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¡¡¡¡Swiss authorities are investigating a series of bizarre deposits.Investigators in Geneva are trying to understand why two Spanish women flushed roughly €100,000 (0,000) down toilets at a UBS bank branch and three nearby restaurants.Vincent Derouand of the Geneva Prosecutors' Office said the first incident involving cut-up €500 bills occurred in May.Security camera footage led investigators to the two Spanish women. Derouand said that a lawyer for the women confirmed the cash belonged to them."It may be illegal [cash] and they tried to get rid of it," Derouand said. "We have to check where the money is coming from."Derouand declined to identify the women."This is a strange story," he said. "It does not happen often."UBS declined to comment on the cash found at the Geneva branch, citing the ongoing investigation.The European Central Bank plans to kill off the €500 note next year because of concerns that it "could facilitate illicit activities."Europe's top law enforcement agency says the note (worth about 0) is often used by money launderers because of its unusually large denomination and portability. Plus, using cash helps criminals keep transactions and savings anonymous.In a 2015 report, Europol said cash was still the "instrument of choice" for terrorists and €500 bills were in high demand.Switzerland was long known for banking privacy laws that made it possible for banks to refuse to hand over their customers' data to authorities.But in recent years the country has agreed to start sharing financial information with outsiders, including the European Union and the U.S. 1610
¡¡¡¡States drafted plans Thursday for who will go to the front of the line when the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine become available later this month, as U.S. deaths from the outbreak eclipsed 3,100 in a single day, obliterating the record set last spring.With initial supplies of the vaccine certain to be limited, governors and other state officials are weighing both health and economic concerns in deciding the order in which the shots will be dispensed.States face a Friday deadline to submit requests for doses of the Pfizer vaccine and specify where they should be shipped, and many appear to be heeding nonbinding guidelines adopted this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to put health care workers and nursing home patients first.But they¡¯re also facing a multitude of decisions about other categories of residents ¡ª some specific to their states; some vital to their economies.Colorado¡¯s draft plan, which is being revised, puts ski resort workers who share close quarters in the second phase of vaccine distribution, in recognition of the billion industry¡¯s linchpin role in the state¡¯s economy.In Nevada, where officials have stressed the importance of bringing tourists back to the Las Vegas Strip, authorities initially put nursing home patients in the third phase, behind police officers, teachers, airport operators and retail workers. But they said Wednesday that they would revise that plan to conform to the CDC guidance.In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said health care and long-term care facility workers are the top priority, but the state was still refining who would be included in the next phase. A draft vaccination plan submitted to the CDC in October listed poultry workers along with other essential workers such as teachers, law enforcement and correctional employees in the so-called 1B category.Poultry is a major part of Arkansas¡¯ economy, and nearly 6,000 poultry workers have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began, according to the state Health Department.¡°We know these workers have been the brunt of large outbreaks not only in our state, but also in other states,¡± said Dr. Jose Romero, the state¡¯s health secretary and chairman of the CDC¡¯s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.Plans for the vaccine are being rolled out as the surging pandemic swamps U.S. hospitals and leaves nurses and other medical workers shorthanded and burned out. Nationwide, the coronavirus is blamed for more than 275,000 deaths and 14 million confirmed infections.The U.S. recorded 3,157 deaths on Wednesday alone, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. That¡¯s more than the number of people killed on 9/11 and shattered the old mark of 2,603, set on April 15, when the New York metropolitan area was the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak.The number of Americans in the hospital with the coronavirus likewise hit an all-time high Wednesday at more than 100,000, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The figure has more than doubled over the past month. And new cases per day have begun topping 200,000, by Johns Hopkins¡¯ count.The three main benchmarks showed a country slipping deeper into crisis, with perhaps the worst yet to come ¡ª in part because of the delayed effects from Thanksgiving, when millions of Americans disregarded warnings to stay home and celebrate only with members of their household.Keeping health care workers on their feet is considered vital to dealing with the crisis. And nursing home patients have proven highly vulnerable to the virus. Patients and staff members at nursing homes and other long-term care centers account for 39% of the nation¡¯s COVID-19 deaths.As authorities draw up their priority lists for the vaccine, firefighter groups asked the Minnesota governor to placed in the first group. The Illinois plan gives highest priority to health care workers but also calls for first responders to be in the first batch to get the shot. Other states are struggling with where to put prisoners in the pecking order.Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said he wants teachers to get priority so schools can stay open. Two California lawmakers asked for that, too, saying distance learning is harming students¡¯ education.¡°Our state¡¯s children cannot afford to wait,¡± wrote Republican Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham and Democratic Assemblyman Patrick O¡¯Donnell. ¡°This is too important to overlook or sweep aside.¡±The Utah Department of Health placed the state¡¯s first order for its vaccine allotment Thursday.Utah officials said frontline health care workers will take top priority, with the five hospitals treating the most COVID-19 patients getting the first doses. State health officials said that additional doses likely will be available in February and March for more hospital workers, and essential workers ¡ª including police officers, firefighters and teachers ¡ª also will be prioritized.Texas is putting hospital staff, nursing home workers and paramedics at the top of the list, followed by outpatient medical employees, pharmacists, funeral home workers and school nurses. Nursing home patients did not make the cut for the first phase.Advocates strongly expressed frustration over the way some states are putting medical workers ahead of nursing home residents.