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☆ Panera says it is phasing out its controversial Charged Lemonade nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Elizabeth Chuck | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Charged Lemonade from a Panera Bread Co. arranged in the Queens borough of New York, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. A Panera Bread spokesperson says the restaurant chain is phasing out its Charged Lemonade, a highly caffeinated beverage that has been blamed for at least two deaths in lawsuits. A spokesperson for Panera said Tuesday that the nationwide discontinuation of the Charged Lemonade comes after a "recent menu transformation." Panera previously advertised its Charged Lemonade as "Plant-based and Clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee." Panera has since updated its nutrition information to reflect how much caffeine is in the Charged Lemonade with ice, listing the large size of the blood orange Charged Lemonade, for example, as having 302 milligrams.

Persons: Sarah Katz, Dennis Brown, Lauren Skerritt, Panera, Katz, Victoria Rose Conroy, Sarah, Brown, Elizabeth Crawford, Kline, Specter, Dennis, Lauren Organizations: University of Pennsylvania, Food and Drug Administration, NBC News, NBC Locations: Queens, New York, Florida, Rhode, Missouri, Pennsylvania, New York City, Philadelphia

☆ Panera now displaying warning about its caffeinated lemonade in all stores after lawsuit over customer's death
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Elizabeth Chuck | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A large Charged Lemonade contains 390 milligrams — nearly the 400-milligram daily maximum of caffeine that the Food and Drug Administration says healthy adults can safely consume. The legal complaint called Charged Lemonade a "dangerous energy drink" and argues that Panera failed to adequately warn consumers about its ingredients, which also include guarana extract, another stimulant. The caffeine content of Panera's Charged Lemonade has always been listed in-store, Panera said. Katz had gotten a large Charged Lemonade hours before she died, and had had at least one Charged Lemonade in the days prior, according to Victoria Rose Conroy, Katz's roommate and close friend. Crawford said if Charged Lemonade is going to remain on the menu, it should be less accessible to customers.

Persons: Sarah Katz, Panera, Red Bull, Elizabeth Crawford, Kline, Specter, Katz, Victoria Rose Conroy, Katz's, Conroy, Sarah, Crawford, shouldn't Organizations: NBC News, Ivy League, and Drug Administration, FDA, Katz's University of Pennsylvania, Panera, Sip Locations: North America, Philadelphia, Katz's

☆ Family files lawsuit against Panera Bread after college student who drank ‘charged lemonade’ dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Elizabeth Chuck | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

On Sept. 10, 2022, Katz purchased a charged lemonade from a Panera Bread in Philadelphia, according to the suit. It's an energy drink that has lemon flavor," said Elizabeth Crawford, a partner at Philadelphia-based law firm Kline & Specter, PC. The lawsuit alleges the charged lemonade is "defective in design because it is a dangerous energy drink." Conroy said Katz had bought at least one other charged lemonade in the days prior to her cardiac arrest. Katz's parents, who declined to speak about the lawsuit, are desperate for people to understand exactly what is in Panera's charged lemonade before they buy it, Crawford said.

Persons: Panera, Sarah Katz, Katz, Victoria Rose Conroy, Conroy, Sarah, Red Bull, Elizabeth Crawford, Kline, Specter, I've, Crawford, Charles Berul, Berul Organizations: Ivy League, NBC News, of Pennsylvania, American Heart Association, National Hospital, Panera, Emergency, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Philadelphia, Washington

The victims of Saturday’s mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio included many longtime regulars who were excited to ring in the Lunar New Year. Nancy Liu, fatally wounded, fell to the ground, he said. Nancy Liu was 62 and loved volleyball, dancing, singing and music. The couple had been going to the dance studio for about a decade, Liu said. Courtesy Nhan and Quan familyNhan’s family said on Twitter that she had been going to the studio for years.

☆ Pro athletes compartmentalize emotions. That doesn’t mean returning to the field after Hamlin’s collapse will be easy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Elizabeth Chuck | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

“We see injuries week in and week out, but something like that, you’re talking life-and-death situations. It kind of hit a little different.”To play professionally, athletes must be highly skilled physically as well as mentally, sports psychologists say. Some NFL players say they are struggling to do that after Hamlin’s collapse on Monday night. After an ambulance raced him off the field, the game resumed before a shocked crowd. Once they step out onto the field, they may find their ability to play is as strong as ever.

Sharon Hughes stayed awake as late as she could Monday night, forcing her eyes open. “Can you imagine how his mother felt?” Hughes told NBC News in an interview. Several plays later, with 62 seconds left in the game, Hughes fell face-down to the ground, clutching his chest. “You can’t blame football,” she said, adding, “I never did.”Little information was released about Hamlin’s medical condition after his collapse Monday night. Sharon Hughes said that she was following the news but that for now, she was focused just on one thing.

At least two children were killed and multiple others were injured in a house fire Friday morning in New York City's Staten Island borough, officials said. Firefighters received a call about a blaze in the Stapleton neighborhood of Staten Island at about 10:18 a.m. A 5-year-old girl was pronounced dead on the scene, while a 6-year-old died at the hospital, according to the New York Police Department. At least two other children were injured in the fire, authorities said. It was unclear what the relationship was between the victims, but Long said authorities believe they were all from one family.

Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction was tossed in September after he served 23 years behind bars, has been hired by Georgetown University to work on prison reform. Syed's job as a program associate for Georgetown's Prisons and Justice Initiative is his first 9-to-5 office job, according to the university. Part of Syed’s job will include supporting Georgetown’s "Making an Exoneree" class, in which students re-investigate wrongful convictions, make documentaries about the cases and help free innocent people. In the year leading up to his release, Syed had taken part in Georgetown’s Bachelor of Liberal Arts program in prison. An attorney for Lee's family did not immediately respond to an inquiry Friday seeking comment about Syed's job with Georgetown.

