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USA Today
3 days ago
- General
- USA Today
Bans on this landscaping tool are spreading around the US: See where
Bans on this landscaping tool are spreading around the US: See where Show Caption Hide Caption Home maintenance: Get gutters ready for winter Maintain your gutters with these easy steps. ProblemSolved, USA TODAY Gas-powered leaf blowers have been around since the early 1970s, but over time, the lawn care device has received criticism from angry neighbors and eco-conscious lawmakers, some of whom have issued bans citing pollution, noise and health risk concerns. From the state of California to the District of Columbia, bans against the sale of gas-powered leaf blowers continue to pile up. In Washington, D.C., under the Leaf Blower Regulation Amendment Act of 2018, companies or individuals who use gasoline-powered leaf blowers are subject to fines of up to $500 for each offense. In California, lawmakers passed AB1346, which banned the sale of gas-powered leaf blowers and weed whackers by July 1, 2024. While bans on the sale and use of gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn equipment have been applauded by some, the policies also sparked backlash, with states like Texas and Florida prohibiting the outright ban on these devices to protect oil and gas industries. Where are gas-powered leaf blowers banned or restricted? According to the Public Interest Research Group, an advocacy organization, the following states or cities have either banned or restricted gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn equipment: Cities, states create incentive programs for using electric lawn equipment The desire to transition away from gas-powered lawn equipment is growing, with cities like Dallas, Austin, and Louisville, Kentucky, offering rebates for purchasing electric lawn equipment at select locations. Some states do this as well, including Indiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska and Wyoming. "Transitioning to battery-powered landscaping equipment is a more sustainable alternative that would move us closer to meeting climate action goals and reduce harmful health effects," San Diegans for Sustainable, Equitable & Quiet Equipment in Landscaping, a California-based group, has said, USA TODAY previously reported. Home improvement retail giants Home Depot and Lowe's have also decreased their inventory of gas-powered lawn equipment in favor of other options, according to the Public Interest Research Group. Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
‘Wreck cruising': How predatory tow companies are taking advantage of auto accidents
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City leaders said they are taking on tow companies that try to rip you off. It started after FOX4's predatory towing investigation in February, which revealed we're one of the worst spots in the country when it comes to this scam. Now, we're back with an even bigger problem that can cost you even more money – in some cases as much as $7,000. KC mayor proposes new ordinance to combat predatory towing It's called 'wreck cruising.' It was the morning of Feb. 5, and sleet was everywhere as Jacob Titus drove to work in his trusty 2012 Dodge Avenger. Then, his day got even worse. 'I hit a block of ice, and my car didn't stop—and another car t-boned me,' Titus said. He called the police, and a tow truck showed up within minutes. 'It hadn't been three minutes,' Titus said. Titus said he was relieved and didn't think to question the tow truck driver. 'He seemed like a good Samaritan…like he genuinely cared,' he said. The next day, he called the tow lot and got quite the shock. 'They wanted $2,500, plus one hundred dollars that had already accrued because it had technically been there a day,' Titus said. 'So, they wanted $2,600, just to come get my car. I remember thinking he was asking in pesos.' Welcome to the world of 'wreck cruising.' Kansas City has tried to protect drivers from being price-gouged after an accident. Only vetted and approved tow companies are contacted when a wreck happens. The handful of businesses have also agreed to limit the amount they charge for tows, usually several hundred dollars. However, many of the rejected tow companies have decided not to take 'no' for an answer. Instead, they listen to police scanners and rush to the accident scene, often getting there first. And because there's no law limiting what they can charge you, the bill is usually a big one. FOX4 Problem Solvers has seen wreck tow bills ranging from $1,700 to as much as $7,000. So what's the solution? 'The easiest fix here for all of these kinds of problems is if the city and the state would pass laws capping towing fees,' said expert Teresa Murray, from the Public Interest Research Group. Murray said it comes down to bad Missouri law when it comes to wreck cruising. 'There's no cap on towing fees; there's no real cap on storage fees,' she said. FOX4 was supposed to speak with Mayor Quinton Lucas Monday afternoon, but he had to reschedule. Instead, we got to sit down with City Councilmember Darrell Curls, who introduced a new ordinance this past week to target predatory towing. 'This ordinance not only ensures that those tow companies do certain things in order to make sure that there's accountability to them, but it also is going to include a bill of rights for the person whose vehicle is being towed,' Curls said. In Titus' case, he said the tow company eventually quoted him a price of more than $4,000 because of added storage fees. 