New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick informed the city council that rats are consuming marijuana in the department's evidence room, leading to the rodents being "all high." The issue is part of a larger problem with the police headquarters, which also faces plumbing and mold issues. Kirkpatrick highlighted the uncleanliness across all districts and emphasized the negative impact on employee morale. While Louisiana prohibits adult-use cannabis, medical marijuana is legal, and there is growing public support for legalization. Despite this, broader reform efforts have yet to succeed in the state legislature.
Family Dollar has been fined nearly $42 million for operating a warehouse infested with over 1,200 rodents, resulting in a voluntary recall of various products. The company's parent, Dollar Tree, Inc., has been working to address the issue and enhance its policies and facilities. The facility in Arkansas, which services over 400 stores, had been receiving reports of rodent-related damage since August 2020, but continued to ship goods until January 2022. The Justice Department emphasized the importance of maintaining clean and uncontaminated conditions for consumer products and stated that the companies will be subject to rigorous reporting and compliance protocols.
Family Dollar has been fined $41.7 million, the largest-ever financial criminal penalty in a food safety case, for distributing food, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics from a rodent-infested warehouse in Arkansas. The company pleaded guilty to holding products in unsanitary conditions, causing them to become adulterated. The rats had infested the distribution center, which serviced 404 Family Dollar stores in six states, and the stores were temporarily closed in 2022 due to the infestation.
Family Dollar Stores LLC pleaded guilty to holding consumer products in insanitary conditions due to a rodent infestation at its Arkansas distribution center, agreeing to pay a $41.675 million penalty, the largest in a food safety case. The company continued to ship FDA-regulated products despite reports of rodent issues, leading to an FDA inspection in January 2022 that revealed live rodents, feces, and odors. The plea agreement also requires rigorous corporate compliance and reporting for the next three years, and the company voluntarily recalled all affected products from 404 stores.
Family Dollar Stores LLC pleaded guilty to holding consumer products in insanitary conditions due to a rodent infestation at its Arkansas distribution center, resulting in the largest-ever monetary criminal penalty in a food safety case of $41.675 million. The company continued to ship FDA-regulated products despite being aware of the rodent issues, leading to a voluntary recall of products sold in 404 stores. The plea agreement also requires rigorous corporate compliance and reporting for the next three years, emphasizing the importance of consumer safety and trust.
The frontlines of Russia’s war in Ukraine have been overrun by rats and mice, causing disease and disrupting combat capability, reminiscent of the trench warfare of World War I. Ukrainian soldiers are facing a mouse epidemic, with reports of soldiers vomiting and bleeding from their eyes due to disease spread by rodents. The infestations are attributed to the war's static nature, seasonal changes, and mice mating cycles. The rodents are causing anxiety, spreading disease, and damaging military and electrical equipment, posing a significant threat to combat capability. Efforts to combat the infestation have included using poison, ammonia, and even a cat, but the problem persists, with fears that the situation will worsen as winter progresses.
The bitter winter weather in Ukraine is posing challenges for soldiers and civilians in the ongoing war. Troops on both sides are dealing with rodent infestations in their trenches, while the freezing temperatures and lack of foliage make it difficult to hide and can lead to hypothermia. The muddy and slippery ground also hampers military advances. Additionally, the winter weather threatens the civilian population, as last year Russia targeted Ukrainian power plants to freeze them. Despite the difficulties, offensive operations are still possible, but the side that is best prepared will have the advantage.
A coastal town in Queensland, Australia, is grappling with a rat plague as hordes of rodents chew on electrical wires, eat everything in sight, and wash up dead in massive numbers, causing a foul stench. The population explosion of native long-haired rats is attributed to copious rainfall that boosted plant vegetation in the inland Outback. The rats, which can produce 12 young every three weeks, have decimated the town, attacking cars, stealing eggs, and even scampering up anchor chains of boats. Traps have been set up, but the government can only sweep away the rat carcasses to keep walkways and boat ramps passable. This phenomenon occurs at irregular intervals and is expected to decline naturally as predators and disease control the rat population.
