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The company expanded the recall to include all products made at their Brenham, TX and Broken Arrow, OK facilities, which includes products like ice cream, sherbet, frozen yogurt, and frozen snacks. The expanded recall was announced after Blue Bell’s investigations found positive evidence of listeria in different products and locations.

According to ABC News, three people have died from consuming Blue Bell products that were contaminated with listeria.

Listeria is a bacteria that poses the most risk to children, elderly people, and pregnant women. It is generally contracted by humans through the consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteria live in animals’ digestive tracts and can contaminate foods in a number of different ways.

Blue Bell’s announcement of the expanded recall came just after Sabra Dipping Company announced a recall for their hummus due to listeria contamination. USA Today reported on April 9 that the recall included 30,000 cases of Sabra’s Classic Flavor hummus.

The contamination was discovered after routine inspections. As of April 9, there had been no reported cases of illness, and Sabra has been working with the Food and Drug Administration.

Cases like these can fall under the area of law referred to as product liability, which has the second-highest median damage awards of any type of personal injury case at $300,000. In cases of food contamination, it’s generally a matter of unsafe or unsanitary manufacturing practices.

The company started eight months ago, when brothers David and Alan Tisch launched the app in August 2014 on the iOS platform. Spring only had 22 employees in tow, according to a report by Business Insider, and was only working with a modest number of well-known brands in the fashion industry to create one single catalog that includes all the brands.

The concept behind Spring was based on previous shopping apps like Seamless and Grubhub, which work as third-party middlemen in between consumers and manufacturers. Rather than purchasing items and reselling them, like traditional retail stores do, these shopping apps merely take consumers’ orders and deliver them to the manufacturers.

The major difference between Spring and other shopping apps, however, is that its design is more consumer-friendly and mobile-friendly. The layout resembles a Pinterest board or Instagram feed, as BI noted, and focuses on informal “lifestyle photos” instead of staged “product shots.” Consumers upload payment information (or simply connect with their Apple account, since Spring is already integrated with Apple Pay), and they can purchase items with a simple swipe.

By cutting out the fluff that other mobile shopping apps still use, Spring was able to increase its products (it now works with over 700 different brands, according to Fortune) without becoming too overwhelming for consumers. Considering that 75% of consumers admit to making judgments about a company’s credibility and quality just based on the business’s website design, Spring was able to appeal to consumers in a way that other “cyber malls” have not.

Spring recently closed out its second round of funding, bringing the company’s total funding to $30 million, and the app just launched on Android devices. Experts estimate that the company, which is now supported by a team of 48 employees, is worth about $90 million.

That’s right — the group is actually planning to brew beer made from treated wastewater, and has gotten approval to serve it to the public from both the Oregon Health Authority and, as of last week, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission.

Craft beer is a trend in America that’s simply not going away — according to the Brewer’s Association, 2014 was the first year in which craft beer earned a double-digit market volume share of 11%. Now, the craft beer market in the United States is worth about $14.3 billion.

According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, Hillsboro-based wastewater treatment company Clean Water Services has an advanced treatment process that can turn wastewater into drinkable water. The company seeks to prove the purity of its water by turning it into beer.

A homebrewing group, the Oregon Brew Crew, would use the water in its brewing process. The beer would not be sold in a brewery, but served at special events.

Though skepticism about the safety of the beer is obvious — it doesn’t seem safe to drink what was one wastewater — the Oregon Health Authority concluded that “the high quality of the treated water, additional microbial reduction in the brewing process, and a low health risk overall” contribute to the beer’s safety.

Clean Water Services spokesman Mark Jockers says that the water purification company wants to help people reevaluate what they think about wastewater and to play a role in expanding the use of recycled water in Oregon.

Turning the wastewater into craft beer isn’t a bad way to go about it; craft beer is a big business in Oregon. The Oregonian reports that one in five brewers on the Brewer’s Association Top 50 Craft Brewers of 2014 list is based in Oregon.

Furthermore, the state leads the country in the number of dollars spent on craft beer, and brewers in Oregon produced more than 1.64 million barrels of beer last year, which is about a 17% increase from the year before.

It might be weird, but if there’s anywhere to emphasize the importance of recycling water and using a specially-brewed beer to do it, Portland is it.

According to a March 16 Forbes article, forklifts have been excluded from “smart” technologies for as long as they’ve been in use. These machines rely entirely on an operator’s control and input, and aren’t connected to any networks.

