Fewer credit card rate hikes after regulations

Credit card holders are facing fewer interest rate hikes and forking over sharply less in late fees. A year after new regulations curbed a spate of questionable billing practices, federal officials say over-the-limit penalty charges have also been dramatically curtailed. The findings come from the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which will assume responsibility for administering the regulations once it's officially up and running this summer.
The agency is set to present three sets of data at a conference it's hosting Tuesday on the one-year anniversary of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act, or the CARD Act. Here are the highlights:

Flu can still get you

Influenza is widespread across the Carolinas, and there's no way to predict whether we've seen the worst. "We would like to think we're going to have our peak soon, but you never know," said Dr. Zack Moore, an epidemiologist with the N.C. Division of Public Health. "It ain't over till it's over." While we're in the thick of it, some things to remember: It's not too late to get a flu shot.  Most people who get the flu just need to stay home and rest.But flu can be deadly, especially for those at high risk for complications.
N.C. health officials have recorded 14 deaths this season, including of a previously healthy 16-year-old girl from Cary who died early this month. Flu cases are not counted. North Carolina keeps track of a broad category of "influenza-like illness" by getting reports from hospital emergency departments and about 100 other "sentinel" sites, such as county health departments, college health centers and doctors' offices.