ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Man says Betty Crocker spoons made him sick

WATERVILLE, Maine

A Maine man is suing Betty Crocker and its parent company, claiming the company’s red measuring spoons made him sick.

WGME-TV reports Greg Violette claims the Betty Crocker emblem on the two tablespoons came off as he used them to measure a mixture he eats daily. The Waterville resident says he became “very sick” and that a doctor determined it was from the spoons. According to the lawsuit, Violette is seeking $250,000 in damages from Betty Crocker and its parent company, General Mills.

General Mills denies the spoons were “defective” or “hazardous.” The company has asked the case to be dismissed.

A General Mills spokesperson declined comment on pending litigation.

City council that promised transparency quietly awards $83K

WILMINGTON, Del.

A city council in Delaware that promised to make its grant funding process more transparent has quietly awarded around $83,000 in grants.

The News Journal of Wilmington reports Wilmington City Council passed legislation last year meant to “heighten the level of public discussion” around grants. But nearly a dozen grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 have since been approved without public comment.

The awards weren’t mentioned in the council’s publicly posted budget documents or its budget presentation. The council posted the approved grants online last month. The transparency legislation followed a former council president, Theo Gregory, directing nearly $600,000 to a nonprofit he founded.

Council President Hanifa Shabazz says names of potential grant recipients weren’t shared publicly because of the perception “that those individuals might be getting the dollars.”

Woman breaches security, drives across runways

TETERBORO, N.J.

Authorities say a woman breached security at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and drove her car across two runways.

Port Authority police say the 32-year-old woman followed an authorized vehicle through an open gate last Tuesday, drove across the runways and then stopped and fled on foot.

Police tracked her down to a home in Moonachie and took her into custody. The woman’s name has not been released.

Authorities say there were no planes on the runway at the time.

Charges against the woman are pending.

Associated Press