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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Mar 31, 2016
March 31, 2016
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Fast Food:
The folks at Chipotle Mexican Grill are looking to open up a burger restaurant chain.
The company said Wednesday it has applied for a trademark for "Better Burger" as part of an upcoming business deal.
This is not the first Chipotle-owned chain to be spun off --the company already owns ShopHouse, a Southeast Asian food chain, which opened in 2013, and Pizzeria Locale, which specializes in wood-fired pizza.
No word on what the burger restaurant chain will be called or any sites at this point.Drug Bust of the Day:
Vermont State Police say a man had hundreds of bags of heroin stashed inside his body.
41-year-old FERNANDO ESTRELLA of New York City was pulled over for a traffic violation early Tuesday. A police dog allegedly detected drugs but cops couldn't find any in Estrella's vehicle. Police obtained a warrant and performed a body cavity search at a nearby hospital. Prosecutors say that's when over 14-hundred bags of heroin were removed from Estrella. The suspect pleaded not guilty to felony heroin possession, heroin trafficking, and heroin importation. (Still)Gone in 60 Seconds:
Probably a good idea to check that the person owns the car before they leave it for collateral.
Midnight Racing Auto in Leetsdale, Pennsylvania, had just opened when a potential customer walked in. GM JENNIFER BUTLER described him as an older man driving a 2006 Lexus. He asked to test drive a 2009 Mercedes C-class priced for almost $15 grand.
"He said he'd had back surgery so that's why he was looking to get rid of his Lexus, that it was no longer comfortable," Butler said. She made a copy of his driver's license and held the keys to his Lexus as collateral. She told him to take a 15 minute test drive, no more. After an hour and he still wasn't back, she called the cops.
Turns out the Lexus that he left was stolen... and so was her Mercedes. The dealership is now changing their policy on test drives. (Myers)Grace notes from Vinny Marino:
DAVID CASSIDY won't be driving the school bus to gigs for a while. The Sun Sentinel of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, says the former "Partridge Family" star had to give up his driver's license for five years after pleading no-contest to a hit-and-run. Back in September of 2015, David was charged with reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license. He'll also be on probation for two years. David filed for bankruptcy last year and his home in Florida hit the auction block. David is 65-years-old. (Marino)
Health and Medical Briefs:
A "startling" new survey finds that almost half of the people caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease are sacrificing their own financial security to do so, and many are setting aside their own basic needs. CBS News says the Alzheimer's Association's 2016 report found that in all, 15.9 million family and friends provided 18.1 billion hours of unpaid care in 2015 to Alzheimer's patients and others with dementia --care valued at an estimated $221.3 billion.
Typical caregiver sacrifices include:
--Cutbacks in personal spending: Almost 48 percent of Alzheimer's patients' caregivers have decreased their personal spending and needs over the past year or have drawn from savings and retirement accounts., to scrape together money needed for care expenses.
--Going hungry: Almost one-third said they ate less, and one out of five reported they sometimes go hungry because they didn't have money for food.
--Going without needed medical care: 20 percent of caregivers cut back on their own doctor visits to help pay for an Alzheimer patients' expenses.
--Thirteen percent sold personal belongings, typically a vehicle, to help cover the patient's needs, and 11 percent had to pull back on spending for a child's education.
--Income loss. More than one-third lost income (an average of $15,194 compared to the previous year) due to reduced work hours or stopping work altogether to meet caregiving demands. (Bartha) -
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