Fired and behind bars, a teacher still gets paid

Former teacher Charlene Schmitz is behind bars in a federal detention center in Tallahassee, Florida, serving 10 years for using texts and instant messages to seduce a 14-year-old student. She has been fired from her job as a reading teacher at the high school in Leroy, Alabama

Share

Consumer Borrowing Is Down, But For How Long?

Americans relied less on borrowed money in April than they did in March a sign that the pullback on debt-fueled spending continued into the spring. New data from the Federal Reserve shows that outstanding consumer credit which includes credit cards, auto loans and tuition financing, but not mortgages, fell by $15.7 billion to $2.52 trillion, an annualized drop of 7.4%

Share

Stock Market: Why Are Financial Stocks Rallying?

Financial stocks — banks, brokers, asset managers — led the stock market down earlier this year, and almost left the stage as many shares sank into single digits. In recent weeks, however, the group has reversed course, rallying strongly, and even led the market to a robust gain on Monday, with the Dow rising 235 points.

Share

Supreme Court issues setback for female workers

Decades-old time off given women for pregnancy leave cannot be counted when deciding pension eligibility, the Supreme Court decided Monday. The ruling is a setback for a relatively small class of women, many in or approaching retirement, who took maternity leave before a federal law went into effect prohibiting workplace discrimination. That 1979 statute, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, said companies had to treat such time off just like any disability, and it would be credited toward retirement.

Share

Should Universal Health Care Cover Faith Healing?

Lobbying may be the one remaining recession-proof industry, and as Washington prepares for a summer-long debate over how to reform health care, lobbyists for every conceivable interest group have camped out in congressional anterooms to press their case. There are advocates for doctors, insurance companies, patients, nurses, pharmaceutical companies, big business and small business. And for faith healers too

Share