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Think twice before buying something from Temu

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:10 GMT

(WGN Radio) – Does a smart watch for $9, an electric toothbrush for $3, and a crystal necklace for $1.50 seem too good to be true? Those prices, offered in a flash sale on e-commerce site Temu, just might be. You may recognize Temu from ubiquitous ads on Facebook and Instagram. The company has a U.S. headquarters, but is a "sister company" of the massive Chinese company Pinduoduo, reports Time. You can shop on Temu's site or download the app, where you can also earn credits by playing games or inviting people to join. How to avoid the text message scam putting your cash at risk About 50 million consumers have downloaded the app, said President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois Steve Bernas.Temu hasn't just racked up downloads – it has also earned a C+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and 964 complaints lodged against it.The Temu site offers deals ahead of Hallowee, with costumes starting at 99 cents. (Temu via Associated P...

Do phone cameras in Japan really make shutter sounds you can't disable?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:10 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — If you've ever worried that photos of you taken by a stranger will be posted online, a concept that keeps popping up on social media might sound like a godsend: phone cameras that make shutter sounds when photos are taken — and the feature can't be disabled.According to many on TikTok, phones in Japan come with this feature already installed by law. But is this actually true — and if so, why, specifically?It turns out, this social media claim is true but it's not exactly a "law" in the way that many online believe. It's more of a rule. Here's what that means. SNAP benefits are increasing Oct. 1: Here’s how much The issue's origins go back much further than expected, back to the days before most people on the planet owned a smartphone. As reported by the South China Morning Post, among others, the un-disable-able feature goes back to the time after the release of the first camera phone in 2000. The Kyocera VP-210, released first in Japan, did not include any camera nois...

Ohio school apologizes for controversial ice cream post: 'Lacked empathy'

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:10 GMT

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – An Ohio elementary school churned up outrage this week with its policy for an "ice cream Friday" event.On Thursday, Donovan Elementary School in Lebanon had shared plans for the following day's event on social media, but explained that students without enough funds in their meal account, and those with negative balances, would be unable to participate."A student must have money on their account to purchase an ice cream," the school said. "If a student has a negative balance they will not be able to purchase an ice cream even if they bring their $1 for ice cream."The original post went on to explain that students would not be allowed to purchase ice creams for fellow students who did not have enough money in their accounts. Yelp names the top 100 ice cream shops for 2023 By Friday, the post racked up over 11,000 reactions, 13,000 comments and 5,400 shares. Of the 13,000 who commented, many were outraged over the policy."This is gross," one person wrote. "I ho...

Maren Morris is getting the hell out of country music: ‘I’ve said everything I can say’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:10 GMT

Maren Morris calls her new two-track EP “The Bridge,” which is just one of several metaphors she deploys in imagining a path out of the world of country music in which she became a star.On “The Tree,” the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter says she’s “done filling a cup with a hole in the bottom”; “Get the Hell Out of Here” opens with the admission that she “watered the garden but forgot to fill the well.”It’s not that Morris, 33, has tired of twanging guitars or neatly cornered rhymes, both of which define the tunes that came out last week, a decade after she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, from her native Texas, first to write songs for established country acts such as Tim McGraw and later to sign a major-label record deal of her own. Rather, she says she’s leaving because of what she views as the country music industry’s unwillingness to honestly reckon with its history of racism and misogyny and to ...

Working Strategies: What to wear to the fair — the college career fair, that is

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:10 GMT

Amy LindgrenFor campus-based students (as opposed to those pursuing online studies), college career fairs have become a fall tradition.One likely reason is that employers are clamoring for access to job-ready students. But credit also goes to campus career centers working hard to keep students connected to post-college opportunities.In last week’s column, we looked at four steps needed to make the most of these events, wherever they might happen: 1) Set your goals; 2) Set aside time; 3) Prepare for conversations; and 4) Prepare your materials.Today we complete this short series with tips for the fair itself: What to wear, how to work the room, what to say and what to do after the event.1. What to wear to the fair: Since this isn’t really a fair (awww), cargo shorts and flip-flops are out. Instead, your goal is to dress professionally without overdoing it.With a regular interview, you have the advantage of knowing what job you’ll be discussing. In that case, the rule is easy: Dress f...

