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U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

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Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

McDonald's Urged to Keep Promise On Reducing Pesticide Drift

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Friday, February 21, 2014   

PHOENIX – Concerned citizens and environmental groups are urging the fast good giant McDonald's to follow through on a promise to reduce pesticide use in the production of potatoes used to make its French fries.

Under pressure from shareholders, McDonald's laid out a plan in 2009 for reduced pesticide use.

But that effort has fallen flat, according to Norma Smith, who says nothing's changed on the potato farms near her home in rural Minnesota.

"They are still spraying the fields every five to seven days, all summer long,” she says. “Still planting next to places where a lot of us live, when we have no choice about it."

Smith says the pesticide drifts have made her and her husband ill and sickened their sheep to the point that they had to give up the flock.

In response to the launch of the new Toxic Taters campaign, McDonald's says it's working with its suppliers on more diligent use of all inputs, including pesticides.

McDonald's has 278 locations in Arizona.

Another person urging McDonald's to change its practices is Robert Shimek from Minnesota's White Earth Indian reservation.

Shimek says with the pesticide drift and before that, contaminated groundwater, many of those who live near potato production areas have almost become accustomed to the negative impacts.

"It's normal to be sick,” he says. “It's normal to have these peculiar types of cancer.

“It's normal to have immune system disorders in many of these communities, because it's just been going on for so long and crept in so gradually, that people think it's a normal way of living."

Research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that skin, lung and intestinal irritations are linked to some incidences of pesticide drift, with the most acute reactions among children.

With little changed in the five years since McDonald's rolled out its pesticide reduction plans, Shimek is now hoping consumers will become better educated about the consequences.

"Now, it's time to move on to the consumers and let them know that, as they roll through the drive-through at these McDonald's restaurants, that they're contributing to the harmful health and environmental impacts," he says.






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