FDA inaction cited in contamination

April 23, 2007

The Food and Drug Administration knew for years about contamination at a Georgia peanut butter plant and on California spinach farms that led to disease that killed three people, federal records show. But the agency took only limited steps and relied on producers to police themselves. FDA officials concede that the system must be overhauled. (Washington Post)

FLORIDA

FORT LAUDERDALE -- Five Florida residents were killed in the crash of a small plane off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. The Piper Aztec disappeared from radar Saturday morning during a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Andros Island in the Bahamas. Search crews spotted debris but found no survivors. (AP)

TEXAS

CACTUS -- Downed power lines, flattened houses, and roads littered with debris kept many residents from returning yesterday to this rural Panhandle town hit hard by a group of tornadoes. At least 14 people were injured, two of them critically, during the storms late Saturday. (AP)

LINDEN -- A jury awarded a $9 million judgment to a black man who suffered permanent brain damage after being beaten by four white men in 2003. In a civil trial in District Court, jurors found James Cory Hicks and Christopher Colt Amox responsible for injuring Billy Ray Johnson, 46, who now lives in a nursing home. Two other defendants reached out-of-court settlements. None served more than 60 days in prison after their criminal trial. (AP)

IOWA

IOWA CITY -- Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigned separately in Iowa yesterday. The two senators, marking Earth Day, both touted proposals to promote conservation and cut down on pollution. Clinton spoke to about 1,000 people in Decorah, and Obama to 5,000 in Iowa City. (AP)

NEW YORK

NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg outlined proposals yesterday to deal with a population boom that will strain transportation, energy, water, and housing networks in the coming years, including a plan to charge motorists $8 to enter parts of Manhattan. Officials said that three-year pilot program would reduce traffic and generate millions for public transit. (AP)