Two-thirds of Americans polled last month said they support televising executions–and 21 percent said they’d pay to watch Osama bin Laden put to death while 11 percent said they would pay to see Saddam Hussein executed. Even though the Harris Interactive poll found support for the idea, 54 percent said they wouldn’t watch an execution on TV.
FOOD SUPPLY AT RISK?: U.S. officials worry Al Qaeda may be plotting to attack U.S. agriculture or food supplies–for example importing a killer livestock disease or poisoning grocery produce. No specific threats were listed because they were classified.
INFECTED BLOOD: More than 1,000 U.S. blood donors have tested positive for West Nile virus, making the mosquito-borne disease one of the most common illnesses that can be acquired through transfusions, Atlanta’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.
RICIN LETTER: A letter containing ricin that was sent to the White House in the fall threatened to “turn D.C. into a ghost town” and was postmarked in Tennessee three weeks before it was discovered, the FBI said Monday. The letter was one of two signed by “Fallen Angel,” who complained about trucking rules requiring more rest for long-haul truckers.
BOMB EXPLODES: A woman in Ft. Smith, Ark., who said she picked up a “suspicious-looking device” outside a vacant house Monday suffered severe leg injuries when the object exploded, police said. No other devices were found.
CUPS OF JOE: Facing competition from nationwide coffee shop chains, one Maine man wants to offer more than just a regular cup of cappuccino to perk up his customers–so he’s hiring topless waitresses. Normand St. Michel was given the go-ahead from the Madison, Maine, code enforcement officer to open the topless coffee bar.
———-
Compiled from RedEye news services and edited by Curt Wagner (cwwagner@tribune.com) and Lara Weber (lweber@tribune.com)
