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Driver in deadly Long Island nail salon crash charged with DWI, police say
DEER PARK, N.Y. — An SUV driver was drunk and speeding when he crashed into a nail salon, killing four people and injuring nine, on New York’s Long Island, police said Saturday.
Suffolk County police arrested Steven Schwally, 64, and charged him with DWI after the crash Friday in Deer Park.
Witnesses saw SUV swerving before crash
Schwally was driving a 2020 Chevy Traverse out of a Kohl’s parking lot on Grand Boulevard just before 5 p.m., according to police.
Witnesses said they saw the SUV swerving before it smashed into the Hawaii Nail and Spa across the street.
“It appears a motorist drove through the building, all the way through the building,” Deer Park Assistant Fire Chief Dominic Albanese said at the scene.
Authorities said several people were trapped inside the salon and needed to be rescued.
Four people killed, nine hospitalized
Nine people were rushed to nearby hospitals, including one who was airlifted. A man and three women were pronounced dead at the scene.
“It’s horrible. It’s going to be tough for the community, tough for the volunteer fire department, but we’re going to get through it,” said Albanese.
The names of the victims who died were not immediately released. It remains unclear if they were salon employees, customers or both.
“I don’t even know who’s gone, who’s not gone. I just keep picturing their faces in my head,” said Jasmin Darbouze, a regular customer at the Hawaii Nail and Spa.
Schwally, of Dix Hills, was hospitalized with minor injuries. He will be arraigned at a later date, police said.
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Popular gluten free tortilla strips recalled over possible contamination with wheat
A food company known for popular grocery store condiments has recalled a package of tortilla strips that may be contaminated with wheat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The product is meant to be gluten-free.
Sugar Foods, a manufacturing and distribution corporation focused mainly on various toppings, artificial sweeteners and snacks, issued the recall for the “Santa Fe Style” version of tortilla strips sold by the brand Fresh Gourmet.
“People who have a wheat allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product,” said Sugar Foods in an announcement posted by the FDA.
Packages of these tortilla strips with an expiration date as late as June 20, 2025, could contain undeclared wheat, meaning the allergen is not listed as an ingredient on the label. The Fresh Gourmet product is marketed as gluten-free.
Sugar Foods said a customer informed the company on Nov. 19 that packages of the tortilla strips actually contained crispy onions, another Fresh Gourmet product normally sold in a similar container. The brand’s crispy onion product does contain wheat, and that allergen is noted on the label.
No illnesses tied to the packaging mistake have been reported, according to the announcement from Sugar Foods. However, the company is still recalling the tortilla strips as a precaution. The contamination issue may have affected products distributed between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Sugar Foods has advised anyone with questions about the recall to contact the company’s consumer care department by email or phone.
CBS News reached out to Sugar Foods for more information but did not receive an immediate reply.
This is the latest in a series of food product recalls affected because of contamination issues, although the others involved harmful bacteria. Some recent, high-profile incidents include an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots that killed at least one person in California, and a listeria outbreak that left an infant dead in California and nine people hospitalized across four different states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The E. coli outbreak is linked to multiple different food brands while the listeria outbreak stemmed from a line of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products sold by Yu-Shang Foods.
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Gazan chefs cook up hope and humanity for online audience
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Serving up home-cooked dog food
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