Utah
Why a Utah woman has to pay the price of gift card fraud committed hundreds of miles away
CEDAR HILLS, Utah — Some folks purchase present playing cards as a result of they imagine it’s safer than giving money, however a Cedar Hills lady says she’s going to by no means purchase a present card once more after a criminal made off with lots of of {dollars} she thought have been safe.
Final Christmas, Jana Gunderson purchased eight $100 Visa present playing cards for her household. However instantly, her children seen an issue.
“On Christmas Day, my son referred to as me and he says, ‘Did you overlook to place cash on these present playing cards?’”
No, she didn’t.
Whereas the playing cards have been bodily wrapped beneath Gunderson’s Christmas tree and ready to be opened, somebody stole the cash she loaded on these playing cards. And so they did it at shops lots of of miles away in California and Miami.
“This card was really drained on the twenty fourth of December,” she stated about one of many eight compromised playing cards.
Now, if this had been bank card fraud, getting her a refund can be so simple as disputing the fees as fraudulent. However regardless of being branded with the identify of a bank card firm that everyone knows, attempting to get a refund has been an outright combat.
“It makes me indignant that somebody stole from me, however I don’t need him doing it to my neighbor,” stated Gunderson, who’s mad and whose mother advised she name Get Gephardt.
“She stated, ‘It’s worthwhile to name Gephardt as a result of he’ll let folks know.’”
We took Gunderson’s story to Ted Rossman of CreditCards.com, who says not solely is drained present playing cards a fairly frequent fraud, however the legal guidelines that defend you from bank card fraud don’t apply to present playing cards — even when they bear the brand of a significant bank card firm.
“Sadly, there’s not nice purchaser protections on present playing cards,” Rossman stated.
Certain sufficient, regardless of having the Visa brand proper on the entrance, once we reached out to Visa to ask about Gunderson’s Visa-branded present playing cards getting drained, they denied any accountability.
“Visa is a fee community and doesn’t subject or maintain the funds deposited into pay as you go fee playing cards,” it advised us.
They went on to say Gunderson ought to name the shop she purchased the playing cards from, or the variety of the monetary establishment that issued the cardboard — data that’s discovered on the again.
Rossman’s recommendation: “Use them as quickly as potential,” he stated. “As a result of the extra you wait, the extra likelihood there may be for one thing to go fallacious.”
“I believed giving a present card was safer than giving money and it’s not,” Gunderson stated of her expertise.
After months of combating, she stated she bought a number of the cash drained from her present playing cards refunding. As for this yr, the children are getting money. No plastic.
“It’s not truthful. Folks don’t know to not purchase present playing cards,” she stated in regards to the lack of safety.
Utah
Utah Jazz News: Is it time to panic about Cody Williams?
Cody Williams hasn’t quite taken off as we may have hoped. To authenticate this feeling, the Utah Jazz made the organizational decision to take Williams from Will Hardy’s active roster and drop him down for an assignment with the G-League affiliate Salt Lake Stars.
Quite an inauspicious beginning for a player that the Jazz were very high on as early as before the ping pong balls of the NBA draft lottery determined the draft order.
“If the Jazz had somehow gotten lucky and won the lottery, Williams would have been firmly in the mix to be the No. 1 pick,” shared insider Tony Jones, “The fact that he would have been in consideration should tell you how interested the Jazz were in the small forward.”
Attempting to hit on the right draft pick can often feel like playing the crane game in the entryway of a Walmart. Even though you’ve made every calculation and believe beyond all doubt that when you drop the claw, that Pompompurin plushie could slip through your delicate grasp, catch the nudge of an unsuspecting iPod Touch, or fall short in a million other ways before reaching the promised land.
Williams has an arduous journey ahead of him, and his next stop will be with the Jazz’s G-League squad. Too timid, too inconsistent, and too horrific as a shooter, Cody’s pro introduction hasn’t been comparable to his brother Jalen—who’s been tearing it up in OKC.
But Cody’s NBA exposure hasn’t been faith-promoting since the Las Vegas Summer League. In real NBA floor time, he’s been so invisible that Google isn’t even sure what he looks like.
It isn’t fair to measure his trajectory with that of his older brother, but their shared blood will boil the waters of comparison for the rest of his career. The Jazz understand that to unlock their rookie’s ultimate potential, he’ll need to be brought along slowly.
I’m sure the question at the head of this article has been burning a hole in your mind. Should we hit the panic button on Utah’s rookie out of Colorado?
The short answer is no—the longer answer is no way, Co-day (too much?). Keep in mind this is a player who turned 20 years old only 6 days ago (happy belated birthday, sorry your present kind of sucks), and it’s far from uncommon to see a rookie spend time in the G League to get more reps, build some confidence, and develop their game while distanced from their team.
Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh both spent time with the Stars for much of their rookie campaigns before contributing to Utah’s rotation. Cody has plenty to gain from a brief developmental sabbatical.
In the 2024-25 season, Cody is averaging 3.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per night on nightmare-like shooting splits of 27/19/60—a far cry from his collegiate output of 55/41/71.
Be patient with Williams, because we’re only in the first chapter of his NBA novel.
Utah
Utah family creates 'Giving Gallery' to spread joy of art
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — You might have heard of little libraries in neighborhoods, but have you heard of Giving Galleries?
A family in Cottonwood Heights is using their love for art to bring joy to those around them.
On the corner of Promenade and Camino is Abigail Bradshaw.
“I’m standing next to an art gallery, my art gallery. That’s my house,” she proudly said.
Abigail is showing her tiny art gallery filled with pieces made by her family and others who want to contribute. This home used to be her great-grandmother’s.
“She was an artist, and so, I wanted to continue that legacy,” said Katie Bradshaw, Abigail’s mom. They found a box, painted it, propped it up, and filled it with tiny art. Anyone can just look at the art, pick up something they like, or put their own piece inside.
Miles Jacobsen is a friend who saw what the Bradshaws were doing and added his artwork to the box.
For people who want to make their own masterpieces, there is also a box of free art supplies in the gallery box. You can come by to pick up paint, paintbrushes, and tiny canvasses to create your own art, which you can drop off at the “giving gallery” to bring joy to someone else.
“I feel really glad that people come and get some art and put it in there,” said Abigail.
Filling the box is something Katie does with her kids.
“I hope that they can carry this with them, that they continue sharing art, no matter where they are,” she said.
Spreading joy to everyone who walks by, and letting the cycle continue.
“I want them to feel happy and glad that they got some, so they could return some back here,” added Abigail.
Utah
Amid traffic, Utah walked to Leafs’ arena pregame
TORONTO — The Utah Hockey Club said players were forced to walk to their game against the Maple Leafs after their bus got stuck in Toronto traffic Sunday night.
The team posted a video on social media of team members walking to Scotiabank Arena, with player Maveric Lamoureux saying the bus was “not moving at all.”
Several city streets had been closed during the day for an annual Santa Claus parade.
The Maple Leafs earned their fourth consecutive win by defeating Utah 3-2.
The viral incident prompted Ontario Premier Doug Ford to call the congestion “embarrassing” and “unacceptable,” highlighting his government’s plan to address the city’s gridlock through bike lane legislation.
It wasn’t the first time a Toronto visitor had to ditch their vehicle to make it to an event on time.
In June, former One Direction band member Niall Horan had to walk through traffic to get to his concert at Scotiabank Arena.
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