"The Talk of the Town"
Police responded to a shots-fired call uptown on Saturday at about 2 a.m. They found an unconscious man and shell casings on Main Street. Investigators concluded a fight had occurred, but no one was struck by the bullets. This is the third incident of street brawls that have occurred in uptown recently, all near the vicinity of the Kornna Kitchen restaurant.
(WASHINGTON) — Voters across the country tuned in to the ABC News presidential debate on Tuesday night to see Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump discuss issues and share their visions for the country.
Many were looking to see how Harris defined herself on the debate stage, especially given that she entered the race relatively late as a presidential candidate.
Some undecided or formerly undecided voters spoke with ABC News both before and after the debate.
Before the debate, they shared what they were hoping to see — and after, if they thought Harris made the case for herself as a presidential candidate as well as their thoughts a potential second debate between Trump and Harris. These voters also previously spoke with ABC News earlier in the election cycle, including before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
Patrick O’Rourke, a retired scientist and independent voter from Georgia, said ahead of the debate that he did not trust Harris to be a “unifier” for the country.
“If I can force myself to vote for VP Harris, it will be with the hope of [split-party control between the presidency and Congress] … I hope for a president who can respect the constitution and earn the respect of our country,” he told ABC News by text.
At 10:09 p.m. ET, as the debate was still on air, he texted ABC News that he had turned off the debate.
“Former President Trump has forced me into voting for VP Harris,” he said. The reasons: because of how Trump discussed Ashli Babbit — a Trump supporter who was fatally shot during the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol — whom the former president said “was shot by an out-of-control police officer;” and after Trump promoted being endorsed by Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, who is considered an authoritarian leader.
That doesn’t mean he thinks Harris made a strong positive case or defined herself enough, though.
Asked how he felt about her performance, O’Rourke said, “Still don’t know who she is other than not Donald Trump. Right now, that’s enough.”
Many voters feel they could benefit from more information about Harris and her platforms. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that 28% of likely voters said they feel they need to still learn more about Harris, while only 9% of likely voters felt that way about Trump.
O’Rourke said on Wednesday morning that he’s also not interested in another debate.
“One is enough for this cycle. I do not need to see another debate … I don’t need the candidates telling me what the other one’s policies are,” O’Rourke said.
But he said he’d like to see interviews with the candidates where they talk about economic policy, foreign affairs and civil justice priorities.
Rebecca Bakker, a registered nursing professor who lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan, told ABC News by text ahead of the debate that she was still undecided — although she had said beforehand she was not supporting Trump.
She was hoping to hear Harris “drill down on a clear economic message,” as well as clarity from her on how she would solve foreign policy and border issues.
Bakker told ABC News after the debate that the showing solidified her decision to not vote for Trump, who did not come across to her as “presidential” or as outlining clear policies.
“I think Harris did a great job to bait him so he [would] unravel during the debate and this worked to her advantage,” she said by text, but she felt Harris was still a bit “murky” on how her positions on some issues have changed.
“I remain undecided- she didn’t sway me enough (yet) to vote for her but for sure [Trump] swayed me enough NOT to vote for him,” Bakker wrote.
Bakker said she would like another debate to see if either candidate “reframes their narrative to address specifics on policies without ‘one of them’ losing focus and returning to childish behavior,” she wrote, adding she wants to see Harris discuss the economy and border issues more directly.
“So far, I don’t have a clear idea of her plan to address these areas.”
Karen Hughes, an independent voter and retired parole and probation specialist from Nevada, had previously been undecided but had decided to begrudgingly vote for Biden before he left the race in July. Ahead of the debate, Hughes told ABC News by text she was “hoping to see some policy discussions tonight. I’m interested in hearing Trump’s (final) position on abortion, and Harris’s explanation for why she won’t ban fracking.”
