Pennsylvania
Fetterman claims credit for freeing American dad who was arrested in Turks and Caicos over ammo in his luggage
A Pennsylvania dad made a triumphant return home on Friday after being arrested in February the Turks and Caicos over ammunition that he had accidentally left in his luggage when he traveled to the Caribbean islands.
Now, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) is taking credit for helping secure the release of Bryan Hagerich, 39, despite the Pittsburgh-native facing up to 12 years in prison for the stray rounds.
Fetterman was the only Democrat to travel to the British territory as part of a delegation of lawmakers who pushed for the release of five Americans detained there — all of whom were caught with ammo in their bags.
“When we met with [Turks and Caicos] officials a few days ago, they made clear that they wanted this situation resolved,” Fetterman said in a statement after Hagerich’s release.
“They recognized that Bryan and the other detained Americans are not gunrunners – they are just people who made a mistake.”
The Pennsylvanian senator met up with Hagerich after his return back to the US on Friday.
“From my family to yours…welcome home, Bryan,” Fetterman posted on X, with a photo of the Pennsylvanian.
Last Monday, Fetterman trekked to the island chain with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), as well as Reps. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Penn.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), and Bob Good (R-Va.)
They met with the American detainees and local government officials to plead for leniency, contending that the individuals there had made an “innocent” mistake.
Hagerich, a former professional baseball player and father of two, had been arrested back in February.
Hagerich claims the stray ammunition in his luggage came from a prior hunting trip. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
On Friday morning, a judge in Turks and Caicos suspended his 52-month sentence and directed him to pay a $6,500 fine.
The other Americans held in Turks and Caicos include Sharitta Grier, 45, of Florida; Michael Lee Evans, 72, of Texas; Tyler Wenrich, 31, of Virginia; and Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma.
All five US citizens had slightly different circumstances but had violated the island chain’s laws on ammunition. Both Evans and Wenwich have also pleaded guilty to the charges against them.
Evans was permitted to travel home for medical reasons but is supposed to return to the island chain.
Fetterman conveyed optimism that the others will be released soon as well.
“I’m hopeful that [Turks and Caicos] expedites the rest of these cases and that the other detained Americans will soon be released and reunited with their families as well,” he said.
Hagerich expressed gratitude for his freedom.
“It’s just amazing how, just in the matter of 12 hours, looking at 12 years to now,” Hagerich told reporters Friday, per Fox News.
“My biggest concern is coaching my kids’ baseball games tomorrow, and that is such a relief.”
Pennsylvania
Bacteria In Toothpaste: What PA Customers Need To Know
PENNSYLVANIA— Any Pennsylvania residents who use Tom’s of Maine toothpaste and have noticed a strange taste or smell from the product aren’t alone, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, which recently detailed how bacteria was found in some of the company’s products and black mold was discovered at a facility.
The agency this month issued a warning letter to Tom’s of Maine Inc. about its “significant violations” of manufacturing regulations for pharmaceuticals, and discussed a May inspection of the facility in Sanford, Maine.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a type of bacteria that can cause blood and lung infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was found from June 2021 to October 2022 in samples of water that was used to make Tom’s Simply White Clean Mint Paste, the letter stated. The water was also used for the final rinse in equipment cleaning.
Gram-negative cocco-bacilli Paracoccus yeei, which is associated with several infections, according to the Hartmann Science Center, was in a batch of the company’s Wicked Cool! Anticavity Toothpaste, the letter stated.
Ralstonia insidiosa, a waterborne bacteria, according to the Journal of Medical Microbiology, was repeatedly found at water points of use at the facility, the letter stated.
“A black mold-like substance” was discovered within one foot of equipment that came into contact with products, according to the letter, which stated the substance was at the base of a hose reel and behind a water storage tank.
The company received about 400 complaints related to toothpaste odor, color and taste, including in relation to products for children, but the complaints were not investigated, the letter said.
“We have always tested finished goods before they leave our control, and we remain fully confident in the safety and quality of the toothpaste we make,” Tom’s of Maine said, according to News Center Maine. “In addition, we have engaged water specialists to evaluate our systems at Sanford, have implemented additional safeguards to ensure compliance with FDA standards, and our water testing shows no issues.”
In the federal administration’s letter, dated Nov. 5, the agency directed the company to provide multiple risk assessments, reserve sample test results from all unexpired batches, and a water system remediation plan, among other things. The administration requested a written response from Tom’s of Maine within 15 working days.
With reporting by Anna Schier of Patch.
Pennsylvania
How Philadelphia took care of its own through history
The Orphan Society was formed by a committee of wealthy Philadelphia women, notably Sarah Ralston and Rebecca Gratz, who each took the role of social reformer very seriously.
Gratz, the daughter of a wealthy Jewish merchant, also formed the Female Association for the Relief of Women and Children in Reduced Circumstances, the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society, and the Hebrew Sunday School. Gratz College in Elkins Park is named after her.
“She never married,” Barnes said. “She did things like put her money and her time toward doing that kind of public service.”
Ralston, the daughter of onetime Philadelphia mayor Matthew Clarkson, also formed the Indigent Widows and Single Women’s Society, which ultimately became the Sarah Ralston Foundation supporting elder care in Philadelphia. The historic mansion she built to house indigent widows still stands on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, which is now its chief occupant.
Women like Ralston and Gratz were part of the 19th-century Reform Movement that sought to undo some of the inhumane conditions brought about by the rapid industrialization of cities. Huge numbers of people from rural America and foreign countries came into urban cities for factory work, and many fell into poverty, alcoholism, and prostitution.
“These are not new problems, but on a much larger scale than they ever were,” Barnes said. “It was just kind of in the zeitgeist in the mid- and later-1800s to say, ‘We’ve got to address all these problems.”
The reform organizations could be highly selective and impose a heavy dose of 19th-century moralism. The Indigent Widows and Single Women’s Society, for example, only selected white women from upper-class backgrounds whose fortunes had turned, rejecting women who were in poor health, “fiery-tempered,” or in one case, simply “ordinary.”
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