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When it comes to finding child care options, many working parents turn to in-home day care providers to ensure their children will be properly supervised. But while these residential centers are a safe choice, some present serious danger to the families who use them. Such was the case in a recent fire in Midlothian, Virginia, where a fire in an unlicensed day care facility resulted in the death of a 13-month-old boy. Virginia State regulations state that any residential day care center, or "family day home," must be licensed by the Virginia Department of Social Services if the center plans to take care of more than five children not related to the provider. According to Chesterfield County fire officials, the day care operator, Laurie Underwood, told firefighters at the scene that she w...

After State Farm Insurance moves two miles down the road in Richardson, Texas, it will leave behind a building that can house thousands of employees. The relocation is one of the biggest office moves the Dallas area has ever seen. The new facility, part of the CityLine project, will serve as a base for almost 8,000 of the insurance company's regional employees. But in a couple of years, the old building will sit empty, leaving more than one million square feet of office space. Gary Stephenson, spokesperson for State Farm, said that the company projects a move throughout 2015 and into 2016 in four new buildings. However, due to State Farm's lease of five buildings south of its new campus, with some leases running until 2018, the entire block of old office space is unlikely to go...

Sports have a long and well-documented history of helping kids in many ways. Kids who are in shape tend to score 30% higher on tests than kids who aren't, and kids who play sports generally have higher self-esteem. High school athletes are more likely to attend college and earn a degree than non-athletes, and youth sports can even discourage negative behavior, according to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.But is there a downside associated with all of these benefits? As youth sports become more "professionalized," it's beginning to look more and more like there might be.  Children are starting sports earlier than ever before, and some even begin playing competitively by age three or four. Children ages five and six are playing in "elite level talent develop...

Even though she can afford a squad of elite nannies and an army of caretakers, socialite Kim Kardashian likes to have a more personal touch when it comes to parenting, preferring to take care of her first born daughter North herself. Though she may be new at the whole "mom" thing, Kardashian is learning the ropes rather quickly, it seems, and even has a neat little trick to conk baby North out when she needs to go to sleep. "[I give her] a bottle at night with some cereal in it," explained Kardashian. "I put in the milk, and then the rice cereal, and then you have to cut the nipple a little bit more to let it pass through, and it fills North's tummy and she'll pass out." Though the technique might seem unorthodox to say the least (and perhaps downright weird to say the most) it actually ...

Getting ripped off is a homeowner's nightmare, especially when it comes to home improvements. And that's exactly what happened for residents in Knox and Hancock counties in Illinois, where several individuals say they were the victims of a scheme by fraudulent garage builders. According to investigators in the area, homeowners met with the owners of Sturdy Building, based in Moulton, Iowa. The contractors told the homeowners they would perform work for them, but only after they signed a contract and put down 20% of the costs up front. The Knox County Sheriff's Office released a statement explaining the scheme. "The work is never started or completed," they said, "and the suspects keep the 20% down payment." Sturdy Building, owned by Jeremy and Amanda Lawson, received a Better Business B...

Most Americans have been raised to believe that U.S. law enforcement organizations are on their side, and that government agencies exist to protect them. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is no exception to this assumption. It exists to protect innocent citizens from injuries caused by illegal drug use, and DEA agents are given a fair amount of leverage, as far as privacy policies go, in order to track down criminals. But when news leaked that the DEA had been impersonating a real woman on Facebook -- had been communicating with Sondra Arquiett's friends and pretending to be her, and had hacked into her phone for her private photos, which were posted on the fake profile -- Americans were outraged. It's a well-known fact that social media platforms are breeding grounds for fake profil...

The purchase of police body cameras has been on the rise since the fatal shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Black by officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, MO. The August 9th shooting, which sparked controversy among local residents and people nationwide, is prompting local police agencies across the country to arm their officers with body cameras in hopes of providing clear video evidence of the encounters that take place between police officers and civilians. Since the increase in police body cameras has been sudden, it has many people wondering about the guidelines for proper recording and storage of videos. While many agencies have taken a thoughtful approach to body camera implementation, others are hastily equipping their officers without giving much though to privacy issues. "You...

After car companies recalled more than 12 million cars in October due to potentially dangerous air bags, many consumers and retailers have expressed concern at the confusing nature of the situation. Notably, the United States government has yet to issue a statement, despite the fact that there may be as many as 25 million faulty vehicles in the U.S. alone. However, one of the largest used car dealership chains in the nation is taking a stand: the CEO of AutoNation has announced that the company will not be selling cars included in the recall. The recall targets millions of vehicles in the U.S., Europe and Asia that use airbags made by the Takata Corporation, an auto-parts company based in Japan. The faulty airbags reportedly explode with unusually powerful force when their chemicals are t...

One of the best things about Halloween is the socially acceptable chance to dress your doggy or kitty up as a little devil, pumpkin, witch, princess or hot dog. Though you might find them to be utterly adorable and a bit comical, your four-legged friend may not think the joke is all that funny. In fact, the costume may make them anxious, or even hurt them."In general, tolerance of costumes is pet dependent," said Dr. Stacy Eckman from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. "Some pets will tolerate them, and others will not."Though some pets are fine with getting dressed as a banana or lobster, others may be thoroughly bothered by their costumes. The only way to know, though, is to have your pet try the costume on. If he or she doesn't like it, you'll quic...

The notion that many American citizens disapprove of and mistrust their government is, unfortunately, not uncommon. But the notion that employees of the federal government also lack faith in their leaders may come as a surprise. Nevertheless, as the Washington Post reports, the nationwide 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, which was released at the end of October, found that morale among government workers is at a five-year low. While the majority of Americans employed at various government agencies still believe that their work is important, the survey found that these employees are increasingly frustrated with their senior leaders. And as Federal Times reporter Andy Medici notes, statistics comparing employee morale between 2011 and 2014 are indicative of how quickly this frustrati...