>>Minimum Wage Hikes In 22 States
(Undated) -- Pay raises are here for many in the new year. The minimum wage is going up in 22 states, where nearly 10 million people will see their wages go up. On top of that, January 1st saw over three dozen cities and counties upping their minimum wages above state levels. Workers in California, New York and Hawaii account for 51 percent of those getting a bump in pay.
>>Sen. Graham: NY In For "Hell Of A Fight" Over Chick-fil-A
(Undated) -- Senator Lindsey Graham is stepping up his campaign against a bill in the New York Legislature that would require new restaurants at highway rest stops to be open seven days a week. The South Carolina Republican is focusing his attack on the effect the bill would have on Chick-fil-A. The fast food chain has a longstanding policy of closing on Sundays, in observance of the Christian sabbath, so its employees can, as company says, "worship if they choose." In a Thursday Fox & Friends interview and later post on X, Graham said "to the people in New York who are pushing this: You're in for one hell of a fight." Graham continued to threaten to introduce a bill to withhold federal funds from cities that require Chick-fil-A to be open on Sundays.
>>Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, WellNow Fail To Reach Deal
(Albany, NY) -- Customers of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield will be paying more out of pocket if they need treatment at a WellNow urgent care center. Both companies failed to strike a deal before yesterday's deadline, meaning individuals with Excellus insurance must pay a walk-in fee of over 160-dollars at a WellNow. They also have to cover all out-of-network fees for any services provided. Excellus and WellNow are involved in a dispute over reimbursement rates for care. >>Winning Powerball Ticket Worth Estimated $842 Million Sold In Michigan (Undated) -- Some lucky winner, or winners, will be starting off the new year hundreds of millions of dollars richer after Monday's Powerball drawing. A single winning ticket was sold in Michigan worth an estimated 842 million dollars. Should they take the cash option, that works out to just over 425 million bucks.
>>BlendJet Recalls Portable Blenders
(Washington, DC) -- A popular portable blender poses a danger to customers, according to statements from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and the company. BlendJet is voluntarily recalling nearly five-million of its BlendJet2 blenders, which were sold at Amazon, Costco, Target and Walmart. The products that are currently for sale are not impacted by the recall, the company says. The recall notice says earlier versions risk the blender overheating or blades breaking off. It calls for anyone using them to immediately stop.
