Current Events in May 2015

Avian, or bird, flu, has devastated commercial chicken and turkey operations in the Midwest, resulting in the culling of millions of birds. But beyond its economic impact there are serious health concerns.

In Asia strains of the avian flu have passed from bird to humans, with health officials estimating 1 in 3 humans who contract the illness die.

Now, researchers in the U.S. have developed a vaccine for two new strains of bird flu. While providing some protection it is also expected to help researchers make additional vaccines for new strains of avian influenza more quickly.

As a result, the number and intensity of large-scale outbreaks at poultry farms could diminish and transmission to humans become less of a threat.  Jürgen Richt, Regents director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases says it could also lead to flu vaccines for pigs and other livestock.

H5N1

Richt and his colleagues at Kansas State Univesity focused on H5N1, a new strain seen mostly in Indonesia, Egypt and other Southeast Asian and North African countries. H5N1 also has been found in wild birds in the U.S. but is not believed to be widespread.

"H5N1 is a zoonotic pathogen, which means that it is transmitted from chickens to humans," Richt said. "So far it has infected more than 700 people worldwide and has killed about 60% of them. Unfortunately, it has a pretty high mortality rate."

The new vaccine for H5N1 came about when scientists put 2 viruses together. Tests show that the combined virus was an effective vaccine for chickens against both Newcastle disease virus and H5N1.

H7N9

Next the scientists focused their efforts on the bird flu subtype H7N9, which has been infecting birds in China since at least 2013. Since then there have been about 650 cases of H7N9 in humans and some 230 people have died. There are aspects of the new virus that make it more dangerous than previous strains.

"In Southeast Asia there are a lot of markets that sell live birds that people can buy and prepare at home," Richt said. "In contrast to the H5N1 virus that kills the majority of chickens in three to five days, chickens infected with the H7N9 virus do not show clinical signs of sickness. That means you could buy a bird that looks perfectly healthy but could be infected. If an infected bird is prepared for consumption, there is a high chance you could get sick, and about 1 in 3 infected people die."

Again, tests showed that chickens vaccinated with the new Newcastle virus-based vaccine were protected against H7N9.

Welcome news

A vaccine that could stop bird flu from spreading would be welcome news to the poultry and egg industries. Nearly 40 million U.S. chickens have died or been exterminated as poultry producers try to stop the spread of the disease. That’s more than double the number lost in the last outbreak back in the 1980's.

All of this is having an impact at the supermarket. Some turkey producers have warned of possible shortages of the Thanksgiving Day staple and egg prices are skyrocketing.

The Wall Street Journal has reported wholesale prices for the eggs sold at supermarkets are up about 85% at $2.20 a dozen in parts of the country. Restaurants specializing in breakfast are also feeling the pinch and will likely pass along the higher costs to consumers.

A vaccine that could limit the carnage would likely alleviate much of this economic fallout, though it isn’t known how quickly that could happen.

Federal agents have shut down a network of gambling sites and seized nearly $10 million that is being distributed to federal and local law enforcement agencies.

The gambling sites allowed bettors to place thousands of wagers from New York, Florida, Indiana, California, Texas, Kansas, Nevada  and elsewhere.  Over a four-year period, at least $10 million in illegal gambling proceeds were deposited into accounts in the names of sham corporations and accounts in Panama, Andorra and the Cayman Islands, prosecutors said. 

One of the defendants, Philip Gurian, said that he was making $150,000 from the sites each day. Michele Lasso admitted helping Gurian launder the gambling proceeds, depositing at least $8 million. Alan Gould admitted involvement in $3.8 million in transactions. Jay Goldman admitted accepting nearly 9,000 bets totaling over $1.5 million using foreign websites and eighteen different routers.

"No money, no crime"

“Stripping criminals of illegal profits deprives them of the fuel that sustains their illegitimate enterprises,” said U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian.  “In illegal gambling, money is both the way the crime is committed and the reason for committing it.  No money equals no crime."

Hartunian said the seized funds would be put to good use.

"Forfeiting the proceeds and instrumentalities of crime puts the money to work for good – helping the victims of crime, funding community programs and providing resources to be used to promote public safety," he said. "Such sharing can enable a local police chief, sheriff, or district attorney to commit the necessary resources to conduct a complex, long term investigation that in the end enhances public safety.”

