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Boy Scouts across America aren't going to be camping much until the summer, but some of them may not even have the equipment to do it. There has been an odd string of thefts of Boy Scout camping gear across the country in the last few weeks. One of the first thefts took place in North Richland Hills, TX. CBS affiliate DFW reported that Boy Scout Troop 179 discovered that a trailer with all of their camping gear inside had been stolen over New Year's weekend. The camping equipment belonging to a Boy Scout troop in Billings, MT has been stolen in a few different instances of theft over the last month, according to the Great Falls Tribune. A trailer with roughly $10,000 worth of camping gear and other equipment was stolen from its storage place at Billings Stake Center of the Church of Jesu...

A new study has predicted that the electric forklift will achieve near-universal usage by 2020, overtaking the lead-acid forklift batteries and diesel forklifts that are widely used today and allowing for fewer emissions of greenhouse gases, heavy metals and other harmful chemicals. According to a recent Navigant Research study, electric forklift sales throughout North America are poised to reach levels exceeding $500 million per year by 2020, a significant increase from the $100 million in sales generated in 2013. AutoBlog reports that the massive jump in electric forklift sales will stem from falling prices of the lithium-ion batteries that these forklifts depend upon. Currently, lead-acid batteries are more commonly used because they cost just a third of what it costs to operate a lit...

In just a five-year span, cloud computing has transformed from a niche tech solution to something used nearly ubiquitously in every corner of society. Given the incredible growth of the cloud computing industry, it's only natural to predict what's next -- an increased integration with another rapidly-expanding tech solution, IT managed services. According to a January 14 Forbes article, the cloud is still heavily underutilized by most businesses. Because of this, managed services, or a third party's proactive management of a business's information technology, is a key sector into which the cloud can expand. Already, many mid-sized enterprises are able to monitor their data collection, analytics and security with the help of cloud-based mobile apps; these are just a fraction of the thing...

It may sound like the plot of a children’s educational cartoon, but one little copper rockfish in the Vancouver Aquarium was dealing with some pretty rough bullying from his fishy peers after he lost one of his eyes -- that is, until veterinary experts at the aquarium decided to give him a new, non-functional prosthetic eye. Even though the eye is merely aesthetic and can’t provide vision for the fish, it appears that the new eye has already begun serving its purpose. After veterinarians found and removed cataracts in the rockfish’s eyes two years ago, one of the eyes failed to heal properly and had to be removed. Although the rockfish fully recovered and was capable of living happily in the aquarium with just one eye, it didn’t take long for his fellow fish to notice that something was ...

A year after President Obama announced his plan for myRA retirement savings accounts, they are finally a reality. According to CNN Money, the accounts are geared toward middle- and low-income Americans who may not have access to a retirement plan otherwise. Between the years 2000 and 2010, the number of employers that offer retirement fund options for their employees dropped by 20%. Retirement is the storied conclusion of the American dream, but that future is not as dependable as it used to be. One in four Americans these days believes that they will have to work until the age of 80 to be able to retire comfortably, and 2% of retired Americans are actively seeking employment. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that sign-ups for the myRA (my retirement account) had begun, but t...

Interior designers and anyone with a penchant for interior decorating can rejoice this January, when new area rugs will feature the 2015 Color of the Year. According to Home Accents Today, Oriental Weavers, an area rug manufacturer, has a partnership with color institute Pantone. The partnership allows Oriental Weavers to design and manufacture area rugs featuring the Color of the Year months before the official announcement of what the color is. The two companies have partnered since 2013. The Color of the Year for 2015 is Marsala. Pantone describes Marsala as a "naturally robust and earthy wine red" which compliments many skin tones, is appealing to both men and women, and is the right balance of dramatic and grounding. “We are extremely proud of our new Pantone Universe rugs fe...

No longer will residents of Pittsburgh need to keep their eyes and ears out to know when a public snow plow is headed their way. On Jan. 16, Mayor Bill Peduto unveiled an online service that will allow the public to track the locations of snow plows and salt spreaders. “Every year in Pittsburgh you can hear the chants coming from the valleys and the hilltops: Where’s my plow at?” Peduto joked at a news conference, adding that now, residents will know the answer. The mapping system will allow the public to locate snow removal vehicles in real time, as well as view a history for each vehicle. Streets that have already been serviced will be highlighted on the map in green. All 114 of the public works vehicles have been outfitted with GPS devices. Drivers cannot turn the systems off, but tra...

A California man was arrested in North Carolina last week after law enforcement found over 30 pounds of marijuana hidden in self-storage units across the state. Takaaki Ishibashi was arrested on January 16th and is being held on $2 million bond. The ordeal began on January 13th, when agents from the Homeland Security Investigations Task Force intercepted a package en route to a storage unit in Mooresville, North Carolina. The package was addressed to a Nathan Yong, of Dallas, with a return address of Long Beach, California. It contained approximately seven pounds of marijuana sealed inside metal cans. The mailing information was found to be incorrect, and investigators were unable to identify a suspect from the information. An additional 3.5 pounds of marijuana were seized from the storag...

Before Republican lawmakers get to work this year, there's just one thing left to do: take a retreat. The annual retreat, which is actually a three-day conference for the purpose of establishing policy agenda and planning for achieving goals in the coming year, will take place in Hershey, PA. Republicans in both the House and the Senate are attending the retreat this year, which hasn't happened in 10 years. The topics on this year's retreat agenda are expected to be the Affordable Care Act, immigration, budget issues, and transportation. The group is staying at the Hershey Lodge, which is one of Hersheypark's official resorts. The resort also boasts three swimming pools and a few full-service restaurants. The resort, which is a couple of hours outside of Washington, D.C., gives lawmakers...

A franchisee of frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry that owns several franchise locations around the Washington, DC area has filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy. According to the Washington Business Journal, Pinkberry Mid-Atlantic LLC listed debts totaling more than $1.2 million, with assets of more than $820,000, in its bankruptcy filing. The franchisee is controlled by Stavros Roberts who, along with attorney John Goetz, filed the Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition on December 26 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Pinkberry Mid-Atlantic currently operates locations in Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Arlington, Fairfax, Tysons Corner, Gainesville and National Harbor. The franchisee's store in Leesburg closed earlier in 2014. Unlike a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which allows businesse...