Chevy HHR Key Stuck in Ignition Fix – Is this a Joke?

March 17th, 2011. By AbiK

I’ve heard one too many complaints now about the Chevy HHR ignition problem—the one where you can’t get the key out of the ignition, and in some instances the key won’t come out and the HHR is still running! In these parts, we’d call that a design defect. But seems like GM doesn’t quite feel the same way.

So while I had done some checking into this a while back when I had first posted about the Chevy HHR problem (and while we’re at it, let’s throw in the Chevy Cobalt problem, too) I had focused on official complaints being filed over at the NHTSA—not so much the solution because, heck, shouldn’t GM or Chevy be taking care of this gratis for folks who’ve been stuck in an HHR that won’t shut off? Is it just me? Or, shouldn’t there be some sort of Chevy HHR recall or at least a “come in and get your part replaced” notice?

Well, there’s been none that I’ve seen, and apparently none of you HHR owners out there have seen one either.

So I came across this guy’s video on how to fix the HHR problem. Kudos to him for taking the time to film 10 minutes of repair work, explaining everything step by step. But is this a joke?!? Don’t get me wrong—the video is great—but like I’m going to dislodge my car’s gear shift and put everything back together again. Right. And I love his comment at about minute 6:15: “pretty maddening to put in” followed by minute 6:36: “it sounds easier than it is” —I’ll bet! Bottom line, there’s a car mechanic somewhere (or HHR dealer) who’ll be making a few quid off HHR owners from this problem.

Is this how GM Customer Service works?

C’mon Chevy, step up to the plate.

Are For-Profit ‘Career College’ Credits Worth Much? Maybe Not

March 16th, 2011. By LucyC

Adults seeking to re-educate themselves through for-profit educational facilities may need to educate themselves about their school of choice first—before parting with any cash. Recently, there have been numerous lawsuits against career colleges, many over allegations that this high-turnover—bums in seats—market sector has a tendency to over promise and under-deliver.

Reports indicate that the for-profit education sector represents about 12 percent of higher education, and it’s growing because there’s money to be made.

For people who are looking for a new career and either don’t have several years or tens of thousands of dollars to invest in a university degree, a short program at a vocational college seems like a reasonable, sometimes preferred alternative. Many promise a fast track to success—who doesn’t want that? But if it sounds too good to be true…

Recently, a report in STLToday.com, in St. Louis, MO, revealed the plight of one unfortunate student who got caught out by the spin. Jean Lilley, of Staunton, enrolled in an 18-month medical assistant program at Sanford Brown’s Collinsville campus. She thought it would help her in reaching her goal of becoming a registered nurse. Reasonable, right?  Well, Lilley apparently went almost two semesters before finding out that her credits wouldn’t transfer. So she dropped out and started at Lewis and Clark Community College. Those two semesters cost her $9,000, which she obtained through loans and financial aid, making it very difficult to obtain financing for courses at Read the rest of this entry »

Paramedic Sued after Taking Severed Foot – for Dog

March 15th, 2011. By LucyC

Waste not Want not—or not—maybe? A former Florida paramedic is being sued for ‘stealing’ a foot—or as she claims, what was left of a foot, that was severed from its owner during a car crash.

The tale goes that Cynthia Economou—who used to work as a fire fighter and paramedic for the St. Lucie County Fire District—admitted taking the mangled appendage that belonged to Karl Lambert, believing that she could use it to help train her cadaver-sniffing dog. Lambert had had his foot severed in a car a wreck on I-95 on September 19, 2008.

Apparently, Economou believed that the foot couldn’t be reattached to the owner, and rather than see it going to waste, she took it home, as one does (?). In her words, “It was an unrecognizable mass of flesh,” she said. “It wasn’t a clean cut. You couldn’t even recognize it as a foot…if I had thought it was somehow reattachable and usable, I would have gone to my commander.” You know, that might have been a good idea regardless, because Lambert is now suing her.

