Contaminated pet food was sent to hog farms

Contaminated pet foodwas sent to hog farms
WASHINGTON -- Salvaged pet food contaminated with an industrial chemical was sent to hog farms in as many as six states, including Ohio, federal health officials said Tuesday. It was not immediately clear if any hogs that ate the tainted feed then entered the food supply for humans.
Hogs at a farm in California ate the contaminated products, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Officials were trying to determine whether hogs in New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Ohio also may have eaten the tainted food, the FSIS said. Hogs at some of the farms -- it wasn't immediately clear which -- have been quarantined.
The FSIS was trying to determine whether the hog farms in the states other than California actually fed the material to their animals, spokesman Steven Cohen said in a statement. Hogs that were confirmed to have eaten the tainted food were processed at a federally inspected facility in California, Cohen said.
FBI offers 5,000 rewardto track down letter writer
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The FBI offered a 5,000 reward Tuesday for help tracking down whoever mailed dozens of threatening letters -- including some containing a potentially harmful insecticide -- complaining about TV coverage of college cheerleaders.
The letters were sent to national networks and their local affiliates, as well as people in states throughout the West and Midwest, according to the FBI office in Portland. Recipients also included people associated with university athletic departments in Ohio, Michigan and Arizona.
The initial batch of letters was postmarked in Portland and delivered in September 2004. Subsequent batches of letters were delivered between November 2006 and February, mostly with postmarks from Seattle, but some also were sent from Chicago, the FBI said.
The author of a letter sent in December 2006 complains that networks unfairly favor more modestly dressed cheerleading squads.
"For the last 6 years, Ohio State cheerleaders have received more TV time than any other Division 1A cheer squad on ESPN, because they wear long sleeved red/white outfits. If they wore sleeveless outfits, they would not get ANY TV time. So, we are fed up with this constant exploitation," the author wrote.
Bill would boost numberof math, science teachers
WASHINGTON -- The House approved legislation Tuesday intended to boost the number of highly qualified math and science teachers in U.S. schools.
The bill, which passed 389-22, would authorize more than 600 million through 2012 for scholarships and stipends for college students studying math and science in preparation for teaching careers. They could receive annual scholarships of 10,000 if they commit to teaching elementary or secondary pupils upon graduation.
The bill also would provide enhanced training for current math and science teachers. They could attend summer programs at universities or receive financial aid to pursue master's degrees.
Inmates riot in Indiana, injure 2 staff members
NEW CASTLE, Ind. -- Inmates staged a two-hour riot at a medium-security men's prison Tuesday, injuring two staff members and setting fires in a courtyard.
Indiana Department of Correction spokeswoman Java Ahmed said more than one cell house was involved in the disturbance at the New Castle Correctional Facility, about 43 miles east of Indianapolis.
Corrections officials sent emergency squads and county and state police to the prison. New Castle Mayor Tom Nipp said the entire city police force was also activated.
Helicopter pictures showed officers in riot gear standing outside the prison fence and at least two fires burning in the courtyard.
Authorities later secured the prison perimeter and confirmed that no inmates escaped, although some were still out of their cells, Indiana State Police Sgt. Rod Russell said.
Compromise for Iran
ANKARA, Turkey -- The United States and other world powers may be ready to allow Iran to keep some of its uranium enrichment program intact instead of demanding its complete dismantling, foreign government officials said Tuesday.
Officials said some willingness to compromise might advance talks Wednesday in the Turkish capital between top Iranian envoy Ali Larijani and Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief.
Recognizing that Iran would never accept a complete freeze, the powers are considering "a new definition of enrichment," one diplomat said. Under the proposal, Iran would could keep some of its program intact without actually producing enriched uranium.
Associated Press