Source of tainted melons identified

Source of tainted melons identified

OWENSVILLE, Ind.

Health officials say a farm in southwestern Indiana was the source of at least some of the salmonella-contaminated cantaloupe that has made at least 178 people in 21 states ill, but they are still trying to determine whether there are other sources.

Federal and state officials disagree whether it is safe to eat melons from the region. The Food and Drug Administration says consumers should discard any cantaloupes grown there bought on or after July 7 because they still are investigating other possible sources of the outbreak.

Amy Reel, Indiana Department of Health spokeswoman, says the state is recommending cantaloupes from Chamberlain Farms in Owensville be discarded, but melons from other farms are safe to eat as long as they are washed well and people use clean knives and cutting boards.

Postal panel OKs junk-mail discount

WASHINGTON

The government body that oversees the U.S. Postal Service has approved a plan that gives one of the nation’s largest direct marketers a postage discount on advertising fliers known as junk mail.

The three-year deal approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission on Thursday is intended to boost use of the mail system by Valassis Communications Inc., which sends mass coupon mailings to homes under its RedPlum ad bundles.

The commission said the plan should add $4.7 million to $15.3 million in net benefit to Postal Service coffers over the course of the deal.

Many of the nation’s newspapers opposed the plan, which gives a rate cut to their biggest competitor. The Newspaper Association of America said that for a meager benefit, about $1 billion in annual newspaper industry ad revenue would be put at risk because it would lure big advertisers away from its Sunday newspapers.

Reps ask USDA to reopen meat plant

FRESNO, Calif.

Three Central California congressmen cited the region’s high unemployment Thursday while asking the federal government to reopen a slaughterhouse at the center of a cruelty and food-safety investigation.

Republican lawmakers Devin Nunes, Kevin McCarthy and Jeff Denham signed a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack saying that shutting the plant will do nothing to further the goal of responding to the purported animal abuse.

The USDA says the company cannot reopen until it resolves its humane-handling issues.

New-home sales rise to match 2-year high

WASHINGTON

Sales of new homes in the U.S. rose 3.6 percent in July to match a two-year high reached in May, the latest sign of a steady recovery in the housing market.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that new-home sales reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 372,000. That’s the same as in May, which was the highest since April 2010.

Associated Press