DoT exploring technology that would disable cell phones in cars

(The Hill) - The Transportation Department is looking into technology to disable cell phones in vehicles, according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

"There's a lot of technology out there that can disable phones and we're looking at that," LaHood said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

"A number of those people came to our distracted driving meeting here in Washington and that's one way," he said.

LaHood seemed to suggest that this technology has a good chance of making its way into cars.

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U.S. regulators propose requiring backup cameras in all new cars by 2014

(Bloomberg) - U.S. auto-safety regulators proposed requiring backup cameras on all new vehicles by 2014 to prevent drivers from backing over pedestrians, a rule that may cost as much as $2.7 billion.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which published the proposed rule today, said an average of 292 people die each year from back-over accidents, which primarily kill children and the elderly. To equip a new-vehicle fleet of 16.6 million produced in a year would cost from $1.9 billion to $2.7 billion, the agency said in the proposal, calling the cost "substantial" and saying it might reduce back-over deaths and injuries by almost half.

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Small cheesemaker defies FDA

(NY Times) - To her devotees, Ms. Estrella is a homespun diva of local food. With her husband and six adopted children from Liberia, she makes tasty artisan cheeses from the milk of her 36 cows and 40 goats and sells it at farmers' markets.

Some even winds up on tables at fancy restaurants in Manhattan and Los Angeles.

But to the federal government, Ms. Estrella is a defiant businesswoman unable to keep dangerous bacteria out of her products. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration moved to shut down her business, Estrella Family Creamery, after tests found listeria in some of her cheese and she refused to agree to a broad recall of her products.

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Senator: FDA will ban alcoholic energy drinks

(ABC) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will effectively ban the sale of beverages that combine caffeine and alcohol, including Four Loko and Joose, by ruling that caffeine is an unsafe food additive, according to Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).

In a press release, the Senator also announced that the Federal Trade Commission will notify manufacturers that they're potentially marketing the products illegally.

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San Francisco law curbs McDonald's Happy Meal toys

(Reuters) - San Francisco on Tuesday became the first major U.S. city to pass a law that cracks down on the popular practice of giving away free toys with unhealthy restaurant meals for children.

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors passed the law on a veto-proof 8-to-3 vote. It takes effect on December 1.

The law, like an ordinance passed earlier this year in nearby Santa Clara County, would require that restaurant kids' meals meet certain nutritional standards before they could be sold with toys.

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Baltimore hands out first trans fat citation

BALTIMORE (WBAL) - The Baltimore City Health Department issued its first environmental citation for repeat violations of the city's trans fat ban.

The Health Department issued Healthy Choice, a food facility in the 400 block of Lexington Street, a $100 fine on Thursday.

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Transportation Secretary weighs ban on all phone use in cars

(Bloomberg) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he believes motorists are distracted by any use of mobile phones while driving, including hands-free calls, as his department begins research that may lead him to push for a ban.

LaHood, whose campaign against texting and making calls while driving has led to restrictions in 30 states, says his concerns extend to vehicle information and entertainment systems such as Ford Motor Co.'s Sync and General Motors Co.'s OnStar.

"I don't want people talking on phones, having them up to their ear or texting while they're driving," LaHood said in an interview this week. "We need a lot better research on other distractions," including Bluetooth-enabled hands-free calls and the in-car systems, he said.

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City may curb sales of sugary beverages

(Boston Globe) - First, it was smoking in restaurants and bars. Then, artery-clogging trans fat in fast food joints and bakeries. Now, Boston health regulators have their crosshairs fixed on soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages sold in city buildings.

Concerned about the girth of employees and visitors to government agencies, Boston officials are weighing — gingerly — whether to restrict or even prohibit the sale of calorie-laden refreshments on city-owned property.

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FDA takes aim at cough suppressants

The feds have already limited our access to Sudafed, moving it behind the pharmacy counter and telling us how much of it we can purchase. Now the drug war may involve similar limits on Robitussin, NyQuil, and other cough suppressants.

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Roger Clemens indicted for drug denials

(Boston.com) - Former Red Sox great Roger Clemens, his legacy as imperiled as baseball's integrity by the steroid scandal, was indicted yesterday on multiple charges of lying to Congress when he denied plying himself with illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

Baseball's all-time leader with seven Cy Young Awards, William Roger Clemens was charged by a federal grand jury with one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making false statements, and two counts of perjury stemming from his sworn testimony in 2008 before a House committee investigating baseball's steroid era.