A total of $9,628,093.75 was distributed by the U.S. Marshal’s Service to the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, the IRS, the Albany County District Attorney’s Office, the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office as shown below:

Technology increasingly pulls consumers into new car showrooms. New cars have a lot more technology in the dash than even three-year-old models.

Hyundai is trying to raise the bar, not with hardware but with software. It has introduced Android Auto, a system that integrates some Android phones with the navigation system in the 2015 Hyundai Sonota.

"Android Auto aligns with Hyundai's core interior design principles of safety, intuitiveness and simplicity," said Dave Zuchowski, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. "We launched this highly anticipated feature on our best-selling Sonata, adding to our promise of value. With the launch of Android Auto, we provide more owners with the experience of cutting-edge technology."

What about safety?                         

Having more and more gadgets at your disposal behind the wheel doesn’t sound like such a good idea but Zuchowski says the new system will actually promote safety. He points out that just about any time of day there are thousands of people driving while trying to manipulate some type of electronic gadget.

Hyundai says the new interface will help keep drivers' eyes and attention on the road by integrating the advanced driving-related functions of the user's smartphone with the familiar centralized screen, physical controls and microphone of their car.

As an added safety feature, the company says the synced smartphone's screen becomes "locked," so drivers are not tempted to look down and interact with their phones directly while Android Auto is in use.

Free download at dealers

If you are driving a 2015 Sonata with the navigation package you can get the free software download at any Hyundai dealer. Within a few weeks the company says you’ll be able to download the software yourself if you have a MyHyudai account.

To use the new software your phone needs to run Android 5.0 Lollipop or later and the Android Auto companion app on a compatible phone. A micro USB cable is required to connect the phone to the car's USB port.

The first time you plug a phone into a parked Sonata, the phone will prompt the download of the Android Auto companion app from the Google Play. From there you download familiar Android phone applications, such as Google Maps, Google Now, messaging, phone calling and Google Play Music.

Voice controls

Hyundai stresses that these apps controlled by voice, as well as steering wheel controls and touchscreen. Android Auto can also launch many popular third-party audio apps that owners have on their phones, including iHeartRadio, Spotify, TuneIn, NPR, Stitcher, Skype and TextMe.

How would you use this software package? Hyundai says Google Now provides suggested locations and travel times based on the user's searches, calendar entries and home and office locations, as well as weather information and "now playing" information for music streamed over the phone.

The software is automatically updated because the apps live on the phone. Hyundai says users can easily bring their personal reminders, suggested destinations, calendar appointments and music preferences with them when they get in their car.

Rock music in the 60's and 70's was all about youth and rebellion and was the soundtrack of a generation. So it must come as a shock to Baby Boomers, and even younger fans, to learn that the legendary rock band The Who is observing its 50th anniversary this year.

Fiftieth anniversaries are what your grandparents celebrate, not your rock idols. But the surviving members of The Who are grandparents, or at least old enough to be. Roger Daltrey is 71. Pete Townshend is 70. But many fans consider their music timeless, not to mention ageless.

Radio programmer and one of the pioneers of the “classic rock” format, Gary Guthrie, says no rock group other than The Rolling Stones has endured generational hand-offs, from older fans to younger fans, like The Who.

Impact

“I might even go as far as saying that The Who made an impact on more genres and conceptual thinking with their punk'y ‘mod’ sound and what they did with 'Tommy' and 'Quadrophenia,'” Guthrie told ConsumerAffairs.

"Tommy" and "Quadrophenia" came after the band had earned worldwide fame. But to celebrate the 50th anniversary The Who is re-releasing its early work, when it was competing with dozens of other British groups invading America.

As part of the ongoing celebrations the band is releasing a series of 7-inch singles box sets containing work it produced while hopping from one record label to another. The first collection is "The Brunswick Singles 1965-66."

The follow-up is "The Reaction Singles 1966," a 4-part set of classic Who singles by labels Brunswick, Reaction, Track and Polydor. It contains five 7-inch singles from the Reaction label pressed on heavyweight vinyl with paper sleeves  and reproducing the period graphics front and back with die-cut center holes.

The singles come in a rigid lid-and-tray outer box that features a 7-inch sized color booklet with liner notes about each release by Who biographer Mark Blake.

