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In recent months, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has enacted numerous changes to its lending programs in attempts to get credit moving to small businesses. One change which the agency is publicizing today is a permanent change to the SBA 504 loan program. 504 loans finance the purchase or improvement of large scale fixed assets, such as commercial real estate, buildings or equipment. Now, 504 loans can be used to refinance existing loans already taken out on similar purchases or projects....

While we might know when we need to call the police, we may not be able to talk once we get them on the line. A physical disability or dangerous situation like a domestic violence incident or a home invasion may make you unable to verbally communicate your emergency. Fortunately, there may be a way to tell 911 dispatchers you’re in trouble, without speaking aloud. Massachusetts has a state-wide Silent Call Procedure for 911 calls that can mean the difference between life and death in some cases....

Throwing a frat-themed office party? Probably a bad idea. This idea is especially a bad for social media/tech companies, since they already suffer from heavily criticism for being overtly male-dominated. “TWITTER FRAT HOUSE” To be fair to a large company, it was one of their San Francisco-based teams that came up with the idea for their internal “happy hour.” But they went all-out: red Solo cups, a keg, and a Twitter-branded beer pong table....

Divorce can be hell. It can be hell on your family and friends. Hell on your mental health. But most of all, divorce can ruin your business. You might be thinking right now that the last thing you’d be worried about in a divorce is protecting your business. Not necessarily. As much fun as it may be to live like a college student again, chances are the joys of eating a cup of instant noodles in your underwear will start to wear pretty thin if a divorce makes it an everyday necessity....

If your car breaks down, you can take it to just about any repair shop you want. You might even have the know-how and the parts to fix it yourself. The same hasn’t always been true for smartphones and other electronic devices with embedded software. U.S. copyright law prohibited bypassing, breaking, or hacking digital rights management (“DRM”) and software locks to make repairs or reset phones. But a proposed exemption would allow consumers and independent repair experts to hack embedded software on their devices, including smartphones, cars, smart home appliances, and tractors....

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn provide platforms for users to engage in public, interactive conversations. But if an online comment is hurtful and false, it could set the stage for a defamation lawsuit. There are two types of defamation: Libelous comments are in writing, while slanderous statements are spoken. In the age of status updates, podcasts, and YouTube, both types can potentially apply in social-media defamation cases....

Caring for an aging parent can often be a rewarding, yet trying, experience. There are many common issues that come up between siblings when parents begin to show signs of their aging. Unfortunately, these issues, if not handled properly, can lead to escalated tensions and fighting between siblings, and can even end up in costly litigation. What’s worse is that many times, these conflicts are the result of mistakes that may be avoidable....

Your business works hard to perform and deliver. So what do you do when you don’t receive payment for goods delivered or services rendered? It’s a question that takes on a new urgency in times of economic challenge. Your company has available a variety of options and depending on your size, type of business, and ability to continue operations, what is best for your business may not be the same as what is best for the business next door....

It’s not that you’re doing it intentionally, but if you’re a stressed-out small business owner there’s a chance that you’re sabotaging your own business. Not all the work you do for your business is necessarily helping you move forward. Putting in all the overtime and taking on all that work may actually be setting you back. That’s obviously not the goal. But it’s hard to fix a problem if you don’t know what you’re doing wrong....

News about bedbugs continues to crawl forth from the Big Apple. New York is just one of the major cities in the United States to be hit with an epidemic of the pests, but in NYC, they do everything bigger and better. Now, there are news reports that the bedbugs may even be affecting tourism. Bedbug infestations have expanded from the city’s apartment buildings and hotels to major landmarks and tourist destinations such as the Empire State Building, Bloomingdale’s and Lincoln Center, the Associated Press reports....

For an adult child, filing a lawsuit over the wrongful death of a parent can be a tricky matter. Generally, surviving members of a victim’s family can sue for wrongful death when the victim dies from the negligence or misconduct of another. But because of the way damages are calculated, recovery for a parent’s wrongful death can get complicated when adult children file suit. Here’s why: The vast majority of wrongful death suits are filed by immediate family members such as spouses, parents, and children....

You’re dreaming of a white Christmas and everything that entails, like sledding, skating, and snowballs. But what if someone breaks a window, or worse, a skull, in a snowball fight? Rest assured, you can sue if you are injured due to someone’s negligence. Also, you can be sued for any damage you cause to a person or property with a snowball or otherwise. The elements of negligence are always the same, regardless of how injury occurs....

Nanny service company Care.com has been sued by the parents of a 3-month-old child who died under a babysitter’s watch. Nathan and Reggan Koopmeiners of Kenosha, Wisconsin, have filed wrongful death suits against Care.com and Sarah Gumm, 35, who is set to stand trial for their baby Rylan’s death, reports the Chicago Tribune. The suit alleges that Gumm had prior criminal run-ins that Care.com failed to disclose to the parents, despite the couple paying an additional fee for a “premier background check” on a potential nanny....

Are performance based pay systems a smart way to raise the caliber of teachers? Or does it simply scapegoat teachers for problems that are beyond their control? Colorado is currently working to sort out those questions after passing a new teacher law that will focus on student progress when evaluating teachers. Those teachers who fail to raise students’ test scores will find themselves at risk of losing their jobs. Teachers have traditionally been evaluated largely based upon seniority....

Courtney Love, former Hole lead singer and part-time celebrity train wreck, has been sued for using the social networking tool Twitter to make a number of allegedly-defamatory rants about Los Angeles clothing designer Dawn Simorangkir. And the lawsuit itself – filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 26th and including claims for libel, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotion distress – gets pretty flowery in its accusations against Love....

Malignant mesothelioma is a horrific disease that often leaves victims with little medical recourse other than a slow death. John Johnson had the disease. And his legal struggles show that mesothelioma victims deserve better. Johnson, 69, was a marine. Since 1961 he worked as a carpenter, mechanic, and plumber. Any of his jobs could’ve exposed him to the asbestos that likely caused his disease, the Los Angeles Times reports. So he sued 65 companies for compensation....

Thousands of fast food workers from well-known chains have gone on one-day strikes across the nation to demand higher wages – namely, $15 an hour. The movement started in New York City earlier this year and soon spread to Chicago and Washington, D.C., The New York Times reports. This week, the strikes hit various cities in the Midwest. The national campaign is unique in that it doesn’t involve one particular company or store....

In a frat house accident last week, an 18-year-old girl was impaled in the neck by a broken golf club. Natalie Jo Eaton, a student at Arkansas State University, was hospitalized after “rush” activities at the Kappa Alpha frat house. According to Little Rock’s KARK-TV, students were using the golf club as a bat to hit a tossed football when the shaft broke, sending the broken end sailing 30 feet before it lodged itself in Eaton’s neck....

New Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly confirmed earlier reports that his department is considering separating undocumented parents and children caught entering the United States at the Mexico border. Kelly said the move would be aimed at deterring “more movement along this terribly dangerous network” as families fleeing violence and poverty in Central American countries from trying to illegally enter the U.S. So what is the DHS policy concerning family detention now, and how might that change under the proposed detention plan?...

A new Illinois civil union law has made it the 6th state in the U.S. to recognize civil unions. And now, Illinois’ first same-sex couple has also filed for a same-sex divorce just as many gay couples lined up for a civil union license. Mark Bayer and Nathan Frederick married in Quebec in 2006. The couple is now divorcing, and the new civil union law is allowing them to do so, reports the Peoria Journal Star....