Recall: Tylenol, Motrin, Other Recalls

Johnson & Johnson issued a massive recall Friday of over-the-counter drugs including Tylenol, Motrin and St. Joseph's aspirin because of a moldy smell that has made people sick.

FILE - This July 19, 2002 picture shows the Johnson & Johnson corporate headquarters in New... Expand
(AP)

It was the second such recall in less than a month because of the smell, which regulators said was first reported to McNeil in 2008. Federal regulators criticized the company, saying it didn't respond to the complaints quickly enough, wasn't thorough in how it handled the problem and didn't inform the Food and Drug Administration quickly.

The recall includes some batches of regular and extra-strength Tylenol, children's Tylenol, eight-hour Tylenol, Tylenol arthritis, Tylenol PM, children's Motrin, Motrin IB, Benadryl Rolaids, Simply Sleep, and St. Joseph's aspirin.

The FDA and Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Healthcare Products said they did not know the number of bottles recalled. It included caplet and geltab products sold in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates, and Fiji.

Consumers should check the full list at http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com to identify the recalled batches.


http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=9578485

Other Alerts & Recalls indexed on SLNV

Rio Restaurant & Lounge Hearing Now Feb 3 - Petitions / Emails / FAX Letters (2011)

Please share this information widely.
Please send emails and petitions as described below
Soonest but no later than 3 pm February 3.

For this article & updates:
j.mp/rio2010jan

For recent Rio history: j.mp/rio2009july

Update Jan 31, 2010:

Update Jan 8, 2010:
Now that the hearing date has changed to 7 pm Wednesday February 3, please download and circulate this revised petition form. (To preserve earlier links, the filename was not changed.) Please do not continue to circulate the old (Jan 13) petition form, but please do deliver to the Liquor Board in any remaining signed copies of the old (Jan 13) petition.

Please deliver petitions to the Liquor Board soonest, but no later than 3 pm February 3.


Board of License Commissioners
County Service Building
5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Room 204
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
Phone: (301) 699-2770
Fax: (301) 985-3548

Please also consider sending the following revised message text with your elaborating comments from yourself individually and separately by your community organization by email or FAX or letter delivered to the Liquor Board soonest, but no later than 3 pm February 3.

Revised opposition email/letter/FAX text:



To: Prince George's County Liquor Board, Chairman Jackson
Subject: OPPOSE Rio Restaurant & Lounge Extending Hours of Operation and any Loosening of license conditions

I, (FULL NAME), living at (FULL ADDRESS), am a Prince George's County registered voter,
[For organizations: and President/etc of the XYZ Homeowners Association/etc ].

I oppose loosening any of the current liquor license conditions for Rio Restaurant & Lounge located at 13501 Baltimore Ave., Laurel, Maryland 20707

I specifically oppose any extension of the hours of operation.

I believe that the one or even two months that Rio Restauant & Lounge will have been in operation since opening December 2, 2009 is a totally inadequate amount of time in which to assess whether to loosen any of the current conditions on their liquor license, including any extension of the hours of operation.

I believe that any loosening of the conditions on this liquor license is a threat to the peace and safety of the community.
Respectfully,
[Your Signature Block]
==========

Update Jan 7, 2010:
This afternoon i received notification from the Liquor Board that the January 13, 2010 hearing for Rio Restaurant & Lounge has been continued (rescheduled) to February 3, 2010 at 7 pm at the County Services Building in Hyattsville.

