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As the flames engulfed the green Toyota outside the Clark County Fire Academy on Tropicana Avenue, the glass in the windshield cracked. An explosive popping sound ensued. “The first air bag,”explained Steve Moore, an analyst for Fire Cause Analysis. “I give this car about six minutes.” On Friday, Moore was part of a one-day training seminar, sponsored by Western States Auto Theft Investigators, focused on educating investigators about auto arson and detecting insurance fraud. His organization joined forces with the Clark County Fire Department, insurance agencies and law enforcement to show how to recognize fire patterns and understand how a fire can react in order to detect arson. “We’re simulating an intentionally set fire by someone who wants to get rid of their car,” he said. “Evidence is left, everything doesn’t just burn away. We work on recognizing the point of origin.” U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated ... Continue reading →

Within 24 hours, two celebrities took to Instagram to share their thoughts after losing a pet. On Wednesday night, actress Salma Hayek posted a sweet photo of her cradling 18-year-old dog Lupe. “I have no words or tears to describe how much she meant to me,” wrote the 51-year-old star. “May she run free with my pack of dogs that are already waiting for her in dog heaven.” Then on Thursday evening, Chelsea Handler paid tribute to her dog Chunk (her "chunky monkey"), who once jumped into the Hudson River and swam a quarter of a mile just to join her on a paddleboard. “I cried that day at how much he loved me. And, today I’m crying because of how much I loved him,” she wrote. Despite what anyone says, your grief over losing a beloved pet is absolutely valid. When a pet passes, it may be tempting to downplay the grief. After all, it's not like you lost a member of your family or a best friend. Except...you kind of did. “Our ... Continue reading →

Agency downgrades Parrish Medical Center debt FLORIDA TODAY Business Briefs(Photo: Created by FLORIDA TODAY)Buy Photo Hospital downgrade S&P Global Ratings recently downgraded Parrish Medical Center’s revenue debt to “BBB” from “BBB+” Parrish Medical Center’s revenue debt. “The negative outlook reflects our opinion that the organization’s overall profile was strained, given significant losses in the most recent fiscal year, driven by some non-recurring items but also operational challenges, coupled with declining liquidity,” S&P Global said in a statement. “ This leaves PMC with less flexibility to absorb its historically weak results.” S&P went on to say “We could lower the rating further if PMC is unable to demonstrate improvement in operating performance such that it meets budgeted expectations in fiscal 2016, balance-sheet metrics were to deteriorate with cash on hand decreasing below 150 ... Continue reading →

Amid a worsening on-court relationship between players and officials, NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell announced a five-pronged initiative aimed at finding harmony between the two sides on Friday. The program, which will be overseen by NBA Senior Vice President, Head of Referee Operations Michelle Johnson, as well as Monty McCutchen — a former top-ranked referee who recently accepted a job as NBA Vice President, Head of Referee Development and Training — features these five areas of emphasis: Johnson, McCutchen and their staffs will conduct meetings with all 30 teams to discuss rules interpretations, on-court conduct, and the expectations of NBA referees. These meetings will begin before the NBA All-Star break. The league will re-emphasize its “Respect for the Game” rules with referees, coaches, and players to ensure consistent enforcement of those violations. The NBA Referee Operations department will expand its overall rules education ... Continue reading →

Walmart is being sued by a customer alleging racial discrimination.  The customer who has filed a lawsuit against the retailer claims that it is segregating products by the race of the people who use them, CBS Los Angeles reported. Essie Grundy was shopping for a comb in her local store when she found it was locked in a cabinet. "That's when I noticed that all of the African-American products were locked up under lock and key," Grundy told reporters at a news conference on Friday, according to CBS. Walmart said in a statement that it does "not tolerate discrimination of any kind."  "We're sensitive to this situation and also understand, like other retailers, that some products such as electronics, automotive, cosmetics and other personal care products are subject to additional security. Those determinations are made on a store-by-store basis using data supporting the need for the heightened measures," a Walmart spokesperson said. Other ... Continue reading →

