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Credit card delinquencies at record high By Saskia Scholtes in New York Published: February 4 2009 23:33 | Last updated: February 4 2009 23:33 US credit card delinquencies hit a record high in January, and further deterioration is likely as the economy slows down and unemployment rises, Fitch Ratings says. Payments at least 60 days late rose almost half a percentage point last month to a record 3.75 per cent, said Fitch. Credit card lenders also wrote off loans to delinquent borrowers at close to record levels, and such “charge-offs” were expected to breach records in the coming months. Michael...

CHARLESTON — A Charleston City Council member says parents who can’t properly care for their children should be sterilized. “We pick up stray animals and spay them,” Councilman Larry Shirley said. “These mothers need to be spayed if they can’t take care of theirs. Once they have a child and it’s running the street, to let them continue to have children is totally unacceptable.” Shirley’s comments come after a video store was held up by a group of children, including a 14-year-old girl who police say wielded a BB gun that looked like a pistol. The holdup happened about 9...