Controversy

The period of time covered by the initial products are not without controversy. The rock music world was something of a Wild West environment during those years with performers routinely walking away from record labels in contract disputes. The Who was no exception.

During one such dispute The Who released a song called “Substitute,” which had to be recalled over a rights issue. After its second release was successfully challenged in court The Who released it a third time, eventually hitting number 5 on the British charts.

"The Reaction Singles 1966" collection includes “Substitute,” “Instant Party,” “Waltz For A Pig,” I’m A Boy,” “Ready Steady Who,” “Disguises,” “Circles,” “Batman,” Bucket T,” “Barbara Ann,” “Happy Jack” and “I’ve Been Away.”

The rise in home prices continued during March on both a year-over-year and month-over-month basis

According to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, both the 10-City and 20-City Composites saw year-over-year increases. The 10-City Composite was up 4.7%, while the 20-City Composite jumped 5.0%. The National Home Price Index -- covering all 9 U.S. census divisions -- recorded a 4.1% annual gain in March versus a 4.2% increase in February.

San Francisco and Denver reported the highest year-over-year increases -- 10.3% and 10.0%, respectively, over the last 12 months. San Francisco’s annual gain is its first double-digit year-over-year increase since July 2014. Dallas reported a 9.3% year-over-year gain to round out the top 3 cities.

Ten cities reported higher price increases in the year ended March 2015 over the year ended February 2015. Tampa led the way with a reported increase of 1.4%. Ten cities also saw their prices decrease annually, led by Cleveland -- down 1.2% in the year ending March 2015.

Month-over-month

The National index increased again in March with a 0.8%. Both the 10- and 20-City Composites increased significantly, reporting month-over-month gains of 0.8% and 0.9%, respectively. Of the 19 cities reporting increases, San Francisco led an advance of 3.0%.

Seattle followed with a reported surge of 2.3%, while Cleveland was up 0.4%, its first positive month-over-month increase since last August. New York was the only city to report a decline for March -- -0.1%.

“Home prices have enjoyed year-over-year gains for 35 consecutive months,” said David M. Blitzer, Managing Director & Chairman of the Index Committee for S&P Dow Jones Indices. “The pattern of consistent gains is national and seen across all 20 cities covered by the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. I would describe this as a rebound in home prices, not bubble and not a reason to be fearful.”

FHFA home prices

Separately, from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), word that its House Price Index (HPI) rose 1.3% in the first quarter of 2015 -- the fifteenth consecutive quarterly price increase in the purchase-only, seasonally adjusted index.

The seasonally adjusted monthly index for March was up 0.3% from February.

"The first quarter saw strong and widespread home price growth throughout most of the country," said FHFA Principal Economist Andrew Leventis. "Home prices are now, on average, roughly 20% above where they were 3 years ago. This run-up has been historically exceptional and is particularly notable in light of the limited household income growth and modest rate of overall inflation observed during that same time period."

The seasonally adjusted, purchase-only HPI, which is calculated using home sales price information from mortgages sold to, or guaranteed by, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, rose 5.0% from the first quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of 2015, while prices of other goods and services fell 1.5%. The inflation-adjusted price of homes thus rose approximately 6.5% over the latest year.

Report highlights

• Between the first quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015, home prices rose in 48 states. The top 5 states in annual appreciation:

   1. Colorado – 11.2%

2. Nevada – 10.1%

3. Florida – 8.75;

4. Washington – 7.65;

5. California – 7.5 percent.

• Among the 100 most populated metropolitan areas in the U.S., 4-quarter price increases were greatest in Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, Calif., where prices increased by 13.4%. Prices were weakest in the Greensboro-High Point, N.C., where they fell 2.3%.
• Of the 9 census divisions, the Mountain division experienced the strongest increase in the first quarter, posting a 2.6% quarterly increase and a 6.8% increase since last year. House price appreciation was weakest in the West North Central division, where prices rose 0.7%.

The complete report is available on the FHFA website.

Sales of new single-family houses moved higher in April following a double-digit plunge a month earlier.

Estimates released jointly by the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development show sales last month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 517,000 up 6.8% from March's revised rate of 484,000. The previous month's sales rate had earlier been put at 481,000 . The April figure is also 26.1% above the year-ago estimate of 410,000.

