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  • Google Now Facing Third Suit, As 30 State Sue Over ‘Illegal Monopoly’

    Google Now Facing Third Suit, As 30 State Sue Over ‘Illegal Monopoly’

    Google is being sued by 30 states, as the company faces its third lawsuit over abusing its monopoly in search and online advertising.

    Google is already facing lawsuits by the Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as a coalition of 10 states. The new lawsuit is led by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, and includes Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.

    “Our economy is more concentrated than ever, and consumers are squeezed when they are deprived of choices in valued products and services. Google’s anticompetitive actions have protected its general search monopolies and excluded rivals, depriving consumers of the benefits of competitive choices, forestalling innovation, and undermining new entry or expansion,” Weiser explained. “This lawsuit seeks to restore competition.”

    The scope of this lawsuit goes beyond the previous two, accusing Google of “engaging in a multi-pronged effort to maintain its monopolies.” In particular, “Google’s acquisition and command of vast amounts of data obtained because of consumers’ lack of choice has fortified Google’s monopolies and created new barriers to competition and consumer value.”

    The states have filed a motion to join their case with the DOJ’s case, which could significantly expand the scope of the DOJ’s case.

  • States Sue Google For Antitrust Violations

    States Sue Google For Antitrust Violations

    As predicted, a coalition of 10 states have sued Google for alleged monopolistic behavior in digital advertising.

    The DOJ filed a lawsuit against Google in October, accusing the company of abusing its monopoly in the search business. Shortly after, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned that state lawsuits would likely follow.

    The first of those lawsuits has now been filed, according to NPR, with 10 states accusing the search giant of similarly abusing its monopoly in online advertising. The states involved are Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.

    “These actions harm every person in America,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a video announcing the lawsuit. “If the free market were a baseball game, Google positioned itself as the pitcher, the batter and the umpire.”

    Google has said the claims are “meritless” and vowed to vigorously defend itself in court.

  • Kerry Washington Hits Red Carpet Post-Baby at BET Awards

    Kerry Washington stepped out on the red carpet Sunday night for the BET Awards in Los Angeles.

    The event marked Washington’s first live television appearance since giving birth to daughter Isabelle Amarachi on April 21. The child is the first for both Washington and her husband, former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

    Observers said Washington looked “slim, fit, and healthy” in a brightly-colored floral strapless Dolce & Gabbana dress, white Jimmy Choo pumps, and the bare minimum of jewelry.

    Washington was nominated for a Best Actress award this year alongside Angela Bassett (Black Nativity, American Horror Story,) Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave,) Gabrielle Union (Being Mary Jane,) and Oprah Winfrey (The Butler.) Lupita Nyong’o won.

    Washington won the BET Best Actress award in 2013.

    Washington, 37, and Asomugha, 32, married in a small, private ceremony in Hailey, Idaho in June 2013. The notoriously private couple managed to keep the wedding secret for over a week.

    The couple kept their daughter’s birth from hitting the news for an impressive 11 days following her birth.

    Washington began acting in 1994 and landed small television and film roles for the next few years, including parts in Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and The Last King of Scotland with James McAvoy and Forest Whitaker.

    In 2012 she gained notoriety for her performance opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and Christoph Waltz in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

    Also that year she landed the lead role in ABC’s hit series Scandal. Thanks to her role as Olivia Pope, Washington is now a household name. The term “gladiators” and the phrase “It’s handled” have become synonymous with the series and millions of viewers covet Olivia Pope’s wardrobe.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Chobani Layoffs Mostly Affect Temp Workers

    Chobani layoffs hit the news this week and had some worried that the large Twin Falls factory was laying off its main workforce. The company is now performing a bit of damage control and letting people know it’s not as dire as some have suggested.

    Speaking to the Times-News, Chobani confirms that it has laid off some employees at its 1-million-square-foot Greek yogurt factory in Twin Falls, Idaho. Contrary to initial reports, however, most of the positions lost were temporary. That being said, the company did say it had to lay off a few regular workers as well. A spokesperson for the company didn’t say how many lost their jobs, but said the majority of them were temporary positions.

    When Chobani first built the plant, it said it would need around 400 employees. After it opened the facility, it hired well beyond 400 employees and says that it still employs more than it originally intended. Still, it hired a lot of temporary employees for what it said were temporary jobs. One can presume that the yogurt is now flowing at a regular rate and some of those temporary positions are no longer needed. A statement from the company announcing the layoffs said just as much:

    “After a thorough and comprehensive review of our business, we made the very difficult but necessary decision to operate our plant at its original design and eliminate certain positions.”

    Those who lost their jobs shouldn’t have much trouble finding new work though. It’s reported that Southern Idaho has seen a recent increase in temporary positions as more companies move into the area. Unfortunately, temporary positions are just that – temporary. Those looking for regular work may have a bit of trouble, but those who jump from temp job to temp job may be able to bounce back sooner rather than later.

    Image via ChobaniYogurt/YouTube

  • Idaho High School Coach Fired Over Innocuous Facebook Photo, School District Faces Sexism Charges

    An Idaho school district is under fire after they terminated a high school basketball coach and part-time teacher for a seemingly innocuous vacation photo that she posted on Facebook.

    Pocatello, Idaho School District 25 fired Laraine Cook, a varsity girls basketball coach at Pocatello High School, after they discovered a photo from her Facebook page that showed her fiancé touching her fully-covered breast while posing at a family reunion. Both Cook and her fiancé are wearing bathing suits in the photo.

    The school district is also looking into revoking her teaching certificate based on grounds of immorality.

    Here’s where the story gets particularly wrinkly. Although Cook was dismissed on October 23rd, the photo that spurred her dismissal was actually taken and posted back in July – and it was only on Facebook for a couple of days. Cook actually removed the photo on the advice of the Pocatello High School Athletic Director, in order to avoid any problems that might spring up.

    The School District only learned of the photo’s existence when an image of the photo was mailed to them in October.

    “They told me that picture had been received at the district office, and that they were asking me to choose to either resign or be terminated,” Cook said. “I was told the reason I was dismissed was because it had been posted on my Facebook. However, our school district doesn’t have any social media policy.”

    And even if they did, this is grounds for immediate termination?

    Not only is the school district receiving backlash for the inarguably harsh reaction, but they are also fielding sexism accusations.

    While Cook was fired and is facing a future with no teaching license, her fiancé, who is Pocatello High’s football coach, only received a verbal reprimand. He still has his job. The school’s justification? The photo was posted on her profile.

    Cook has currently been granted the right to an appeal, and she says that a lawsuit is not out of the question.

    Although Pocatello School District 25 doesn’t allow post by others on its Facebook page, it does have reviews. People are sounding off there, and it’s not pretty.

    “Your treatment of Lorraine Cook is nothing short of idiotic. You have succeeded only in making Pocatello High School the laughing stock of America. I’m glad Ms. Cook has a good attorney, and I hope the mental midgets responsible for this weapons-grade stupidity pay dearly. You should all be ASHAMED!” says one user.

    “The Ruling against the Female Coach is total Hypocrisy and you need to get hip to the 21st century. Scarlet Letters went out several centuries ago. If she is wrong then so is he,” says another.

    “Seriously School District 25? YOU ARE A JOKE!! No wonder Idaho is 48th in K-12 education. School district officials are clearly more concerned with teacher’s personal lives, than actually educating Idaho’s youth.”

    While it’s true that operating a social media account (especially as a teacher or other public figure) comes with its fair share of risks, it appears that Cook has a pretty strong case here. Not only is the photo far from irresponsible and offensive, but it was removed months ago. Toss in the fact that the male in the photo was given a slap on the wrist and you have a recipe for outrage.

    What do you think?

    Images via video screenshot, Local News 8 & YouTube

  • Idaho Hiker Body Found In National Park

    Idaho Hiker Body Found In National Park

    Dr. Jo Elliott-Blakeslee, aged 63, went hiking with her friend, Amelia Linkert, about a month ago in Idaho’s national Craters of The Moon park. The two were last seen on September 19th, in a campground on the park’s grounds. The two were declared missing on September 24th, and a hunt began to find them. Linkert was found a few days later, but the hunt to find Dr. Blakeslee was stalled because of the government shutdown.

    During the partial government shutdown, which barely a week into the search for Dr. Blakeslee, park officials got a waiver to keep 10 rangers on patrol and a 3-person skeleton crew on hand, though none of the employees were sure if they would get paid or not. This, essentially, left them acting as volunteers in the search for the missing Dr. Blakeslee. After the shutdown ended, congress immediately voted to give backpay to all furloughed federal employees, such as the rangers and skeleton crew.

    During the shutdown, hope was held out by Dr. Blakeslee’s family and friends that she would be found alive and well. However, this was not the case. Yesterday, Dr. Blakeslee’s body was discovered about a mile away from where Linkert had been retrieved. Park Superintendent Dan Buckley said on the topic of finding the body, “We hope that this will bring closure to her family, friends and all those who have been involved in the search. We join the family in thanking the searchers and local communities for the tremendous outpouring of support that we have received throughout this intense effort.”

    As of yet, no autopsy has been performed, so the cause and date of death are still unknown. As such, it is hard to know how big a role the government shutdown played in having Dr. Blakeslee’s body found, rather than her living person.

    [Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.]