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New USDA rule strengthens integrity of foods labeled ‘organic’

January 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Starting in March, a new rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will go into effect for foods labeled organic.

The agency announced an update to the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations in an effort to crack down on fraud and further enforce the production, handling and sale of organic products to help boost consumer trust.

The rule comes in response to “industry requests for updates to the USDA organic regulations, and addresses National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendations,” the USDA said in an press release on Wednesday.

“Protecting and growing the organic sector and the trusted USDA organic seal is a key part of the USDA Food Systems Transformation initiative,” Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said in a statement.

Moffit added that the “Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule is the biggest update to the organic regulations since the original Act in 1990, providing a significant increase in oversight and enforcement authority to reinforce the trust of consumers, farmers, and those transitioning to organic production.”

SOE helps protect “organic integrity,” the USDA explained, by supporting farmers and consumers through upholding “strong organic control systems, improving farm to market traceability, increasing import oversight authority, and providing robust enforcement of the organic regulations.”

Below is a snapshot of the key updates, according to the USDA:

Requiring certification of more of the businesses, like brokers and traders, at critical links in organic supply chains.
Requiring NOP Import Certificates for all organic imports.
Requiring organic identification on nonretail containers.
Increasing authority for more rigorous on-site inspections of certified operations.
Requiring uniform qualification and training standards for organic inspectors and certifying agent personnel
Requires standardized certificates of organic operation.
Requires additional and more frequent reporting of data on certified operations.
Creates authority for more robust recordkeeping, traceability practices, and fraud prevention procedures.
Specify certification requirements for producer groups.

This rule could impact USDA-accredited certifying agents, organic inspectors, certified organic operations, operations considering organic certification, businesses that import or trade organic products, and retailers that sell organic products, the agency said.

Companies will have a year to comply with the new requirements, which officially take effect March 20, 2023.

Six, sensei: ‘Cobra Kai’ ending with “biggest season yet”

January 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Netflix has given the greenlight to a sixth and final season of its hit Karate Kid spinoff, Cobra Kai.

The streamer dropped a teaser to that end on Friday.

The show, which stars and is executive produced by original Karate Kid leads Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, has been one of Netflix’s top performers since coming to the streaming service in 2020 after two seasons on its original home, YouTube.

“The training, the tournaments, the rivalries, the lessons,” Macchio’s Danny says in voice-over as a montage plays of chop-socky action from the previous seasons. “It hasn’t always been smooth, but after all this time, we built something together to be proud of.”

Zabka, as Johnny, replies off camera: “So lemme ask you: You have one more fight left in you?”

In a posted message to fans, creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg said, “Our day one goal with Cobra Kai has always been to end it on our terms, leaving the Valley in the time and place we’ve always imagined. So it is with immense pride and thankfulness that we were able to announce that achievement.”

They called it their “humble honor” to reacquaint “the world with the Karate Kid universe.”

They added, “While this may be a bittersweet day for the fandom, the Miyagiverse has never been stronger. This fandom is the BEST on the planet, and we hope to be telling more Karate Kid stories with you down the line.”

They added, “In the meantime, strap in for the BIGGEST SEASON OF COBRA KAI YET.”

Fall Out Boy promoting new album with performance at NHL All-Star game, fan scavenger hunt

January 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Fall Out Boy has just announced a pretty cool gig. Well, actually it’s probably going to be pretty cold … at least inside. The band has been confirmed to play the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game on February 4 in Sunrise, Florida.

FOB will headline the game’s second intermission. They’re expected to perform new music, including new single “Love From The Other Side,” from their upcoming album, So Much (For) Stardust, dropping March 24.

The performance will be aired live as part of the game’s broadcast on ABC, which begins at 3 p.m. ET.

Meanwhile, Fall Out Boy seems to also be promoting their new album with a sort of scavenger hunt. A post on social media shows the band left a package for fans to find, with the caption “if you build it, they will come… (tag us if found),” along with a set of coordinates.

Based on responses from fans, the package was left at the Iowa house featured in the movie Field of Dreams. It was later found by a fan named Ethan, who revealed it was a seashell that read “2 of 13.” An accompanying note said, “Heartbreak Feels So Good,” with the date January 25, 2023, suggesting it’s the second track on the album with what could possibly be the release date.

Illinois paramedics plead not guilty to first-degree murder charges

January 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — Two Illinois paramedics accused of killing a patient last month pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges on Friday, court records show.

Peter J. Cadigan, 50, and Peggy Jill Finley, 45, appeared in the Sangamon County Courthouse in Springfield Friday for a preliminary hearing. They entered their pleas after the judge found probable cause exists for the charges. A pre-trial hearing was set for Feb. 6 and the two were remanded to custody. They are being held in the Sangamon County Jail on $1 million bonds.

The court proceedings come a day after the family of the victim — 35-year-old Earl Moore Jr. — filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Cadigan, Finley and their employer, LifeStar Ambulance Service, over what the family’s attorney described as “barbaric” actions.

“We filed a wrongful death lawsuit this morning because we want to make sure this family gets whole justice, not just partial justice,” prominent civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who is representing Moore’s family, told reporters during a press conference on Thursday. “They treated him so inhumanely. I guess they said Earl didn’t matter. But Earl matters.”

The paramedics were responding to a call for assistance with a man “suffering from hallucinations due to alcohol withdrawal” at a residence in Springfield on Dec. 18, 2022, just after 2 a.m. local time, according to a press release from the Springfield Police Department. The police officers on scene were wearing body cameras, and video from that night was released last week by the Sangamon County States Attorney’s Office.

In the video, Finley can be heard yelling at a Black man on the floor — who identified himself as Moore — to “sit up” and “quit acting stupid.” She is also heard telling Moore, “We ain’t carrying you,” and, “I am seriously not in the mood for this dumb [stuff],” using an expletive in her remark. Eventually, as the video shows, the officers on scene help Moore walk outside to where an ambulance and a stretcher await him. Finley and Cadigan are then seen strapping the patient onto the stretcher in what police called “a prone position,” or lying facedown.

The officers attempted to provide Moore care after the paramedics “acted indifferently to the patient’s condition,” according to police.

“The officers took steps to assist the patient, to get him the care he needed, even waiting on the scene to ensure the medical personnel loaded the patient into the ambulance,” the Springfield Police Department said in its press release last week. “The officers, who are not emergency medical professionals, are not trained nor equipped to provide the necessary medical treatment or to transport patients in this type of situation.”

Moore died after he was transported to a local hospital, according to police.

The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that Moore suffered as he “slowly suffocated,” according to personal injury lawyer Bob Hilliard, who is also representing Moore’s family.

“He was not suffering from a life-threatening medical condition — he was suffering from a medical condition. The life-threatening part was during the transportation,” Hilliard told reporters at Thursday’s press conference. “Earl truly did, for those three minutes as his life faded away, suffered unimaginably.”

ABC News has reached out to the respective attorneys for Cadigan and Finley for comment.

A representative for LifeStar Ambulance Service told ABC News last week that the company had “no comment” regrading the ongoing investigation into the incident. ABC News has since reached out again for comment.

Moore’s family — including his mother, three sisters and niece — spoke out during Thursday’s press conference, wearing shirts and pins in his honor.

“Since my brother was killed it’s like a piece of me has gone with him,” Moore’s sister, Chatara Moore, told reporters. “Siblings are usually the people in life that understand each other best. His joy was my joy, and his pain was also mine.”

Moore’s young niece, Astar Wright, also spoke, saying: “I miss him and I love him so much.”

Moore’s mother, Rose Washington, said she hopes they can prevent another family from going through what they have endured.

“These workers treated him like he wasn’t even human. They tied him down like some kind of animal,” Washington told reporters. “My baby suffocated because of their actions.”

Teresa Haley, president of the Springfield branch of the NAACP, said watching the body camera footage reminded her of George Floyd, the unarmed 46-year-old Black man who died in handcuffs while being pinned under the knee of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020.

“They literally threw his hands behind and strapped him down. He couldn’t move if he wanted to and he’s facedown,” Haley said at a press conference last week. “They did not show any compassion whatsoever to this individual. He should be alive today.”