I’ve spent the last two years talking with parents about the unprecedented stress and anxiety plaguing their adolescents — nearly half of whom, according to recent studies of college students, report feeling “overwhelmed by all I had to do.” Our conversations often end with parents expressing a mournful wish: “I just want her to be happy,” they tell me. “But she puts so much pressure on herself.” As parents, we say this phrase from a place of good intention. We want to signal to our children that we don’t need or expect them to be perfect, and that we will love them no matter what. Yet the very phrasing of the statement — “on herself” — lays blame for distress at the feet of our teens, rather than a culture that is stoking the flames of their anxiety. It puts the onus for change on kids – just chill, we seem to be saying, and you’ll be okay! – letting the rest of us off the hook, even as we ... Continue reading →

In the EU, VW has not admitted wrongdoing or liability and it continues to resist claims for compensation © Reuters Jane Croft in London and Patrick McGee in Frankfurt January 28, 2018 Almost 60,000 people have signed up so far to sue German carmaker Volkswagen Group over its emissions scandal in what is shaping up to be one of the biggest group actions to come before London’s High Court. VW is facing litigation in the UK — and in other jurisdictions — in the wake of claims that it manufactured and sold cars with diesel engines that failed to comply with EU legislation on emissions. The carmaker installed “defeat devices” — a software device that artificially lowered nitrogen oxides (NOx) during testing — in 11m diesel cars sold between 2008 and 2015. These included 1.2m cars sold in the UK under the Volkswagen, Seat, Audi and Škoda brands. The High Court will be asked to approve an application by law firms Your Lawyers and Slater ... Continue reading →

Solyndra Inc. once seemed destined to help spark a second wave of venture investing in clean technology. Now the solar-panel maker–which today announced it plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and lay off all 1,100 of its workers–is an example of how difficult it is for venture investors to make money in manufacturing-heavy businesses whose products compete in commodity markets. The “Solyndra Effect,” one clean-tech investor said, now refers to the chill sent down the spines of potential limited partners of venture capital funds by the massive writedowns experienced by investors in the solar company. Solyndra’s case is especially tragic, given that the company raised more than $1 billion, making it one of the most well-funded start-ups ever, and surely the biggest bust for the venture capital industry in terms of equity raised. Despite warning signs, Solyndra’s investors continued to wager more money as they ... Continue reading →

This week in food and drink: What's brewing in 2018 Share This Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about This week in food and drink: What's brewing in 2018 USA TODAY Network's food and beverage reporters share beer news and brewery openings planned for 2018. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. USA TODAY Network Published 8:46 a.m. ET Jan. 27, 2018 Ballast Point announced it will open a brewery at Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, Calif., this year.(Photo: Kambria Fischer) USA TODAY Network's food and beverage reporters share beer news and brewery updates everyday. This week, we see 2018 breweries planned for Buffalo, N.Y., Louisville, Milwaukee and New York's Hudson Valley, plus which Wisconsin destination was named the best beer drinking city. And Detroit Free Press may have found Michigan's most dedicated beer enthusiast. See the top tweets for craft beer fans below. Autoplay Show Thumbnails Show Captions ... Continue reading →

At a panel discussion on October 7, 2016 at SupplySide West, a natural products industry event in Las Vegas, Sapna Misra, President of Anpas Global, will share the major consumer trends in Maternal Health Omega-3s along with her journey to finding a sweet spot in the crowded omega-3 market with her line of high concentrate DHA supplements. In January 2015, Anpas Global entered the consumer health products space with Nurture Me, the smallest size omega-3 DHA supplement for women. Within 9 months of market entry, Nurture Me was named among the top new launches for CPG Women's Health Products for Innovation and Market Impact by the 2015 SupplySide CPG Editor’s Choice Awards. With the growing success of their first brand, the company recently launched its second Omega-3 DHA product for kids 8 years plus, called Nurture Kids. At the upcoming Supply Side Show, Sapna will share insights on the maternal health market segment and the motivation to formulate her product for this ... Continue reading →