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Vegetables are usually considered nutritious. But if you are getting any number of ready-made foods at a wide range of major chains in the US right now, you are at risk. The Food and Drug Administration last week extended a recall of “Celery and Onion Diced Blend” that tested positive “for E. coli 0157:H7 in a sample taken by the Montana Department of Health.” Brace yourself. The blend appears in a wide range of products distributed in numerous stores throughout the country....

A PETA ad that features a Michelle Obama image alongside Carrie Underwood, Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks with the tagline “Fur-Free and Fabulous!” caused the White House to comment that Ms. Obama did not give PETA permission to use her image or likeness. This incident highlights a bevy of issues, most squarely, the “right of publicity” people have against unwanted use of their image to promote products or causes. According to Yahoo News, the PETA ad is featured in the DC metro area in places such as public transit areas....

Gay marriage was ruled constitutional by the New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday, making it the 17th state to legalize gay marriage. Almost a fourth of New Mexico’s counties have begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples since August, prompting the state’s Supreme Court to step in and clarify the law, reports The Associated Press. How did the New Mexico High Court reach this historic decision? Unlike many other states which have passed marriage amendments – like the recently defeated Proposition 8 in California, which explicitly defined legal marriage as being between one man and one woman – New Mexico doesn’t have any explicit laws regarding gay marriage....

The Department of Justice announced the arrest of two Illinois men, Joseph D. Jones and Edward Schimenti, who allegedly pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and advocated their support for violent extremism on social media. Jones, also known as “Yusuf Abdulhaqq,” and Schimenti, also known as “Abdul Wali,” were charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, which has been designated as a terrorist organization....

A number of drug makers have pulled children’s cough and cold medicines from markets after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning on health risks associated with use of the medications in infants. See a full list of recalled infant cold medicines (from CNN.com). In August, the FDA warned that, due to the risk of serious side effects, parents should not give cough and cold medications to children under the age of two unless specifically instructed to do so by a healthcare provider....

A 76-year-old Wisconsin man who shot and killed his 13-year-old neighbor will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. John Henry Spooner of Milwaukee told police he confronted Darius Simmons because he was sure the boy had taken four shotguns from his home. None of his firearms were found in Simmons’ home, however. Jurors took less than an hour to find Spooner guilty of first-degree intentional homicide after they watched video – from his own security camera – of Spooner shooting the boy in the chest in May 2012, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel....

Supporters of medical marijuana have been trying to change the perception of pot for years. But they have lost again, this time on appeal in a federal court. Americans for Safe Access initiated this case in 2011 when they petitioned the Drug Enforcement Administration over marijuana’s classification. The drug is listed as a “Schedule I” substance, meaning it has no medical use and a high potential for abuse, at least according to the DEA....

Former buddy Michael Lohan reportedly told everything he knows to TLC about former reality television star Jon Gosselin (Jon and Kate Plus 8). The Jon Gosselin lawsuit centers around a possible breach of contract by Mr. Gosselin because of Jon Gosselin cheating on his wife Kate Gosselin. Initially, TLC informed Gosselin that he was violating the morals clause of the his contract with TLC through his affairs, erratic behavior, and possible mismanagement of family finances....

Montana’s medical marijuana law doesn’t protect pot-smoking patients from federal prosecution, and even a Justice Department memo can’t change that, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Donald Malloy dismissed a civil lawsuit brought by 14 Montana medical marijuana patients and providers whose homes and businesses were raided by federal agents last year, the Associated Press reports. The medical-pot patients and providers were charged under federal laws that prohibit marijuana....

A New Hampshire mom who pleaded guilty to brutally torturing her son has been sentenced to nine to 30 years in prison. Christine Gelineau, 52, of Concord, burned off her mentally challenged 18-year-old son’s nipples with a lighter, stabbed him with a pen and forced him to eat worms and feces. She also burned his penis to the point of causing permanent nerve damage. Acquaintance Daniel Tyler Cantrell, 20, and the victim’s 29-year-old cousin Amy Nason are also awaiting trial for torturing the man....

