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Tuesday: Uh-Oh
posted at 2007-04-24 22:14 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
It's been one of those days on Jones St. - the kind of day when nothing much goes right for a lot of people. Here's a few of today's top "uh-oh" moments.
Hard time getting harder
Former lottery commissioner Geddings may be in for a bad day at his sentencing hearing May 7th. US District Judge James Dever says he thinks Geddings committed perjury in his courtroom, and if he finds it's true, he'll be boosting Geddings' sentence. The N&O's Andy Curliss has the rest of the story, plus a bonus link to Dever's filing.
There's clearly a pattern here. Just last week, Dever warned he's considering a higher-than-recommended sentence for former State Rep. Michael Decker. Now, it's Geddings. Any bets out there on a similar warning for former House Speaker Jim Black?
Rough morning
Not the best day for Senators Ed Jones and Janet Cowell. Both appeared this morning before the Sen Commerce Committee, only to walk away empty-handed when their bills weren't received as planned.
Ed Jones (D-Halifax) was just plain old unprepared to answer the committee's questions on his bill, while Wake Dem Janet Cowell was so fed up with the debate over her bill, she just pulled it off the table and walked away. Goodness, what's Chairman R.C. Soles eating for breakfast these days? (And thanks to NCNN's Matt WIlloughby for the tip!)
Rough afternoon
The FDA announced this afternoon that thousands of hogs in NC and four or five other states are now under quarantine because they were fed tainted rice gluten. Hogs here and in CA have tested positive for melamine. No one knows yet whether it poses any dangers to humans who ate the hogs, but the feds say they're trying to find out.
Melamine: It's what's for dinner
You know, you have to wonder (or maybe you don't, but I sure do) why it's taken the FDA this long to get this far in investigating the contamination problem. Five weeks ago, when the pet food recall started, the manufacturers admitted that the glutens in question were "food grade" - i.e., intended for the human food chain. Yet, after all this time, the FDA is just figuring that out now?
In the meantime, the agency has made little progress in finding the weak link in the supply chain -- so little that some folks are calling the FDA the new FEMA. The US House held a four-hour hearing today on the FDA's seeming inability to ensure the safety of human OR pet food - from Alpo to spinach to peanut butter. In the meantime, a lot of people are doing a lot more thinking about what they and their pets are having for dinner. Paging Homeland Security Approps cardinal David Price...
For good, up-to-date information on the pet food recall, written by actual journalists and vets, check out the blog at PetConnection. For another take on the implications for the human food chain, see David Goldstein's column today at the Huffington Post.
Rough day ahead?
Rep. Hugh Holliman's smoking ban bill is BACK on the calendar for Wed. That in itself means very little, of course - it can always be pulled off the calendar, and it wouldn't be the first time. Holliman's still battling for votes, and is apparently waiting till a few of his key allies get back from various absences.
Looking ahead
Environment North Carolina releases a new report Wednesday on deforestation in NC.
Jessica Lunsford's father makes an appearance in support of Jessica's Bill.
The smoking ban might - just might - make an appearance on the House floor.
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