts website shows that Christop…

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by Cecilia Levine
Carteret, NJ
Sports
'Fierce Yet Confident' Boxer Dies Days After WBA Title-Winning Fight In Carteret 'Fierce Yet Confident' Boxer Dies Days After WBA Title-Winning Fight In Carteret
'Fierce Yet Confident' Boxer Dies Days After WBA Title-Winning Fight In Carteret A champion boxer died less than a week after reaching one of his career's biggest milestones and winning a title fight in Carteret. Paul Bamba has died at the age of 35, according to an Instagram post on Friday, Dec. 27 by his manager and R&B singer Ne-Yo. The cause of his death was unknown. Bamba's death was announced just days after he defeated Rogelio Medina by sixth-round technical knockout (TKO) at the Carteret Performing Arts Center. The victory on Saturday, Dec. 21 gave the World Boxing Association's (WBA) cruiserweight gold belt to Bamba, a Puerto Rico native. "He was a fierce…

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by Chris Spiker
Garden City, NY
News
Here's When New Yorkers Must Meet REAL ID Deadline Here's When New Yorkers Must Meet REAL ID Deadline
Here's When New Yorkers Must Meet Real ID Deadline Time is winding down for New Yorkers to get their federally compliant REAL ID or Enhanced ID/driver's license ahead of a crucial deadline. Starting Wednesday, May 7, 2025, standard driver’s licenses or non-driver IDs will no longer be accepted for boarding domestic flights or entering certain federal facilities.  To comply with new federal regulations, residents must obtain a REAL ID or Enhanced ID, both of which are available at the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices. A REAL ID, which meets the federal standard, can be used for domestic flights and accessing fe…

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by Joe Lombardi
Elkton, MD
Police & Fire
Suspect Arrested Days After 11-Year-Old Boy Killed In Elkton Hit-And-Run, Police Say Suspect Arrested Days After 11-Year-Old Boy Killed In Elkton Hit-And-Run, Police Say
Suspect Arrested Days After 11-Year-Old Boy Killed In Elkton Hit-And-Run, Police Say Days after a hit-and-run claimed the life of 11-year-old Mesiah Lafayette, police have arrested the man accused of leaving the scene of the deadly crash in Elkton. Nestor La Guillen Parra, 31, was apprehended on Tuesday, Nov. 19, in Wilmington, Delaware, by the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force as he was waiting to hitch a ride to Georgia, then Mexico when he was arrested, officials said. The fatal incident occurred on Saturday evening, Nov. 16, at the intersection of Elkton Road and Belle Hill Road, where Parra is accused of striking Lafayette and fleeing the scene. “This arrest would not h…

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by Zak Failla
Somers, NY
News
New Update: Accused Killer Of 15-Year-Old Somers Boy In US Illegally, ICE Says New Update: Accused Killer Of 15-Year-Old Somers Boy In US Illegally, ICE Says
New Update: Accused Killer Of 15-Year-Old Somers Boy In US Illegally, ICE Says A 40-year-old man who allegedly shot his girlfriend and her two children in Northern Westchester and then led authorities on a 12-hour manhunt is in the United States illegally and has had past encounters with Border Patrol, officials said. Fernando Andres Jimenez Meza, who allegedly shot and killed 15-year-old Michael Raimondi and injured his mother and brother during an incident in the Baldwin Place section of Somers on Monday, Oct. 28, is an unlawfully present citizen of Chile, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson said on Friday, Nov. 1. He entere…

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by Ben Crnic
Lexington Park, MD
Police & Fire
Fugitive Wanted For Christmas Eve Murder In Maryland Arrested, State Police Say Fugitive Wanted For Christmas Eve Murder In Maryland Arrested, State Police Say
Fugitive Wanted For Christmas Eve Murder In Maryland Arrested, State Police Say Years after a holiday murder in Talbot County, a man apprehended in Mexico has been brought back to Maryland to face multiple murder charges, state police announced. Ibarra Juarez, 32, who has no fixed address, has been charged for his alleged role in the 2021 Christmas Eve murder of 33-year-old Trappe resident Marta Merina. Shortly after 6:15 a.m. on Dec. 24, 2021, police were called to investigate a reported shooting in the 2900 block of Howell Point Road in Trappe, where they found Merina outside of her home suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. During the investigation, Juarez was iden…

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by Zak Failla
Saratoga Springs, NY
Business
7-Eleven To Close Hundreds Of Stores 7-Eleven To Close Hundreds Of Stores
7-Eleven To Close Hundreds Of Stores Convenience store chain 7-Eleven is closing hundreds of stores in North America. Parent company Seven & I Holdings said that the 444 locations were “underperforming.” They make up about 3 percent of 7-Eleven's total of around 13,000 outlets in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Specific sites of the stores have not yet been released. In announcing the closures, the company said that 7-Eleven stores saw a 7.3 percent decline in traffic in August, saying a "pullback in consumer spending has persisted beyond prior expectations" that has affected store traffic and sales growth "as consu…

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by Joe Lombardi
Ridgefield Park-Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
Police & Fire
Relentless Flirting Prompted Mom To Stab Co-Worker At Has Heights Restaurant: Attorney Relentless Flirting Prompted Mom To Stab Co-Worker At Has Heights Restaurant: Attorney
Relentless Flirting Prompted Mom To Stab Co-Worker At Has Heights Restaurant: Attorney A 23-year-old single mother has been released from jail more than a week after authorities say she stabbed her co-worker at a Bergen County restaurant. With help from Spanish to English interpreters, Bergen County Criminal Judge Susan J. Steele granted Juana Galvez Genaro release on pretrial monitoring level 3 Wednesday morning, Aug. 21. The hearing shed light on the situation that unfolded on Saturday, Aug. 10. Aaron Miller, the attorney representing Galvez Genaro said that the victim, a 43-year-old man who worked with her at Heights Bar & Grill in Hasbrouck Heights, had been "fl…

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by Cecilia Levine