MINNEAPOLIS, March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — ACA International members applaud the Federal Trade Commission’s National Consumer Protection Week, March 2-8, 2014 and encourages consumers to visit AskDoctorDebt.org for free information to better understand debt collection and their rights. Many consumers are being contacted by third-party debt collectors to resolve duly owed financial obligations. According to the Federal Reserve, the [...]

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — An improving U.S. economic environment, record low interest rates and strong equity and debt markets drove significant activity in the U.S. capital markets in 2013, according to the inaugural 2013 Capital Markets Watch by PwC US.  The new report, released today, builds upon the firm’s quarterly IPO Watch to provide a full year [...]

TULARE – California will assume oversight of several small Tulare County public water systems effective July 1, 2014. The Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency’s Environmental Health Division and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are offering a series of outreach meetings for community residents who will be impacted by the change in [...]

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Investors in the U.S. remain cautious even as the majority of investors around the world have become more confident about investment opportunities, according to a comprehensive new report of investor sentiment by Schroders.  Analysis of the Schroders Global Investment Trends Report 20141, a survey of 15,749 investors across 23 countries [...]

FRESNO – The Center for Leadership, Equity and Research (CLEAR) has launched “The CLEARvoz Journal,” a quarterly peer-reviewed journal focused on equity issues in education. The online, scholarly journal seeks to promote research in elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools with articles that address a range of topics including advocacy, equity, mentoring, diversity and engagement.  The journal [...]

VISALIA - Make your nominations now for the Visalia Chamber of Commerce’s 61st Annual Awards Celebration. Each year the Visalia Chamber of Commerce honors those businesses and individuals who consistently go above and beyond to support the community.  Nominations are now being accepted for the 2014 Man and Woman of the Year as well as, Non-profit, [...]

NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index (Index) moved down slightly in January, but remained in positive territory. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending[i]. “All components of the Index this month declined slightly, though such volatility is consistent with a recovering economy,” said Daniel Bachman, Deloitte’s senior U.S. [...]

FRESNO  – Today, Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin and leaders from major health care, education, agriculture and financial institutions will launch the Fresno Presidents’ Council, a high-level group of chief executives formed to address serious, long-term challenges in the community. The Presidents’ Council also will commit their support for the public investments necessary to restore Downtown Fresno [...]

BRONX, N.Y., Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — One in every six people in the U.S. is Hispanic/Latino and as a group they live longer than non-Hispanic whites (81.4 years vs. 78.8 years). Yet, despite their strong representation and relative longevity, little is understood about this group’s health conditions and behaviors. The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), [...]

FRESNO - Philanthropy Inspired by the Needs of our Community (PINC), a unique Fresno nonprofit founded in 2008 to benefit other local nonprofits in the community, has announced that it will hold its first ever PINC Open Tennis Tournament at Fig Garden Swim & Racquet Club on March 22. Registration is currently open and tennis players of all [...]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – While the tobacco industry spends more than $8 billion a year marketing its products, a new study examining online advertisements finds that the industry’s ads primarily focus on promoting e-cigarettes, snus, and cigars according to the national public health foundation Legacy®. The study, published in the peer review journal, Tobacco Control, is the first to conduct [...]

VISALIA – Visalia’s Mayor Steve Nelson will be speaking at the Tulare County Library’s Visalia Branch at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 as part of the “Getting to Know” series. The “Getting to Know” series is a Tulare County Library initiative that is designed to give residents an opportunity to get to know the people [...]

FRESNO – The City of Fresno joins with Valley Center for the Blind (VCB) to provide a unique training opportunity for Public Works Department employees, “Understanding Independent Travel in the Right-Of-Way.” The Public Works Department plays a crucial role in our citizens’ abilities to move about confidently and safely within our Right-of-Way.  On Tuesday, Feb. [...]

MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Facebook today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire WhatsApp, a rapidly growing cross-platform mobile messaging company, for a total of approximately $16 billion, including $4 billion in cash and approximately $12 billion worth of Facebook shares.  The agreement also provides for an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to [...]

MADERA – Children’s Hospital Central California attained Magnet recognition for a third time as part of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program. With this prestigious honor, Children’s remains among the most elite healthcare organizations in the nation that have earned Magnet recognition. This voluntary credentialing program for hospitals recognizes excellence in nursing [...]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The U.S. Census Bureau today released a beta version of its new census.gov website. With a new look and topic-based navigation, the redesigned site provides easier access to statistics on America’s people, places and economy. The Census Bureau conducted both industry and customer research to create the new site. The beta site [...]

REEDLEY – The Reedley College Entrepreneurship Center is sponsoring its first internship program and it’s looking for selected host sites to provide a meaningful internship experience.  Host sites can be new startup businesses, existing businesses and nonprofits. The focus of the program will be to assist selected businesses analyze a business process and develop recommendations [...]

HANFORD - To help patients from throughout our region who struggle with chronic pain, Adventist Health has opened a Spine and Pain Center in the Kerr Outpatient Center in Hanford. The center is led by Dr. Rupinder Singh, who is fellowship-trained and board-certified in pain management. The Spine and Pain Center offers a multi-faceted approach to reduce [...]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Content theft sites made nearly a quarter of a billion dollars last year from advertising on rip-off sites, according to a new report from the Digital Citizens Alliance.  According to the study, the 30 largest sites that profit exclusively from advertising dollars by pushing stolen movies, music, and television programs will [...]

REDMOND, Wash. and SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Microsoft Corp. and DocuSign on Monday announced a long-term strategic partnership to make DocuSign’s industry-leading eSignature apps widely available from within Microsoft Office 365. DocuSign’s eSignature apps for Office 365, available in the Office Store in early March, will provide customers with the ability to submit and sign documents without leaving [...]