'I'm pretty sure I won't get this car back,' Titus said. For those wondering which tow company got his car, you may have heard of them: Metro Tow. Kansas City Police first raided the business several weeks ago, towing cars off the property and arresting the owner and his mother for nine felonies each – including stealing cars, forgery and harassment. Since then, Platte County also filed charges against the son and mother; some of their tow trucks have also been confiscated by KCPD. KC mayor proposes new ordinance to combat predatory towing Police encourage possible victims of a 'predatory tow' to come forward Complaints against KC tow companies continue after charges filed Kansas City tow company hit with new charges in Platte County: records New claims from alleged victims of KC tow company under criminal investigation KC woman says she's a victim of tow company under criminal investigation Car owner, experts say Kansas City has a predatory towing problem Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Food recalls increase, more deadly in 2024: Report
(NewsNation) — Food recalls issued by the Food and Drug Administration increased by 8% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to a new report, and they're causing more deaths. The Public Interest Research Group released the report on Feb. 13, finding that hospitalizations and deaths caused by contaminated foods doubled in 2024. Nineteen people died from illnesses caused by contaminated foods while another 487 were hospitalized. Food recalls and alerts through the U.S. Department of Agriculture decreased by 38% last year, however, to 55. In comparison, the FDA accounted for 241 food and beverage recalls in 2024. Bought Zicam products? You could get money back in class action settlement The report added that 1,400 people were ill from foods eaten, nearly all of which came from just 13 outbreaks. Of these outbreaks, E. Coli, Salmonella and Listeria were responsible for all but one. Of all food outbreaks, more than half were caused by norovirus, commonly known as the stomach bug. According to the CDC, norovirus is the foremost cause of food outbreaks in the U.S. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Food recalls in the US were more widespread – and deadly
Contaminated food is causing a growing number of illnesses in the United States, and severe cases that lead to hospitalization or death are becoming more common. There were about 300 food recalls in 2024, associated with nearly 1,400 illnesses, according to a report published last week by the Public Interest Research Group, a nonprofit focused on consumer protection. There were 487 people who were sick enough to be hospitalized and 19 who died from an illness related to contaminated food, double the number of hospitalizations and deaths in 2023. Overall, the total number of recalls under the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture in 2024 ticked down compared with 2023. There was an 8% increase in recalls under the FDA, which regulates more than three-quarters of the nation's food supply, but there was a 38% drop in the number of recalls under the USDA, which regulates meat, poultry and some fish and egg products. But the number of food recalls isn't the best gauge of the safety of the US food supply, said Teresa Murray, director of the consumer watchdog program with the Public Interest Research Group, or PIRG. More recalls could indicate more proactive testing by state and federal regulators, for example, and many recalls are caught before anyone gets sick, she said. 'Most years, the number of recalls doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the safety of food,' Murray said. 'But it's absolutely significant that the number of hospitalizations and deaths doubled from the previous year,' she said. 'That seems to indicate that the food that was out there was perhaps more contaminated, sometimes with higher concentrations of bacteria to drive people to the hospital.' In fact, nearly all illnesses last year were associated with just 13 outbreaks, according to the recent report. Many involved familiar brands, such as the E. coli contamination of onions used in McDonald's Quarter Pounder sandwiches, which led to 104 illnesses, 34 hospitalizations and one death. The Listeria contamination of Boar's Head deli meats led to 61 illnesses, 60 hospitalizations and 10 deaths. Contaminated meat and eggs caused more than a quarter of all hospitalizations associated with food recalls in 2024, the analysis found, but produce was the top culprit. Cucumbers alone led to more than a third of all hospitalizations, most tied to a Salmonella outbreak in June, followed by onions and carrots. 