Sales and inventory

The median sales price of new houses sold in April was $297,300, up $22,800 from the same time a year ago. The median is the point at which half the prices were higher and half were lower.

The average sales price was $341,500, up $16,400 from April 2014.

The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of April was 205,000, representing a supply of 4.8 months at the current sales rate.

The full report may be found on the Commerce department website.

A federal court, acting on a request from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has temporarily shut down a sweepstakes operation based in Fort Lauderdale that took more than $28 million from consumers throughout the U.S and other countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

The FTC wants a permanen end to the allegedly illegal practices and a return of money to victims.

“This outfit promised people huge prizes and collected millions in fees but never paid out a dime,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “If someone says you have to pay to claim a sweepstakes prize, assume it’s a scam.”

The charges

The FTC’s complaint and other court filings claim the defendants mailed personalized letters that falsely told consumers they had won large cash prizes -- typically more than $2 million. The prizes are “guaranteed,” the letters stated, but to collect the money, consumers had to mail the defendants a $20-$30 fee by cash, check or money order. To create a false sense of urgency, they set a deadline, typically 10 days, and warned consumers they would forfeit their winnings if they didn’t pay on time.

In reality, consumers had not won anything. The defendants have no connection to any sweepstakes and cannot award or pay anyone the promised prizes.

“Only in dense, confusing language, at the bottom or on the back of the letters,” the FTC explains, do they admit that the only service they provide is compiling “reports” about sweepstakes and contests offered by other parties that are open to the public.

By design, the defendants’ disclaimers are unclear and inconspicuous, and fail to alert consumers to the truth, and most consumers don’t even receive the “reports” and would never have agreed to pay $20-$30 for them.

The parade of defendants

The defendants are Mail Tree Inc.; Michael McKay Co.; Spin Mail Inc.; MCP Marketing Activities LLC, also doing business as Magellan Mail and Magellan Marketing; Trans National Concepts Inc.; Romeria Global LLC, also d/b/a Lowenstein Varick and Nagel; Supreme Media LLC; Vernier Holdings Inc.; Awards Research Consultant LLC; Mailpro Americas Corp.; Masterpiece Marketing LLC, also d/b/a Affiliated Opportunities Group (AOG), Corporate Accounting Authority (CAA), Dispatch Notification Services (DNS), Information Reporting Group (IRG), National Directory Center (NDC), and Priority Information Exchange (PIE); Matthew Pisoni; Marcus Pradel; John Leon; and Victor Ramirez. The court issued an order that temporarily stopped the illegal conduct, froze the defendants’ assets, and appointed a receiver to control the operation while the FTC pursues the case.

“No one is permitted to steal hard-earned money from members of our community,” U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer said. “This office will work with international, national and local law enforcement agencies to prevent these types of sweepstake fraud schemes, and we will bring those who commit these crimes to justice.”

Walmart is helping change the way food animals are trated across the retail industry. 

Walmart is asking meat producers, egg suppliers and others to use antibiotics only when needed for disease prevention or treatment, not to fatten their animals, a common industry practice.

It is also trying to halt pig gestation crates and any other type of housing that doesn’t give an animal enough room to move. Walmart is also requesting that dehorning and castration be done with painkillers.

Activists are applauding Walmart touting its guidelines and saying it could become the blueprint of the food industry. McDonald’s Corp., Nestlé and Starbucks Corp., have already pledged to reduce or eliminate the use of gestation crates for pregnant sows and otherwise improve animal treatment.

Consumer demand

Much of the Walmart's motivation is no doubt simple market economics. Shoppers are more aware of their health than ever before and it’s no longer just the food pyramid. People want to know where their food comes from, what the animals are fed and how they are treated. Consumers are pushing for more transparency when it comes to how things are grown.

Walmart said its own research showed 77 percent of its shoppers said they will increase their trust and 66 percent will increase their likelihood to shop at a retailer that improves the treatment of livestock.

Activists have been loud and clear about abuses that have gone on in the farms that supply food to Walmart and other large companies.

According to Kathleen McLaughlin, senior vice president of Walmart’s sustainability division, Walmart is now asking for suppliers to give them annual reports on antibiotic use and animal welfare and post them on their own websites.

The World Organization for Animal Health outlined Five Freedoms that it wanted to see for animal health. Walmart has adopted those and they include freedom from pain and injury, and freedom to express normal behavior.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, says he is thrilled that Walmart has taken a stand and said he feels that the impact is a “game-changing progress and signals to agribusiness that the era of confining farm animals is ending.”

Walmart's guidelines also to their sister company, Sam’s Club.

Old World Meats of Duluth, Minn., is recalling approximately 12 pounds of roast beef product.

The product contains soy, an allergen not listed on the label.

There are no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

The following sliced roast beef product, produced on April 3 and May 8, 2015, is being recalled:

• 0.5-lb. packages containing “OLD WORLD MEATS TOP ROUND ROAST BEEF.”

The recalled product bears the establishment number “EST.34448” inside the USDA mark of inspection, and was sold at a retail location in Minnesota.

Consumers with questions may contact Paul Wrazidlo at (218) 340-7682.

Culinary Brands of Vernon, Calif., is recalling approximately 4,038 pounds of pork products.

The product was mistakenly mislabeled and may contain the wrong product, a mushroom risotto which contains wheat, an allergen not declared on the label.

There are no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of this product.

The following pork chile verde product, produced on March 30 and April 2, 2015, is being recalled:

• 9-oz. plastic tray packages labeled “Simply Balanced Pork Chile Verde” bearing lot #A5089G2.

The recalled product bears the establishment number “EST. 6009” inside the USDA mark of inspection and was shipped to retail locations nationwide.

Consumers with questions may contact Frank Calma at (626) 289-3000 (ext. 116).

If you plan to spend the Memorial Day weekend at home, grilling some burgers or simply relaxing on the patio, you may be in the minority this year. With lower fuel prices and higher employment numbers, more people are packing their bags.

Despite the fact that gasoline prices have crept higher over the spring, the national average price of self-service regular is about 90 cents a gallon less than last Memorial Day weekend. According to AAA’s Fuel Gauge Survey, the highest average price is in California, at $3.78 a gallon (remember, it's an average; many prices will be higher than that). The lowest state average is South Carolina’s, at $2.42 a gallon.

Price surge

According to AAA, prices at the pump “surged” ahead of the holiday weekend, despite the fact that oil prices have remained fairly stable. With the exception of Pennsylvania, where the price has moved lower by fractions of a penny, consumers in every state and Washington, D.C. are paying more at the pump week-over-week, AAA reports.

The recent trend of rising prices, however, should not deter motorists. The gasoline monitoring site GasBuddy.com has released a survey showing 73% of consumers plan to travel between this weekend and Labor Day, with 83% estimating they will take at least two trips during that time.

“People can’t get enough of the classic, summer road trip,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. “Nearly half of the people who responded claimed they love going on them and wish they could take more. Even with the current uptick in gas prices, we predict most U.S. travelers will pay the cheapest Memorial Day gas prices since at least 2009.”

The GasBuddy survey found that 85% of road trippers plan trips of more than 200 miles round trop, with half expecting to drive a total of 500 miles. The top reason for hitting the road is to visit family and friends.

Declining infrastructure

The U.S. Travel Association says people taking road trips and catching flights at major airports will likely notice a need for improvements in the nation’s transportation infrastructure.

“Our roads and skies are nearly busting at the seams, and as the economy improves we’re only going to see the number of travelers increase,” said association CEO Roger Dow. “With many of our national transportation policies set to expire this year—some within just two short weeks—we encourage policy leaders to look to long-term solutions to address these capacity concerns and support legislation which provides for a sustained and robust infrastructure, keeping travelers on the move and our economy thriving.”

Even so, economists at the U.S. Travel Association predict consumers traveling over the Memorial Day weekend will spend an average of $330 per person.

Gas may be cheaper this summer but that's not the case for another staple of daily life -- the lowly egg. Thanks to a massive outbreak of bird flu in the Midwest, there just aren't enough healthy chickens reporting for work each day to keep up with the demand.

Nearly 40 million chickens have died or been exterminated as poultry producers try to stop the spread of the disease, more than double the number lost in the last outbreak back in the 1980's.

Wholesale prices for the eggs sold at supermarkets are up about 85% at $2.20 a dozen in parts of the country, according to the Wall Street Journal. Similar increases are hitting industrial users like McDonald's, which could affect the price you pay at the drive-through window depending on how long it takes the nation's poultry flock to recover.

No human risk seen

There's no apparent risk, other than menu disruption, to humans from the H5N2 strain of avian influenza but it is hitting the bird population very hard. Scientists say the strain is a combination of a virus that originated in Asia and later combined with North American versions. It's apparently being spread through the droppings of wild ducks and geese.

The disease is centered in the Midwest, leading Iowa state officials to announce a ban on live-bird shows for the rest of the year. Minnesota has done the same.

"We are asking producers and bird owners to increase their biosecurity measures and we feel this is a needed step to further minimize the risk of spreading the virus," Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said. "The scale of this outbreak has been unprecedented, so we think it is important we take every possible step to limit the chance that this disease will spread any further."

Iowa, the nation's top egg producer, has had 63 avian flu outbreaks affecting more than 25 million birds.

A finding that Hawaiian Airlines violated federal rules on liability for mishandled domestic baggage and full-fare advertising will cost the carrier $160,000.

In addition to levying the monetary penalty, the Department of Transportation ordered the airline to cease and desist from further violations.

“Consumers deserve truth in advertising, and fair treatment when airlines lose or damage their property,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We will continue to make sure airlines comply with DOT’s consumer protection rules.”

Baggage and advertising violations

DOT’s Enforcement Office, in response to a consumer complaint, investigated Hawaiian’s handling of monetary claims for mishandled checked baggage on domestic flights. The review revealed that the carrier limited reimbursement for damages associated with delayed baggage to $30 a day for a maximum of 3 days, limiting its liability to an amount far less than the $3,400 minimum level required by federal law.

In addition, the Enforcement Office investigated a promotional program associated with the Hawaiian Visa Signature credit card program. Hawaiian advertised a “one-time 50% round-trip companion travel discount” for flights between North America and Hawaii if consumers signed up for the credit card.

However, consumers who got the card and tried to use the discount on a fare advertised on the carrier's website were automatically provided a higher fare when they attempted to apply the 50% discount. By advertising a travel discount on fares that effectively was not available, Hawaiian violated the full fare advertising rule.

Not much to see here, folks.

According to the Labor Department (DOL), the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inched ahead just 0.1% in April, and for the last 12 months is actually down 0.2%.

One of the biggest factors in the tiny increase was a rise of 0.7% in the cost of medical care -- the largest increase since 2007.

Energy and food

Energy costs were down 1.3% percent in April after rising in February and March, with fuel oil down 8.4%, natural gas off 2.6%, gasoline posting a 1.7% decline and electricity unchanged. For the last 12 months, energy costs are down 19.4%, with all the major components declining except electricity.

Food costs were unchanged, with food at home -- grocery prices, if you will -- down 0.2%. Dairy and related products posted the largest decline (-0.8%), followed by meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-0.7%), and cereals and bakery products (-0.3). In contrast, the nonalcoholic beverage prices rose 0.5% while fruits and vegetables edged 0.2% higher. Food at home has increased 1.3% for the 12 months ending April -- the smallest 12-month increase since the year ending February 2014.

Core rate

Prices for items less the volatile food and energy categories -- the “core rate” of inflation -- rose 0.3% last month, with costs for shelter, medical care, household furnishings and operations, used cars and trucks, and new vehicles all posting gains. Apparel prices and airline fares moved lower.

Over the last 12 months, the core rate has risen 1.8%, the same increase as for the 12 months ending March, and slightly below its 1.9% annualized increase over the past 10 years.

The complete CPI report is available on the DOL website.

It’s estimated that 70 million dogs are living with families. Not surprisingly, millions of people – most of them children – are bitten by dogs every year. The majority of these bites, if not all, are preventable.

A new study that was done by the Mayo Clinic in collaboration with Phoenix Children’s Hospital looked at these injuries a little more extensively. The study was just published last month in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.  It backed up some previous research that said most kids that were bitten were bitten by dogs that they knew.

This latest study confirmed that, finding that 50% of the dog bite injuries treated at Phoenix Children's Hospital came from dogs belonging to an immediate family member.

The retrospective study was done in the years 2007-2013 and involved 670 participants. A good portion of these kids, 270 were bitten so severely that they were seen by the trauma team. The age that seemed to get bitten the most were five-year olds but the study looked at participants as old as 17.

