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Recalls this week: children’s sunglasses, bikes

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

More than 200,000 children’s sunglasses are being recalled because they contain excessive levels of lead paint. Other consumer products being recalled this week include children’s shoes with a metal thread in the liner and bicycles with potentially defective forks.

Here’s a more detailed look:

CHILDREN’S SUNGLASSES

DETAILS: 20 styles of Disney, Marvel and Sears/Kmart brand children’s sunglasses. They come in a variety of colors and with printed images of characters on the frames. They were sold from December 2013 to March 2014. Style numbers include: S00014SVS999, S00014SVSBLU, S00014SVSRED, S00021LKC999, S00021SVS999, S01551SDB999, S02964SJN440, S02964SJN999, S03683SDC999, S04611SDC001, S04611SDC080, S04611SDC400, S04611SDC999, S07786SMS500, S07786SMS650, S07786SMS999, S07840SDC999, S07841SDC001, S07841SDC440, and S07841SDC999.

WHY: Surface paint on the sunglasses contains excessive levels of lead, which is prohibited under federal law.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

HOW MANY: About 215,000.

FOR MORE: Call FGX International at 877-277-0104 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit www.fgxi.com and click on “Recall” for more information.

STROLLER TRAYS

DETAILS: Tray Vous snack and activity trays with connectors that fit into strollers. The three-piece units include a black plastic tray with a cup holder, a left connector and a right connector. “Tray Vous” and “Patent Approved US7942437B2” are printed on a sticker underneath the tray. They were sold from May 2011 through June 2012.

WHY: The opening between the recalled tray and stroller seat bottom allows an unharnessed child’s body to pass through but could trap a child’s head, posing a strangulation hazard.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

HOW MANY: About 770 in the U.S and 90 in Canada.

FOR MORE: Call Tray Vous at 800-281-6483 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT or visit at www.trayvous.com/recall for more information.

BICYCLES

DETAILS: All Avant bicycles and carbon framesets sold with hydraulic disk brakes and all Avant bicycles and carbon framesets that are capable of being configured with hydraulic disc brakes. The model numbers are not marked on the bicycles and there is also no color or gender designation. The word Avant is in black or white on the top and head tube of the frameset and the word “Orbea” is in white on the top and down tube of the frameset. They were sold at authorized Orbea bicycle retailers nationwide from August 2013 to June 2014.

WHY: The bicycle front fork can crack, posing a fall hazard.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

HOW MANY: About 715.

FOR MORE: Call Orbea at 888-466-7232 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, visit www.avantsupport.com and click on the “Support” tab located on the upper right section of the home page, or send email to avantsupport.us@orbea.com for more information.

COOKING THERMOMETER PROBES

DETAILS: All Pro Ambient Temperature Probes and Pro Meat Probes made from May 2014 through June 2014. The probes were sold separately as an accessory for the iGrill, iGrill2, iGrillmini grilling thermometers and the Kitchen Thermometer and Kitchen Thermometer mini cooking thermometers. The meat probe was also sold as a component of the iGrill2 set. The iDevices name and logo and either “iGrill Pro Meat Probe,” ”iGrill Pro Ambient Temperature Probe,” ”Kitchen Thermometer Pro Meat Probe” or “Kitchen Thermometer Pro Ambient Probe” are printed on the front of the packaging. UPC number 852931005148, 852931005193, 852931005162 or 852931005216 is printed on the bottom of the packaging. They were sold from May 2014 to June 2014.

WHY: The plastic insulator located inside the stainless steel probe is not heat resistant and can melt and fall into food, posing an ingestion hazard.

INCIDENTS: 11 reports of the probe overheating and the plastic insulator melting during normal use. No injuries were reported.

HOW MANY: About 48,500 in the U.S. and 510 in Canada.

FOR MORE: Call iDevices LLC at 888-313-7019 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit www.iDevicesinc.com and click on “Pro Probe Recall” on the bottom of the page for more information.

HUMIDIFIERS

DETAILS: Air Innovations branded Ultrasonic Clean Mist humidifiers with mood lights. Model number MH-407 and date code MX1342, MX1343, MX1344, MX1344, MX1345 or MX1346 are printed on a label affixed to the underside of the humidifier. QVC item number V32459 is printed on the packing slip shipped with the humidifier. They were sold at QVC TV during January 2014 and online at QVC.com from December 2013 to February 2014.

WHY: Water can enter the base and cause the circuit board to short circuit and overheat, posing a fire hazard.

INCIDENTS: 100 reports of overheating resulting in reports of smoke and burning odors. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 70,000.

FOR MORE: Call Great Innovations at 844-600-1370 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit www.greatinnovations.tv and click on “Product Recall” for more information.

TELEVISIONS

DETAILS: JVC 42-inch, Emerald Series Full HD 1080P LED flat panel televisions, model EM42FTR and serial number beginning with “T”. Model and serial numbers are located on the bottom left on the back of the television. They were sold from February 2014 through August 2014.

WHY: The neck of the stand can crack and cause the television to tip over unexpectedly, posing a risk of impact injury to the consumer.

INCIDENTS: 16 reports of cracked television stand necks. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 27,000.

FOR MORE: Call AmTRAN Video toll-free at 855-328-6650 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit www.jvc-tv.com and click on the “Safety Notice” tab at the bottom of the page for more information.

SNOWMOBILES

DETAILS: Model year 2014 SR10R (SRViper), SR10RXS (SRViper RTX SE), SR10L (SRViper LTX), SR10LS (SRViper LTX SE) and SR10XS (SRViper XTX) snowmobiles and model year 2015 SR10LS (SRViper LTX SE) snowmobiles. The VIN number is stamped on the tunnel near the right side footrest. The letter E in the 10th position of the VIN number indicates that the unit was made in the 2014 model year, and a letter F in the 10th position indicates that the unit was made in the 2015 model year. The model number can be found on the lower left and right cowling just below the word “YAMAHA.” They were sold at Yamaha snowmobile dealers nationwide from October 2013 through August 2014.

WHY: The fuel hose joint can leak during operation, posing a fire hazard.

INCIDENTS: Four reports of fuel leakage. No injuries reported.

HOW MANY: About 2,520.

FOR MORE: Call Yamaha at 800-962-7926 or visit www.yamahamotorsports.com and under the Sports tab, subcategory Snowmobile, click on “Parts and Service,” then “Factory Modification Campaigns” for more information.

CHILDREN’S SHOES

DETAILS: Livie & Luca children’s shoes in two styles: Carta and Cotton. The Carta style Mary Jane shoes are canvas, solid color shoes stitched to a tan sole with a fabric strap and a brown wooden button. The Carta shoes are blue, fuchsia or gray. The Cotton style Mary Jane canvas shoes have a stitched tan rubber sole and a colored fabric strap with a dandelion printed on a pink square button and a gingham or polka-dot cotton interior lining. Both the Carta and the Cotton style shoes were sold in toddler sizes 4 through 13. Only shoes with date codes 06 2013 through 12 2013 (Month Year) printed on the insole of the shoe are included in the recall. The Livie & Luca logo is printed on the inside of the shoe. They were sold from January 2014 through March 2014.

WHY: A metal thread inside the interior shoe liner can loosen and poke through the shoe lining, posing a laceration hazard to the user.

INCIDENTS: Two reports of the metal thread coming through the liner of the shoe, including one report of a child’s foot that was cut by a metal thread poking through the shoe lining.

HOW MANY: About 5,600.

FOR MORE: Call Livie & Luca at 888-548-5822 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, send email to info@livieandluca.com, or visit www.livieandluca.com and click on the “Recall” tab on the top of the website for more information.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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