The debate affirmed her choice to vote for Harris, Hughes said on Wednesday, as she felt Harris “presents as competent, positive, and very sure of herself. I felt she knew exactly to get into Trump’s head and he fell for it every time,” Hughes said — although she said she felt Harris was still unclear about the shift in her position on fracking. Hughes also criticized Trump’s invocation of “wild conspiracy theories.”
But she’s not looking for another debate: “I think this one was good enough.”
Ian Mackintosh, a voter from Pennsylvania who lives in the Pittsburgh area, also said he hoped ahead of the debate to hear about policy. On Wednesday, he told ABC News by text, “Honestly, I thought it was a complete waste of 90 minutes. If anything, it moved me away from both candidates.”
While he said he understands the challenges of going in depth on complex policy stances in two minutes, it “could have been more substantial” with “less baiting and intentionally riling up the other candidate.”
Mackintosh said he is also disillusioned by Harris’ stance on Israel and Gaza, which he feels is the same as Biden’s.
He said he would not be interested in watching a second debate, and added, “After last night’s debacle I will probably only vote down-ballot.”
Brendan Fitzsimmons, a physician from Wyoming who is a Republican but does not support Trump, told ABC News by text before the debate that he did not expect much from the candidates, “although I would enjoy it if there is a lot of entertainment to it,” he said.
Fitzsimmons admitted that going into the debate, he didn’t feel sold on Harris: “I think she’ll be a terrible president, but I hope she wins,” calling her the “lesser of two evils.”
The morning after the debate, Fitzsimmons said the night changed how he was feeling about Harris.
“I enjoyed the debate and I thought they were both fairly strong, but all in all, Harris was stronger and won the debate and I think showed to a lot of people that she can be president … I am very concerned about foreign affairs, and I think she may be OK in that way,” he told ABC News by text.
Matthew Labkovski, a Republican voter from Florida who supported former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley during the Republican presidential primaries, told ABC News by text before the debate that he hoped to see the candidates discuss policy, and not engage in personal attacks. He said Tuesday evening that he was currently not planning on voting for president.
After the debate, Labkovski said on Wednesday, “I think it actually convinced me not to vote for Donald Trump. All I saw was fear mongering from him and what seemed to be a stretching of the truth,” he said, particularly when it came to Trump’s false claims about abortion and about a false conspiracy theory over immigrants eating pets.
“I am still not convinced though with Harris, as I didn’t get enough policy with her in this debate. To be honest, I would love another debate to see if I was actually comfortable in voting for her,” he said.
Labkovski also criticized Harris’ laughter during the debate, saying that he wished she had remained more even-keeled.
He added that he would have liked her to discuss how she would implement the policies she was talking about.
“How is she going to fight inflation? How is she going to bring peace? That’s what I was hoping the debate would bring … I needed more from her to actually sway from not voting in the presidential slot.”
Would he watch another debate?
“Most definitely. Even if it might be torturous.”
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The city of Martinsville began paving the northbound lanes of Memorial Boulevard from the City Limits to Ivy Street on…
(NEW YORK) — Dozens of people across the U.S. have contracted E. coli traced to ingredients in McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday.
As a result, McDonald’s announced it has proactively removed two ingredients from stores across two impacted regions, but the company’s leadership team has assured that a majority of other menu items are not impacted, according to the CDC investigation.
What to know about McDonald’s E. coli outbreak
McDonald’s says either fresh, slivered onions or beef patties used for the Quarter Pounder may be behind the outbreak.
If onions are found to be the source of the E. coli outbreak, it would be the first time onions have ever been a carrier for this particular strain of the bacteria, company spokespeople said on Wednesday.
The spokespeople also reiterated that onions used in the Quarter Pounders, as identified by CDC tracing data, came from suppliers that also test for E. coli.
McDonald’s uses multiple suppliers for the slivered onions in the area where the outbreak cluster occurred, but all of the product has been retrieved from stock and it will not be supplying more onions until the investigation is completed.
