Students To Pay For School Bus Rides, Lubbock Group Stopped From Serving The Homeless, and More In Chad’s Steaming Pile

Here are just a few things in Chad’s Pile that you will hear on Lubbock’s First News this morning. Give Chad your feedback on the steaming topics.

1. Permit to feed the homeless?

Is it necessary to get a permit before serving food to the homeless in Lubbock? Apparently it is. A local group that prepares and serves homemade meals to the homeless were stopped yesterday because they lacked a permit. City officials say that food ordinances require a permit to serve food and that the food must be prepared in a kitchen that was inspected by the city.

What do you think about this? Government overreach?

2. Keller ISD might charge kids for the bus! (link)

How about this from Keller, TX. Keller ISD is strapped for cash so they are looking for anyway to make some money in order to keep services going. One idea is to start charging students to ride the bus. According to CBS DFW:

Officials say state budget cuts have been so drastic that the school district simply cannot afford to give students free rides anymore.

If the pay-to-ride plan goes forward the district said it would help low-income families find ways to pay for the service, through non-profits like the Keller ISD Education Foundation.

Thoughts?

3. Extreme Couponers under fire (link)

Have you seen the show Extreme Couponing? If you haven't, it's amazing. People walk out of the store with $400 bucks worth of groceries and only end up paying $10 bucks. Sure, it's a hassle to collect all the coupons, but the savings are amazing. Well, it seems as though the stores have caught on:

In the U.S., retail giants such as Target, Walgreens and Rite Aid have taken a hard look at couponing in recent months and opted to restrict, clarify or create rules to guard against potential abuse of the system.

Research firm Nielsen reports that although couponing has flattened, with 3.3 billion redemptions in 2010, heavy users have actually grown from representing 11 per cent of all American households in 2009 to 13 per cent in 2010. Fully 70 per cent of all couponing last year is attributed to these "enthusiasts."

The days of extreme coupons might be coming to an end.