¡°It would be unconscionable not to give top priority to protect the population that is more susceptible or vulnerable to the virus,¡± said John Sauer, head of LeadingAge in Wisconsin, a group representing nonprofit long-term care facilities.He added: ¡°I can¡¯t think of a more raw form of ageism than that. The population that is most vulnerable to succumbing to this virus is not going to be given priority? I mean, that just says we don¡¯t value the lives of people in long-term care.¡±Iowa, which expects to get 172,000 doses over the next month, will make them available first to health care workers and nursing home residents and staff, while an advisory council will recommend who comes next to ¡°minimize health inequities based on poverty, geography¡± and other factors, state Human Services Director Kelly Garcia said.For example, prison inmates and residents of state institutions for the disabled aren¡¯t in the first round but will be put ahead of others, she said.___Foley reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writers Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Geoff Mulvihill in Davenport, Iowa; Jim Anderson in Denver; Bob Christie in Phoenix; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; Sophia Eppolito in Salt Lake City, Utah; and Tammy Webber in Fenton, Michigan, contributed to this story. 6578
¡¡¡¡Suffering from slumping sales and mountains of debt, Toys 'R' Us has filed for bankruptcy.The 69-year old Toys R Us was once the mecca of kids' gifts. But it was eventually overtaken by Walmart and ultimately Amazon.In its fight to stay relevant, Toys R Us amassed billion in debt. That came from slashing prices, signing major,exclusive licensing deals with toymakers and buying up other toy giants FAO Schwartz and KB Toys over the past decade. 467
¡¡¡¡Tens of thousands of children around the country will be getting a holiday puppy this year, but others will end up empty-handed and disappointed, ripped off by a puppy scam that has only gotten worse during the pandemic.So before you start looking for one, we have the warning signs a cute pup you find for sale is really a scam to steal your heart and your money.Penny Lloyd wanted to buy her kids a Yorkshire Terrier puppy -- a Yorkie -- for their home this Christmas."It was going to be a Christmas gift," she said.She found an ad on Facebook offering discount puppies."I saw this advertisement on Facebook, and I opened up the app and it said 'Yorkies for sale, half price, originally ,400 on sale for 0.'"It was a great price; so, she messaged the seller."I did, but I never got any response," Lloyd said.It's probably a good thing she never heard back, according to the Better Business Bureau, which says there is a good chance it was a scammer who would have asked for a deposit.That is what happened to Jo Standridge last year. She wired 0 via Western Union to a website -- now gone -- called Best Mini Shnauzers.com.That was the end of the seller, and of her puppy dreams."I tried to text him numerous times after that," she said. "Called him, couldn't get through. That was the end of the communications. Nothing."Puppy scam worsens during pandemicThe puppy scam has been around for more than five years, but the BBB says this year it's getting worse because so many people want either a "pandemic puppy" or a holiday puppy.Sara Kemerer of the Better Business Bureau said real puppy photos get reposted at counterfeit websites."It's very easy for scammers to steal a video or picture of a pet from the internet to make the pet seem real," she said.But the pups are always out of town, and the seller will ask hundreds of dollars for shipping and insurance.Once you wire them the money, they and their ad disappear.How to protect yourselfSo what can you do? Kemerer says ask for video of the seller with the pup. Ask them to hold it up in front of their phone."You can ask the breeder to do a video call using FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype to see if that pet is actually real," she said.Chances are Penny Lloyd's Yorkie seller would have refused, because he never had any puppies.Warning signs include:The dog is out of town, and you cannot see it in personThe breeder needs to ship it to youThe breeder needs money for shipping and insuranceThe seller will not take a credit card (where a fraudulent charge can be disputed)The seller cannot do a Zoom or Facetime video with you where he is holding the puppy (because he has no puppy)The best way to avoid a puppy scam is to shop local and avoid any puppy that has to be shipped to you.Or better yet, adopt an unwanted dog so you don't waste your money.__________________________Don't Waste Your Money" is \a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps").Like" John Matarese Money on FacebookFollow John on Instagram @johnmataresemoneyFollow John on Twitter (@JohnMatarese)For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com 3133
¡¡¡¡Tesla has picked the Austin, Texas, area as the site for its largest auto assembly plant employing at least 5,000 workers.Governor Greg Abbott made the announcement on Wednesday. "Tesla is one of the most exciting and innovative companies in the world, and we are proud to welcome its team to the State of Texas," said Governor Abbott. "Texas has the best workforce in the nation and we¡¯ve built an economic environment that allows companies like Tesla to innovate and succeed. Tesla¡¯s Gigafactory Texas will keep the Texas economy the strongest in the nation and will create thousands of jobs for hard-working Texans. I look forward to the tremendous benefits that Tesla's investment will bring to Central Texas and to the entire state."The move will generate over billion in capital investment.The company will build on a 2,100-acre tract in Travis County and will get more than million in tax breaks from the county and a local school district. The new factory will build Tesla's upcoming Cybertruck pickup. It also will be a second U.S. factory for the Model Y small SUV. The region that's home to the University of Texas at Austin and tech companies such as Dell Inc., was a candidate all along. But Tulsa, Oklahoma, showed up on the shortlist in mid-May. Tesla doesn't have a lot of time to get the factory running. The company says on its website that the Cybertruck will be available starting late next year. 1431