As part of the “Internet of Things” — a term used to describe the eventual network connectivity and intelligence virtually every object will have in the future — the “smart” forklift will be equipped with diagnostics that send out signals when it needs servicing, speed controls, anti-slip technology, collision detection and much more.

Smart forklifts, which are already in use today, are also able to raise and lower their forks much faster than would safely be possible if a human were operating the vehicle, and the forklift can even detect the height of the pallet being picked.

In addition to becoming smarter, forklifts are becoming more efficient. According to ferret.com.au, changes to the AC operating systems within electric forklift units are making them significantly more efficient, extending the lifespans of forklift batteries and reducing their carbon footprint.

Despite the fact that these smart forklifts are currently in use, they’re far from being a common implementation at warehouses, Forbes reports. The majority of warehouse control systems and architectures still need to be adjusted and re-conceptualized to enable optimum warehouse performance with the use of smart forklifts.

Even so, it might be sooner than you think before you see a smart forklift moving along the aisles of your warehouse.

Just last year, Maryland added an additional 73 megawatts (MW) to its solar electric capacity, bringing the state’s total to a whopping 215 MW. That’s enough affordable and sustainable energy to power almost 25,000 average homes. While the report focused on Maryland’s flourishing residential solar power market, the state also experienced an increase in commercial solar system installations.

Of the 73 MW of solar electric capacity added last year, 40 MW were residential while the remaining 33 MW were commercial. Combined, these installations represent a staggering $221 million investment across the the state of Maryland, which is a 95% increase from the previous year.

“To put the state’s solar growth in some context, the 215 MW of solar PV installed today in Maryland is nearly as much as the entire country had installed by 2005. And frankly, the state is just scratching the surface of its enormous potential,” explained Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “Looking forward, we expect 2015 to be another good year for new PV installations across the state, with growth topping 100 percent.”

Maryland’s thriving solar power market has also expanded into the higher education sector. Recently, the University of Maryland announced plans to install roughly 7,000 solar panels — enough to power over 218 average U.S. homes for an entire year — on the roof tops of three parking garages by December 2016, according to university officials. This would bring more clean, sustainable energy to the campus.

The New York Post reports that the suit accuses the company of neglecting to warn its customers about a chemical present in its flooring glue, formaldehyde, as well as lying about its compliance with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards. CARB standards are used by various states to enforce clean air measures in addition to federal standards.

Paul Said, one of the four plaintiffs in the lawsuit, paid $3,000 for 1,000 square feet of laminate flooring in his home on the upper west side of Manhattan. He claims to have suffered asthma attacks during the installation and has since taken asthma medications and begun using an inhaler. Despite his experience working on construction sites, Said had no previous history of asthma.

“He needs to use asthma medications and an inhaler whenever he is inside his home,” the suit said. “His medical doctor told him that dust from the flooring installation is causing the asthma.”

The other plaintiffs include a resident of Bayonne, New Jersey as well as a couple in North Richland Hills, Texas. The latter, Frank and Melanie Graham, purchased and installed 350 square feet of laminate flooring in December. Since then, Melanie has suffered from severe respiratory problems. Amazingly, the Grahams learned about the alleged cause from a 60 Minutes report in March which revealed, among other things, that only one out of 31 samples of the company’s laminate flooring passed formaldehyde emission standards.

The floors, it should be noted, are imported from China.

Scant amounts of formaldehyde are allowed under CARB and federal law. However, in larger doses the organic compound is considered toxic and carcinogenic. Formaldehyde can also lead to death. Some of the company’s tests indicated 13 times the legal limit according to 60 Minutes.

Flooring companies across the country must fulfill strict standards in order to secure the safety of its customers.

Lumber Liquidators, for its part, is denying the accusations of the suit.

“Lumber Liquidators is committed to providing our customers with safe, high-quality products. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously against the claims asserted in this suit,” a spokesman for the company said.

If made into a law, the bill will allow courts to decide who keeps pets during the divorce process, and after. Courts will make decisions based on what is best for the animal. For purposes of the law, any non-human vertebrate is considered a pet, with the exception of fish.

“Texas divorce law treats family pets like inanimate personal property such as a couch. The dog or cat is valued on what it could be sold for and not what the animal is worth emotionally to its owners,” said Greg Enos, principal attorney at The Enos Law Firm, PC. “I have had cases where spouses testified about why each should be awarded the dog and a judge had to make that decision. I have even heard of judges ordering visitation with beloved pets that live with the other spouse while a divorce is pending.”

