■ UNITED STATES
Giant pumpkin wins contest
A gigantic pumpkin weighing in at 697kg on Saturday broke California state records at a quirky festival celebrating the humble squash. The pumpkin came all the way from Port Alberni, Canada, and crushed the competition at the Giant Pumpkin and Harvest Festival in Elk Grove, California, ABC news reported. The pumpkin was grown by Jake van Kooten and transported from its Canadian island home by ferry. Elk Grove held its first harvest festival 14 years ago. This year’s theme was “The Giant Pumpkin Party,” a play on the Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party. “We’re having fun with democracy,” festival director Kristyn Staby told the Sacramento Bee.
■ UNITED STATES
Chicken dinners sicken 32
The government is urging consumers to thoroughly cook frozen chicken dinners after 32 people in 12 states were sickened with salmonella poisoning. The health warning by the Department of Agriculture cited frozen dishes in which the chicken is raw, but breaded or pre-browned, giving the appearance of being cooked. The agriculture agency said many of the people who became ill did not follow the package’s cooking instructions and microwaved the dishes. Microwaving did not heat the meals enough to kill the salmonella. The department said consumers should heat chicken products to an internal temperature of 74ºC.
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