1) AG Cooper: Don’t Miss Deadline for Sirius XM Refunds
The deadline for consumers to file a complaint to be considered for a refund from Sirius XM Radio is May 4, Attorney General Roy Cooper reminded consumers Thursday.
In December, Cooper announced that Sirius XM Radio customers in North Carolina who had problems cancelling their contracts, were charged unauthorized fees or saw their rates jump unexpectedly would be eligible for refunds.
“If you experienced problems canceling or got stuck with extra fees, don’t miss this opportunity to get your money back,” Cooper said.
The consumer refunds are part of a multistate settlement in which Sirius XM paid a combined $3.8 million to North Carolina and 43 other states and the District of Columbia to resolve allegations that the satellite radio company’s advertising and billing practices misled consumers.
The $3.8 million recovered through the settlement, including $101,429.41 for North Carolina, is separate from the funds that will be used to repay consumers.
The states’ investigation focused on complaints from consumers that Sirius XM made it difficult for them to cancel contracts, misrepresented that contracts would be canceled and not renewed, renewed contracts automatically without consumers’ notice or consent, charged unauthorized fees, raised rates unexpectedly after a low introductory rate and failed to provide timely refunds.
Consumers in North Carolina who experienced one or more of these problems with Sirius XM at any time since July 28, 2008 are encouraged to file a complaint. Consumers have until May 4 to file a complaint to be considered for a refund. Anyone who complained about Sirius XM to either the Attorney General’s Office or Sirius XM prior to the settlement should file a new complaint by the deadline in order to be eligible for a refund. North Carolina consumers can file complaints with Cooper’s Consumer Protection Division online at www.ncdoj.gov or call 1-877-5-NO-SCAM toll-free within the state.
Consumers can file a complaint directly with Sirius XM at awww.siriusxm.com/settlementprogram or by mail at P.O. Box 33059, Detroit, Michigan 48232-5059. The settlement will also protect consumers going forward because it requires Sirius XM to make significant changes to its business practices.
2) May Programs at Elk Knob State Park
Trail Work Days: Every Saturday beginning April 4 and running through the middle of November (except June 27 and September 12), staff and volunteers will meet at the Summit Trailhead at 9 a.m. and work until approximately 3:00 p.m., weather permitting.
Tools are provided, but volunteers should wear close-toed shoes and bring work gloves, lunch and water.
Most of the time will be spent on repair work on the Summit Trail or completing the Maple Run Trail. If you would like to be involved in a fulfilling project that will fill you with a well-deserved sense of pride, then join us on Saturdays at Elk Knob State Park. For more information, call 828-297-7261.
Animals of Elk Knob: On Sunday, May 3 and Saturday, May 16 at 2 p.m., a Park Ranger will be at the start of the Summit Trail sharing information about animals that live at Elk Knob. There will be skins to touch and taxidermied animals to view. This is an informal program that will be canceled in the event of rain.
Wildflower Walk: The weather is finally warming up so let’s get outside and explore as plants spring to life after a long winter. Please dress appropriately for the weather and note that it may be several degrees cooler at Elk Knob than in surrounding areas. Meet at the trailhead parking lot on Saturday, May 9 at 2 p.m.
Nature Hike: The weather is finally warming up, so let’s get outside and explore as plants spring to life after a long winter. Please dress appropriately for the weather and note that it may be several degrees cooler at Elk Knob than in surrounding areas. Meet at the trailhead parking lot at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 17.
3) NASW Boone LPU to host Joanna Osmond at Watauga County Library on Monday
Joanna Osmond MSW, a licensed clinical social worker, was also a mind body therapist at Duke and is currently an energy healer/clairvoyant healer. The title of her Monday, April 27 presentation at the Watauga County Library is “Rooted, Open and Guided by Grace: A Path Through Fear.”
She will talk about the chakras and how adding the use of the chakras to her work with clients gives them the time to connect with their physical bodies. She finds this opens them up to peaceful, joyful living.
Please join us at noon for light refreshments and networking. The presentation will be from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Free to NASW members or people not seeking CEUs or 15$ for non-members seeking CEUs.
4) Cuba Answers Conference Comes to Boone on April 30
A Cuba Answers conference will be hosted on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Price Lake Room 201 A of the Plemmons Student Union on the campus of Appalachian State University.
$45 for community members, includes provided lunch.
The purpose of the Cuba Answers conference is to connect you with expert insight on the changes and opportunities created by the evolving relationship between the U.S. and Cuba.
Speakers and panelists for the event include:
- Humberto Blanco, director of the Center for Research of the Cuban Economy in Havana
- Saul Berenthal, chief operating officer of Cuban Heritage Experiences based in Durham
- Ángel Ayala, a business and financial consultant from Havana
- Peter Thornton, assistant director for International Marketing for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- John Kavulich, president, US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, Inc.
For more information about John Kavulich, check USA TODAY coverage at http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/01/12/cuba-embargo-congress/21463593/
For more information and registration, visit: http://international.business.appstate.edu/cuba.
5) Town of Boone Community Appearance Commission to meet Tuesday
A meeting of the Town of Boone Community Appearance Commission will be held on Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m. in the Planning and Inspections Upstairs Conference Room at 680 W. King Street. The following items will be on the agenda: approval of minutes from March 31, discussion of color requirements, downtown design guidelines discussion, other matters by board members or staff.
6) Pianist Bair Shagdaron to perform Sunday at ASU
Major works for piano by Bach, Beethoven and Chopin will be performed by pianist Bair Shagdron on Sunday, April 26 at Appalachian State University.
Shagdaron’s recital begins at 8 p.m. in Broyhill Music Center’s Rosen Concert Hall.
His program opens with Bach’s “French Suite No.5 in G Major, BWV 816.” Bach wrote six French suites in his mid-30s, and they are among his most popular works written for piano. The composition’s seven movements are each based on a style of dance – allemande, courante, sarabande, gavotte, bourrée, loure and gigue.
Next on the program is Beethoven’s “Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op.2 No. 1.” Written in 1795, the composition was dedicated to Joseph Haydn.
Shagdaron’s recital showcases another composition by Beethoven, “Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op.109.” The composition is introspective compared to his earlier compositions with passages marked by intimacy and warmth.
The program concludes with Frédéric Chopin’s “Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op.22.”
Shagdaron has been a member of the Hayes School of Music faculty at Appalachian since 2000.
He has been guest artist for An Appalachian Summer Festival and other concerts and has performed with the Hamburger Symphoniker (Hamburg, Germany) and the Western Piedmont Symphony Orchestra.