jikContract Dispute Blacks Out The Weather Channel Again, This Time On FiOSde

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(CaptDanger)

Bad storms are once again brewing for The Weather Channel. The latest in a maelstrom of recent carriage contract disputes has seen the cable standby booted off of Verizon FiOS systems… and there doesn’t appear to be a quick resolution out on the horizon.

5.6 million FiOS subscribers woke up this morning to discover The Weather Channel no longer in their lineups, either on the set-top box or on the FiOS mobile app. Verizon sent a message to their customers explaining the change, saying only, “Verizon’s agreements to carry The Weather Channel and Weather Scan have expired, and have not been renewed.” In their place, FiOS viewers will now find the AccuWeather Network and the WeatherBug app.

If it sounds like this happens to The Weather Channel kind of a lot, well, that’s because it does. Jim Cantore’s storm-chasing glory was blacked out on DirecTV for three solid months in 2014 when the two could not agree on contract terms.

It’s a tricky cycle The Weather Channel’s stuck in: they want more money to generate more programming to be worth more money. But in the modern era, many fewer of us use cable TV for our weather forecasts. Instead, we use websites or our phones or websites on our phones. And nobody really wants to watch the “reality” programming that The Weather Channel has been running.

The content companies that have the most leverage in disputes with distributors are the companies that provide content viewers can’t get elsewhere, and have a devoted fan base willing to make a stink — and to take their business elsewhere — if their channel goes away. (ESPN and Fox News both come to mind.) The Weather Channel might have had that leverage five, ten, or twenty years ago but isn’t in as strong a position now.

Also no doubt at play: The Weather Channel is an NBCUniversal network, meaning its parent company is Comcast. If Verizon (or DirecTV, or any other programming distributor) doesn’t want to line its competitors’ pockets, well, for once you can’t really blame them.

We’ve asked The Weather Channel for comment and will update if we hear back.

by Kate Cox via Consumerist

jikSenate Bill Would Decriminalize Medical Marijuana In States Where It’s Already Legalde

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(DEARTH !)

A Senate bill expected to be introduced today would have the federal government ease up on the states that already have legalized medical marijuana, effectively keeping patients, doctors, dispensaries and growers from federal prosecution, and would also remove marijuana from the list of most dangerous drugs, according to reports.

In a bill sponsored by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), the 23 states (and the District of Columbia) that have legalized medical cannabis would be kept from the baleful eye of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

This means better access for military veterans in those states, as it would allow Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend marijuana for medical use, reports the Huffington Post.

In addition, it would knock marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug classification — a category designated for drugs with no accepted medical use, including heroin and LSD — to a Schedule II.

According to the Washington Post, it would also make it easier to transport medical marijuana between some states, as there are about a dozen states that allow restricted access to medicine derived from low THC marijuana. To make access easier for those patients, the proposed bill is said to ease restrictions on interstate transport of such medicine.

The bill would also facilitate the job of banks as they try to provide services to the growing marijuana industry, just like they do other businesses. It would reform the National Institution on Drug Abuse as well, in order to broaden access to cannabis for research purposes.

“This bipartisan legislation allows states to set their own medical marijuana policies and ends the criminalization of patients, their families, and the caregivers and dispensary owners and employees who provide them their medicine,” Michael Collins, policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a statement.

To be clear, this wouldn’t make marijuana legal under federal law, but it could pave the way for more research in states that wouldn’t have to worry about federal interference. In the states that have legalized marijuana or decriminalized it to some extent, the federal government has issued guidance to prosecutors to urge them to from targeting marijuana operations in those states.

The bill is expected to be announced today around 12:30 p.m. EST.

Meanwhile, Utah just narrowly defeated a medical marijuana bill in that state, so that means the bunnies there are safe from the munchies for now.

Senate Bill Would Ease Federal Prohibition Of Medical Marijuana [Huffington Post]

What’s in the historic medical marijuana bill being unveiled [Washington Post]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

jikEx-Cop Battles Starbucks Tip Jar Thief, Saves The Day And $4de

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(Avitania Satari Bronstein)

When is it worthwhile to intervene when you see a crime happening? That was the question raised recently in Orange County, California, when two men resorted to violence over a Starbucks tip jar containing only a few bucks. One was an ex-cop who was buying a drink at Starbucks, and the other a bike-riding thief.

The Orange County Register reports that the tip jar contained “three $1 bills and change.” Yet instead of letting the thief ride off with it, the ex-cop grabbed the cup and refused to let the baddie leave with it. The thief first punched him, then hit him repeatedly with a 40-pound metal sign that happened to be nearby. He reached for his handgun, and the thief ran away, leaving the tip jar behind.

The ex-cop, who is now a police chaplain, says that he would advise members of the public not to do this. His instincts took over, though, and it’s understandable that he would want to stop crime happening right in front of his face.

At the same time, what if someone had been killed or seriously injured in the scuffle over five bucks? The incident has drawn a lot of local discussion on Facebook and the Orange County Register, where people debated the question of whether a few bucks is worth threatening someone with a gun. Does the amount of money at stake matter?

Was a good Samaritan’s scuffle with suspected tip jar thief at Starbucks worth it? Debate erupts [Orange County Register] (Thanks, Gretchen!)

