Business briefs

Mad Cow was isolated case

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a California Holstein that was discovered to have mad cow disease in April was an isolated case.

The cow didn’t pose a threat to the food supply, the report said.

A three-month investigation looked into the movements of the infected dairy cow, her offspring and the food eaten by the herd. The investigation turned up no other cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

“The results of this thorough investigation confirmed that at no time was the U.S. food supply or human health at risk, and that the United States’ longstanding system of interlocking safeguards against BSE continues to be effective,” said John Clifford DVM, USDA’s chief veterinary officer.

The 10-year-old dairy cow is only the fourth with the sickness ever discovered in the United States. She was found as part of an Agriculture Department program that tests for the fatal brain disease in about 40,000 of the 35 million cows slaughtered each year. The cow was unable to stand before it was killed and sent April 18 to a rendering plant at a Hanford, Calif., transfer station.

It was one of dozens that underwent random testing at the site, and the positive results set off the federal investigation into the source of the disease.

Dolan Media Newswires

Meridian roofing contractor charged with fraud

A roofing contractor in southwestern Idaho has been accused of defrauding federal programs designed to help businesses and veterans.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 62-year-old Patrick J. Large of Meridian is also charged with scheming to defraud a federal surplus property program.

Large has been charged with more than a dozen counts of fraud, money laundering and making false statements. Federal authorities say he was indicted by a federal grand jury in February but the charges remained sealed until this month. Large made a court appearance July 31.

A trial has been scheduled for late September.

According to the indictment, Large is accused of running his schemes during a seven year period that started in 2003.

The Associated Press

C of I leads Idaho schools in Forbes college rankings

Two private undergraduate colleges bested Idaho’s public colleges and universities in new rankings released by Forbes.  The College of Idaho in Caldwell ranked 222nd in the the America’s Top 650 Colleges rankings, while Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg came in at number 358.

The Forbes scoring is based on how much alumni get paid, student satisfaction, students’ debt loads, four-year graduation rates and students winning prestigious awards.

Three of Idaho’s four four-year public institutions made the 650-school cut, with the University of Idaho ranking 396th, Boise State University 616th and Idaho State University 620th.

IBR Staff