February 3, 2010 7:00 P.M.
Board of License Commisioners / Liquor Board
County Service Building, Hearing Room 200
5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20781

Thanks to all who were able to write to the Liquor Board on such short notice. And special thanks to our elected Representatives, and their staff, who sent letters and otherwise engaged the Liquor Board on behalf of our Community:


MD District 21 Senator - Jim Rosapepe (Carolyn Brenner, Stacey Baca)
MD District 21 Delegate - Barbara Frush
MD District 21 Delegate - Ben Barnes
MD District 21 Delegate - Joseline Peña-Melnyk
MD District 23 Senator - Douglas Peters
MD District 23A Delegate - Gerron Levi
MD District 23A Delegate - James Hubbard
Prince George's County District 1 Councilman & Council Chair - Tom Dernoga (Laura Moore)
Prince George's County Education Board Member District 1 Rosalind Johnson
City of Laurel, Mayor Moe


If you have not yet sent a message to the Liquor Board, please do so, expressing your opposition to loosening any of Rio's liquor license conditions as described on this web page J.MP/rio2010jan (see UPDATE Jan 8, 2010 for revised message text and a revised petition) -- Omit opposition to the Jan 13 hearing date because that hearing is now rescheduled to Feb 3.
==========

Update Jan 5, 2010:
Please reserve Jan 13 7 pm for Possible Rio Hearing [now Feb 3]
Even as we urgently send the Liquor Board our emails, letters, faxs and petitions to change the scheduled Rio hearing date (see below), please try to reserve January 13 7 pm [now Feb 3] on your calendars, so as many of us as possible can go to Hyattsville on that date to attend the Liquor Board hearing IF the hearing is not rescheduled to later as we are requesting.

Just standing up at the beginning of the Liquor Board hearing when the Chairman literally counts how many are present "in Opposition" to Rio's request (and how many are "For") -- its not a vote -- but it is very effective in showing our communty's opposition to Rio's attempt to expand its operating hours (see below). Such very late hours are totally inconsistent with Rio's long standing liquor license requirement that they operate as a "Family-Friendly" restaurant, due to the long history of violence at that location. Community organization leaders and elected legislators would be testifying, but attendance by a large number of citizens sends a unique and powerful message -- which has been very successful for our community at past hearings like this.

Of course, we hope the hearing will be rescheduled to much later in the year -- which is why your emails, letters, and petitions are so important and urgent right now -- and you will be notified immediately if/when that happens -- but we may not learn that until the very last moment -- so we need to be prepared for Jan 13, just in case. [now Feb 3]

So, please try to join our email, letter, and petition campaign -- and also attend the hearing if you can (see below)

==========

On Dec 31, 2009, just before the New Year's holiday weekend, we learned from a Laurel Gazette article that a Liquor Board hearing is scheduled at 7 pm Wednesday, January 13, 2010 [now Feb 3] for Rio Restaurant & Lounge (which was confirmed by a call to the Liquor Board.) That hearing was requested by Rio owner, Mr. Tak Yoon, to extend his hours of operation (*) and possibly also to argue for the loosening of other conditions requested by the community, which were approved by the Liquor Board on July 28, 2009 due to the long history of violence at that location. (Liquor Board Letter, July 29, 2009).
At the July 28, 2009 hearing, the Liquor Board said it would schedule a hearing to review this license in no less than six months (i.e. no earlier than January 2010). At that time, Rio was expected to open soon -- giving several months of Rio operations to consider in a January 2010 hearing. But Rio did not open until Dec 2, 2009. Now, after only one month in operation, the Rio owner is already trying to extend Rio's hours of operation to later than those imposed by the Liquor Board. (*).
I am asking community residents -- and community organization leaders on behalf of your organizations -- to please consider immediately sending emails or faxed letters to the Liquor Board requesting that the January 13 [now Feb 3] hearing should be rescheduled to no earlier than June 2010 [June 2010], to provide adequate experience with Rio operations before considering any loosening of the Rio's current liquor licence conditions -- but such a hearing should be in no case earlier than February 10, 2010, as a matter of fairness, due process, and open government. (See example wording below)