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

jikThe Hot Potato Principle: Why This Grandma’s Bank Stuck Her With Counterfeit Cashde

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(Evan Jackson)

Counterfeit currency operates on the “hot potato” principle. Like the children’s game, the last person caught with the object loses. Once you accept counterfeit cash–even if it’s from a financial institution–it’s yours. This made for a very disappointing birthday gift for a 14-year-old from his grandmother.

This whole mess was shared in the Albany Times Union this week. The grandmother withdrew $300 in $100 bills from her Citizens Bank branch for her grandson. She says that she sealed the cash in the envelope with his card before even leaving the bank branch. When he received this generous gift, he took it to his own credit union, SEFCU, to deposit it. That’s when he got the terrible news: his grandma was passing around funny money. Two of the three bills were fake, and the credit union confiscated them and called the Secret Service.

While this was probably all very exciting for the teen (Dude! Secret Service agents!) it was a bad experience for his grandmother. Not because the local agents treated her badly, but because her bank wouldn’t take responsibility for giving her fake cash. She’s been with Citizens Bank for 50 years, and she expected to be treated better than a random person who had cashed a check and received fake bills. Doesn’t a decades-long relationship count for something?

The bank, for its part, told columnist Chris Churchill in a statement that it has its own procedures to screen money for counterfeits before handing it out to customers. “We are not able to reimburse customers for currency that is suspected of being counterfeit without being able to inspect the bill in question ourselves,” a spokesperson explained. That makes sense. Don’t they have the Secret Service’s phone number handy, though?

Chris Churchill: Bank passes the buck on counterfeit bills [Times Union]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

jikLAX Lawsuit: A Bottle Of Water Shouldn’t Cost $5 At The Airportde

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(sfxeric)

Grumbling over that $5 bottle of water you had to buy after going through airport security? You’re not the only one: Boutique store Kitson is accusing the company that runs its two stores in the Los Angeles International Airport of gouging customers by charging half a tenner for a bottle of water that normally costs $2.50.

Kitson Stores filed papers in Los Angeles County Superior Court last week alleging Hudson Group of exploiting travelers with “hugely” inflated water prices, reports the Associated Press. Hudson Group operates many of the shops inside LAX.

Kitson says New Jersey-based Hudson won’t sell bottled water at the two Kitson spots for $2.55 a liter, and instead slaps a $5 price tag on the bottles at the stores, the court filing says. As a result of the wrangling over water prices, Kitson claims Hudson Group is trying to force its stores out of the airport.

It’s all about us travelers, Kitson says.

“Water is one of the most basic necessities for travelers and Hudson is taking advantage of the post- 9-11 airport restrictions” by inflating water prices, a Kitson attorney told the AP. “We believe that Hudson has breached its contracts with Kitson and has no right to close the Kitson stores.”

A lawyer for Hudson Group said in a statement that the company is going to terminate the relationship with Kitson, after filing a complaint against the company for breach of contract last month. Besides — Kitson customers are used to paying high prices, so why not for water?

“Kitson is known for selling pricey items in its high end boutiques,” Hudson Group’s lawyer says. “Anyone who thinks that Kitson is really motivated here by an altruistic concern over how much consumers are paying for water at LAX has either never shopped at a Kitson store or is really naive.”

Passengers gouged on airport water? Yes, charge legal papers [Associated Press]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

jikNews Flash: Someone Will Probably Notice If You Try To Wheel A Jewelry Case Out Of Kmartde

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(Nicholas Eckhart)

While we’ve heard of suspected shoplifters obscuring pilfered items on their person in unique ways in an attempt at subterfuge, police in Kingsport, TN say one woman accused of trying to steal from a local Kmart cut right to the chase in her effort, as she allegedly attempted to wheel an entire jewelry case out of the store.

According to police, a Kmart loss prevention officer allegedly witnessed a woman with wire cutters in the jewelry section of the Kmart store, reports the Kingsport Times-News.

She’s suspected of cutting a security cable attached to the countertop display to keep it from wandering away, and then loading the entire thing into her “buggy,” the police report says, which could mean a shopping cart or stroller.

The three-foot glass case contained about $9,250 worth of earrings, with 37 pair inside each valued at $249.99. Police say she then wheeled it out the front doors, only to be stopped in the breezeway and taken to an office to wait for police to arrive on the scene.

She’s now been charged with theft of property over $1,000 and vandalism.

KPD: Brazen thief buggies jewelry case out of Kmart [Kingsport Times-News]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

jikCaché To Liquidate, Close All Remaining Storesde

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If you have a gift card sitting around for women’s clothing retailer Caché, it’s time to dig it out of the depths of your purse and use it. The company wasn’t able to find a buyer to keep some version of its business alive into the future, and going-out-of-business sales began over the weekend.

Cache originally focused on selling formal dresses to young women, but a recent expansion of its number of stores and the merchandise that it carries ultimately doomed the chain. Its expansion to 300 stores was poorly timed, and its expansion into more casual clothing didn’t suit the brand or go over well. The company hasn’t turned a profit since 2011. When intially filing for bankruptcy protection last month, chairman and CEO Jay Margolis said that the company was filing “with the goal of securing Cache’s future.” No buyers were interested in that future, apparently, and the 153 stores that remain open will close by May 31.

Liquidation sales have already begun, and stores will accept Cache gift cards until April 5. Use up your gift cards when you hear that a retailer might be in trouble: otherwise, you might end up losing the money altogether, or picking through the dregs at a liquidation sale.

Cache Gift Cards Expire Early Next Month [Wall Street Journal] (via Chain Store Age)

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist