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E. coli linked to cheddar cheese made with raw milk sickens 7 in the US

<block>At least seven people in three states, including young children, have been sickened by E. coli food poisoning linked to cheddar cheese made from raw milk, federal health officials said Monday. California-based Raw Farm made the cheese that is the “likely source” of the outbreak, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, though no Raw Farm products have tested positive for E. coli during the outbreak period, the FDA noted.Illnesses were reported between September 2025 and mid-February, the agency said. Five cases were reported in California and one each in Florida and Texas. More than half of the illnesses were in children aged 3 or younger. Two people were hospitalized. The FDA recommended that Raw Farm voluntarily remove its raw cheese products from sale, but the company has declined. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged consumers to “consider not eating” the products. Mark McAfee, owner of Raw Farm, said he refused to recall the products because investigators have not definitively linked them to any illnesses. “They have found no pathogens in any of our products,” McAfee said in an interview. He disputed the FDA’s findings that the cases were genetically linked and said that the announcement of the outbreak was premature. The FDA said interviews with three people who got sick found that all three reported eating Raw Farm brand raw milk cheddar cheese. Analysis of samples from sick patients showed that the E. coli isolates that caused their infections were closely genetically related, investigators found. Officials are working to gather information from the additional four cases. The investigation is continuing to determine the source of contamination and whether additional products are linked to illnesses. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. </block>

5 arrested, 800 grams of narcotics seized in Olympic Peninsula drug bust

During the execution of a search warrant on a vehicle containing Karns’ luggage, detectives recovered a large quantity of fentanyl, a digital scale with residue, documentation of drug sales, a 9mm pistol, and a bolt-action shotgun.Karns is prohibited from possessing firearms due to previous felony convictions, including taking a motor vehicle without permission, burglary, and felony assault.Karns was booked into the Clallam County Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance wit

Gas prices top $5 in several Washington counties as state average nears all-time high

The price per gallon in Washington is the third highest in the nation.Across the greater Seattle area, the average price per gallon of regular gas is $5.114, nearly 38% higher than the national average.RELATED STORIESNorthbound I‑405 reopens early in Bothell amid major corridor upgradesNew Houston chicken restaurant opening in Seattle with free food, $1K challengeSeattle SuperSonics return takes major step forward with potential NBA vote next weekWashington counties’ gas pricesAverage gas prices

Pope Leo will accept the Liberty Medal in a remote broadcast from Rome

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pope Leo XIV will accept the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia on the eve of July 4 in a remote broadcast from Rome but won’t travel to the U.S. during its 250th birthday celebrations this year.Leo, the first American pope, will instead spend the Fourth of July on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, the arrival point for many desperate migrants trying to reach Europe from Africa.He will be honored on Independence Mall on July 3 for “his lifelong work promoting religious liberty and

Trump says chief of staff Susie Wiles has breast cancer but will keep working through treatment

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer but will continue working during her treatment, President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Monday.Trump said Wiles’ prognosis is “excellent” and described her as “one of the strongest people I know.” He said Wiles plans to begin treatment immediately but made no suggestion she was pulling back on her work as one of his closest advisers.“During the treatment period, she will be sp

K-9 Asher recovers handgun after Walmart shoplifting arrest in Yelm

During a search of the suspect, law enforcement found a fully loaded handgun magazine. RELATED STORIESHit-and-run suspect arrested months after Yelm crash that killed dog, injured pedestrianFleeing driver killed in multi-vehicle crash during Yelm police pursuitGirl denied bathroom after getting visible period in class at Yelm Middle SchoolK‑9 Asher helps recover firearm after Yelm shoplifting arrestExpecting the suspect may have ditched the gun during the chase, officers called in a Thurston Cou

Grenade found inside Richland home prompts bomb squad response

What appeared to be a grenade was found inside a Richland home on Saturday, prompting a bomb squad response to safely remove the device.At approximately 1:30 p.m., the Richland Police Department (RPD) was called to the 1000 block of Smith Avenue after the caller and her mother found the grenade while cleaning out their relative’s house, RPD announced.The grenade was located inside a drawer and later moved to the front yard. RPD established a safety perimeter around the residence and awaite

UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina, all No. 1 seeds, top final AP Top 25 before March Madness

<block>UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina were the top four teams in the final regular-season Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 released Monday, matching the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament that begins this week.The No. 1 Huskies were the overall top seed in the NCAA bracket announced Sunday night. The team that was No. 1 in the poll heading into March Madness has won the NCAA championship 17 times out of 43 early March polls dating to 1982, the first year of the women’s tournament.The AP has done a final poll after the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons so there is one more poll this season on April 6.The No. 2 Bruins picked up one more first place vote this week, giving them three from the 31-member national media panel. UConn received the other 28. With so few games last week that involved ranked teams — only UConn and Princeton played and both won — the Top 25 didn’t change much from the week before.LSU, Vanderbilt, Iowa and Duke followed No. 3 Texas and No. 4 South Carolina. Michigan and West Virginia rounded out the top 10 teams. All will host NCAA Tournament games this weekend. West Virginia flipped places with Ohio State, moving up to No. 11. <hl2>Conference supremacy</hl2>The SEC has the most teams in the Top 25 with eight. The Big Ten is next with seven. The Big 12 and ACC each have four. The Ivy League and Big East each have one.<hl2>Games of the week</hl2>The NCAA Tournament opens with First Four games taking place on Wednesday and Thursday.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-baseketball</block>