We have since learned that Mr. Tak Yoon appeared at a regularly scheduled
10 AM session of the Liquor Board on December 22, 2009 to submit his request for extended hours of operations. But the Liquor Board declined to hear his request at that time. The Board scheduled the January 13, 2010 evening hearing so that community Persons of Record in the case could attend, but somehow, our community Persons of Record did not receive any notice that the Liquor Board's regularly scheduled January 13, 7 pm administrative session would deal in any way with Rio. (Liquor Board Rule & Regulation 25).(*) We understand that the extended hours being requested by Rio are:
  • Monday through Friday -- extending closing from 11:30 pm to 1 am
  • Sunday -- extending closing from 11:30 pm to 2 am
  • Sunday -- extending opening from 12:30 pm to one hour earlier at 11:30 am
PETITIONS:
Given the very short notice we all have received, nonetheless, if you can, please download this petition [revised for February 3 hearing] and collect signatures from local residents (must be Prince George's County registered voters) and deliver them by hand, mail, or FAX to the Liquor Board by no later than Noon January 13 (and earlier if possible) [now Feb 3] so there is time for Liquor Board staff to verify the names and addresses with the county voter registration rolls.

Board of License Commissioners
County Service Building

5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Room 204
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
Phone: (301) 699-2770
Fax: (301) 985-3548

EMAIL or FAXed Letters:
From Individuals and additionally from Organization Leaders on behalf of your Organization:

You can copy/paste/modify the following text into your own email or faxed letter (not as a petition with multiple names) AND your own elaborative comments
This following email text is now outdated by events -- please use the email text above under Update Jan 8


To: Prince George's County Liquor Board, Chairman Jackson
Subject: OPPOSE Jan 13 [now Feb 3] Rio Hearing and Hours Extension.
I, (FULL NAME), living at (FULL ADDRESS), am a Prince George's County registered voter,
[For organizations: and President/etc of the XYZ Homeowners Association/etc ].
1) I oppose loosening any of the current liquor license conditions for Rio Restaurant & Lounge located at 13501 Baltimore Ave., Laurel, Maryland 20707; including, but not limited to, opposition to extending the hours of operation.
2) I oppose holding the liquor board hearing on this matter on January 13, 2010, as currently scheduled.
3) I request that this hearing be held no earlier than June 2010 and in no case before February 10, 2010
I believe that the only one or even two months that Rio Restauant & Lounge will have been in operation since opening December 2, 2009 is a totally inadequate amount of time in which to assess whether to loosen any of the current conditions on their liquor license, including any extension of the hours of operation.
Moreover, Persons of Record representing our community somehow did not receive notice from the Liquor Board, that the January 13 hearing would address Rio Restaurant & Lounge (R.R. 25).
Further, I believe that any loosening of the conditions on this liquor license is a threat to the peace and safety of the community.
[Your Signature Block]
===========================================

You are of course, free to communicate any other thoughts you wish in any way to the Liquor Board.


In any case please do not forward this entire message to the Liquor Board
-- just your own personal correspondence

H1N1 & Seasonal Flu Shot Clinics For ALL -- by ZipCode


According to Maryland H1N1 Response
  • Maryland has made H1N1 (Swine) flu vaccine available to everyone who wants it.   [BUT] Local Health Departments and health care providers will continue to focus on delivering vaccine to members of the five target populations. ... (more)
Nonetheless, there are non-county H1N1 and Seasonal Flu Shot Clinics that are now giving shots to all (for a fee, often covered by health insurance) 

Google has a frequently updated service to find nearby H1N1/Seasonal flu shot clinics  www.google.com/flushot  then enter your zipcode
Call listed clinics for fees, insurance accepted and other details.

In that listing -- this is the only free Prince George's County H1N1/Seasonal flu shot clinic shown -- so far ...  so check back 

Prince Georges County Health Department & the Bowie Health Center
15001 Health Center Drive, Bowie, MD (301) 809-2026
Starting 12/30/09 - W 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

See also Flu & H1N1 Info / Vaccine Clinics 
at http://southlaurel.blogspot.com/#news

Prince George’s County Goes Into "Snow Mode"

Prince George’s County Goes Into "Snow Mode" (Press Release)
LARGO, MD – Prince George’s County’s Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) crews go into full “snow mode” late tonight and will work 12-hour rotating shifts for as long as necessary to keep more than 1,821 miles (5,000+ lane miles) of county-maintained roadways clear of snow and ice to ensure the safety of residents, citizens, and other folks traveling through the county.

