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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2018)
6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 Outbreaks pressure produce industry to step up safety A lettuce scare over Thanksgiving By CANDICE CHOI Associated Press NEW YORK — After repeated food poisoning out- breaks linked to romaine let- tuce, the produce industry is confronting the failure of its own safety measures in pre- venting contaminations. The E. coli outbreak announced just before Thanks- giving follows one in the spring that sickened more than 200 people and killed five, and another last year that sickened 25 and killed one. No deaths have been reported in the latest outbreak, but the dozens of ill- nesses highlight the challenge of eliminating risk for vegeta- bles grown in open fields and eaten raw, the role of nearby cattle operations that produce huge volumes of manure and the delay of stricter federal food safety regulations. A contested aspect of the regulation, for example, would require testing irrigation water for E. coli. The Food and Drug Administration put the mea- sure on hold when the pro- duce industry said such tests wouldn’t necessarily help pre- vent outbreaks. Additional regulations on sanitation for workers and equipment — other potential sources of con- tamination — only recently started being implemented. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he thinks the combination of rules, once fully in place, will make veg- etables safer to eat. “I don’t think any one ele- ment of this is going to be the magic bullet,” Gottlieb said. Health officials say improved detection may make outbreaks seem more frequent. Still, that is intensifying pres- sure on growers and regulators to prevent, catch and contain contamination. It’s not yet known how romaine got contaminated in the latest outbreak. The spring outbreak was traced to romaine from Yuma, Arizona. Irrigation water tainted with manure was iden- tified as a likely culprit, and investigators noted the pres- ence of a large animal feeding operation nearby. Subsequently, an industry agreement in Arizona and Cal- ifornia was adjusted to expand buffer zones between vegeta- ble fields and livestock. The industry says the change was in place for lettuce now being grown in Yuma, which hasn’t been implicated in the latest outbreak. But Trevor Suslow of the Produce Marketing Association said there isn’t consensus about the exact dis- tances that might effectively prevent contamination. He noted specific buffer zones aren’t required by the new federal rules on produce safety. “They look to the industry to determine what is the appro- priate distance,” Suslow said. Growers in Yuma also started treating irrigation water that would touch plant leaves with chlorine to kill potential contaminants, Suslow said. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill Romaine lettuce sits on the shelves as a shopper walks through the produce area of an Albertsons market in Simi Valley, Calif. But he said such treatment raises concerns about soil and human health. Meanwhile, the proximity of produce fields to cattle oper- ations is likely to continue pos- ing a problem. Travis Forgues of the milk producer Organic Valley noted consolidation in the dairy industry is leading to bigger livestock operations that produce massive volumes of manure. Already, the industry agree- ment in Arizona and Califor- nia requires leafy green grow- ers to test water for generic E. coli. But James Rogers, director of food safety research at Con- sumer Reports, said it’s import- ant to make water testing a federal requirement. Since romaine is often chopped up and bagged, a single contami- nated batch from one farm that skips testing could make a lot of people sick, he said. Mystery ballot could Lawmakers call for detention camp reforms sway control of Alaska A remote tent city state government By MARTHA MENDOZA and GARANCE BURKE Associated Press A tied race for state House By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska — It’s a sign that every vote does count. A single mystery ballot found on a precinct table on Election Day but not counted then could decide a tied Alaska state House race and thwart Republican efforts to control the chamber and all of state government. The ballot arrived in Juneau last Friday in a secrecy sleeve in a bin with other ballot materials. Offi- cials were investigating its origins and handling before deciding whether to tally it. “People kept calling it close,” Democrat candi- date Kathryn Dodge said of the race for the House seat in Fairbanks. “I just didn’t know it was going to be squeaky.” A recount is scheduled for today after the race between Dodge and Republican Bart LeBon was previously cer- tified as a tie, at 2,661 votes apiece. The uncounted bal- lot appears to be marked for Dodge. The outcome will have big political implications. If LeBon wins, Republicans will control the state House in addition to the state Senate and the governor’s office. If Dodge wins, the House