ABC News’ Victoria Arancio, Matt Foster, Teddy Grant and Ben Stein contributed to this report.

CBP seeing rise in attempts to bring eggs across southwest border

January 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it has seen an increase in eggs being brought across the border — a practice it said is technically illegal.

The price of eggs has been skyrocketing — up 60% in December the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says, with the average price of a dozen at $4.25.

Much of that increase is due to widespread bird flu — and CBP said people are attempting to transport eggs “because they are significantly less expensive in Mexico than the U.S.”

“The San Diego Field Office has recently noticed an increase in the number of eggs intercepted at our ports of entry,” Director of Field Operations for the San Diego Sector, Jennifer De La O said. “As a reminder, uncooked eggs are prohibited entry from Mexico into the U.S. Failure to declare agriculture items can result in penalties of up to $10,000.”

CBP spokesperson Roger Maier said this is being seen at other locations as well.

“This is also occurring with added frequency at other southwest border locations as well,” he said.

CBP said that when people declare eggs at the southwest border the eggs are confiscated but the people are not charged.

“CBP agriculture specialists will collect and then then destroy the eggs (and other prohibited food/ag products) as is the routine course of action,” Maier said in a statement to ABC News. “There have been a very small number of cases in the last week or so where the eggs were not declared and then discovered during an inspection. When that happens the eggs are seized and the individual is assessed a $300 civil penalty. Penalties can be higher for repeat offenders or commercial size imports.”

Animal shelter names puppies after Taylor Swift songs following “generous” donation

January 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Taylor Swift was the inspiration for the names of several adorable four-legged friends up for adoption in Tennessee. The Williamson County Animal Center received a “generous donation” from the singer, so they named four mixed-breed puppies after her music.

The Franklin, Tennessee, rescue shared photos of the four black-and-white puppies, who are 3 months old, and revealed they were named Carolina, Bejeweled, Midnight Rain and Willow.

“We recently received a generous donation from legendary singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. While all Swifties know Taylor loves cats, we hope she won’t mind that we named our newest adoptable puppies after her songs,” they said on Facebook.

Midnight Rain and Willow have already found loving homes. The rescue believes it won’t be long before their sisters find their forever families. The shelter invited anyone interested in adopting Carolina and Bejewled to submit an application on their website.

“We are very grateful for Taylor’s support of our shelter, which serves the pets of Williamson County through adoption, spay & neuter, enforcement, microchips, rabies clinics, and paw pantry,” the post ended.

This isn’t the first time a shelter animal was named after Taylor. Last month, the Beth’s Furry Friends shelter in New York City revealed they named a special needs kitten after her because she made a “sizable donation … to help save more lives.”

The kitten’s name was Angel Taylor.

Jethro Tull releasing new album, ‘RökFlöte,’ in April

January 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Jethro Tull is back with new music. The band just announced that their 23rd studio album, RökFlöte, will drop April 21. The record is Ian Anderson and the band’s follow-up to 2022’s The Zealot Gene, which was their first new release in two decades.

A post on Instagram reveals that the 12-track record is “based on the characters and roles of some of the principle gods of the old Norse paganism,” noting it also explores “‘RökFlöte’ – rock flute – which Jethro Tull has made iconic.”

The album is being released in a variety of formats, including two limited deluxe editions featuring bonus material, an in-depth interview with Anderson and more. All formats are now available for preorder.

The band has also shared the first single from the album, “Ginnungagap,” which is inspired by the god Ymir, “who was born from venom that dripped from the icy rivers called the Élivágar and lived in the grassless void of Ginnungagap.”

Here’s the RökFlöte track list:

“Voluspo”
“Ginnungagap”
“Allfather”
“The Feathered Consort”
“Hammer On Hammer”
“Wolf Unchained”
“The Perfect One”
“Trickster (And The Mistletoe)”
“Cornucopia”
“The Navigators”
“Guardian’s Watch”
“Ithavoll”

In deposition, Trump mistook rape accuser E. Jean Carroll for his 2nd wife

January 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump momentarily mistook a woman who has accused him of rape for his second wife during a legal deposition, a newly released transcript shows, raising possible questions about the viability of Trump’s defense in a defamation lawsuit brought by the accuser.

