As the song goes, Christmas time can be the most wonderful time of the year, but according to health reports, when it comes to holiday stress, it can be the deadliest. As YNN’s Sheba Clarke explains, for some people, this type of stress can really take the joy out of the season.

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UNITED STATES — Every year the holidays come and go, but what about the toll it can leave behind?

“It is very stressful, the economy makes it stressful for everyone,” said Eve Moses.

Eve Moses said this year she was laid off, which made her holiday season more complicated.

“I too was laid off earlier this year and started a new job this year. Here I am in my 50′s first time in my life laid off,” said Moses.

From layoffs to the pressure to buy, some say the holidays aren’t always a cheerful time.

Deja Hannah of Rochester said, “People expect gifts from certain people then you have got to get somebody else something.”

“It can be stressful,” said Dwight Wallace.

Dwight Wallace is store manager at this shoe store and Marketplace mall.

“I have a regional that picks on me because I work too many hours,” said Wallace.

Wallace said the time between Christmas and New Years is the busiest time for retail, which creates extended hours and longer days.

“I am going to be happy once the holiday hours are over with so that it can get back to normal life,” said Wallace.

According to Cardiologist Chad Teeters, it is proven that stress and depression can be at its highest around the holidays.

Teeters said, “Obviously with the stress of getting gifts and family members coming into town and so on and so forth, or even loss family members at this time of year, that increased stress can also be a trigger.”

According to some reports, heart attack deaths peak three times out of the year. One of those days being Christmas, the other two being the day after Christmas and New Year’s day.

“It’s about this time of year where we start to see a lot of people come in to the emergency room with heart failures or heart attacks,” said Teeters.

Teeters said other leading causes can be snow shoveling and excessive holiday eating. He says one way to avoid the dangers stress can cause is to take some time to relax and listen to your body.

“If you’re getting chest discomfort, if you’re getting short of breath, if you’re fatigue more easily, those are the warning signs your body is giving you that something is not right,” said Teeters.

If you’ve been involved in a motor vehicle accident, it is important for you to utilize a collision shop that meets proper quality standards. Lauren Fix, the Car Coach, has some tips.

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Although no one plans to be involved in an automotive collision, it is important for you to utilize a collision shop that meets proper quality standards. Your vehicle is one of your biggest investments and the safety of your family is priceless. I’ll show you how to identify a quality collision repair shop to protect yourself and others.

Vehicles on the roads today are sophisticated, hi-tech pieces of machinery. When a driver has an accident, it’s second nature for him or her to contact an insurance agent right away. What you may not know, however, is that you have the right to choose which collision shop performs your car’s repairs.

Here are some tips on how to find a quality collision repair business near you.

Some shops and technicians are ASE-Certified, which means that they have passed a voluntary competency test or tests offered by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). When the technicians are I-CAR trained, it means they have attended a course or a series of courses offered by the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) to upgrade their repair skills and obtain the knowledge and skills required to repair modern vehicles.

While identifying a certified repair shop is important, a VeriFacts VQ repair shop employs technicians that have been exposed to the best repair practices available in the collision repair industry. Technicians at these shops undergo rigorous reviews and assessments to ensure their excellence in collision repair.

When you’re choosing a collision repair center, look for legitimate training certificates including, but not limited to, I-CAR or I-CAR Gold Class certification, Auto Motive Service Excellence (ASE), and VeriFacts VQ program certification.

It’s your vehicle and it’s your right to choose a certified collision repair business. With a little time and effort, you can find a technician with the proper training to bring your damaged vehicle back to its pre-accidental condition.

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TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y. — His records said he was working as a social worker, but in reality a Tompkins County man was just working out at a local fitness club. Jeffrey Bieder pleaded guilty to falsifying business records in the first degree.

The 58-year-old worked with the State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. Bieder was assigned to oversee developmentally disabled people while they were residing in private homes and nursing homes. But he admitted to spending parts of the day at a fitness center and falsifying reports he would have made if he had made those visits.

In one report, he listed a woman as being in quote “good spirits” when in fact he never went to her home. That woman died that same day.