'It's the things that we don't cook that tend to be the biggest problems,' Murray said. Cooking can often kill bacteria that causes illness, but it sits on raw food and can multiply if not managed properly, she said. In 2024, recalls from Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli jumped more than 40%, according to the report. These three bacteria combined caused more than a third of all food recalls in the US in 2024. But another third of recalls were related to undeclared allergens, such as peanuts or tree nuts found in products without being included on the label. Undeclared allergens were still the top reason for recalls last year, but there was a notable improvement since 2023, when they accounted for nearly half of all recalls. Some of that improvement may be attributed to greater awareness among food producers that sesame is an allergen that requires disclosure, PIRG researchers said. The Food Safety Modernization Act, signed by President Barack Obama in 2011, led to an overall safer food supply by creating more than a dozen new rules governing areas such as good manufacturing practices, agricultural water, sanitary transportation, hazard analysis and mitigation strategies to protect our food. But these rules have taken a while to get fully fleshed out, finalized and implemented. For example, the Produce Safety rule, which was designed to prevent situations like the slivered onions problem, was put in place in 2016. Another factor helping to identify recalls — and possibly the perception of less-safe food — has been progress in the technology used to reveal an outbreak and link information about its potential source, food safety expert Dr. Donald Schaffner recently told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on his podcast 'Chasing Life.' 'The CDC is getting better and better at finding outbreaks thanks to advances in whole genome sequencing,' Schaffner said. 'It may have been in the past we had outbreaks like this, but we could never link them together, because we didn't know that all of these different people in all of these different states all got sick around the same time from eating the same food.' Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who will oversee the FDA as secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, has indicated that reforming the US food system is one of his key priorities. 'They are calling for fixing the food system, doing something to coordinate and address diet-related chronic diseases, stopping corporate power, eliminating conflicts of interest between industry and government, getting toxic chemicals out of the food supply, and doing everything possible to refocus the food environment and dietary advice on health,' food policy researcher Marion Nestle wrote on her Food Politics blog in October. And last week, an executive order from President Donald Trump announced the establishment of the Make America Healthy Again Commission, which would focus on the food system along with other efforts to reduce chronic disease and improve life expectancy in the US. A key policy focus for the commission will be to 'work with farmers to ensure that United States food is the healthiest, most abundant, and most affordable in the world.' But Kennedy's potential agenda and widespread upheaval at federal health agencies have many public health experts worried. Still, the responsibility for keeping the US food supply safe is shared by many across the system, Murray said. 'We wouldn't need recalls if food was safe from the jump,' she said, referencing the role of food manufacturers, processors and packagers. 'There is nothing wrong with companies doing a better job testing food, and some of [the responsibility] obviously does sit with regulators – state and federal – who do inspections and testing of their own.' For consumers who want to be as safe as possible with the food they eat, Murray says there are three important things: not leaving food out, regularly washing hands and utensils when working with food, and figuring out a way to stay informed about recalls that may affect you, such as signing up for alerts from favorite grocery stores or downloading an app that provides real-time notifications on recalls. CNN's Andrea Kane, Meg Tirrell and Brenda Goodman contributed to this report.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trader Joe's issues another recall over potential plastic contamination
Trader Joe's has announced a recall on its Trader Joe's Organic Acai Bowls. The recall, posted on February 14, 2025, notes that the bowls may contain plastic. The grocer recommends throwing away or returning the boxes to a Trader Joe's location for a full refund. Customers with questions about the recall can call Trader Joe's Customer Relations at (629) 599-3817. 'Out of an abundance of caution, please discard any Trader Joe's Organic Acai Bowls, as the product may contain foreign material (plastic), or return them to your neighborhood Trader Joe's store for a full refund,' the company said. The recall did not contain information detailing the lot numbers affected or specifying a range of dates when the affected products were produced or sold. Trader Joe's last news-grabbing recall occurred in August and targeted more than 650,000 of its mango tangerine scented candles. In that instance, Trader Joe's said there was a chance that the flame on the candle's wick could spread to the wax and produce a larger than expected flame. The recall warned that the potential for the larger flame posed a "fire hazard." 'If you purchased the Mango Tangerine Scented Candle, please do not use it,' the grocer said at the time. In general, food-borne illnesses and recalls of tainted food products both saw significant increases between 2023 and 2024, according to a new report. In 2024, approximately 300 food recalls were issued, with those recalls being linked to nearly 1,400 illnesses, a Public Interest Research Group report revealed. Public Interest Research Group Director Teresa Murray told CNN that an uptick in recalls does not necessarily mean an increase in risk from food products. She said that changes in the number of recalls can sometimes just be the result of a federal or state regulatory agency increasing its testing.