Officer struck by car overnight during traffic stop in Los Angeles

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:10 GMT

An LAPD officer was struck by a vehicle after exiting their squad car early Saturday morning. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Southwest Division attempted to pull over a possibly stolen vehicle around 3:40 a.m. The vehicle took off from the traffic stop and stopped in the area of Western Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard approximately two minutes later, police said.  Police searching for suspects after bar shooting in Downey As two officers got out of their squad car to approach the stopped vehicle, one was struck by a car passing by the area. The officer was rushed to a nearby hospital, where they are listed to be in stable condition. It is not known whether all of the suspects were taken into custody. Alexis Lewis contributed to this report.

Clayton Kershaw floats possibility of retirement as MLB regular season draws to a close

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:10 GMT

Clayton Kershaw is set to make his last regular season start at Dodger Stadium on Saturday against the Giants, and it may serve as his last home appearance for the team. Although a home start in the playoffs next month may be on the horizon for the 35-year-old left hander, whether he will pitch or not in 2024 remains up in the air. Kershaw told the Orange County Register that he hasn’t made a concrete decision regarding his future but that his injuries – especially his recent shoulder issue that sidelined him for six weeks and caused him to miss this year’s All-Star Game – will be a “factor”.  A walk-off win for the Dodgers wasn’t the best story of the night The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and ten-time All-Star is 12-4 this season with a 2.52 ERA. If he were to retire at the end of the season, he would have the second-most strikeouts in Dodgers history.  His last scheduled regular season start will come on Sept. 30 at San Francisco. 

California bounces back, flattens previously undefeated Milpitas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:10 GMT

After a tough three-point setback against No. 4 Pittsburg last Friday, California coach Danny Calcagno had a message for his players.“The mantra for this week was no letdown,” he said.The host Grizzlies (3-2) got the message as they rolled to a 48-6 rout of previously undefeated Milpitas.California built a 28-0 lead in the first quarter, scored all 48 points in the first half and snapped the ball maybe 10 times after intermission thanks to a running clock.“The kids seemed pretty focused,” Calcagno said.Quarterback Jayden Macedo threw four touchdown passes and junior tight end Chase McGill caught two for touchdowns.But the stat of the night belonged to sophomore outside linebacker Carson Fife, who blocked three punts.Calcagno, a veteran coach who led teams at San Leandro High and Chabot College before taking the California job, couldn’t recall having seen that before.None of the blocked punts landed in the end zone, but they all set up the Grizzlies in good field position.California ...

Kurtenbach: Three Big 49ers Things — Shanahan and Lynch’s new contracts don’t change a thing

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:10 GMT

Another win, another 30-point outburst for the 49ers, who are now 3-0 on the season.Per the NFL, these Niners are the first team since the 2007 Patriots to score the same amount of points in the first three games of the season.Those Patriots, you might remember, went 16-0 in the regular season.Can these Niners do them one better, 17-0?I think so.But while you chew on that, here are a few cooler takes following the Niners’ Thursday Night Football win.Clandestine contractsRelated ArticlesSan Francisco 49ers | 49ers reward Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch with contract extensions San Francisco 49ers | Kurtenbach: My boldest prediction yet — these 49ers will go 17-0 San Francisco 49ers | Giants learn blitzing Brock Purdy isn’t the answer in loss to 49ers San Francisco 49ers | 49ers report card: Offense beats blitzing Giants but Bosa-led defense excels, too San Francisco 49ers | Andrew Luck is in on the Civil...

Former USPS worker charged with stealing over $1.6 million in checks from mail

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:10 GMT

A former U.S. Postal Service employee has been charged with stealing over $1.6 million in checks from the mail.Prosecutors said 43-year-old Hachikosela Muchimba, of D.C., was charged with mail theft and bank fraud in a D.C. District Court for the two-year-long scheme, according to a Friday news release from the U.S. Attorney’s OfficeBetween October 2021 and last March, Muchimba stole checks from U.S. mail on his delivery routes, changing the name of the recipient on them to his own and depositing the amounts into a bank account under his name, according to the news release.He was a USPS mail carrier since 2016 and was placed on leave in March “as a result of his alleged involvement of loss of mail and funds,” prosecutors said.According to court documents, Muchimba can be seen on bank surveillance video making multiple ATM transactions and depositing the stolen checks into his account.Many of these false checks were originally from the U.S. Treasury, according to th...