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Feds consider banning peanuts on planes

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Federal regulators are considering a snack attack on the nation's airlines that would restrict or even completely ban serving peanuts on commercial flights.

Advocates say the move would ease fears and potential harm to an estimated 1.8 million Americans who suffer from peanut allergies. Peanut farmers and food packagers, however, see it as overreaching and unfair to their legume.

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Ladies' night not all right, state says

(Minneapolis Star-Tribune) - It's a bastion of bar culture: "Ladies' Night," staged to attract female customers by cutting their drink prices and cover charges.

It's also illegal gender discrimination, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

The department charged this week that by having ladies' nights, five Twin Cities establishments denied men the right to "full and equal enjoyment" of their businesses.

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Congress urges more attention to high school concussions

WASHINGTON (AP) - Young people who suffer concussions are at greater risk of long-term physical and mental consequences, lawmakers were told Thursday at a hearing on head injuries to high school athletes.

Michelle Pelton, a former high school basketball and softball player from Swansea, Mass., related to the House Education and Labor Committee how her life had been affected by the five concussions she had sustained.

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Groups spar over car black boxes as Congress mulls auto safety bill

(Washington Post) - A proposal to equip all new cars with "black boxes" to record crash data has emerged as a key point of dispute between the industry and safety groups as Congress weighs an expansive auto safety bill.

With both sides showing support for making black boxes mandatory, their appearance in all cars in the coming years seems increasingly likely. But automakers and safety advocates disagree over the extent of the data the devices should collect and over the extent they should be able to survive the worst of crashes.

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Bill in Congress could limit direct wine shipments

LOWDEN, Wash. (AP) - Gordon and Sandee Schnell had a hard time until the state changed its rules in 2001 and allowed wineries to buy permits to ship directly to residents — one case of wine per person, per month.

But now Congress is considering legislation that could limit wineries' ability to sell and ship directly to consumers. The wholesale distributors who proposed the legislation say it will keep wine from minors, limit alcohol consumption and ensure states control sales.

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Farmers decry plan to restrict sale of unpasteurized milk

(SouthCoastToday.com) - Massachusetts is proposing a change in the state's standards and sanitation requirements for Grade A raw milk. The rule would bar out-of-town "buying clubs" from purchasing raw milk at dairy farms and then distributing it to others at home.

The measure is part of more than 300 proposed amendments, most of them formatting tweaks or changes to align the state's milk regulations with the national ones, according to Scott J. Soares, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.

The proposal that is miffing raw milk consumers and farmers is not really a change at all, he said, but rather a clarification on what is already an illegal practice.

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Bill would require black boxes in all new cars

(Washington Post) - All new cars would have to be equipped with "black boxes" that record performance data and federal safety regulators would be granted the authority to order immediate recalls under newly proposed auto-safety legislation being considered by Congress.

The draft of a bill was released Thursday by one of the House committees investigating Toyota's massive recalls for unintended acceleration in its vehicles. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House commerce committee, and Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chair of the Senate commerce committee, have said they intend to collaborate on automobile safety legislation this year.

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New Jersey imposes red decal on young drivers

(NorthJersey.com) - As of May 1, all drivers under the age of 21 who possess a special learner's permit or a probationary license must display graduated driver license decals under the new Kyleigh’s Law.

The red, removable decals have to be placed on the top left corner of both front and back license plates whenever the driver with the permit or probationary license is behind the wheel. Failure to do so may result in a $100 fine.

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23 states now ban texting while driving

(Stateline.org) - Michigan on Wednesday (April 28) became the 23rd state to ban texting while driving, while two other states, Kentucky and Nebraska, approved similar bans earlier this month, according to The Detroit News.

Governor Jennifer Granholm will sign Michigan's measure into law on Friday during a safe-driving rally in Detroit, which will be aired on the "The Oprah Winfrey Show," The News reported. Winfrey has become a vocal supporter of state laws addressing distracted driving.

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My food, my choice

Be sure to visit MyFoodMyChoice.org and sign their petition to stop the food police.