Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast UniversityMissing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
Equifax logo. FILE: CBS Equifax is back in the spotlight after Rep. Maxine Waters asked for the credit reporting agency to be barred from selling credit scores until it explains how it flubbed credit score calculations for millions of Americans. Equifax last week admitted that it misreported some consumers’ credit scores, potentially affecting applications for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards. The company sent out incorrect scores between March 17 and April 6, affecting millions of consumers, the Wall Street Journal reported. Yet Equifax said that less than 300,000 customers had their credit scores change by 25 points or more in either direction. Waters, a California Democrat who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, wrote to the Consumer Financial Reporting Bureau on Wednesday, asking the CFPB to bar Equifax from distributing consumer credit scores until it can show those scores are accurate. Potential harms Equifax is one of the three credit reporting agencies that collect financial and other data on most of America’s adult population. Credit reports, and credit scores, are major tools that lenders rely on when approving customers. Most credit scores range from 300 to 850, with a higher score resulting in more favorable loan terms. Although Equifax said the underlying information was not changed as part of the error, a credit score shift of 25 points can make the difference between being approved or denied financial products as well as affect how much interest you pay. A Florida woman who was forced into a pricey car loan as a result of an incorrect Equifax score is now suing the company. The lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status, notes that over the three-week period Equifax sent out erroneous scores, 25 million credit reports were pulled from the three credit bureaus. Given those figures, millions of Americans could have been affected by the error, the suit claims. Read on to learn whether the errors affect you, and what you can do if your credit score was affected. Did you apply for a loan or credit this spring? Unless you applied for a loan, credit card or other financial products between March 17 and April 6, it’s hard to know if you were affected by Equifax’s scoring errors. “If you haven’t been monitoring your credit score and your credit report regularly, how would you know?” said Bruce McClary, senior vice president of membership and communications at the National Foundation for Credit Counseling However, “If you went to a lender and were rejected … that might be a clue that you were possibly a victim,” he said. What did the lender say? If you were turned down for a loan, or if you received worse financial terms because you were considered a credit risk, the lender is required to send you a notice explaining the decision. McClary advises going back to the rejection notice to see what factors were involved. If you can’t find it, call up the lender and ask if they can pull it from their record. “You want to be very sure what caused the lender to decline your application,” he said. “It’s not right to assume it’s always going to be the credit score,” McClary added. “Maybe your debt-to-income ratio wasn’t what they wanted. Maybe your employment history didn’t reflect the kind of stability they were looking for.” There are two types of notices lenders send when they deny credit, according to the Federal Trade Commission. If you were denied based on information in a consumer report, the lender is required to send an “adverse action notice.” If you received less generous terms, the lender must send a “risk-based pricing” notice. If you applied for a credit card or loan and haven’t received either notice, you were not adversely affected by the Equifax error, according to Nerdwallet. Check your credit report The next step is to request your credit report. Consumers are entitled to a free credit report periodically, which they can request from annualcreditreport.com. If anything in the report is wrong, dispute it. You can also try calling Equifax’s support line at 1-888-378-4329. Once any issues on your credit report have been corrected, “It’s worth going back and asking for a reconsideration. That means applying for the loan again,” McClary said. McClary noted that the current case is unusual. Unlike financial institutions that have been hit by data breaches, Equifax has not reached out to customers to alert them about the issue. You can also check your reports from all three bureaus for free weekly at annualcreditreport.com The credit bureau did not answer questions from CBS MoneyWatch on whether it plans to contact customers. Waters and other lawmakers are now pushing Equifax to explain the error and compensate any customers who were affected.