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After 9 months of stuffing a pillow inside her clothes, forging birth certificates and attending baby showers it was time for Stephanie Foster to produce a baby. But Stephanie Foster’s elaborate fake pregnancy scam, including plans to steal a newborn to pass off as her own, didn’t quite work out the way she imagined, the Indychannel.com reports. Police say Foster, a 34-year-old Indiana woman, allegedly stabbed a couple in an attempt to kidnap their month-old son....

Minnesota residents are citing safety concerns in arguing for lower speed limits statewide, urging state legislators to lower change the laws in order to save lives. The Pioneer Press reports that this issue has been buzzing from the suburbs to Minnesota’s capital, with many in favor of lowering the speed limit on residential streets from 30 mph to 25 mph. What evidence is there to support a lower speed limit, and will the Minnesota legislature go for it?...

Having your identity stolen is extremely frustrating, and the effort to correct all the damage done can be mind-numbingly time consuming. You have to cancel your credit cards, fight fraudulent charges, and try to repair your credit. Thankfully, one more thief is behind bars after authorities discovered the credit card skimming scheme he was running in Virginia. Gas Station Skimmers Fuel Crime Identity theft is considered the unauthorized use of personal identification information to commit credit fraud or other crimes....

A study released last month found that women are outperforming men in the increasingly lucrative world of online crowdfunding. This is especially interesting, reports The Wall Street Journal, because women are typically only able to raise half as much startup capital as men, hampering the growth of their businesses. However, on crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, women are out-fundraising men even in traditionally male-dominated fields like gaming and technology, according to the study....

Some have suggested that the recession could result in a surge in divorces, or actually even encourage couples to divorce. Certainly in the context of wealthy individuals, the recession has been suggested to be a good time (if there is such a thing) to seek a divorce because so many people’s assets have lost so much value. However, for mainstream individuals facing nearly unprecedented levels of job losses, foreclosures, and other financial challenges, divorce might seem like an altogether daunting financial proposition....

It’s National Hat Day! January 15th is set aside as a day to wear and enjoy any hat that tickles your fancy. But while some employees would like to celebrate the holiday by (literally) wearing multiple hats in the workplace, they may find their employers have banned hats altogether. Is it legal to ban hats at work – even on National Hat Day? Employers are allowed to enact and enforce dress codes that place reasonable restrictions and requirements on employees’ appearance....

Can legalizing gay marriage increase business? With gay marriage statutes passing in certain states across the U.S., it certainly seems that same-sex couples and businesses can be a good mix. After all, gay marriage laws likely means an increase in the number of marriages. An increase in marriages subsequently means an increase in people clamoring to buy wedding-related goods and services. It’s estimated that the U.S. spends more than $80 billion on weddings a year, and it’s no small wonder that some businesses might want to try to cash in on this increase....

It takes more than a snap of the fingers to participate in SNAP, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. In fact, businesses must be authorized to participate and with some exceptions, have to pay for the equipment that allows them to participate in the government benefits program, commonly called “food stamps.” But it can mean more customers and added revenue, too. So let’s take a look at how SNAP works for stores, according to the federal government....

The short answer is maybe, and it is incredibly complicated. There is no federal law prohibiting the possession of syringes. It is all state law. About five states don’t have drug paraphernalia (DP) laws, and about 10 exclude syringes from this list. That leaves about 30+ states that do have syringe laws. And this is where it gets complicated. In a state that has DP laws, and a syringe is included as DP, is it always illegal to possess one?...

A pregnant Colorado woman had a close encounter of the fuzzy kind on Thursday morning on a trail in Colorado Springs, and that was just the start of her troubles! KDVR-TV reports that Ashley Swendsen, who is 6-months pregnant, was on a trail early yesterday morning when she, in her own words, “heard a rustle. I looked behind me and it was a bear–2 feet away”. To Swendsen’s credit she didn’t just bolt for the hills, as would probably be most people’s reaction seeing a bear 2 feet away from them....

Whether your business should own a car depends on what you do and how you plan to use the vehicle. Getting a company car is a big decision. It means added expenses and liability issues, but it can also be convenient and have tax advantages. Deductions on Mixed Use Vehicles Small business owners can claim vehicle-related expenses on their taxes in two ways, says Quickbooks. For mixed use vehicles, serving both business and personal purposes, may deduct miles driven related to the business....

Following up on the New Haven firefighter “reverse discrimination” case being heard in the Supreme Court (see the background covered here), the high court today ruled 5-4 in favor of white and Hispanic firefighters who sued New Haven, Connecticut, claiming racial discrimination. The Court said the city was not allowed to discriminate against plaintiffs by throwing out its test used for promotions, as the city did not adequately show that it would have been liable to minority firefighters under “disparate-impact” law....

In a 6-3 ruling handed down today, the Supreme Court scolded a federal appeals court that essentially got too friendly in its treatment of certain veterans disability benefits claims. The ruling dealt with cases brought by two veterans, Woodrow Sanders and Patricia Simmons, whose benefits claims were denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The veterans had argued that the VA mishandled certain notices it was required to give them under federal law....

On the week of 4th of July, some not-so-sharp criminal elements provided some fireworks in the form of mind-numbing excuses, plus various improper uses for liquids, food items, and utensils. What a hoser. For non-smokers, catching a whiff of unwanted second-hand fumes might be pretty annoying. This may particularly be the case if it’s happening in your own house. But if it’s your own wife smoking in your house, there’s probably not a whole lot to be done, is there?...

With such easy access to technology, more of our relationships are being recorded, giving more people access to our relationships, even the most private aspects of them. And sometimes, the people we trust the most cannot be trusted with those private details. Over the past five to ten years, cases of revenge porn – where one partner or ex publicly posts sexually explicit images of another – have skyrocketed, leaving victims, law enforcement, and the courts scrambling for legal solutions....

For years, Uber has been held up as the model for tech startups: a case study in “disruption.” But as much as other companies have tried to learn from its success, the ridesharing giant has also provided some valuable lessons in what not to do. Case in point: Last week, a former Uber engineer Susan Fowler published a withering blog post about her time at the company, extensively detailing numerous instances of sexual discrimination and harassment....

Yes. That’s the short answer. And when it comes to at-will employment, you don’t need much more. At-will employment means either side can terminate employment, for any reason or for no reason at all. Still, there are some limitations to at-will firings. And after any high-profile firing based on an employee’s statements, many will wonder if the First Amendment or free speech principles apply. So let’s take a look. Free Speech ≠ Consequence-Free Speech The plain text of the First Amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech....

Healthcare reform has been stealing the spotlight like a shotgun celebrity wedding. With headlines abuzz, you may be wondering about one of the terms that has been getting the most play, public option health care. You’ve heard President Obama mention it, but what exactly is public option health care? Read on to get in the know. The White House reports that the current system of healthcare ran a tab of $2....

It’s less a practical question nowadays and more of an existential angst: “Will I have enough for retirement?” And depending on your age, your job, and your marital and family status, figuring out your retirement plan can seem like an impossible bit of calculus. The key word there is “seem” – with a little information and some careful planning, figure out when you can retire can get a lot simpler....

Summer is coming up and teenagers have started looking for summer jobs. You may even want to hire a few. You’re probably aware that special laws apply when hiring minors, but it’s a bit more tricky than hourly limits. Both state and federal laws place limitations on where a teen may work. Here’s a quick rundown on what federal law says, and how you can find out about any local restrictions....