McDonald’s testing plant-based Beyond Meat burger at select locations
McDonald’s will begin testing a Beyond Meat burger, giving the plant-based meat craze a major endorsement.
The P.L.T. (plant, lettuce, tomato) burger will go on sale in 28 McDonald’s locations in Southwestern Ontario, including Canada’s largest city, Toronto, for a limited time. The 12-week test will begin Monday.
Beyond Meat’s stock shot up 11.5% on Thursday. Some food industry insiders had speculated that McDonald’s could partner with Nestle to bring a vegan burger to market in North America. Nestle made McDonald’s vegan burger, the Big Vegan TS, in Germany, one of McDonald’s top 5 international markets.
McDonald’s said it is testing the P.L.T. because of customers’ growing interest in plant-based alternatives. The company said it’s still in “learning mode,” so it will review the test’s results before adding the Beyond Meat burger elsewhere.
The plant-based protein trend is growing rapidly as people try to eat less meat and to reduce their environmental footprints. Unlike veggie burgers, which long had a mediocre reputation, the new plant-based proteins are designed to look and taste like meat and appeal to meat eaters as well as vegans and vegetarians.
McDonald’s has been slower than its competitors in embracing the meatless trend. Burger King sells Impossible Whoppers to all of its US locations and Tim Horton’s sells variations of Beyond Meat-based sandwiches in select Canadian markets. White Castle, Qdoba, Bareburger and others, are selling plant-based menu items as well.
So far, McDonald’s plant-based burger sales have been limited. Two years ago, the company announced it would sell a McVegan burger, made with a soy patty, in Finland and Sweden. McDonald’s partnered with a specialty Norwegian food company called Orkla on that earlier product. The chain also offers veggie burgers on some menus, depending on local demand.
For McDonald’s, the decision isn’t as easy because it has struggled with a complex menu that has angered franchises and slowed down service. CEO Steve Easterbrook previously said that the company has to weigh whether adding plant-based menu options is “worth it.”
The P.L.T. will be served on a toasted bun with the usual array of toppings, including lettuce, onions and tomatoes. McDonald’s will charge $6.49 Canadian ($5 US). Cheese is also optional.
Beyond Meat’s stock surged nearly 600% after it went public in June, but it has faded in recent weeks over fears it was overvalued. Still, shares are up more than 400% since its opening price of $25 per share.
— CNN Business’ Danielle Weiner-Bronner contributed to this report.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/09/27/mcdonalds-testing-plant-based-beyond-meat-burger-at-select-locations/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Woman says she contracted flesh-eating bacteria after manicure at nail salon
Meredith/CNN) — A Tennessee woman said a trip to the nail salon turned into a nightmare after she developed a flesh-eating bacterial infection.
Jayne Sharp told WATE-TV that her thumb got nicked while she was getting a manicure at the Jazzy Nail Bar in Knoxville earlier this year.
Two hours after she left the salon, Sharp said her thumb started throbbing. She then developed flu-like symptoms.
By the next morning, her condition worsened and the swelling had made it all the way up her elbow. She went to the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis — a rare but deadly bacterial infection that destroys tissue under the skin.
“Doctors said if I hadn’t gotten to the emergency room when I did, that I wouldn’t be here,” Sharp said.
She underwent multiple surgeries and almost lost her hand, CBS News reported.
Sharp said her thumb is still numb, and she often feels a tingling sensation in two of her fingers. It’s a daily reminder of what she went through earlier this year.
“There are so many girls and guys that go to salons to get manicures and pedicures, and they have no idea what can happen to them,” she said. “Oftentimes throughout the day, because I cannot feel everything with my arm and hand, I am reminded of that horrible time. But I’m very grateful that I lived through it when some don’t.”
Sharp said she is now considering legal action.
Jazzy Nail Bar has not released a statement on the matter.
Photo Credit: 10tv.com
Well-hung Brit claims his bulge was mistaken for shoplifted goods
This wasn’t the type of package they thought he was hiding.
A well-hung British man claims he was accused of shoplifting — because his big bulge was mistaken for stolen goods stuffed down his pants.
Steve Whitehurst, 47, told The Sun that he was confronted in a menswear store — and finally had to expose his 10-inch penis to show that the only goods he was smuggling were his own.
“I had very tight jeans on that day and there was a bulge, yes, but that’s not illegal. I can’t help the way I’m made,” he told the UK paper of being stopped by suspicious staff while with his girlfriend and 18-month-old grandson.
“Eventually I dropped my trousers in front of everyone and just stood there in my boxer shorts and said, ‘See, I’ve got nothing to hide.’”
He claims staff at Scotts Menswear in Stoke-on-Trent still refused to believe him — so he went into a cubicle to show all to a male security guard.
“He shook his head and ran out and spoke with the manager. I heard her say, ‘Please tell me he’s got something down there,’ and the guy said, ‘No,’” Whitehurst told the paper, calling it the “craziest experience of my life.”
A spokesperson for JD Sports, the company that owns the store, told The Sun that he was only stopped because he was “exhibiting suspicious behaviour.”