Pit Bull most frequent biter

All kinds of dogs bite and 28 particular breeds were the culprits but the breed that appeared the most in reports was the Pit Bull. Children, elderly, and postal carriers are the most frequent victims of dog bites. The American Humane Association reports that 66% of bites among children occur to the head and neck.

"More than 60 percent of the injuries we studied required an operation. While the majority of patients were able to go home the next day, the psychological effects of being bitten by a dog also need to be taken into account," said the lead author of the study, Erin Garvey, MD, a surgical resident at the Mayo clinic.

The most important message from the study is that familiarity does not guarantee your child’s safety with the family dog.

“It creates a false sense of safety," said Ramin Jamshidi, MD, senior author on the study and a pediatric surgeon at Phoenix Children's Hospital and Medical Director of Pediatric Trauma at Maricopa Medical Center.

What to do

The Injury Prevention Center at Phoenix Children's Hospital has these suggestions to help keep your child safe.

• Never leave infants or young children alone with a dog, including the family dog;
• Make sure all dogs in the home are neutered or spayed;
• Take time to train and socialize your dogs;
• Keep dogs mentally stimulated by walking and exercising them; and
• Teach children appropriate ways to interact with animals.

Saturday wraps up dog bite prevention week. It’s a great opportunity to learn more and educate yourself so you don't have to deal with a disaster that can be avoided.

A chief indicator of future economic performance posted a solid gain last month.

The Conference Board reports its Leading Economic Index (LEI) was up 0.7% in April following a March increase of 0.4% and a 0.2% decline in February.

“April’s sharp increase in the LEI seems to have helped stabilize its slowing trend, suggesting the paltry economic growth in the first quarter may be temporary,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, economist at The Conference Board. “However, the growth of the LEI does not support a significant strengthening in the economic outlook at this time. The improvement in building permits helped to drive the index up this month, but gains in other components, in particular the financial indicators, have been somewhat more muted.”

The 10 components of the LEI include:

1. Average weekly hours, manufacturing
2. Average weekly initial claims for unemployment insurance
3. Manufacturers’ new orders, consumer goods and materials
4. Institute for Supply Management Index of New Orders
5. Manufacturers' new orders, nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft orders
6. Building permits, new private housing units
7. Stock prices, 500 common stocks
8. Leading Credit Index
9. Interest rate spread, 10-year Treasury bonds less federal funds
10. Average consumer expectations for business conditions

OXO of El Paso, Texas, is recalling about 25,000 Nest booster seats in the U.S. and Canada.

The stitching on the restraint straps can loosen which allows the straps to separate from the seat, posing a fall hazard to children.

The firm has received 5 reports of the stitching coming undone releasing the straps following a child pulling on the strap or an adult tightening the straps. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves the Nest booster seat sold in green (model 6367200), pink (model 6367300), taupe (model 6367500) and orange (model 6367400) with a white base. A sticker affixed to the underside of the seat reads “Nest Booster Seat” with the model number and manufacture date. The manufacture date code represents the month and year in MMYY format and recalled units have the code: 0714, 0814, 0914, 1014, 1114 or 1214.

The formed plastic seats are about 13 inches wide, by 14 inches tall, by 12 inches deep and have a grey 3-point child restraint strap system. The OXO logo is embossed on the restraint system’s buckle.

The booster seats, manufactured in China, were sold at Buybuy Baby, Toys“R”Us/Babies“R”Us and independent specialty stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com from September 2014, through April 2015, for about $55.

Consumers should immediately stop using the Nest booster seats and contact OXO for a free repair kit with redesigned safety straps and installation instructions.

Consumers may contact OXO at (800) 545-4411 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or by email at info@oxo.com.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 21,435 model year 2015 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured February 17, 2014, to March 19, 2015, and equipped with daytime running lights (DRL).

The parking lights do not reduce their light output from a DRL level when used in conjunction with the headlights and may exceed the permissible amount allowed by federal regulations. Excessive light output could temporarily blind oncoming traffic, increasing the risk of a crash.

Ford has notified owners, and dealers will update the lighting control software, free of charge. The recall began on May 8, 2015.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for the recall is 15C02.