Trump suggests he may delay China trip as he pressures Beijing for help with Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is suggesting he may delay his much-anticipated visit to China at the end of the month as he seeks to ramp up the pressure on Beijing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and calm oil prices that have soared during the Iran war. In an interview Sunday with the Financial Times, Trump said China’s reliance on oil from the Middle East means it ought to help with a new coalition he is trying to put together to get oil tanker traffic moving through the st

The Latest: Trump calls for allies to help reopen Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump said that he has demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, as Iranian strikes continued to rain down on Gulf countries early Monday.Dubai International Airport — the world’s busiest — suspended operations after a drone struck a fuel tank, starting a fire. Authorities said it was quickly contained and no injuries were reported.Tehran has accused the United States of using “ports, docks and hideouts” in the United Arab Emirates to

Closing arguments set in trial of Utah children’s book author charged with killing her husband

Lauber said in early interviews that she never dealt the synthetic opioid but later said she did after investigators informed her that Eric Richins died of a fentanyl overdose, the defense noted.The housekeeper was already in a drug court program as an alternative to incarceration on other charges when authorities arrested her in connection with the Richins case, investigators said. She had also violated some conditions of drug court.The defense showed a video of law enforcement warning Lauber t

Ex-funeral home owner faces 20 in prison after giving families fake ashes

In August, she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and admitted that she and her ex-husband Jon Hallford cheated customers and also defrauded the federal government out of nearly $900,000 in pandemic small business aid.Carie Hallford decided to get a divorce after she was put back in jail in her state case in November 2024, which put her out of reach from her husband’s constant calls and texts and allowed the “fog in her mind from the years of abuse” to lift, according

3,800 workers are set to strike Monday at one of the nation’s largest meatpacking plants

It also follows the January closure of a meatpacking plant in Lexington, Nebraska, which was expected to ripple through the local economy and community.At the Greeley plant, the company tried to intimidate workers to quit the union in one-on-one meetings, union general counsel Matt Shechter said.Cordova said 99% of workers voted to authorize the strike. No formal negotiations took place over the weekend after the company refused a union request to negotiate on Saturday, Shechter said.JBS USA sai

Severe storms pummel parts of US with snow and high winds and raise tornado threat

After firing up Sunday, the storms were crossing the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys.The storm threat was expected to enter the Appalachians, then move toward the East Coast, where “severe thunderstorms with widespread damaging winds and several tornadoes” were expected, the service said.A stretch from parts of South Carolina to Maryland appeared most likely to experience the greatest damaging winds Monday afternoon, the weather service said. That could include Raleigh, North Carolina, R

Republicans resist calls for Iran war hearings, creating a new standoff with Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States’ war with Iran is entering its third week, but Congress has yet to publicly test the Trump administration’s case for the conflict.Republicans in Congress have so far side-stepped public debate over the war, even as Senate Democrats reach for every tool at their disposal to demand hearings with Trump administration officials. Increasingly frustrated, Democrats are threatening this week to force a series of votes on the war, hoping that the effort to gum u

State Route 410, the road to Crystal Mountain, reopens after a two-day closure

(Photo: WSDOT)Road crews also plowed 62 miles of snow from the highway’s pavement.The closure lasted just over 48 hours.WSDOT released this statement following the highway’s reopening:We know closures like this are frustrating, and we understand it may not always be obvious why reopening can’t happen sooner. But safety always comes first, for the public and for the crews working in unstable conditions. Now that the road is once again safe for travel, it has reopened.” 

Woman and two young children in SUV rescued from chilly lake near Shelton

A rescue operation may have saved three lives… after a woman and two young children in an S-U-V plunged into an icy-cold lake in Mason County Saturday.911 callers reported an S-U-V had gone down a boat ramp at Lake Isabella, near Shelton.Deputies arrived and found the vehicle.It came to rest about 25 yards from shore.They say a female driver and two young kids were inside.Deputies immediately launched rescue efforts.A passerby who saw what was going on also jumped in the water to help.They

Duke, with Cameron Boozer and an 11-game winning streak, takes top overall seed for March Madness

<block>Duke is the top overall seed for this year’s NCAA Tournament, bringing an 11-game winning streak, a 32-2 record and player-of-the-year favorite Cameron Boozer into the three-week hoops free-for-all known as March Madness. The Blue Devils received top billing in the 68-team bracket released Sunday, a predictable result for a team that won its 24th conference title over the weekend and is listed by the BetMGM Sportsbook at 10-3 to win its sixth national championship. That was actually a tad behind Michigan, listed as the 13-4 favorite and expected to later receive a No. 1 seed as the bracket trickled out on Selection Sunday. Arizona and Florida were the other teams expected to receive top seeding for the tournament that starts Tuesday and ends at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4-6.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball</block>

As Trump pushes deportations, immigration data becomes harder to find

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration likes to promote its immigration enforcement agenda through numbers, with ambitious goals to deport 1 million people, report zero releases at the U.S.-Mexico border and arrest thousands of alleged gang members.For all the boasting, the administration has been releasing less reliable, carefully vetted data than its predecessors on a signature policy that has become one of the most contentious of Trump’s second term.The gap in information and a loss

Grab your camera: UW cherry blossoms to reach peak bloom this week

Seattle’s most beloved sign of spring is just days away.Researchers predict the University of Washington’s (UW) famous cherry blossoms will reach peak bloom on March 20, according to a post by UW News.The 29 pink trees reach peak bloom when 70% of the blossoms have opened, but the week before and after are still great times to visit, UW News noted.Cherry blossom trees are a true indicator of spring, as they accumulate chilling units closer to winter and heating units closer to spring