Nation briefs 07/28/03

Land O' Lakes issues voluntary recall for butter

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. -- Land O' Lakes Inc. issued a voluntary recall for its one-pound packages of salted stick butter on Sunday because they may contain small fragments of metal.

The company said it is working with the FDA to remove the butter from stores and homes, but there have been no reports of illness related to the recall.

The butter was distributed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Production codes on the packaging of the affected butter include the date and KE107P, KE108P, or KE109P. The company said anyone who bought butter with those production codes could return it to the store for a refund.

Rule blocking forest development could end

WASHINGTON -- The roadless rule in national forests may be at a dead end.

The often-challenged Clinton-era policy, which blocks development of nearly one-third of national forests, has been struck down again by a federal judge and could wind up before the Supreme Court.

First, however, it must survive changes proposed by the Bush administration, which has never fully embraced the rule even as officials pledge to keep it on the books.

Imposed in the final days of the Clinton administration, the rule blocks road construction in 58.5 million acres of remote forest as a way to stop logging and other commercial activity.

Environmentalists praise the rule as important protection for dwindling public lands. The timber industry and Republican lawmakers criticize it as overly intrusive and even dangerous, saying it could leave millions of acres exposed to catastrophic fire.

Survey shows gas prices remain steady

CAMARILLO, Calif. -- Gas prices remained steady during the nation's heaviest driving season, rising less than a penny per gallon over the last two weeks, an industry analyst said Sunday.

The average price of self-serve gas, including all grades and taxes, was $1.55, according to the Lundberg Survey of 8,000 stations. That was an increase of 0.12 cents per gallon from a July 11 survey.

The rise was due to increased costs of crude oil, refinery glitches and Hurricane Claudette, which struck the Texas Gulf coast July 15, said analyst Trilby Lundberg.

Gas prices remain about 10 cents higher than a year ago.

The average price of gas, including taxes, at self-serve pumps Friday was about $1.52 for regular, $1.62 for mid-grade and $1.71 for premium.

Urban League opens 93rd annual conference

PITTSBURGH -- The new president of the National Urban League said Sunday that the number of blacks with bachelor's degrees is at an all-time high, but warned that success in the classroom is marred by rising incarceration rates and covert racism.

Census figures show that in 2002, 17 percent of blacks ages 25 and older had a bachelor's degree, a record high. But Marc Morial said that achievement is overshadowed by the number of blacks in jail.

"We must ask why does the rate of incarceration of our black men continue to exceed the rate of college admission? Why in the year 2000 were there at least 12 states where there were more African Americans in prisons than in college?," Morial asked. "We must not be afraid to say to ourselves that we have much work to do."

-- From wire reports