Today’s Recall News Hits Home; Two Bits of Drama Involving the Desert Hot Springs City Council–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Nov. 18, 2024

Indy Digest: Nov. 18, 2024

A week or two ago, I got a text from Mark Talkington, intrepid publisher of the Palm Springs Post. He was excited (?!) because, for the first time, he possessed an item that was the subject of a recall mentioned here in the Indy Digest. In his case, it was frozen waffles, recalled due to concerns over listeria contamination.

Of all the news links we put in the final section of the Digest, it’s the ones regarding recalls that garner the most appreciative feedback. Readers seem to genuinely appreciate the news, which they often would not have heard about anywhere else.

This brings me to today’s recall news, which involves … organic carrots! NPR reports:

One person has died and at least 38 people have become ill following an E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots, according to federal health officials.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that cases emerged between Sept. 6 and Oct. 28 across 18 states, with Washington, Minnesota and New York reporting the highest number of cases.

The CDC warned that the outbreak may have reached additional states and the actual number of infected individuals is likely much higher than reported. …

Investigations indicate that Grimmway Farms was the common supplier of the organic carrots consumed by individuals before they got sick, according to the CDC. On Saturday, Grimmway Farms—which is one of the world’s largest producers of carrots—initiated a recall for multiple sizes and brands of its organic baby and whole carrots.

That includes baby organic carrots with best-if-used-by dates that ranged from Sept. 11 to Nov. 12 and whole organic carrots that were sold in stores around Aug. 14 to Oct. 23.

The recall applies to carrots sold at Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Sprouts, 365 from Whole Foods, Good & Gather from Target, Marketside from Walmart, GreenWise from Publix, Simple Truth from Kroger, and more.

It turns out those carrots were also sold at Costco, and specifically, the one in Palm Desert. I know this, because some of those carrots—a little more than half a bag—were sitting in our refrigerator.

I didn’t learn about this recall from a news story; I received an automated phone call yesterday from Grimmway Farms, alerting me to the recall. (Retail “club” cards may prompt privacy concerns from time to time, but they also have an upside: When an item is recalled, the stores that 1) know what you’ve purchased and 2) have your phone number can easily let you know!)

I should also mention that about a bag’s worth of those carrots (they were sold in two-bag packages) were in the huge batch of pork panang curry the hubby had recently made, and which we’d both just eaten.

Thank heavens, the bags we had were presumably OK—but that remaining half-bag went in the trash can, just to be safe.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• Here’s yet another example you can use to refute complaints that one person’s vote doesn’t matter: As reported in The Desert Sun, here’s the vote tally in the Desert Hot Springs City Council’s District 2 race, as of this writing:

The county will update the tally later today, and will do so until all the votes are counted—but as The Desert Sun’s piece says, there are likely very few votes left to be counted in this particular race.

• Speaking of the DHS City Council … a current member of the council is facing charges stemming from an incident at a 7-Eleven. KESQ News Channel 3 reports: “Longtime Desert Hot Springs Councilmember Russell Betts has been charged by the Riverside County District Attorney’s office. Betts has been charged with felony vandalism and misdemeanor false imprisonment, according to the criminal complaint, filed on Nov. 4. According to an arrest declaration, the incident happened on the morning of Aug. 4 at a 7-Eleven. It details notes from DA Senior Investigator Lauren Swirsky. The original report came from the victim’s mother, who told police that the victim drove past Betts and made a hand gesture. After watching the surveillance video, Swirsky writes that Betts is believed to have followed the victim into the 7-Eleven parking lot, where he parked his vehicle with little room for the victim’s vehicle to get out. The victim attempted to back out to leave, and after two attempts, drove into Betts’ side door with minimal force. Betts is accused of then kicking the victim’s vehicle and striking two more times with his hand before the victim was able to back out and leave the parking lot.” Betts unsuccessfully ran for mayor this year, finishing second to incumbent Scott Matas.

• The first case of a more aggressive strain of mpox has been reported in the U.S.—and in California. NBC News reports: “The U.S. on Saturday reported its first case of a more aggressive strain of mpox: an individual in California who had recently traveled from eastern Africa. The case was confirmed by the California Department of Public Health and reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The person was treated in San Mateo County based on their travel history and symptoms and is now isolating at home and recovering, the state’s health department said in a press release. Public health workers are contacting people who had close contact with the patient, ‘but there is no concern or evidence’ that the strain is currently spreading in California or the U.S., the statement said. The U.S. is the sixth country outside of Africa to have detected the strain, according to the CDC, which can cause more severe disease than the version of the virus that spread widely in 2022.”

• Yet more reporters and editors are being let go—this time by The Associated Press. The New York Times says: “The Associated Press said Monday that it was cutting its staff by 8 percent as part of a plan to adapt to fast-changing conditions in the media industry. The news organization said the cuts, which would be done through buyouts, were part of a plan to meet ‘the evolving needs of our customers.’ The cuts will affect both news and business employees. ‘This is about ensuring AP’s important role as the only truly independent news organization at scale during a period of transformation in the media industry,’ The Associated Press said. In a note to employees Monday, the AP News Guild said the cuts were the result of revenue declines and would affect the organization’s global bureaus and administrative staff. The note said as many as 121 employees would be eligible for a buyout package, adding that managers said the buyouts aimed to avoid layoffs.”

• A business professor, writing for The Conversation, explains the mess in which insurance companies and the public find themselves in due to more climate-change-spurred disasters: “Homeowners watching their prices rise faster than inflation might think something sinister is at play. Insurance companies are facing rapidly evolving risks, however, and trying to price their policies low enough to remain competitive but high enough to cover future payouts and remain solvent in a stormier climate. This is not an easy task. In 2021 and 2022, seven property insurers filed for bankruptcy in Florida alone. In 2023, insurers lost money on homeowners coverage in 18 states. But these changes are raising alarm bells. Some industry insiders worry that insurance may be losing its relevance and value—real or perceived—for policyholders as coverage shrinks, premiums rise and exclusions increase.”

• And finally … two fast-food giants are fighting in court over the use of two very common words. CBS News says: “KFC is taking one of its smaller rivals to court, suing Church’s Texas Chicken for allegedly violating its trademark rights by using the phrase ‘original recipe’ in pitching its fried poultry products. ‘On behalf of fried chicken lovers out there, we take it personally when another company tries to claim our iconic taste and branding as their own,’ KFC said in an emailed statement. Church’s declined to comment, citing active litigation. Church’s Texas Chicken at the end of October announced the ‘return of its legendary original recipe’ in all of its U.S. restaurants in a news release, touting what it described as a ‘rejuvenated 1952 recipe.’ KFC is contending with anemic sales. Yum Brands told investors on an earning call last week that U.S. same-store sales declined for a third consecutive quarter, most recently down 5%.”

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