The Coachella Valley Animal Campus Needs Help; R.I.P. Joe the Plumber–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Aug. 28, 2023

Indy Digest: Aug. 28, 2023

Product recalls have become a staple of the “More News” section of the Indy Digest. We’re all about reliable news that’s interesting and pertinent—and news about potentially dangerous items in your cupboard or refrigerator is about as pertinent as it gets.

Well, people who follow these sorts of recalls have noticed that a lot of them in recent months have come from one store.

Yahoo! Life reports:

If you’re a fan of Trader Joe’s, you may have noticed that there have been several food recalls recently—five, in fact, in only four weeks.

It started on July 25 with Trader Joe’s Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies, along with its Fully Cooked Falafel three days later—all of which were recalled because they potentially contained rocks. That was accompanied by Trader Joe’s Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup, which was recalled over potentially containing insects. More recently, on Aug. 17, the retailer announced a recall of its Multigrain Crackers With Sunflower and Flax Seeds because they may contain metal.

It turns out Yahoo! missed another TJ’s recall, of Texas Tamale Company Black Bean Tamales (though this one had to do with a mislabeling issue—the tamales actually in the package may contain cheese, which would be bad for people with allergies to dairy).

What in the heck is going on? Should we be worried about the items at Trader Joe’s? Nah, the experts say.

Trevor Craig, the director of technical training and consulting at Microbac Laboratories, told Yahoo!: “It’s unlikely that these are related as they are all different products, issues and most likely manufacturers.” He also said: “It looks like none of these recalls are life-threatening, and I don’t see anyone reporting being sick or hospitalized.”

In other words, if you like shopping at Trader Joe’s, keep on keeping on.

But still, it couldn’t hurt to keep your eyes open for more recall news—be it here in the Indy Digest or elsewhere.

—Jimmy Boegle

VOTE NOW!

More News

• The post-Tropical Storm Hilary cleanup continues—including at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus, which is run Riverside County Department of Animal Services. The folks who run the campus sent out a plea for help late last week. Portions of that plea: “With no relief in sight, we are seeking funding and unprecedented partnership support from shelters, non-profits and rescues around the state and country to transport the 260 animals out of Coachella Valley as they have no potential for adoption with the shelter closed to the public. … Riverside County Coachella Valley Animal Services Campus located in Thousand Palms (72050 Petland Place) is experiencing significant access issues to the shelter as a result of ongoing flooding impacts from Hilary over the weekend of 8/19 to 8/20/2023. The only paved and legal access road to the shelter remains under several feet of water and the ways in which the water would normally be drained, pumped or removed appear to be overwhelmed, broken or incapacitated. Resolution timeline is unknown.”

Their specific asks:

• Transport out of the shelter for 260 animals. Possible charter of plane or other transport routes.

• Funding for gas and staffing to transport in county dog trucks if necessary.

• Contact with in state and out-of-state rescues/agencies/shelters for relocation of our animals.

• Temporary support staff funding.

• Temporary Driver for shuttling staff to the shelter to lighten the load on officers.

• Food and supplies which may be a challenge for supply chain later in the recovery of the Coachella Valley.

• Donations to assist with any of the above.

If you can help, contact Jackie Schart, Coachella Valley Shelter Chief, at jschart@rivco.org.

• Portions of the Gulf Coast are bracing themselves for the arrival of a potentially dangerous hurricane. NPR reports: “Tropical Storm Idalia is now expected to grow into a ‘major hurricane’ by the time it reaches Florida late Tuesday, and forecasters are warning residents to prepare for severe weather, including potentially deadly storm surge. The tropical storm system churning in the waters east of Cancún, Mexico, is expected to batter western Cuba late Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters say Idalia will then move north through the Gulf of Mexico, where it will strengthen into a powerful hurricane, before coming ashore in Florida midweek.”

