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❖ THE GRIPE ❖
A Personal Affront, Reported Faithfully
There is a bag of frozen blueberries in my freezer, and since Friday I have been reading the back of it like a contract. A Chilean supplier, Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur, expanded its recall of frozen organic berries over possible E. coli O145. It now covers more lots of Great Value Organic Blueberries and Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend, sold at Walmart in 30 states and Puerto Rico, plus one lot of Trader Joe's Organic Mixed Berry Blend sold in 26 states and Washington, D.C. The first recall was July 3. The outbreak made 17 people sick and put 6 in the hospital, and the CDC closed its investigation on September 21, twelve days before the recall got bigger. The bags in question are stamped good until 2028. The advice is to throw them out or take them back for a refund. I could not read the lot code on mine without a second pair of glasses, so it went in the trash, and I ate my oatmeal plain.
❖ THE DAMAGE REPORT ❖
Today's News, Ranked By How Much It Ruined My Mood
🔥 MOST ENRAGING
House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger announced the session Saturday to provide immediate relief at the pump. They did not say what the relief is. Suspending some or all of the state's 41-cent gas tax is one possibility. Regular is $4.03 in North Carolina and diesel is $6.03. Prices have been rising since February, and the urgency arrived about a month before the midterms.
😩 MOST EXHAUSTING
Boulder's city and county governments sued Suncor and Exxon Mobil to make them pay a share of local climate costs, and nearly 60 similar suits are waiting on the result. Justice Samuel Alito recused himself, so eight justices will hear it and a tie is possible. Before anything else, the court has to decide whether it can hear the appeal at all. Eight years in, the first question is whether the case may begin.
😤 UNREASONABLY ANNOYING
The cameras catch drivers going 11 mph or more over the limit, and each one gets a 60-day warning period after it goes live. A first violation at 11 to 15 over is a warning. After that it is $50 or more, and 16 over starts at $100. The program runs through 2032. In a city known around the world for its traffic, the problem being solved is people going too fast.
🤷 SOMEHOW ALSO HAPPENING
It was 100 degrees at first pitch for Game 1 of the division series against the Braves, and it felt like 105. That fell just short of Dodger Stadium's postseason record of 103, set at the 2017 World Series. Umpires chugged water between innings and fans shielded their heads with the giveaway towels. The Dodgers won, 5 to 3. Those towels were handed out for waving.
I Almost Threw Out My Keurig. It Wasn't Broken.
Every cup from my Keurig started tasting weak, flat, stale — so I unplugged it and stuck it in a closet. Then I learned the dirty secret of grocery store K-Cups: by the time a pod reaches your kitchen, it's usually spent months going from factory to warehouse to truck to shelf. The flavor oils are long gone. Some brands even over-roast to hide it.
The fix wasn't a new machine. It was fresh pods from Angelino's, a family-owned L.A. roastery that roasts, packs, and ships within 3–5 days — straight to your door, from 39¢ a cup. Over 1,000,000 happy customers. 50+ flavors, no subscription required, and 15% off your first order, applied automatically at checkout.
❖ AND SOME OTHER STUFF ❖
Briefly, And With Limited Enthusiasm
▸ The Yankees got one hit and lost Game 1 of their division series to the Rays, 1 to 0. Drew Rasmussen struck out 10 in eight innings. Austin Wells got the hit, a double in the eighth, and was thrown out trying to advance.
▸ Amazon's store-brand extra strength acetaminophen is recalled, 112,932 bottles, after customers complained the tablets were discolored. They are meant to be white to off-white. It is the second discoloration recall of Amazon's acetaminophen from the same manufacturer since May 2025.
▸ Brazil's presidential race is headed to a runoff on October 25. With about 94 percent of polling stations counted, Flávio Bolsonaro had 47.74 percent and President Lula had 44.32 percent. Every Brazilian presidential election since 2002 has gone to a second round, so the first one works mostly as a rehearsal.
✦ THE ONE GOOD THING
Fine. A white lobster named Casper has moved into the University of New England's marine science center in Maine. White lobsters turn up about once in 100 million. The Maine State Aquarium in Boothbay donated him, and Dr. Markus Frederich's team will study his genes, without harming him, to learn what causes the rare shell colors. They have already studied orange, blue, yellow, purple and calico lobsters. The next time I pass the lobster tank at the grocery store, I am going to look a little longer.
Check the freezer before breakfast.
THE GRUMP · (AND LARRY)