“When the store manager confronted the customer, he became abusive. At no point did any colleague ask the customer to remove any clothing,” the statement added.
A source also told the paper that when he finally dropped his pants, “the bulge was much smaller than staff remembered it.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/09/26/well-hung-brit-claims-his-bulge-was-mistaken-for-shoplifted-goods/
Photo Credit: Darren Fletcher / The Sun / News Licensing
Man admits killing girlfriend in 2003, cutting off her legs with hacksaw
A Pennsylvania man has confessed to killing his girlfriend 16 years ago, storing her body in a coal bin and then cutting off her legs with a hacksaw last year, according to a report.
Jade G. Babcock, 49, admitted to killing Brenda Lee Jacobs with several punches to her head in their Montoursville home in December 2003, court documents obtained by PennLive.com show.
Babcock initially kept the woman’s body wrapped in a comforter inside a closet for months before moving it to an outdoor coal bin behind the home, where it stayed for years, the report said.
The property shared by the couple was then sold last November, prompting Babcock to move Jacobs’ body into a wooden box.
But her remains wouldn’t fit, so Babcock hacked off her legs, police reportedly said.
Babcock told investigators he later threw a bag with Jacobs’ legs off a bridge in Williamsport, thinking that it would sink.
But fishermen made the grisly find about a half-mile away less than one month after Babcock dumped them into the Susquehanna River, PennLive.com reports.
The woman’s severed legs were “mummified,” according to a coroner who examined the appendages. Her feet still had white socks on and her toenails were painted pink, Lycoming County Coroner Charles Kiessling told PennLive.com.
Babcock likely avoided detection for so long by putting Jacobs’ body in the coal bin, which probably absorbed some of the moisture and odor while preserving the corpse, Kiessling said.
Babcock, who remains jailed without bail on criminal homicide and other charges, told a judge during a court appearance Tuesday that he’s bipolar and suffers from depression. He’s also addicted to methamphetamine and alcohol, he said.
Jacobs’ body, meanwhile, has not been officially identified or matched to the legs. Investigators hope they can link the two with DNA testing, PennLive.com reports.
Photo Credit: Philadelphia Police Department
Black mannequin dragged by rope at Nevada HS football game
A Nevada high school student dragged a black mannequin on the ground with a rope during a recent football game in an incident caught on video.
The Damonte Ranch HS student was dressed as a cowboy riding the school’s mascot, a mustang, while he dragged the black and blue dummy behind him during the halftime parade at Friday’s homecoming game, according to video captured by News 4-Fox 11.
The Washoe County School District launched an investigation Friday night as soon as it learned of the incident, which many saw as “culturally, racially insensitive,” a spokesperson said.
“This incident and the behavior of those responsible is utterly inconsistent with our collective commitment to equity, diversity, responsibility, and kindness for all of our students and staff members,” the district said in a statement.
Damonte Ranch students had intended to buy a blowup cowboy and horse and then lasso a student dressed as the opposing school’s mascot, a Lancer knight, according to the school’s incident report obtained by the Reno Gazette Journal.
The plan then changed and it was decided that a student would dress up as the cowboy and a blowup doll would serve as the knight — but class advisers weren’t told of the changes, the report said.
Students looked for a gray mannequin online to match the colors of the opposing school, McQueen. When they couldn’t find a gray dummy they bought a black one instead, the report said.
The mannequin was supposed to be standing on a float but wouldn’t stay up, and “that’s why it ended up being dragged behind the student,” according to the report.
The display was intended to “demonstrate a traditional, friendly rivalry” and was never meant to be offensive or reminiscent of the lynchings of thousands of African Americans after the Civil War.
Still, “it is troubling that children are so poorly educated that they did not immediately know that the hanging of a black doll is hurtful and frightening,” Lonnie Feemster, president of the Reno-Sparks NAACP, told the Gazette Journal Monday.
Damonte school officials apologized in the report saying, “We completely understand how this was perceived and this could be offensive to anyone in attendance at the game.
“This is a valuable learning experience and lifelong lesson for our Damonte Ranch students and staff.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/09/24/black-mannequin-dragged-by-rope-at-nevada-hs-football-game/
Photo Credit: Washoe County School District
Toddler drowned in tub while parents went shopping
A Minnesota couple have been charged in connection with the drowning death of their toddler — after surveillance footage caught the pair shopping for two hours while their kids were home alone, according to authorities.
Sabina Pierre Louis, 25, and Eddy Louis, 54, initially told cops that 21-month-old son Asher Pierre Louis drowned in the bathtub while they were in their Bloomington apartment’s storage room Saturday morning.
But they were busted after video showed them going to a grocery store and local Walmart, leaving their three kids alone for at least two hours, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Confronted, they admitted making the shopping trip — but assumed the youngsters would all sleep through their absence, the prosecutors say.
Instead, when they came home, they found their 4-year-old in the bathroom — with Asher dead in the tub, according to the report.
Their 9-year-old daughter was also home but still asleep, the attorney’s office said.
The parents drove the toddler to Fairview Southdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, with staff calling cops.