According to court documents recently filed, Lambert’s attorney, Jack L. Platt, declared Economou’s behavior as “outrageous and went beyond the bounds of decency,” as well as “odious and utterly intolerable in a civilized society.” For her part, Economou pled no contest to petty theft charges in Read the rest of this entry »

Attorney Bruce Flammey: I knew HOA Situation was ‘Just Wrong’

March 15th, 2011. By BrendaC

Lawyers Giving Back looks at a side of lawyers you don’t hear too much about—the side that gives back…pays it forward..and shares the love. We’ve found quite a number of attorneys who log non-billable hours helping others—simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Their stories are inspiring, and hey, who knew lawyers were so…good? If you’ve got a story to share about an attorney who’s doing the right thing, let us know—we’d love to let others know, too. Today, we’re talking with Las Vegas attorney Bruce Flammey…

Attorney Bruce Flammey: “This…involved a colossal level of amount stupidity on a number of interlocking levels”

Bruce Flammey is definitely not a publicity hound—but several weeks ago, the straight shooting Nevada lawyer decided to jump into a local news story after heard about the Trueblood family and its dispute with a local home owners’ association (HOA) in Las Vegas.

“It offended my sense of right and wrong,” says Flammey.

In early December, just before the holidays began, the Tara Villas HOA ordered the water be cut off at Deena Trueblood’s home after she had bounced a check to a collection agency.

“I thought, this is crap,” says Flammey who once served on a HOA board and in fact now does legal work for HOA boards in Las Vegas.

Flammey immediately got in touch with the reporter working the story and offered to provide the family with free legal help. “I said if Deena Trueblood needed any help with this or wanted to talk to a lawyer about this, I would be happy to do so. And literally within hours I got a phone call back.”

The HOA had not only ordered the water cut off, it had ordered that the pipe be cut outside the Trueblood property line to discourage an attempt to have the water reconnected.

When Flammey connected with Deena Trueblood the facts of the case made him even more determined to get everything put right again. Deena and her son by this time had been weeks without water despite the fact that she made good on the bounced check way back in December.

“In fact, it was more like a clerical error than a bounced check,” explains Flammey.

“She was back on solid ground with the collection agency and as far as it was concerned everything was okay—and had been for weeks,” says Flammey.

One Call Does it All

Flammey picked up the phone and called the HOA’s lawyer. “He said he wasn’t actually their lawyer,” says Flammey, “but he would call the HOA and explain how asinine this was.”

And within 48 hours, after almost six weeks in dry-dock, the water was once again flowing in the Trueblood household.

It might seem like a small gesture, but to the family with no running water, fighting a bureaucracy—it was magic.

“This, in my opinion, involved a colossal level of amount stupidity on a number of interlocking levels,” says Flammey.

“I would have told this HOA under no conditions do we turn off the water to peoples’ homes,” says Flammey. “If I had been their lawyer they never would have ended up on the news.”

“It might have been legal, but in my view it wasn’t a good idea.”

Bruce Flammey is an attorney with a strong sense of justice. He is in solo practice at Flammey Law in Las Vegas, Nevada. He handles legal work for multi-family housing units and home owner association boards.

Pennsylvania Fracking Upcoming Events and Public Meetings

March 14th, 2011. By AbiK

Just passing along three upcoming events regarding hydraulic fracking in the Marcellus Shale region that I came across over at the Marcellus Shale Protest website. So if you’re in Pennsylvania, or can be, you may want to attend. We do try to keep it balanced here, but given the recent lawsuit and the growing groundswell around questions about the safety of fracking near our water supplies, it’s important to stay abreast of local public meetings and for folks to participate and stay informed.

Everything you want to know about Marcellus Shale Drilling

(From MarcellusProtest.org: Everything you want to know about Marcellus Shale drilling—and what you can do: A Citizen’s Guide; Free workshop to learn more about the natural gas exploration process, how it is regulated, and what must be done to ensure our land, water and communities are protected.)

Date/Time: Tuesday, March 15th, 6:30 p.m.

Location:

Blossburg Memorial Library

307 Main Street

Blossburg, PA 16912

Phone: 717-214-7920

Marcellus Co-op Meeting in Canonsburg

(From MarcellusProtest.org: Marcellus Co-op meeting at Canon McMillan High School Organized by Jesse White The plan is for neighboring municipalities to share resources and possibly hire an enforcement officer for regulations at drilling and compressor sites.)

Date/Time: Tuesday, March 15th, 10:30 p.m.

Location:

Canon-McMillon High School

314 Elm St.Canonsburg, PA

15317

Marcellus Shale Gas Environmental Summit

(Note: this is an industry summit so only industry insiders (and vendors) can attend; however, there are folks who are planning to meet outside the summit to share their concern over fracking in the Shale region; as of press time here, the Facebook event listing for Protest the Gas Industry Marcellus Shale Summit shows 77 attending, 26 maybe attending, and 1,287 still needing to respond.)

Date/Time: Tuesday, March 29th, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Location:

Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel

107 6th Street

Pittsburgh, PA