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3 in Kansas die of illness related to ice cream

 
Published March 14, 2015

Dallas

3 in Kansas die of illness related to ice cream

The deaths of three people who developed a foodborne illness linked to some Blue Bell ice cream products has prompted the Texas icon's first product recall in its 108-year history. Five people, in all, developed listeriosis in Kansas after eating products from one production line at the Blue Bell creamery in Brenham, Texas, according to a statement Friday from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all five of the people sickened were receiving treatment for unrelated health issues at the Via Christi St. Francis hospital in Wichita, Kan., before developing listeriosis. Four of the five had consumed milkshakes made with a single-serving Blue Bell ice cream product called "Scoops" while they were in the hospital, the CDC said. Blue Bell moved to pull suspect products from shelves after learning of the illness. Paul Cruse, CEO of the Brenham creamery, said all products now on store and institution shelves are safe and wholesome.

New Zealand

Islands in Pacific hit by a deadly cyclone

Winds from an extremely powerful cyclone that blew through the Pacific's Vanuatu archipelago were beginning to subside today, revealing widespread destruction and unconfirmed reports of dozens of deaths. Communication systems in many of the hard-hit outer islands remained down, meaning it could take some time before the full extent of the damage caused by Cyclone Pam is known. Located about a quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii, Vanuatu has a population of 267,000 spread over 65 islands.

Oklahoma City

Barred frat's lawyer questions punishment

The fraternity chapter banished from the University of Oklahoma and evicted from its house after members were caught on video singing a racist song is seeking "some other resolution to this matter," and failing that, may take the university to court, the group's lawyer said Friday. Stephen Jones, who gained national prominence as the attorney for convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, said members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and their parents also are concerned about the students' safety after some received death threats and were physically and verbally assaulted. He did not say whether the fraternity would seek reinstatement, but called for talks with the university to modify its response to the video.

Washington

U.S. targets al-Shabab militants in Somalia

The United States has carried out airstrikes against a senior member of the extremist group al-Shabab who is believed to have helped plan the 2013 attack on the Westgate mall in Kenya, U.S. officials said Friday. Pentagon officials said they were still assessing the results of a drone strike, carried out Thursday against the senior member, Adan Garar, and two other militants near a Somali town west of Mogadishu, not far from the border with Kenya. It was unclear whether Garar and his associates had been killed in the strike, they said.

Washington

White House fence jumper pleads guilty

The man who jumped the White House fence and ran into the executive mansion carrying a folding knife in his pocket Sept. 19 pleaded guilty Friday to two felony counts related to the incident, which triggered a far-reaching shakeup of the U.S. Secret Service. Omar Gonzalez, 43, an Army veteran of the Iraq War who has said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, had entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors that calls for a prison sentence under federal guidelines of 12 to 18 months and a fine of $3,000 to $30,000.

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Elsewhere

Iraq: Iraqi troops clashed with Islamic State militants in the northern city of Tikrit on Friday, as pro-government forces tightened their grip on the extremist stronghold, officials said.

Times wires