• Moving to news regarding another natural disaster, here’s a headline from the Los Angeles Times: “Fearing economic disaster, Maui wants tourists to return. But feelings are complicated.” A snippet: “Immediately after the Aug. 8 blaze devastated the historic town of Lahaina, killing at least 115 people and layering shock and grief across the island, the message from officials and on social media seemed clear: Tourists should stay off Maui. But nearly three weeks after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, the sharp drop-off in visitors is sowing a different kind of fear across an island where tourism dominates the economy. In recent days, officials and others have started to sound alarm bells, begging visitors to return to other parts of Maui. ‘Maui update. South Maui resorts (Lahaina is West Maui) NEED visitors. Furloughs and layoffs starting because people think the whole island is closed. It is not,’ Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) posted Thursday on the social media platform X. … ‘Āina Momona, a community organization whose Instagram post telling visitors to not travel to Maui went viral after it was shared by actor Jason Momoa and others right after the fire, put up a new Instagram slideshow Thursday. The message—directed at those who do decide to travel to Maui—urges tourists to avoid the affected areas, show empathy and compassion and ends with the ‘bottom line’ that people should ‘visit,’ ‘spend’ and ‘go home.’”

• Hey, look, recall news! This story comes from CBS: “Federal health regulators are warning consumers to immediately stop using two additional eye drop products because of potential bacterial or fungal contamination. The Food and Drug Administration is advising people not to buy ‘Dr. Berne’s MSM Drops 5% Solution’ and ‘LightEyez MSM Eye Drops—Eye Repair,’ warning that they could pose a serious health risk, including vision- and life-threatening infections. The agency noted that it doesn’t know of anyone who has reported a problem related to use of the products. The latest recalls follow a spate of FDA warnings earlier this year against using several eye drop brands linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant bacteria. The outbreak is linked to at least 4 deaths across 18 states and dozens of infections.”

• Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required to read the whole story) reports that something weird is happening with some newer Ford pickups: “Ford Motor is confronting a problem with some newer pickup trucks and large SUVs: drivers reporting cases in which the speakers in their vehicles sound a loud and abnormal noise—often frightening the occupants. On online forums, F-150 owners have been airing similar accounts of an odd sound, which some describe as a ‘sonic boom’ or ‘ear-piercing static.’ Drivers, in some cases, were able to turn it off right away. Others say it lasted for 15 minutes or more, persisting even after the car was shut off. Several dozen Ford customers have filed complaints with federal regulators, saying the noise was so distracting they either had to pull over and stop driving, or if parked, didn’t feel it was safe to get on the road. … A Ford spokeswoman declined to disclose the number of vehicles affected. The service bulletin covers the Expedition SUVs and the F-150 pickups from the 2021-23 model years and the 2022 F-150 Lightning electric trucks.”

• The Washington Post posits that people working from home could cause problems with the U.S. economy: “All across the country, downtowns, office spaces and shopping centers are at risk of becoming ground zero for a new economic hazard: the urban doom loop. The fear is that a commercial real estate apocalypse could spiral out and slow commerce, wrecking local tax revenue in the process. Ever since the pandemic drove a boom in remote work, hubs such as New York and San Francisco have drawn attention for their empty offices in previously bustling skyscrapers. But many economists are even more worried about midsize cities that have fewer ways to offset the blow when a major company slashes office space, the sale price of a building craters, or a downtown turns into a ghost town. … Then property owners might struggle to pay off their mortgages or clear other debt. Business districts would dry up, stifling tax revenue from commercial properties or employee wages. Shoppers and tourists would have fewer reasons to venture downtown to eat or shop, choking off spending and forcing layoffs at restaurants and retail stores.”

• And finally … a man who became a household name because he questioned Barack Obama on the campaign trail in 2008 has died. CNN says: “Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who became known as ‘Joe the Plumber’ after pushing then-Sen. Barack Obama on his economic policies during the 2008 presidential campaign, has died, according to members of his family. He was 49. … In 2008, Wurzelbacher emerged as the face of the struggling middle class on the campaign trail in Ohio when he challenged Obama over what he would do for small businesses and taxes. In 2012, he ran for the US House as a Republican, ultimately losing his bid for Ohio’s 9th District to Democrat Marcy Kaptur.”

Support the Independent!

Publishing stuff online is pretty easy. But producing journalism—well-reported, well-written, fact-checked, fair journalism—is difficult. And time-consuming. And pretty darned expensive, too. Please help the Independent, if you can, by clicking the button below and becoming a Supporter of the Independent. As always, thanks for reading!

Read this Indy Digest at CVIndependent.com!