During each 12-hour rotating shift, more than 240 vehicles and 250 employees will be clearing Prince George’s County maintained roads. Command staff will work out of DPW&T’s TRIP Center located at 8414 D’Arcy Road, Forestville, MD, where photo/interview opportunities can be arranged on site or in the field prior to, during, and after the snow event.  Visual opportunities range from loading trucks at the salt dome and plowing roads to a state of the art street monitoring center and command strategy room.

To assist road crews in keeping roadways clear, residents are requested to:
• Move and keep vehicles off snow emergency routes
• Park in driveways or other off-road locations wherever possible
• Park only on the even-numbered sides of streets

It also is important for single-family homeowners or renters and business proprietors to remember that they are responsible for:
• Removal of snow and/or ice from sidewalks abutting their homes or business establishments

As in all inclement weather conditions, citizens and residents are encouraged not to drive for their own safety, as well as that of emergency crews.  Should drivers find it necessary to be on county roadways during or immediately after the storm event, they need to allow extra travel time and use extreme caution.

In addition to DPW&T staff, members of the department’s successful Community Partnering Program will report to DPW&T concerning roadway hazards or conditions within their communities.  This allows crews to quickly redeploy where needed.

It should be noted that routes are prioritized for service into three categories:  primary, secondary, and residential.  Primary roads receive service first to ensure that public safety and other emergency vehicles are able to travel.  After completion of these roads, secondary and residential roads receive service.  Residents and citizens may contact the county’s Snow Information Center in the event of an emergency or to report concerns about roadway conditions by calling 301.350.0500.

Dec 15 1pm Police Satellite Station Grand Opening in Town Center Plaza

Prince George's Police District VI has announced that they will be having a grand opening of their new satellite office. Your Community Oriented Policing Services officers, District VI Commander and Deputy Commander, and Chief of Police will be attending.

Tuesday December 15 at 1:00 pm 
Town Center Plaza
13310 Laurel Bowie Road
Next to Saphire Indian and Thai Restaurant

Please share this information widely within our community.
Please come and bring someone with you.
===========================================

The following Community Message was issued by the Prince George's County Police Department via Nixle.com

Monday December 14, 2009 15:08 PM EST

PGPD Celebrates Grand Opening of New Community Policing Office

Prince George's County, Maryland …The Prince George’s County Police Department’s District VI Station is celebrating the grand opening of a brand new Community Policing Office.

It is located within a Laurel shopping center and will not only serve as a place for police officers to complete paperwork, but will be a part of the community.  “We are excited to be partnering with local businesses in order to expand the community policing concept in the Laurel area,” said Chief Roberto Hylton.

Who:  Prince George’s County Police, Chief Roberto L. Hylton
          Prince George’s County Police, Deputy Chief Michael Blow
          Prince George’s County Police District VI, Major Dwayne Preston
          Representatives from Carrollton Enterprises
          Local Community and Civic Leaders

When: Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Time:  1:00 p.m.

Where: Town Center Shopping Center
               13310 Laurel-Bowie Road
               Laurel, MD

After the press conference, District VI COPS officers will be available to provide the media a chance to ride-along with them through the area they will be serving.   For more information, contact the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Press Information Office at (301) 772-4710.

Rio Restaurant & Lounge Now Open

Rio Restaurant & Lounge is now open, since December 2. The owner 
said that a Grand Opening is planned soon.

Thu Dec 3 at 1 PM COPS Coffee Club Town Center, South Laurel

By popular demand, now everyone, not just Seniors, can attend Coffee Club meetings with Prince George's County Police District VI Community Oriented Policing Services (C.O.P.S.) officers and City of Laurel police.

