Odwalla Pleads Guilty, Will Pay $1.5 Million In E. Coli Outbreak

SACRAMENTO - Juice manufacturer Odwalla pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a record $1.5 million fine today over a 1996 E. coli outbreak that killed a Colorado girl and sickened more than 60 people.

It is the biggest criminal fine in a food injury case in the history of the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA said.

The outbreak was caused by contaminated apple juice processed at an Odwalla plant in Dinuba, Calif., near Fresno.

The juice was unpasteurized.

Odwalla pleaded guilty to 16 misdemeanor charges of selling adulterated food products and will serve five years' probation, said U.S. Attorney Paul Seave.

Galileo computer shuts down during flyby of Jupiter moon

LOS ANGELES - The spacecraft Galileo has hiccuped again.

A computer subsystem aboard the unmanned craft turned itself off this week during a flyby of Jupiter's frozen moon Europa. Engineers, however, said they were confident of getting the mission back on track.

Because of the glitch, the spacecraft lost all data collected Monday from its fifth pass by Europa, where scientists are aiming instruments in search of a suspected hidden ocean that could harbor life.

The subsystem, a network of three computers and hardware, went into "safe mode" Monday when it detected a problem during the pass within 1,141 miles of the moon. A backup subsystem remained on, and

ground controllers were able to receive some data.

Jim Erickson, project manager, said the problem stems from electrical shorts in components called slip rings, caused by wear, and controllers probably must live with it.

Searchers find campsites believed used by Rudolph

ANDREWS, N.C. - Federal agents believe bombing suspect Eric Rudolph may have used several campsites near this mountain community, including one where his fingerprint was found.

"At one of those sites, we found trash buried in the ground, and Eric Rudolph's fingerprint was identified on one of the pieces of trash," said Woody Enderson, in charge of the Southeast Bomb Task Force.

The campsites were found east of Andrews, where more than 200 law-enforcement officers have searched for nearly two weeks.

Rudolph, 31, is being sought for the Jan. 29 bombing at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., that killed an off-duty policeman and injured a nurse. He is also wanted for questioning in three Atlanta-area bombings, including the 1996 Olympics blast, which killed one person and injured more than 100.

FDA receives more reports of deaths linked to Viagra

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration has confirmed 39 deaths among American men using the popular anti-impotence pill Viagra, but says it remains convinced Viagra is safe when used by the proper patients.

The FDA updated Viagra information on its Internet site late Tuesday.

The agency revealed that it also has received an additional 38 reports of possible deaths among Viagra users, but it has not been able to verify those reports' accuracy. Twenty-four were hearsay or media reports, eight failed to show whether the men actually took Viagra, and six involved foreign patients, the FDA said.

Even the 39 verified reports, however, don't prove the drug was to blame, the FDA cautioned.

Air Force pilot ejects safely before F-16 crashes in ocean

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. - A pilot from Shaw Air Force Base ejected safely yesterday before his F-16 crashed into the Atlantic during a training mission.

Several jets were on a simulated air-to-air combat training mission when the accident happened, said Lt. April Dillard, a Shaw spokeswoman in Sumter, S.C.