would be split 20-20, between Republicans and the remnant of a coalition that is largely comprised of Democrats but includes two Republicans. For the candidates, it’s been a three-week roll- er-coaster ride marked by lead changes before the tie was declared and by the appearance of the mystery ballot. Elections director Josie Bahnke said she wants to ensure that every vote cast by an eligible voter is counted. Dodge, a former member of the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly, said it appears the ballot was not put through the scanner on elec- tion night. She believes it’s valid and should be counted. LeBon, a retired banker, said he has questions about the handling of the bal- lot and expects a legal chal- lenge from whoever loses the recount. He says questions about other ballots also could be raised during the recount. If the race remains tied after the recount and possi- ble legal challenges, state law calls for a winner to be deter- mined “by lot.” A coin toss decided a tied House race in 2006. “I’ve come too far to have a coin toss settle this,” LeBon said. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ENTER OUR HOLIDAY COLORING CONTEST TO WIN COOL PRIZES! Lawmakers Thursday called for stricter background checks, more mental health support and a public hearing to further investigate problems at a massive detention camp for migrant teens raised by a fed- eral watchdog report and an Associated Press investigation earlier this week. More than 2,300 teens are being held at the remote tent city in Tornillo, Texas, which opened in June as a temporary, emergency shelter but now appears to be becoming more permanent, with ongoing con- struction at costs that can reach $1,200 per child per day, the AP reported Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Inspector Gen- eral on Tuesday raised con- cerns that the private contrac- tor running Tornillo has not put its 2,100 staffers through FBI background checks, and that they’re allowed to have just one mental health clinician for every 100 children. “These issues must be addressed and remedied with- out delay,” said U.S. Rep. Jer- rold Nadler, D-New York, in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. It was co-signed by other Democratic House mem- bers. They asked for a brief- ing before Dec. 11 and a hear- ing in the new Congress early next year. Ivan Pierre Aguirre Migrant teens are led in a line inside the Tornillo detention camp holding more than 2,300 migrant teens in Tornillo, Texas. notforsale “The problems we are see- ing in Tornillo are as shame- ful as they were in June and symptoms of a much larger problem that we’ve spent years ignoring — a broken immigra- tion system,” said U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, D-Texas, whose district includes the deten- tion camp. “Similar to build- ing a wall from sea to shining sea, detaining kids in Tornillo is the most expensive and least effective policy approach that fails to address root causes of migration flows or make any- one safer.” Hurd and others said the current border crisis must be solved by working with Cen- tral American leaders. The IG memo, which put the detention camp under a national spotlight, detailed how the former director of the Office of Refugee Resettle- ment Scott Lloyd granted the contractor running Tornillo, San Antonio-based BCFS Health and Human Services, a waiver in June to staff up with- out typically required child abuse and neglect checks. Those checks can raise a red flag about any job candi- date with a record of hurting a child. There were two rea- sons for the waiver, according to the inspector general: first, the agency was under pressure to open the detention camp quickly, and second, Lloyd’s agency assumed Tornillo staff GAME MEAT PROCESSING Debbie D’s will NOT be at the the Cash & Carry in Warrenton on Saturday, December 1st. She will be back on Saturday, December 8th, for the regular pick up and delivery of meat for processing. HEY KIDS! COLOR ME! had already undergone FBI fin- gerprint checks. They had not. BCFS has filed more than 30 reports on “significant inci- dents” from Tornillo. Texas Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said the detained teens must be kept safe. “We don’t want anybody staffing those facilities who are going to be a potential dan- ger to the population housed there,” Cornyn said. HHS spokesman Mark Weber said Thursday the agency was working quickly to resolve the issues at Tor- nillo, but did not provide fur- ther details. Please call or leave message by Friday so we know to expect you! DEBBIE D’S Jerky & Sausage Factory 2210 Main Avenue N. • Tillamook, OR • 503-842-2622 IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR!!! Please Print Clearly Name: SENIOR DAY SPECIALS Age: Address: City: SPECIAL SENIORS MENU FOR 60 & OVER State: EVERY TUESDAY STARTING NOVEMBER THRU JANUARY Phone: Parent’s Names: CHECK OUT OUR $ 7 DAILY SOUP & LUNCH SPECIALS BRING OR MAIL ENTRY TO: AREA Properties, Inc. 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