Monday, March 26, 2012

Kid Wants Computer

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Lottery winner on food stamps: ‘I thought maybe it was okay because I’m not working’ - Yahoo! News

http://news.yahoo.com/lottery-winner-food-stamps-thought-maybe-okay-because-161650898.html

Lottery winner on food stamps: 'I thought maybe it was okay because I'm not working'

While most people have played the "if I had a million dollars I would ____ " thought game, few fill that blank in with "stay on public assistance."

Amanda Clayton, a 24-year-old from Lincoln Park, Michigan, is one of the few who does, and she is getting away with it. Clayton won $1 million from the Michigan State Lottery this fall, but she is still collecting and using $200 a month in food assistance from the taxpayers with her Michigan Bridge Card.

"I thought that they would cut me off, but since they didn't, I thought maybe it was okay because I'm not working," the lottery winner who just purchased a new house and car told Local 4 in Detroit. The station even filmed her shamelessly purchasing goods.

When Local 4 asked if she felt she had a right to the money, Clayton responded, "I mean I kinda do."

Clayton justified the sentiment by explaining that after taking her winnings in a lump sum and having to pay taxes, the total amount was just over half of the initial winnings.

"I feel that it's okay because I mean, I have no income and I have bills to pay," she said. "I have two houses."

A bill to prevent this type of behavior, sponsored by state Republican Rep. Dale Zorn has passed the state House, as has a companion bill in the state Senate.

"Public assistance should be given to those who are in need of public assistance, not those who have found riches," said Zorn, who has sponsored a bill requiring the state to cross-check the names of lottery winners of prizes over $1,000 with names of individuals on the dole.

Until Clayton is cut off, however, she says she intends to continue to use her benefits.

Parents Forget Child, 3, at Chuck E Cheese, Find Out on Evening News - Yahoo! News

http://news.yahoo.com/parents-forget-child-3-chuck-e-cheese-evening-164538922--abc-news.html

Parents Forget Child, 3, at Chuck E Cheese, Find Out on Evening News

By Gillian Mohney | ABC News – 7 hrs ago

Parents of a 3-year-old girl had some explaining to do after they forgot their daughter at a Chuck E Cheese and did not realize it until they saw her picture on the evening news.

The girl, named Harmony, was left behind at the theme restaurant in Bel Air, Md., after she attended a large party with her parents. According to a report from the Harford County Sheriff's Office, both of Harmony's parents, who share custody, assumed the girl had gone home with other relatives.

A restaurant manager alerted sheriff's deputies around 8 p.m. that the girl had been left alone after Harmony approached a staff member to say she was thirsty.

Unable to locate the 3-year-old girl's parents, the deputies asked local news media to put Harmony's picture on the evening news.

Shortly after Harmony's picture showed up on the 11 p.m. newscast, multiple phone calls came into the Sheriff's Office, including calls from the girl's parents. After police determined that Harmony's abandonment was inadvertent, Child Protective Services released her to her mother, and no charges are expected to be filed.

Calls to the Harford County Sheriff's Office from ABC News were not immediately returned.