The next Coffee Club meeting will be at a new location:

Thursday, Dec 3, 1 PM
Town Center Shopping Center
13310 Laurel Bowie Rd 
Laurel, MD 20708
Next to Sapphire Indian/Thai Restaurant

Residents are welcome from throughout Prince George’s County Police District VI (map) and from City of Laurel. We discuss crime prevention and crime reporting issues of particular concern to participants, such as personal safety, home security, vehicle theft, theft from vehicles, consumer fraud, identify theft, and more.

The Coffee Club holds informal meetings at 1 pm on the first and third Thursdays each month, at various announced locations in Prince George's County Policed District VI and City of Laurel.

Please join us.

Nov 23 7pm Safe Shopper Program Martin Luther King MS

Prince George’s County Police Department District VI wants to reduce crimes of opportunity at local area shopping centers.

Safe Shopper Awareness Program 
Monday, November 23, 7 pm
Martin Luther King Middle School 
4545 Ammendale Rd, Beltsville [MAP]
Door Prizes
Including Washington Wizards Tickets for November 28 Game

By following the tips below, you can outsmart criminals and limit the opportunity for you to become a victim of crime this holiday season.
  • Carry your wallets in your front pocket as opposed to the back pocket
  • Be aware of your surroundings when shopping in stores
  • Carry cash/credit & debit cards deep in your pocket or in zipper pockets
  • Do not leave your purse unattended in the shopping cart
  • When in use, cover the account number on your credit/debit card with your hand and block the view when typing in your PIN
  • Make sure you lock your car when exiting the vehicle
  • Ensure your keys are accessible before exiting the store
  • Look around the parking area before exiting the vehicle
  • Lock the doors as soon as you enter the vehicle
  • Do not stop and talk to strangers in a parking lot/deck
  • Shop with a friend/family member - there is safety in numbers
  • ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings.
Call 911 For Emergencies or Crimes in Progress
Call 301-352-1200 for Non-emergencies needing a police officer to respond.

If you have information about recent crimes in Police District VI (Map), please contact the Prince George's County Police District VI Confidential Telephone Tip Line at (301) 931-3575 or by email to  police_district6@co.pg.md.us

Thu Nov 19 1 PM COPS Seniors Coffee Club Phelps Senior Services Center



The second formative meeting of the C.O.P.S. Seniors Coffee Club is at 1 PM on Thursday, November 19. This time we will meet at

Phelps Senior Services Center
701 Montgomery Street
Laurel, MD 20707 

Our first meeting was on Thursday, November 5 at the Starbucks in the Laurel Center at Contee Rd and Route 1. Ten seniors attended -- half of them from the West Laurel area of Prince George’s County.

We welcome senior citizens from throughout Prince George’s County Police District VI (map) and from City of Laurel. We discuss with the Police District VI Community Oriented Policing Services team (C.O.P.S.) and City of Laurel police officers about crime prevention and crime reporting issues of particular concern to seniors, such as personal safety, theft, consumer fraud, identify theft, and other issues raised by our members.

The Seniors Coffee Club holds informal meetings on the first and third Thursday afternoons each month, at various announced locations in Prince George's County Policed District VI and City of Laurel.

Please join us.

P.G. County Police Free Alert Messaging Service NIXEL

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT 
One Team. One Mission. Fight Crime. 

The Prince George’s County Police Department is now offering immediate information to citizens through Nixle, a trusted web-based service for police departments and other government agencies.

Through Nixle, important neighborhood-level information is provided to residents in a standardized, secure and certified manner: via the web, email or mobile text message services (*). Nixel uses social networking technology similar to Twitter and Facebook.

To learn more about Nixle and to sign up to receive information from the Prince George’s County Police Department, through Nixle, regarding public safety matters in your community go to nixle.com

(*) Standard text messaging fees may apply, depending on your mobile phone service plan.

Powder Mill Road work: Beltsville Dr to Allview Dr until Summer

UPDATE Nov 10, 2009:
According to information received from a business near the construction area (who kindly provided this SHA Announcement) and my own observation this afternoon, apparently one or more lanes will be kept open during construction on that portion of Powder Mill Rd.

