Over 500 People Ill After Taste Of Chicago

How Ironic. Over 500 people are sick after a poisoning outbreak at Taste of Chicago.

As of noon today, 529 people had called claiming symptoms of salmonella poisoning, according to a news release.

Fifty cases have been confirmed as salmonellosis. Of the 50, 36 have been identified as salmonella heidelberg, one of the more common forms of salmonella poisoning in the United States, the release said.

Seventeen people have been hospitalized.

Officials said the pace of reported illnesses has slowed since they first went public with the outbreak last week and encouraged anyone with symptoms to report them.

Officials said last week they had determined that at least one—and perhaps the only—source of the bacterial poisoning was a dish of hummus with herbs, tomato and cucumber and ordered Pars Cove to stop serving hummus while a full investigation proceeds.

Officials have also cautioned that the outbreak may not be as widespread as it seems, as symptoms cannot be tied to salmonella without laboratory testing.

Let it be documented that if any of you reading ever want to invite me to this event, I now have a way out - a reference to this article.

More than 500 illnesses reported after Taste Of Chicago  [Chicago Tribune via Consumerist]

Police: Fake Officer Stops Real One

“Are you the police?” “No, ma’am, we’re musicians.”

Another crime that can humiliate you before you get arrested. Ask Robert Lane.

BOHEMIA, N.Y. — There were flashing lights atop his SUV and what appeared to be a police badge in his hand, but it was the man he tried to pull over who was the real police detective.

Robert Lane, 25, was arrested Tuesday on charges of criminal impersonation and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, Suffolk County police said.

Lane was driving an SUV fitted with flashing lights when he tried to stop the off-duty New York police detective on a highway on Long Island, Suffolk police said. They said Lane told investigators the detective had cut him off.

The detective got suspicious when Lane drove up alongside him, identified himself as an officer and flashed a small police badge, Suffolk police said.

Oops.

Associated Press - 7/11/07 [via Dvorak]