The next time you get an astronomical cell phone bill, look it over carefully. You may be surprised to find unexpected premium text message fees. What exactly is premium text messaging? Premium text messaging is the option given to cell phone users to buy or subscribe to third-party content providers, according to Verizon Wireless. Ignore this new cell phone trend at your peril. Just ask Dr. Dan Stambor; he was charged for premium text messaging even though he doesn’t know how to send a text message, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports....

For one “Sesame Street” actor, the letter P is for palimony. A New Jersey judge ordered Roscoe Orman, best known to kiddies as “Gordon,” to continue paying palimony to the mother of his four children. But what is palimony and what makes this ruling such a landmark decision? Palimony is court-ordered financial support from one person to another when a long-term, non-marital relationship ends. Think “alimony for unmarried people.” In most cases, palimony is awarded to a person who depended financially on the other person, relying on express or implied promises that his or her significant other would support him or her financially for the rest of their lives....

The Steubenville rape case, in which two high school football players allegedly raped a 16-year-old girl in rural Ohio, has received increasingly bad publicity, thanks largely to Internet activists. Shortly after the alleged rape last fall, students began posting pictures from the night of the alleged incident on social media. A local crime blogger and other observers have accused police and politicians in Steubenville of being controlled by the football program, reports CBS News....

The bald eagle is the national bird, and due to this status, as well as its general majesty, receives much deference from patriots, bird-lovers, and even the law. One Texas teen is learning about the later the hard way. Seventeen-year-old Orlando Delgado was recently charged with a misdemeanor for hunting on property without the landowner’s consent, despite having admitted to shooting the bald eagle, not once, but several times. Perhaps being so brave and honest when law enforcement arrived on the scene may have garnered the youngster some leniency....

A suburban Missouri mother has been convicted of three misdemeanors for her part in creating a phony persona on MySpace, actions that set in motion a series of events that ended in the suicide of a teenage girl. The case has raised questions about the potential dangers of social networking, and the legal limits of user and website liability for fraudulent behavior. Lori Drew, a 49-year-old Missouri mother, was convicted on November 26 of three misdemeanor charges stemming from her role in creating a phony online identity, and using it to correspond with thirteen-year-old Megan Meier....

When it comes to the least peaceful states in America, the Bayou State is improving but remains in a class by itself, a new report finds. Louisiana remains America’s least peaceful state for the 20th straight year, according to the 2012 U.S. Peace Index. Louisiana has the nation’s highest homicide rate, and is tied with five other states in having the highest incarceration rate as well. “Louisiana is well above the national average on every indicator,” the Index report says....

Police arrested the father of a toddler after daycare providers discovered 48 packets of heroin in his 2-year-old son’s jacket. Phillip Young, 27, of New Jersey, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. What’s in store for him as his case proceeds? In New Jersey, a parent can face child endangerment charges for causing harm to a child in a manner that, in turn, causes the child to be abused or neglected....

Supplement Safety Now is a website committed to supporting public action against “designer” steroids hidden in what some athletes believe to be safe dietary supplements. Supported by major sports organizations like the NFL, NBA and US Olympic Committee among many others, this website is hoping to alert consumers to the dangers of these so called natural dietary supplements and spur legislative changes that can help the FDA and other agencies control them....

A brutal video surfaced yesterday of a white male school resource officer in South Carolina slamming a black female student to the ground and arresting her while she was seated at her desk. The officer was placed on administrative leave and there is an internal investigation ongoing. School security and school resource officers have become an ever-present component of high school life, but what are the rules and regulations that control their behavior?...

When protests have the potential of becoming violent, police often open fire on crowds. Even those who support law enforcement in maintaining civil order can recognize that firing on civilians is an extreme use of government power, and it can’t be used recklessly. So when can police open fire on protesters? There are non-lethal methods of dispersing a crowd, and tear gas and pepper spray are still used by many law enforcement agencies....