Investigators say Bieder was at the gym nearly 300 times when he was supposed to be working in 2008 and 2009. As part of the plea agreement, Bieder has already paid nearly $9,000 in restitution and could spend 30 days in jail.

Investigators take six cats, a rabbit, and a pet rat after a home in Cortland had been deemed unsafe by code enforcement officers. Photo courtesy of Cortland County SPCA

CORTLAND, N.Y. –The Cortland County SPCA is investigating a case of animal cruelty.

Officials say they found six cats, a rabbit, and a pet rat at a home in the city.

They were alerted by police and the property owner after the owner hadn’t heard from the tenant in some time and the electricity had been shut off for weeks.

The pet rat was treated at Cornell for extreme dehydration and malnourishment, and one of the cats had an injury from a severe infestation of ear mites.

The residence has been deemed unsafe by code enforcement officers.

Investigators say misdemeanor animal cruelty charges could be filed.

In the meantime, the SPCA is accepting donations to help care for the animals and support the shelter.

For more information you can visit their website at www.cortlandspca.org.

If you’ve been involved in a motor vehicle accident, it is important for you to utilize a collision shop that meets proper quality standards. Lauren Fix, the Car Coach, has some tips.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

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Although no one plans to be involved in an automotive collision, it is important for you to utilize a collision shop that meets proper quality standards. Your vehicle is one of your biggest investments and the safety of your family is priceless. I’ll show you how to identify a quality collision repair shop to protect yourself and others.

Vehicles on the roads today are sophisticated, hi-tech pieces of machinery. When a driver has an accident, it’s second nature for him or her to contact an insurance agent right away. What you may not know, however, is that you have the right to choose which collision shop performs your car’s repairs.

Here are some tips on how to find a quality collision repair business near you.

Some shops and technicians are ASE-Certified, which means that they have passed a voluntary competency test or tests offered by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). When the technicians are I-CAR trained, it means they have attended a course or a series of courses offered by the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) to upgrade their repair skills and obtain the knowledge and skills required to repair modern vehicles.

While identifying a certified repair shop is important, a VeriFacts VQ repair shop employs technicians that have been exposed to the best repair practices available in the collision repair industry. Technicians at these shops undergo rigorous reviews and assessments to ensure their excellence in collision repair.

When you’re choosing a collision repair center, look for legitimate training certificates including, but not limited to, I-CAR or I-CAR Gold Class certification, Auto Motive Service Excellence (ASE), and VeriFacts VQ program certification.

It’s your vehicle and it’s your right to choose a certified collision repair business. With a little time and effort, you can find a technician with the proper training to bring your damaged vehicle back to its pre-accidental condition.

Christmas is over, but Monday saw a second flood of customers rushing to stores. Tamara Lindstrom tells us what brought people in and the surprise many shoppers found.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The U.S. may not have an official Boxing Day, but that doesn’t mean a post-holiday lull as shoppers flocked right back to the mall.

“I just got a few sweaters that were a little bit big, so I’m bringing them back and getting smaller sizes,” said Laura Wynkoop, a Syracuse resident shopping at Carousel Center.

The National Retail Federation predicts a record-breaking $46 billion in returns this year, but exchanging holiday gifts wasn’t the only task luring customers in.

“Post-holiday shopping with gift cards and getting the after-holiday sales,” said David Gravante of Syracuse. “Fifty percent off, forty percent off. We got coats, shirts, lots of stuff.”

“A lot of things are almost half off. Everything is on sale. Buy one, get one, a lot of forty percent offs,” said Emily Wynkoop, an Albany resident.

But whether they came to take advantage of those post-holiday sales or just take back that not-so-perfect gift, shoppers said they all noticed one thing.

“I thought it would be a lot busier, but it’s really not bad,” said Emily Wynkoop.

“It’s been good. They actually, surprisingly, have the sizes I need,” said Laura Wynkoop. “They’re not really running out of stuff. I thought maybe things would be picked over already.”

For retailers, even holiday returns can help boost sales.

