4A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY BABY LONDON
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19.2006
》 HEALTH
Spinach linked to E.coli infection
No cases reported in Kansas but local businesses affected by outbreak
BY ANNA FALTERMEIER
Don't plan to order the Spinach Veggie Wrap any time soon at Jason's Deli.
Grocery stores and restaurants nationwide pulled fresh spinach off of shelves and menus after the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning Sept. 14 about an outbreak of E. coli in the leafy vegetable.
One person has died and 109 have become ill from E. coli infection linked to this outbreak.
John Baranski, general manager of Jason's Deli, 3140 Iowa St., said he received a letter from corporate headquarters before the restaurant opened Friday telling the restaurant to throw away all of its spinach.
This leaves the restaurant with one type of lettuce instead of the usual three. Both baby spinach and a spring mix were thrown away because the spring mix had baby spinach in it. Customers will now have to settle for romaine.
Baranski said customers had been understanding. "Most everybody had heard about it," he said.
E. coli infections have been confirmed in 19 states. There have been no confirmed cases in Kansas, but stores and businesses are playing it safe and getting rid of all fresh spinach and items containing fresh spinach.
Frozen and canned spinach were not affected.
Jennie McCartt, food department
manager at Target, 3201 S. Iowa St., said there had been several recalls in the past, but she couldn't remember one this big.
According to the FDA, E. coli causes diarrhea, often with bloody stools. It can cause kidney failure in some individuals, usually the young or elderly.
McCart said Target was refunding all fresh spinach items, with or without a receipt. The store is ordering other kinds of salad to make up for those thrown out.
The states affected so far are California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, NewMexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington,
Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The FDA advises people who think they may be ill after eating fresh spinach to seek medical attention.
Natural Selection Foods recalled the following brands of spinach products: Farmer's Market, Hy-Vee and Fresh and Easy. These include both spinach and salads with spinach mixed in.
Kansan staff writer Anna Faltermeier can be contacted at afaltermeier@kansan.com.
— Edited by Aly Barland
Wednesday, September 20,12-5 pm Kansas Union Ballroom www.ecc.ku.edu
》 ACTIVITIES
BY ERIN CASTANEDA
Naturalization ceremony begins involvement week
Suzy Lerdahl left Korea more than a decade ago as a single mother with no prospects. She found herself without prospects in the United States as well until a family from Fort Leavenworth took her in.
After graduating from the University of Kansas she had trouble finding a job, but her prospects may be looking up after Monday.
Barbara Ballard, Dole Institute associate director for outreach, said the ceremony was one of the most touching ceremonies she had seen.
The ceremony was part of the University's Constitution Day and Civic Engagement Week celebration. The Constitution Day event is held every year on Sept. 17 to honor the signing of the Constitution on the same date in 1787. Federally funded institutions became required to educate their students about the Constitution each year after the Consolidated Appropriations Bill passed in 2004.
Lerdahl and about 80 others became U.S. citizens at a naturalization ceremony Monday at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics.
She said most of the people gave up their allegiances to their countries because very few other countries allowed dual citizenship with the United States. The fourth-annual naturalization ceremony was held by the United States District Court of Kansas.
"It's very moving, especially when they stand and raise their hand and take the oath," Ballard said. "The oath of the United States is unbelievable."
Naturalization takes anywhere from seven to 10 years. Applicants must be 21 years old before they can apply for citizenship and many of them are older, including some professors. Ballard said several countries were represented.
The naturalization ceremony was not the only Civic Engagement Week event held Monday.
About 20 students — along with others in the nation — simultaneously recited the Preamble to the Constitution on Wescoe Beach Monday afternoon. Kathleen McClusky-Fawcett, senior vice provost, led the recitation with Jason Boots, student body president, and Melissa Horen, student body vice president. Members of the Civic Engagement Council handed out copies of the Preamble.
Boots said that the constitution was important to everyone in the United States and that it was not something most people thought about every day.
"People probably haven't recited the Preamble since they were in grade school," he said. "It's good to get a fresh reminder of what's going on."
Football fans are invited to recite the Preamble to the Constitution before the game at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Preamble will be displayed on the Megavision at Memorial Stadium and Chancellor Robert Hemenway will lead the recitation.
Elizabeth Berghout, University carillonneur, will ring the bells in the Campanile and the Marching Jayhawks will play the national anthem afterward.
Other Civic Engagement Week events include voter registration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. all week on Wesco Beach and a panel discussion about judicial independence at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Dole Institute.
Kansan staff writer Erin Castaneda can be contacted at ecastaneda@ kansan.com.
Edited by Dianne Smith