The divorce process isn’t the only thing affected by the new bill. If signed into law, the bill requires amendments be made to domestic violence policy to include protection for family pets. Representative Liz Vasquez, one of the bill’s authors, explained to Reuters why such a bill was necessary.

“More and more animals are used by an abuser for punishment, manipulation or revenge against a victim,” Vasquez stated. “They will threaten to kill, maim or torture a pet to gain control over the family.”

Provisions for the safety of family pets will be written into protective order, granting custody of the pet to the appropriate party and helping them find safe housing.

“Victims and children would hesitate to leave an abusive relationship or abusive environment for fear of leaving behind their pets. We can stop that,” Vazquez told the New York Daily News.

The amendment would also require owners whose animals were seized for cruelty or neglect to cover the costs of their care in a shelter. The bill must be passed by April 19, or it will not be considered again until next year. There are currently 13 confirmed legislators in support of the bill.

The Aurora Sentinel reports that though the Legacy sedan came out before the mid-sized Outback, the latter seems to be outperforming it. Still, the latest Legacy model will more than please Subaru fans and general car consumers alike.

Starting at $21,695, the Legacy gets 36 miles to the gallon (26 miles in the city) and comes with Subaru’s standard all-wheel drive and boxer engine features. It also comes with brand new designs, especially in the interior. From smaller luxuries like heated seats to impressive safety designs such as blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance, and EyeSight, a system that notifies the driver about potential dangers on the road, it is so well-equipped, in fact, that one could say the driver barely needs to drive at all.

Power-wise, the Legacy is also quite stellar. The standard engine is a 2.5-liter, four cylinder boxer engine that spins 175 horsepower at 174 lb.-ft. of torque. For $3,000 more, buyers can have a six cylinder engine with 256 horsepower at 247 lb.-ft, although that upgrade automatically comes with the “Limited” model range that includes leather seats, premium stereo, 18 in. wheels, and heated rear seats, among other features.

All in all, a fully upgraded 2015 Subaru Legacy is roughly the same price as an average, new mid-sized sedan, many of which don’t come with all-wheel drive. It is also worth noting that an upgraded Legacy closely resembles the Outback in features and price, so it may be more advantageous for buyers — especially those who consistently drive on terrain — to get the Outback.

Regardless, the 2015 Subaru Legacy is the latest model from a long, proud line of Subaru vehicles. The Legacy has certainly gone a lone way from Subaru’s first model, the Subaru 1500, in 1954.

The Studio offers free after-school classes to kids twice a week for 30 minutes each. The goal is to get kids up and off the couch to start early on lifelong fitness decisions.

In addition to regularly scheduled classes, they also offer sessions to young cyclists from Star Track Cycling, an organization that aims to get children and teens interested in track cycling.

Kids’ fitness has long been a hot button topic as more government and medical officials try to push for better nutrition in schools and more opportunities for physical activity during the day.

“[Parents should] encourage children to be more active by offering incredible growth opportunities hidden in fun, creative, and exciting activities,” said Eric Colton, owner of Fitness by the Sea Kid’s Summer Camp. “[They should] also encourage children to ‘learn by doing’ and serve as mentors and participants during these activities.”

But it’s not only health that should be on parents’ minds when examining their children’s daily habits, says Micah Maxwell, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Muncie, Indiana. When kids stay physically active and have a healthy diet, they are more likely to perform well in school, maintain academic success, and show improvements in their self esteem.
Maxwell’s Boys and Girls Club held a CrossFit Field Day to engage kids in a series of fun high-energy activities designed to lower stress.

CrossFit, which uses a WOD, or “workout of the day,” develops strength and agility training and allows individuals to work at their own pace. But even CrossFit gyms, or “boxes,” as they’re called, have been open to children in other settings, too.

Seaside CrossFit in Hanson, Massachusetts, recently held a contest that put kids through three WODs as a sort of tournament. Adults kept score to track each child’s progress in the workouts, but most of the emphasis was on keeping order and making sure that fun was had by all.

And to make the event more kid-friendly, the gym’s owners used a zoological theme that had kids competing with frog jumps, bear crawls, and a weight-lifting exercise that required an “angry gorilla chest.”

But not all exercise programs are about competition. Kids’ yoga classes, which have popped up all over the country in recent years, have also been brought to schools, like PS 205 in Bayside, Queens, in New York.

One local yoga studio, Little Flower Yoga, brings yoga to kids to get them to relax and connect their mind and body.

The fourth grade participants said that the activity helped them with everything from reducing headaches to improving flexibility for soccer and other sports.