Iowa egg farm pays salmonella victims
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Dozens of people sickened after eating salmonella-tainted eggs will receive compensation in the first wave of legal settlements with the Iowa egg producer blamed for last year’s outbreak.
Wright County Egg reached financial settlements with roughly 40 salmonella victims represented by Seattle attorney Bill Marler during a September mediation conference in Minneapolis. While the settlements are confidential, details of three became public when a federal judge in Iowa approved deals totaling $366,000 for children from Texas, California and Iowa who were hospitalized after becoming sick.
Federal officials say at least 1,900 people were sickened during the outbreak that started in July 2010.
Ohio agriculture head moves to Natural Resources COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gov. John Kasich said the head of the state’s agriculture department took over at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Jim Zehringer became director of the agency last week. He replaces David Mustine, who left the department in September to oversee energy matters at the state’s semi-private economic development agency JobsOhio.
Zehringer is a former member of the Ohio House and the former owner of a poultry and fish farm in Fort Recovery. Dr. Tony Forshey, who has served as the state veterinarian for six years, was named interim director of the Department of Agriculture.
Amish teen killed when SUV strikes buggy CUB RUN, Ky. (AP) — An Amish teenager was killed when the horse-drawn buggy he was driving was struck from behind by a sport-utility vehicle in south-central Kentucky. State police said the buggy did not display a slow-moving sign or reflectors.
Aaron Byler, 18, of Cub Run was thrown from the buggy late Thursday afternoon and died while being airlifted to a hospital. Dozens of Amish were at the Byler family’s farm Friday in Hart County to pay their respects. There were about 16 buggies parked at the farm, and all had reflective orange safety triangles. Byler was not driving a traditional buggy, but a two-wheeled cart low to the ground, said a neighbor who was visiting the family Friday afternoon and wished to only be identified with his last name “Mr. Miller.”
Miller said Byler had stopped on the road less than a mile from his farm to give his younger brother a ride when the SUV struck Byler from behind. He said the Amish in the area commonly display the reflective slow-moving vehicle signs on their buggies.
Florida Craigslist jobseeker found dead in Ohio grave CALDWELL, Ohio (AP) — A sheriff said a man from Florida has been killed and another from South Carolina has been shot after they responded to a Craigslist ad for a job on an Ohio cattle farm. Noble County Sheriff Stephen Hannum indicated in an email Friday that he wasn’t ready to identify the pair of suspects. The Akron Beacon Journal reported the suspects were an Akron man and an area high school boy. In a follow-up, Hannum said a judge had issued a gag order, so no further information would be released. The sheriff said robbery seemed to be the motive. The Florida man’s body was found last week in a remote area about 80 miles east of Columbus.
Relative: 12-year-old driver was helping on farm ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) — A relative of a 12-year-old boy driving a pickup truck that crashed and injured another motorist said the youngster was driving the truck to help the family with the fall harvest.
Brian Conrad of Anderson said he was driving a grain truck with the son of one of his cousin’s following in a pickup truck as they headed to a field where the boy’s father was harvesting corn. Conrad told The Associated Press the youngster was upset by the Nov. 13 crash, which happened when the boy turned into the path of a car on a county road, injuring 65-year-old Tonya Lucas. Madison County Sheriff Ron Richardson told The Herald Bulletin Lucas was hospitalized with leg, shoulder and head injuries. He said criminal charges are expected. |
