Traffic lanes, Bicycle lanes and now texting lanes for the digitally distracted

By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets

We’ve all heard of traffic lanes and bicycle lanes, but one city government is now discussing the possibility of “texting lanes.” The technical name for these sidewalk lanes for the digitally distracted is actually "e-lanes". On April Fools’ Day, City ...

Woman claiming to be Maryland Mega Millions winner refuses to share winnings with McDonald's co-workers

By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets

If you are reading this blog, I think it is safe to say you probably didn’t win the Mega Millions lotto last Friday. Sad, I know. I had a dollar and a dream too. Unfortunately, for the woman claiming to ...

Ribbing at a small-town cafe becomes defamation lawsuit

By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets

Have you ever intentionally written something about someone online in a blog or said something about a person in a public place that was factually untrue? If so, you could be sued for defamation of character. That’s what happened at ...

Journalism is a tough job, but somebody's got to do it

By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets

Have you hugged your local reporters lately for the work they do? OK. Well, maybe you haven’t literally hugged them, but a kind word every now and then would be equally appreciated. A recent story out of Joyner, Ark., exemplifies ...

Mobile apps accused of stealing email addresses, phone numbers

By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets

A mobile app stole my email address! That is the claim that has been brought up in a lawsuit recently filed in U.S. District Court in Travis County. According to a UPI article, the class-action lawsuit alleges mobile apps routinely ...

More companies forcing job applicants to hand over Facebook passwords, approve friend requests

By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets

While background checks are a necessary part of most job interviews, many say a growing number of companies may be taking their quest to learn more about applicants too far. According to a recent Atlanta Journal Constitution article, many companies ...

High school foreign exchange students housed with murderers, sexual predators

By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets

Has your child ever participated or thought about participating in a foreign exchange program? If so, check out this latest article from the Huffington Post on the educational program. Allegations have surfaced against a foreign exchange program -- overseen by ...

Unpaid internships questioned after intern files lawsuit against Harper's Bazaar

By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets

Have you ever worked as an unpaid intern? For most careers, it is almost a guarantee that if you hope to break into that particular industry that at some point you will work countless hours not for monetary compensation, but ...

Family of Florida boy killed by neighborhood watch captain seeks arrest, case turned over to state attorney's office

By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets

Hello everybody! Did you miss me? I know it has been awhile since I last blogged. I have been in and out of the office for the past three weeks. First, I was selected to attend a journalism seminar at ...

Target Figures Out a Teen Girl is Pregnant Before Her Father Does

By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets

When I came across this story last week in Forbes online, I assumed right away that it had something to do with Target pop-up ads on the teen’s Facebook account as a result of her online search history. But alas, ...