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Umi Southworth’s death was a tragedy. Her husband, Don Southworth, is charged with her murder. Authorities admitted to mistakes in the original investigation, pointing to the protocols and policy of the police department of Lexington. Police originally found Southworth, beaten and left in the bushes behind her home in Kentucky, last June, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. Southworth looked so beaten that investigators had originally thought she was dead. She was lying outside in the rain for five hours while police questioned her husband about the crime, according to Justin Morgan, the attorney for Southworth’s estate....

Los Angeles County and City officials say that they plan to crack down on medical marijuana dispensaries selling pot over-the-counter. The move resembles recent crackdowns in San Diego, with law enforcement targeting marijuana dispensaries they claim are illegally operating for profit. Recently, we discussed San Diego’s attempt to crack down on medical marijuana dispensaries which they argue violate California law by operating for profit. As mentioned, California law allows for patients and care-givers to “associate within the State of California in order collectively or cooperatively to cultivate marijuana for medical purposes....

Have you ever loaned out money to a friend or loved one and they just never quite got around to paying you back? Need More Help? The process of recovering money owed to you can be tricky, especially if it involves close friends and family. To help navigate the sticky situation, you may want to speak to a collections attorney to try to find a minimally invasive solution. Related Resources:...

A new survey reveals that small businesses are especially vulnerable to cyber attacks. The survey found that 77 percent of small business owners believe their company is safe from attack, 73 percent believe that a reliable and trusted Internet presence is critical for their success, and 77 percent acknowledged that cybersecurity is important for their brand image, reports Resources for Entrepreneurs. Yet only 17 percent of these same business owners had a formal cybersecurity plan....

We go to national parks to commune with nature, but if your communion includes more than sacramental wafers and wine, you may want to leave it at home. Park rangers are cracking down on drugs in national parks, especially Yosemite National Park, whose visitors are four times as likely to be arrested for drug possession. Party in the Park The majority of the drug busts are for marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and ecstasy, and occur in Yosemite’s crowded Valley area, where the majority of the park’s three million visitors camp within seven square miles....

Businesses everywhere, take note: employers in San Francisco may soon be seeing some financial incentives for hiring felons. The city is considering a new legislation where employers will get a $10,000 tax break for felon employees. San Francisco is not the first city to consider this type of legislation. Philadelphia has had similar rules on its books since 2007. In fact, in 2009 the Philadelphia Eagles turned down a $10,000 tax credit when they hired an ex-felon: Michael Vick....

The open road is a part of the national imagination. We love cars in the US, fetishizing them in our books, films, and music. People here start driving early, and the lucky ones go on lots of road trips, listening to songs about cars the whole way, of course. But the cost of ownership varies widely from state to state, according to a new study by finance site GoBankRate. The study examined costs associated with car ownership beyond the purchase of a vehicle, that is, putting aside sticker price, and compared these nationwide....

Every entrepreneur needs to know something about patents, lest you miss an opportunity to invest in a lucrative new invention. Or worse, fail to patent yours as promptly as possible. Patents are part of a system for organizing intellectual property. They protect inventions, so you need more than just an idea to be granted a patent and applying can be an arduous process. Still, wait too long and someone may beat you to the punch....

Pokemon Go is already turning some of its players into Pokemon stayers. That is, excited early adopters have already experienced injuries that will be keeping them stuck at home all summer, though the game is touted for its ability to draw reclusive types out of the house. The augmented reality app game that’s played in the real world and on phones has been out for less than a week in the U....

Social Security has been eligible for Social Security for a decade, as of this past Saturday. The retirement program, signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, has turned 75. However, aging has not taken the zap or sting out of the “third rail of American politics” and both Democrats and Republicans are eager to paint the other party as the ones who would do the most to dismantle the program....

A lawsuit filed against Universal Studios is seeking $15,000 in damages after a mother says her son was injured on the E.T. ride at the theme park in January. According to the suit, Tiago Perez’s left foot got stuck between the ride and a cement offloading area near the end, crushing his foot and breaking multiple bones in his toes, foot, and leg. Here’s a look at his mother’s lawsuit, and similar injury claims against theme parks....

As dating app Tinder is being sued by an ex-vice president for sexual harassment, the startup’s alleged missteps can offer a few lessons for small business owners. As the case proceeds, here are three lessons that business owners can glean from this Tinder sexual harassment suit: According to Wolfe’s suit, much of the trouble started after she broke off things romantically with Tinder’s Chief Marketing Officer Justin Mateen. Whether it was jealousy or just complete lack of managerial sense, Wolfe alleges that Mateen called her a “whore” in front of the company’s CEO Sean Rad and subjected her to various demeaning verbal assaults in the workplace....

Property values in some areas of the country haven’t just bounced back – they’re soaring. This can put tenants in some untenable positions as landlords try to increase rental revenues. And even if your landlord isn’t trying to squeeze more money out of you (or squeeze you out of your apartment or house entirely), you may be having a more mundane landlord-tenant disagreement and you want to know what your legal rights are....

Sorry Al Bundy, but when it comes to love and marriage, you can have one without other. For many young couples, marriage is no longer a prerequisite to living together or starting a family. However, there are some legal issues that are unique to those who choose to forego marriage and just skip to the happily ever after. Here are five things to be aware of if you’re planning on living with your partner and child(ren), but without getting married:...

A New Jersey court granted Andrew McCarrell, 38, a verdict of $25.16 million against the Swiss drug-maker, Roche Holding AG, for side effects caused by the drug-maker’s acne medication, Accutane. The drug caused McCarrell to lose his colon. Well, more precisely, the drug caused McCarrell to suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, which subsequently led to a colonectomy. Since the colonectomy, McCarrell goes to the bathroom 10 to 20 times a day, suffering from “massive gastrointestinal upset” says his attorney, Michael Hook....

Virginia House lawmakers have pushed through a series of bills making it easier to buy and carry guns. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the 20 gun-related bills include lifting the ban on buying more than one gun a month, allow guns to be taken into bars, emergency shelters and locked in cars. In addition, new legislation would allow the names of applicants for concealed handgun permits to remain undisclosed to the public unless the applicant gives written consent for disclosure of the application....

Even though a virtual office employee can work from home in their underwear, broadcasting that fact to co-workers is rarely, if ever, appropriate. As virtual offices have become increasingly commonplace in the world of business, employers have been facing new and unique employment problems in the virtual workplace. In addition to ensuring that employees maintain productivity while telecommuting, employers need to ensure that the virtual work environment does not expose them to liability from employee lawsuits....

What’s the difference between a fault divorce and a no-fault divorce? Sometimes you don’t necessarily need a reason to get divorced. After decades of marriage, sometimes even the sight of your spouse’s face can ignite an inexplicable feeling of rage. It’s not that your significant other cheated on you or abused you. Your irritation is simply the result of years of quiet resentment. Enter the no-fault divorce. Many Americans have heard of the term, but aren’t sure what it means....

Employment opportunities for people with disabilities are increasing – more offices and workplaces are offering accommodations to employees with disabilities, and more employers are willing to hire prospective employees with disabilities. But it’s not easy: people with disabilities are twice as likely to live in poverty and the employment rate for people with disabilities is less than half that for people without. So which states are better at offering people with disabilities employment opportunities?...

Distracted walking, especially with a cell phone, results in a higher risk of pedestrian injury. As a result, more than 1,500 people were treated in U.S. emergency rooms in 2010, a new study finds. The author of the study, Prof. Jack Nasar at The Ohio State University, adds that “cellphone use isn’t just a danger to drivers,” it can be hazardous to those who are simply walking, reports U.S. News and World Report....