ROUTE 212 WIDENING: Work is scheduled to begin this week (Nov 9) on a $1.2M road widening project along a half mile of Route 212 on Powder Mill Road between Evans Trail Way/Allview Drive and Beltsville Drive in Beltsville. 

Some Powder Mill Road lanes will be closed on weekdays between 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and overnight Sundays through Thursdays from 9:00 PM to 500 AM.  Construction is scheduled to last until next summer.  (mapDr. Gridlock, Washington Post Nov 8, 2009
(Thanks to Karen M.)

Nov 21 Dernoga Thanksgiving Party for Charities

UPDATE: 
Note from 2010 candidate for District 1 County Council Representative, Mary Lehman:
If you appreciate organizations that do the good but often thankless work in our communities that makes life better for the poor and homeless, here's a chance to honor them and educate yourself and your kids about their efforts. This is a FREE and wonderful pre-Thanksgiving event to remind us of what really matters, how to make a difference, and why we have so many reasons to be grateful for our own blessings. I will be there with my kids, and I hope you will, too
.
Fondly, Mary Lehman


Click image to enlarge.



Sat Nov 14 Free E-Cycling and Document Shredding Event 8 am - 1 pm

The Prince George's County Department of Environmental Resources (DER) invites County citizens and residents to participate in a free E- Cycling and Document Shredding Event on


Saturday, November 14, 2009 
8 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
High Point High School
3601 Powder Mill Road
Beltsville

"With identity theft and fraud crimes on the rise, this event provides our County citizens and residents an opportunity to safely dispose of their confidential documents," said, DER Director Charles W. Wilson. "In addition, citizens and residents can help the environment by dropping off their old, unwanted electronics equipment and televisions for recycling."

  • Residents can bring up to five tall kitchen bags or five archive boxes filled with documents to be destroyed by mobile shredding trucks at the event.  
  • Acceptable items for e-Cycling include personal computer or component parts, inkjet and toner cartridges, mainframes, surge protectors, cell phones, laptop computers, computer mice, circuit boards, copiers, telephone systems, CD players, keyboards, computer speakers, fax machines, cable, radios and stereos, printers, scanners, pagers, VCRs and televisions.  
This event is restricted to non- commercial vehicles, ¾ ton maximum weight.

For more information on the E-Cycling and Document Shredding Event or other recycling initiatives, call DER's Recycling Team at (301) 883- 5045

Muirkirk Rd Water Main Break Nov 5, 2009















Sometime before noon, Thursday, Nov 5, 2009 a water main broke in the middle of Muirkirk Rd inside Montpelier Hills, just east of Sea Pearl Ct. By 2 pm WSSC crews were digging up the road to begin to effect repairs. The two center lanes will probably be closed during repairs -- two-way traffic continues using the outer lanes. There are no flagmen. The second photo shows water coming out of a street light pole at the electrical connection box, so there may also be reduced street lighting tonight night and until repairs are completed. Even after utility trucks and equipment leave, caution should be exercised in the center lanes because in the past road repair crews have left dangerous, unfiilled excavations overnight in this area of Muirkirk Rd. See:

Aug 21, 2008 WSSC Water Line Break on Muirkirk

Jan 14, 2007 Citizens Mitigate Dangerous Excavation on Muirkirk 

Nov 11 7 pm Climate Change Science Update - Greenbelt

GCAN logo

Wonderfully Entertaining and Informative 
Slideshow and Discussion!
Greenbelt's Fifth Annual
Global Warming Science Update with 

Dr. Chris Barnet (bio)
Wed., November 11,  7:00 pm
Greenbelt Community Center, Room 114
15 Crescent Road. Greenbelt, MD

Thu Nov 5 1-3 PM - First Seniors' Coffee Club
with PG District VI C.O.P.S.

First Formative Meeting of the Seniors' Coffee Club
With 
Prince George's County Police District VI 
Community Oriented Policing Officers (COPs)
Thursday, November 5, 1-3 PM
At Starbucks
13600 Baltimore Ave, #308, LaurelMD 20707
(MAP