“I’ve definitely been seeing things I’d like to buy for myself with my Christmas money, but I’m trying to hold off a little bit,” Emily Wynkoop said.

Working off that holiday dinner with a brisk walk through the mall has become an annual tradition for some.

“Personally, I can only spend so much time in the mall myself,” Gravante said. “But it’s fun. We all get together.”

A family outing that leaves bargain hunters and store owners smiling.

A standoff in Washington that threatened to raise taxes on 160 million Americans and end unemployment insurance for 2.3 million people has ended. Our Erin Billups has the details.

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UNITED STATES — After three days of a stalemate, House Republicans agreed to pass the Senate bill to extend the payroll tax holiday and unemployment insurance with a couple amendments.

“It may not have been politically the smartest thing in the world. But let me tell you what. I think our members waged a good fight, we were able to come to an agreement. We were able to fix what came out of the Senatem” House Speaker John Boehner said.

For starters, Senate Democrats agreed to immediately appoint members to a committee to resolve the differences that are standing in the way of a year-long extension. Republicans also pushed for language that would ease the processing burden for small businesses.

“It’s very difficult to try and implement two month tax exemptions so they’re going to try and fix that the best they can,” Representative Michael Grimm said.

The tide turned earlier Thursday when Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s released a statement urging his House colleagues to pass the two month extension. Shortly after, the President, flanked by everyday Americans, joined McConnell in his call.

“Most importantly it’s the right thing to do for American families all across the country. This is not just my view. The republican leader of the Senate said we should do it,” Obama said.

A compromise may have been reached and crisis averted, but democrats say this latest partisan stalemate shines a light on the effect Tea Party republicans are having in Washington.

“It led to the kind of paralysis, the kind of gridlock and deadlock that we saw this past year. But this was the first time they sort of had to wave the white flag,” said Senator Charles Schumer.

Still, members of the House GOP argue they were simply trying to deliver what the President asked for: A one year extension, giving more stability to job creators and the economy.

“This had nothing to do with the Tea Party. We went in in good faith. We believed we had the President on our side he saw a political opportunity and he took it. Shame on him,” Grimm said.

Both houses plan to pass the agreement by unanimous consent so lawmakers, who’ve already gone home to their districts, do not have to return.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse having the fourth-strongest strength of schedule according to Sporting News might be a surprise to some as the Orange has won its 13 games by a comfortable average of nearly 22 points, but Matt Tomaszewski’s three-point shooting should be no suprise at this point.

While Syracuse remained perfect with its win over Tulane on Thursday, Tomaszewski, a redshirt-senior walk-on, also remained perfect from behind the arc, improving to 7-for-7 despite making only 15 garbage-time appearances over his two seasons with SU. His teammates marvel at his consistency despite inconsistent playing time, though Kris Joseph claims he’s beaten Tomaszewski in three-point contests during practice.

Syracuse next plays its Big East opener against Seton Hall Wednesday at the Carrier Dome.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — One man was able to safely escape an early morning house fire in Syracuse. Crews were called to a home at 103 Cossitt Street around 4:20 a.m. Tuesday.

Fire officials say a 37-year-old man woke up to the smell of smoke coming from the kitchen. The man tried to put out the fire himself, but called 911 when the flames became uncontrollable.

Fire officials say that getting out of the house safely should always be number one priority.

“We always want them to get out, call us from the outside, and we’ll get here sooner and we’ll put it out, it’s our job,” said Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Daly.

Daly says damage was contained to the kitchen and living room. The resident was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. No one else was injured.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – With one game left to tune up for Big East play, the Syracuse men’s basketball team hopes Tuesday’s reemergence of freshman center Rakeem Christmas will extend past the holiday week.

Christmas scored SU’s first seven points against Bucknell and finished with 10 after scoring just eight points combined in the Orange’s previous four games.

Syracuse wraps up pre-conference play Thursday night at the Carrier Dome against Tulane, which comes in with an 11-1 record. Time Warner Cable Sports will have the telecast starting at 7 p.m.