Both parents were charged with second-degree manslaughter for neglect of a child. They are expected in court Wednesday.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/09/25/toddler-drowned-in-tub-while-parents-went-shopping-cops/
Photo Credit: Hennepin County Jail
Dad, aunt arrested after toddler found alone on rooftop
A 2-year-old boy was found by cops alone on the rooftop of a Connecticut home Monday, leading to the arrest of the tot’s dad and aunt, cops said.
David Hustek, 23, and Sarah Barker, 20, were both sleeping and unaware the toddler was 30 feet above ground when cops arrived to the Ansonia, Ct., home at about 8:45 a.m., authorities said.
Video first obtained by WFSB shows the the boy pacing back and forth atop the second-story roof as officers from the Ansonia Police Department arrive.
The same clip shows one of the cops wrangle the child from an open window.
He was taken to a local hospital and didn’t appear to be injured, police said.
The home “was found to be in deplorable living conditions” and was condemned by the city, police said in a release.
Hustek and Barker were charged with risk of injury of a minor and reckless endangerment.
They’re being held on $10,000 bond and their arraignment is set for Thursday.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/09/26/dad-aunt-arrested-after-toddler-found-alone-on-rooftop/
Photo Credit: Ansonia Police Department
Hollywood costume designer’s racist tirade at CVS: I’d kill black people but ‘law says I can’t’
A Hollywood costume designer was caught on video going on a racist tirade outside a Los Angeles-area CVS store — claiming she would kill black people if it was legal, according to a report.
Heather Patton was seen leaving the drugstore Tuesday in Eagle Rock using threatening language and repeatedly shouting racial slurs, news station KTLA reported.
“If the law didn’t say I couldn’t kill the n—ers, they would all be dead,” she reportedly said to a black woman filming her rant.
Patton then goes on to double down on her hateful message, saying, “I would kill a n—er, but the law says I can’t kill the n—er.”
Patton has worked in the TV and movie industry in the costume department on shows such as “Private Practice” and “Medium,” according to her IMDB page.
Renee Saldana, who witnessed the episode, said that she reported the woman to authorities.
“It was quiet in CVS & then someone just yelled the n-word then it was quiet again & then that woman started screeching racist stuff towards a Black woman (who shot the video,” she said in a tweet. “There was no build-up or prior altercation.”
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that a report was filed in connection to the incident, CBS LA reported.
A rep for CVS said the unruly customer was kicked out of the store — and the company is now cooperating with police.
“We are committed to maintaining a welcoming and diverse environment in our stores to help ensure that all customers are treated with respect and dignity,” the company said in a statement. “We condemn, in the strongest terms, the behavior of the customer seen in the recent social media video.”
Patton’s neighbor, who asked to be identified only as Tony, said that she has a history of racist behavior, KTLA reported.
“Her and her husband have really been behaving dishearteningly with our neighbors. We had to file restraining orders against her for wanting to threaten us, assault us. They were yelling racial slurs at us like ‘Go back to your country,’ ” he told the news station.
Photo Credit: nypost.com
12-year-old girl: Classmates grabbed her, cut her dreadlocks at school
SPRINGFIELD, Va. — Police are investigating a 12-year-old girl’s allegation that her classmates grabbed her and cut her dreadlocks on the playground of a northern Virginia private school.
News outlets report the girl says three of her sixth-grade classmates at Immanuel Christian School in Springfield called her hair “ugly” while they assaulted her at recess earlier this week.
The girl is African American. She says her attackers are white, and that they’ve been bullying her.
The school issued a statement Thursday saying it is disturbed by the allegations and has asked police to investigate.
Police confirmed Thursday they are investigating.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/09/26/12-year-old-girl-classmates-grabbed-her-cut-her-dreadlocks-at-school/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Woman killed disabled grandson because she worried there would soon be no one to take care of him
BRADENTON, Fla. — An 87-year-old Florida woman told police she gave her disabled 30-year-old grandson a fatal dose of drugs because she fears she’s near death and there will be no one else who can take care of him.
Bradenton police detectives took Lillian Parks into protective custody Sunday for an evaluation and medical treatment, spokesman Brian Thiers said in a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
Joel Parks lived with his grandmother on weekends and at a group home during the week. He was not able to take care of himself, Thiers said.
On Sunday, Joel Parks’ sister came to check on him and called 911 when she discovered his body at the grandmother’s apartment.
The Bradenton Herald reports Joel Parks’ father is dead and his mother is estranged.
Investigators say Lillian Parks will likely be charged with second-degree murder once she’s released from a doctor’s care. They’re awaiting a toxicology report to reveal the substance used to kill Joel Parks.
Thiers said police don’t know how long Parks had been dead before his body was discovered. Investigators spent Tuesday interviewing family members.
“This is a difficult case for our detectives,” Thiers said. “Partly, we feel bad for an individual who feels that the only option is to take another human being’s life because you’re so worried about their care after you’re gone.”
“On the other hand, this was a process that was thought out, it was planned, and she took a human life,” Thiers added.
Photo Credit: Getty Images