States impacted by McDonald’s Quarter Pounder E. coli outbreak
So far, one person has died and a total of 49 people from 10 states have fallen ill with a strain known as E. coli O157:H7, which causes a severe intestinal infection in humans.
The person who died was a resident of Mesa County, Colorado, in the western part of the state, according to the county health department.
Most of the cases have been in Colorado, which has 27 reported cases, and Nebraska, which has nine reported cases, according to the CDC.
The other states are Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Ten people have been hospitalized, including a child with complications from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) — a disease that affects the kidneys.
Number of those sickened in outbreak expected to grow
The number of confirmed cases related to the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak could grow.
The CDC says the investigation is “fast-moving,” with new cases being reported on a rolling basis as the investigation connects people reported being ill and the specific strain of E. coli in this outbreak.
McDonald’s stopped selling the Quarter Pounders in the select states just recently, so there may be more cases that develop. The typical onset of symptoms is 3-4 days, and recently ill people may not be part of the current reporting as it usually takes 3-4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for E. coli.
Investigation into McDonald’s ingredients potentially responsible for illness
Every patient interviewed by the CDC said they ate at McDonald’s before falling ill and most said they ate Quarter Pounder hamburgers, specifically.
It’s not clear which ingredient is responsible for the illnesses, but CDC investigators are focused on two ingredients: fresh, slivered onions and fresh beef patties.
“Heat destroys things like bacteria and viruses but in certain cases, especially when you’re producing massive amounts of food — and you have products that are not going to undergo heat, for example, vegetables — that leads to an opportunity for contamination,” ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton explained.
McDonald’s told the CDC it has removed slivered onions and beef patties used for Quarter Pounder hamburgers from stores in the states where cases have been reported, the federal health agency said. As a result, the CDC said Quarter Pounders won’t be available for sale in some states.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, McDonald’s North America Chief Supply Chain Officer Cesar Piña said that the fast food chain believes the outbreak is linked to slivered onions “used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers.”
“As a result, and in line with our safety protocols, all local restaurants have been instructed to remove this product from their supply and we have paused the distribution of all slivered onions in the impacted area,” the statement read, in part. “We will continue to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and are committed to providing timely updates as we restore our full menu.”
“The decision to do this is not one we take lightly, and it was made in close consultation with the CDC,” Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald’s USA, said in a statement. “It’s important to note that the majority of states and the majority of menu items are not affected.”
Slivered onions may be linked to strain of E. coli for 1st time
McDonald’s said it is actively working with the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other health authorities as they investigate.
During the two-week period in which cases were reported, from Sept. 27 to Oct. 11, the fast food chain sells about 1 million Quarter Pounders, making tracing the outbreak complicated, according to company spokespeople.
Because contamination was not linked to a single restaurant, it likely means the outbreak was not caused by the preparation and handling of the food and was likely higher up the chain, the spokespeople said.
If beef patties are behind the contamination, it would mean restaurants failed to cook the food properly to the standard of 175F. However, the slivered onions topping, which are uncooked, are processed at a facility and then sent to McDonald’s.
The company spokespeople said if the slivered onions are identified as the culprit, it would be the first time onions would be a carrier for the O157:H7 strain of E. coli.
McDonald’s said they believe only Quarter Pounders are affected and that case numbers would be much higher if other products were associated with the outbreak.
Currently, one-fifth of McDonald’s stores are not selling Quarter Pounders. Local restaurants customers know if their location is not serving Quarter Pounders, otherwise the product is available, the spokespeople said.
What to know about E. coli symptoms, recovery
Although most E. coli bacteria are harmless and are part of a healthy intestinal tract, some strains of the bacteria can make people sick, according to the CDC.
E. coli symptoms often begin three to four days after ingesting the bacteria and include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea that may be bloody and vomiting.
Most people recover on their own within five to seven days, but some people may develop HUS and require hospitalization.
The CDC urges those who are experiencing severe E. coli symptoms and recently ate a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder to contact their health care provider immediately.
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