Licensed pets are three times more likely to be returned to their owners than unlicensed pets, if they go missing.That’s one reason behind Minneapolis’s and St. Paul’s pet licensing requirements. But while they have the same goals, the two cities require very different things from pet-owning residents. Minneapolis is unveiling an online pet licensing system that allow owners to apply for tags for their dogs, cats, rabbits and ferrets from their own keyboard.Dog-owning St. Paul residents can download and print an application from the Web, but it must be mailed in or submitted in person. Continue Reading
The latest news of Minnesotans’ helping Haiti came in my e-mail this morning: a benefit concert at the Cedar Cultural Center on Friday, with a superb line-up of local musicians. Minnesotans are digging deep to help relief efforts, reading and listening to the news, watching the on-the-scene reports on YouTube and TV news. Dozens of Minnesota organizations are involved in both relief and solidarity efforts.Do you have Haiti-Minnesota news, commentary, and events? Write an article, post an event, add your blog post. Tell the community what you are doing and thinking about the continually unfolding tragedy in Haiti, what you think others should know and do, and how they can connect with Minnesota initiatives and organizations. Continue Reading
Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to take down the tree and stick to your 2010 resolution to go greener. Here are some easy ways to recycle your Christmas tree or enjoy it all season long.
The benefits of recycling? For one thing, that lovely tree you bought from a local, sustainable Christmas tree farm not only provided a home for wildlife before entering your home for the holidays, as a recycled tree it can now provide life for plants, veggies, trees, fruits and more as valuable mulch and compost. for information on recycling Christmas tree lights through January 10, click here. And recycling them is easy:
For St. Continue Reading
Perhaps you have received unwanted Facebook messages with innocuous links. Or worse your account has been compromised sending embarrassing messages to your unsuspecting friends. “Dear Facebook user, due to Facebook policy changes, all Facebook users must submit a new, updated account agreement, regardless of their original account start date. Accounts that do not submit the updated account agreement by the deadline will have restricted. Please unzip the attached file and run ‘agreement.exe’ by double-clicking it,” reads a Facebook message. Continue Reading
Scammers have targeted Twin Cities consumers by “spoofing” their calls, so that the caller ID looks like your auto dealership is calling.The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Minnesota and North Dakota is advising both businesses and consumers to be on alert for a new phishing scam. According to information provided by the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association, multiple Twin Cities auto dealerships have been targeted by scammers seeking customer information recently, leading to fraudulent charges on the credit cards of some of those dealerships’ customers. In at least one case, here’s how the scam worked: the scammer contacted the dealership’s service department and claimed to be a representative of their credit card company. The caller said the most recent customer transaction did not process correctly and they would need that customer’s name, address, phone number, authorization code and the last 4 numbers of the customer’s credit card. After they were given that information, the scammers said that was not the transaction in question and asked for the same information of the second most recent customer. From there, the scammers contacted those customers directly and altered (spoofed) the outgoing call so that when the customers looked at their caller ID, it appeared as though the dealership was the one contacting them. Customers have been tricked by the scammers into providing the rest of their credit card numbers, and this led to fraudulent charges of $4,000 in one case and $2,500 in the other. Even though this scam has been confined to the Twin Cities area so far, the Better Business Bureau recommends that all companies in both Minnesota and North Dakota alert their employees to this fraudulent scheme and reminds consumers to exercise extreme caution when contacted by individuals trying to solicit their credit card information. Continue Reading