Trump has denied knowing the accuser, former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, who alleges that Trump attacked her in the dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman luxury department store in the 1990s.

Carroll claims Trump defamed her in 2019 when, during his presidency, he denied her rape claim by calling her a liar and saying “she’s not my type.” However, when Trump was shown a black and white photograph during an October deposition by Carroll’s attorney, a newly unsealed transcript shows that he mistook Carroll for his second wife, Marla Maples.

“I don’t even know the woman. I don’t know who — it’s Marla,” Trump said upon seeing the 1990s photo of him and Carroll, according to the transcript.

“You’re saying Marla is in this photo?” asked Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan.

“That’s Marla, yeah. That’s my wife,” replied Trump.

Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, quickly corrected him, saying “No, that’s Carroll,” according to the transcript.

“Oh, I see,” Trump said.

A different portion of the transcript shows Trump called Carroll a “whack job,” among other insults, as he vehemently denied the rape accusation.

“She made up the story. It’s a total lie. She knows it. She did it to sell a book, I guess, or something,” Trump said during the October 2022 deposition.

Trump has sought to have the U.S. government substitute for him as the defendant, a position that the Justice Department under President Joe Biden has continued to support. However for that to occur, the D.C. Court of Appeals must decide that Trump was acting within the bounds of his employment as president when he allegedly defamed Carroll.

The substitution of the United States for Trump would end the case since the federal government cannot be sued for defamation.

Carroll filed a second lawsuit against Trump in November alleging defamation and battery.

Rival Sons release new single “Rapture,” share more details about new albums

January 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Rival Sons is giving fans a new taste of their upcoming album. The band just dropped the new tune “Rapture,” from their upcoming Darkfighter, which is now being released June 2^,instead of the initially announced March 10 release date.

But that’s not all. The band is also set to release a companion album, Lightbringer, later this year.

“In comparison to our previous records, we certainly took our time both writing and recording this collection,” singer Jay Buchanan shares. “When we set out, the intention was mostly to dig as deep as possible. Even in the beginning before the body had formed, we agreed to throw the map away and chop our way through the woods to make a new path. Then lockdown hit and it felt like the whole damn country decided to throw the map away too.”

He adds that once they were finished recording, ”there were really two different sides to the same story being told, so splitting it in two was the only way to do it.”

Both albums, which are the first new releases from Rival Sons since 2019’s Feral Roots, were produced by the band’s longtime collaborator Dave Cobb. So far no release date for Lightbringer has been announced.

And fans will be able to hear some of this new music on the road. Rival Sons is getting ready to head out on tour, with a trek that begins February 16 in Knoxville, Tennessee. A full list of live dates can be found on the band’s website.

Ian Hunter announces new album Defiance Part 1 featuring all-star special guests

January 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Ian Hunter is getting ready to release a new album, and he’s lined up some big-name artists to join him on it.

The Mott The Hoople frontman will release the new album Defiance Part 1 on April 21, featuring a star-studded list of guests, including the late Jeff Beck, the late Foo Fighers drummer Taylor Hawkins, ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash and Duff McKagan, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Stone Temple Pilots’ Dean and Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz, Johnny Depp and Billy Bob Thornton. The album is available for preorder now.

“It was a fluke,” Hunter says of his A-list guests. “This was not planned. Really, I’m serious. I really couldn’t believe some of them. I mean, it’s amazing what’s happened. It’s been such a buzz.”

Ian is giving fans the first taste of the record with the new single “Bed of Roses,” which features two other pretty huge names in the rock world: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ guitarist Mike Campbell and Beatle Ringo Starr on drums.

And fans can look forward to even more music and more guests. As the title suggests, Defiance Part 1 will be followed by Defiance Part 2, which will also feature some big-name collaborators.

As for the title of the record, the 83-year-old Hunter notes, “There are a lot of reasons for calling this album Defiance. It’s like, people my age shouldn’t be making records, blah, blah, blah. But we’ve still got a bit left.”

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