Patriot News

Number of Consumers in the U.S. and U.K. Using Online Banking Continues to Grow Across Income and Ages

STAMFORD, CT, June 15, 2009 -- Online banking is no longer a niche channel. By understanding who is and who is not using online access, banks can work to increase adoption, better serve their clients and reduce the costs of routine customer service, according to Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT).

In December 2008 and January 2009, Gartner surveyed 3,988 consumers ages 18 or older in the U.S. and the U.K. on attitudes and behaviors related to retail payments, banking and investment services. A total of 47 percent of U.S. adults and 30 percent of adults in the U.K. reported using online banking in the previous month.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, DC, April 7, 2009 — Credit card or debit card convenience fees charged for paying federal individual income taxes electronically are deductible for some taxpayers who itemize, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

Federal law bars the IRS from paying any fees associated with these credit or debit transactions. Card processors normally charge taxpayers for convenience fees when they use their credit or debit card to pay taxes. Fees vary but average about 2.5 percent of the tax payment.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2009 -- Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement in commemoration of Cesar E. Chavez's birthday:

"I would like to pay a special tribute to the legacy of Cesar E. Chavez. He dedicated his life to championing the rights of farm laborers and all working people, and he did it through nonviolence.

"Chavez was a second-generation American. He was born March 31, 1927, in Yuma, Ariz., and raised during the Great Depression.

"The lessons he learned during his time inspired him to dedicate his life to improving the lives of other less fortunate even than himself.

"I am proud to celebrate his memory and contributions to our country."

Source: Dept. of Labor

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2009 — The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that taxpayers who buy a new passenger vehicle this year may be entitled to deduct state and local sales and excise taxes paid on the purchase on their 2009 tax returns next year.

“For those thinking about buying a new car this year, this deduction may give them a little more drive to make their purchase this year,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “This deduction enables taxpayers to buy now and get cash back later on their tax returns.”

The deduction is limited to the state and local sales and excise taxes paid on up to $49,500 of the purchase price of a qualified new car, light truck, motor home or motorcycle.    » read more »

Innovative Computer Scientist at Carnegie Mellon, Launched Education Initiatives, Gained Worldwide Acclaim for Last Lecture

PITTSBURGH, July 25, 2008 — Randy Pausch, renowned computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, died July 25 of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47.

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7/21/2008 -- In an effort to assist parents in watching CNN Presents: Black in America with their children, CNN Student News, CNN's cost-and-commercial-free educational program for middle and high schools, is offering an online guide to accompany the remaining documentaries in CNN Worldwide’s sweeping on-air and digital initiative. Black in America: The Black Woman & Family, airs Wednesday, July 23, at 9 p.m., and Black in America: The Black Man, airs Thursday, July 24, at 9 p.m. (ET).    » read more »

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2008 –Department of Agriculture officials will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, July 22 on the establishment of the BioPreferred voluntary labeling program. This program will allow USDA to authorize manufacturers and vendors of qualifying biobased products to use a "USDA Certified Biobased Product" label.

The 2002 Farm Bill established a program for the procurement of biobased products by federal agencies and a voluntary program for labeling of biobased products, later named the BioPreferred Program. The 2008 Farm Bill continues and expands provisions related to the BioPreferred Program.    » read more »

July 17, 2008 -- The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

They are Chief Warrant Officer Bobby L. McKain, of Garden City, Kan.; and Warrant Officer Arthur F. Chaney, of Vienna, Va., both U.S. Army. McKain will be buried on Aug. 11 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., and Chaney will be buried Sept. 16 in Arlington.

Representatives from the Army met with the next-of-kin of these men to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army.    » read more »

House Homeland Security Committee must exercise oversight over DHS’s creation of militarized zones within the US

WASHINGTON, DC, 7/17/2008 – Today, when Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union calls on the committee to exercise vigorous oversight of the many DHS programs that endanger U.S. citizens’ privacy and civil liberties without increasing security. DHS’s unchecked detention and deportation powers have resulted in abusive interrogations of families with children at checkpoints, creation of militarized zones within the U.S. and widespread fear in immigrant communities facing natural disasters.    » read more »

John Ashcroft led DOJ when torture memos were penned; important questions remain on torture timeline and role of NSC principals

WASHINGTON, DC, 7/17/2008 – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) calls on former Attorney General John Ashcroft, in today’s House Judiciary hearing, to provide Congress and the American people with answers to questions about when, why and how the use of torture was authorized. Ashcroft presided over the Department of Justice (DOJ) during President Bush’s first term in office, when the legal rationale for using torture and abuse during interrogations of detainees held by the United States was first articulated in a series of legal memos.    » read more »

Washington, DC, 7/17/2008 – Americans’ online privacy was discussed today at a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. The hearing, titled “What Your Broadband Provider Knows About Your Web Use: Deep Packet Inspection and Communications Laws and Policies,” was meant to shed light on the practice of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Internet service providers (ISPs). DPI allows ISPs to track users’ Internet browsing activities and can be data mined for targeted marketing purposes. The ACLU urges members of the committee to be wary of the privacy landmines inherent in DPI.

The following can be attributed to Timothy Sparapani, ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel:    » read more »

Federal Court Rules Unconstitutional Guantánamo Trial Of Salim Hamdan Can Proceed

NEW YORK, 7/17/2008 – Despite acknowledging questions about the constitutionality of the Guantánamo military commission system, a D.C. federal district judge ruled today that the military trial of Yemeni national Salim Hamdan can proceed.

Judge James Robertson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said that any review of the fairness of Hamdan's case should occur after his military trial and not before. Hamdan is accused of being Osama bin Laden's driver.

The following can be attributed to Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project:    » read more »

Beware of Scams

Kansas City, Kan., July 3, 2008 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not currently conducting indoor air sampling in response to the Iowa flooding.

EPA on-scene coordinators are assessing outdoor air quality by using fixed monitoring equipment situated at key points throughout the flood-damaged area. The initial locations for outdoor air sampling and monitoring activities include the cities of Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Fort Madison, Iowa City, Keokuk, Montrose, Parkersburg, and Waterloo, and Louisa County. The monitoring has begun in each of these locations.    » read more »

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va., July 3, 2008 -- Like moths to a candle, disasters seem to attract slippery predators skilled at preying on the pain and misfortune of others.

That is a warning by officials of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) to residents affected by the storms, tornadoes, flooding and other severe weather of June 3-7.

"In disaster situations, there are often those who are ready to take advantage of such situations," said State Coordinating Officer Jimmy Gianato. "Be especially alert for phone or door-to-door solicitors who hand out flyers and promise to speed up the insurance or building permit process, and those who ask for large cash deposits or advance payments in full."    » read more »

Raising Over $2 Million to Support U.S. Troops with Free Phone Cards

San Antonio, Texas, July 2, 2008 -- Recycle wireless phones and help connect U.S. military families with free phone cards. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and military charity Cell Phones for Soldiers (CPFS) have been connecting those dots since July 2007 — by recycling cell phones in more than 2,000 AT&T stores across 1,100 U.S. cities. And, as Independence Day approaches, the company and the charity are celebrating that CPFS has now raised more than $2 million — including recycling proceeds and financial and in-kind donations — since the two joined forces.

Highlights:    » read more »