Holidays bring out the best and the worst in people, with scams multiplying faster than pine needles under your tree. The Better Business Bureau put together a list of scams targeting people over the holidays – now that gifts have been exchanged, here’s how to safeguard your rebate rights: Once the excitement of the holidays wears off, it’s time to start reaping the promised rewards of mail-in rebates. Retailers and manufacturers are changing the way they issue rebates and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises that it’s more important than ever to read the fine print when filing for a rebate. According to CreditCards.com, retailers and manufacturers are increasingly opting to provide rebates in the form of pre-loaded cards as opposed to paper checks. Unlike checks, which can be deposited in a bank and used to pay bills, to get the benefit, consumers must spend. These cards can often only be used where credit cards are accepted. In most cases, the cards can be used at any merchant-much like a debit card-but some retailers are also handing out rebate cards that can only be used at their stores. The cards may also have expiration dates and added fees that could whittle down their value. “Rebates are a great way to get a deal, but they can also be a great source of frustration for consumers,” said Dana Badgerow, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. “By acting quickly to redeem the rebate and reading the mail-in instructions carefully, consumers can significantly reduce the stress associated with redeeming rebates.” In the previous 12 months, 70 percent of consumers have taken advantage of manufacturer rebates on products, according to a recent survey by Consumer Reports. The national telephone survey also found that, of those who applied for a rebate, 21 percent of people were unsuccessful. Typically, consumers simply didn’t receive anything or were turned down because of a technicality. The BBB offers the following advice to holiday shoppers on how to make the process of redeeming rebates as painless as possible:• Don’t wait. Some rebates have a time window in which they can be redeemed or must be redeemed within a certain amount of time following purchase. Waiting also increases your chances of misplacing necessary receipts or packaging.• Read the instructions carefully. The guidelines for redeeming a rebate can be extensive and missing steps may delay the process or result in loss of the rebate. Be sure to indicate how you want to receive the rebate-such as if a gift card is the default option-and include all the necessary paperwork and proof of purchase. Also make a point to thoroughly read the fine print details that are included when you receive your rebate card or check in the mail.• Keep the packaging. Rebates often require UPC bar codes or other parts of the packaging to be included with the paperwork for processing, so don’t throw boxes away until you’re sure you don’t need them.• Make copies of everything. Keep a copy of all the paperwork you mailed back to the retailer or manufacturer for the rebate. It’s the only record you’ll have of the transaction if anything goes missing.• Contact the business if the rebate doesn’t arrive. Some retailers and manufacturers use third-party fulfillment companies for processing rebates so keep in mind that you might be dealing with a different business when it comes to tracking down your rebate. Help is available if you need it. If the rebate never arrives or is significantly late, file a complaint with BBB, the Federal Trade Commission or your state Attorney General. For more advice on being a savvy consumer this holiday season, visit www.thefirstbbborg.org. The mission of the Better Business Bureau is to promote through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct; and to instill public confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, protect and assist the general public. Contact the BBB at www.thefirstbbb.org or 651-699-1111, toll-free at 1-800-646-6222. Continue Reading
Holidays bring out the best and the worst in people, with scams multiplying faster than pine needles under your tree. The Better Business Bureau put together a list of scams targeting people over the holidays – here are tips on telling which charities are legit:
As the holidays approach, many people are getting ready to donate to their favorite cause or charity. Historically, individual donations have accounted for well over 80% of the total amount given to charity. However, the recession has had an effect on the amount Americans have been able to give. According to the GivingUSA Foundation, charitable donations in 2008 amounted to $307.65 billion, down 2 percent from 2007. Continue Reading
More than 2,000 families are without a home in the Twin Cities, and one in 10 local people will face hunger this holiday season. The economy may be improving, but the need for shelter, food and safety are still at all-time highs. The United Way has issued a $300,000 matching grant appeal to help families in need for this holiday season and into next year. KFAI’s Roger Huelsnitz spoke with Frank Forsberg, who is the Senior Vice President of Community Impact with the greater Twin Cities United Way. Continue Reading
“What’s an example of a stranger?””You’re a stranger!” one kid sang out to an amused crowd of 50 parents and kids, illustrating one of the key points speaker Naomi Hupton wanted to make at a family safety seminar. She’s with the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center (JWRC). She told a group of parents at Waite Park Wesleyan Church Saturday, Dec. 5 that it’s a myth that most abductions or abuse of children are by strangers.”Reality is 90 percent of people who sexually harm children or abduct them are known to the family. Continue Reading