The majority of states have declined to reimburse SNAP skimming victims. If Congress’ massive $1.7 trillion funding package passes, a provision tucked inside it would require states to replace SNAP benefits stolen in October or later. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., who introduced a bill last month to help SNAP skimming victims get their benefits reinstated. Washington, D.C., also reimburses SNAP skimming victims. Current regulations prohibit federal funds from being used to replace stolen SNAP funds, according to the Agriculture Department.

If it is signed into law, the omnibus bill would address the summer food gap low-income families face in two ways. It would permit “grab-and-go” free summer meals to be distributed in rural communities as part of the nationwide Summer Food Service Program, expanding access for more children in need. The Summer EBT program would start in 2024. And so having options like Summer EBT, having options like grab-and-go, other noncongregate options, is the way to be able to do that.”The summer nutrition program expansions in the bill were championed by Sens. "We know too often children who are able to get healthy meals in school go hungry during the summer.

In one study, researchers reported a link between screen time and higher rates of obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnoses among preteens. The studies, published in separate journals on Monday, followed their young participants to observe the effects of screen time over months or years. Researchers logged how much time the kids spent on devices and found that 4.4% qualified for a new OCD diagnosis. The researchers noted that they found an association between OCD and streaming videos on devices but not with traditional television-watching. “Just because their kid is playing video games doesn’t mean they’re definitely going to develop OCD,” he said.

Federal dollars are also not an option for reimbursement because regulations prohibit federal funds from being used to replace stolen SNAP funds. SNAP participants say they cannot wait that long after a month or more of stolen benefits plunged them into financial turmoil. Washington, D.C., also reimburses SNAP skimming victims. In the meantime, anti-hunger advocates say there’s no reason states can’t fill the gap for SNAP skimming victims. How states can helpCalifornia, one state that restores stolen benefits, has a law allowing state funds to be used that dates back to 2013.

The suspect in a mass shooting at a Walmart Supercenter in Chesapeake, Virginia, was a longtime employee described by a former co-worker as paranoid but not violent. In a statement Wednesday, Walmart identified the suspect as Andre Bing, an overnight team leader who had been with the company since 2010. Shaundrayia Reese, 27, said she worked at the Chesapeake Walmart from late 2014 to 2018, spending her four years working on the overnight stock team with Bing. Reese said after news of the shooting broke, she learned from other Walmart associates that Bing had made threats before. "This is a surprise to everyone who ever worked at Walmart or is currently at Walmart," she said.

Lee County suffered none of the state’s 123 Irma deaths. That experience influenced many people’s decisions not to flee Hurricane Ian. “Hurricane Ian is going to be the strongest outreach messaging for southwest Florida ever,” said Gleason, the Charlotte County spokesman. “When you live through it, then that message sinks in deep and forever.”A view of the Matanzas Pass side of Estero Island, home to Fort Myers Beach, Fla. Fort Myers Beach is expected to take years to rebuild. Thomas Simonetti for NBC NewsMichael Yost's two closest friends in Fort Myers Beach drowned in Hurricane Ian.

Voters in states from across the political spectrum chose to enshrine abortion rights on Tuesday, a major victory for reproductive rights advocates in the first national election since the fall of Roe v. Wade in June. While the amendment’s defeat will not change whether Kentucky residents have abortion access if the state Supreme Court continues to allow a ban that is currently being challenged, abortion rights advocates were thrilled by voters’ support. Meanwhile, voters in two Democratic states, California and Vermont, chose to officially protect abortion rights in their constitutions. Democrats said they care most about abortion rights, while Republicans said their biggest concern was inflation, according to the poll. “Until there’s a new federal right, state constitutions are really the best avenue to ensure reproductive rights and abortion rights in any given state,” she said.

Hours before Hurricane Ian decimated a small Fort Myers Beach marina, James “Denny” Hurst’s daughter sent him a panicked text. Lee County Sheriff's OfficeThe 72-year-old stayed put. More than 135 people have been confirmed dead by an NBC News count, and their families have begun holding funerals. Find the boat, you’ll find the body.”Ilonka Knes, 82, is one of three missing Lee County residents. Lee County Sheriff's Office“She wouldn’t have left him.

Students at a Missouri elementary school where "unacceptably high" levels of radioactive waste were found will switch to virtual learning, the school board has announced. Many said they first found out about the radioactive waste in their children’s school from Facebook posts or news reports. It has been testing the area around the creek for years, but never tested inside or within 300 feet of the elementary school. Hazelwood School District Board Meeting announces Jana Elementary School educational measures, in Florissant, Mo., on Wednesday. Karen Nickel, co-founder of environmental activist group Just Moms STL, attended Hazelwood School District as a child and told the school board she has several autoimmune conditions.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday confirmed a nationwide shortage of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication Adderall, more than two months after some pharmacies reported difficulties filling prescriptions. The shortage affects the immediate-release form of Adderall, a stimulant that helps manage ADHD symptoms. Dougherty added that Teva expects “intermittent delays through end of year.”The supply from the other Adderall manufacturers isn’t enough to meet the need, the FDA said. The shortage has hit pharmacies differentlySome pharmacies have been having trouble filling Adderall prescriptions since the summer. In May, Walmart and CVS announced they would stop filling prescriptions for controlled substances from telehealth startups such as Cerebral and Done Health, which prescribe stimulants and gained footing during the pandemic.

In the wake of Hurricane Ian, the living have struggled to account for all the dead. More than half of the victims drowned, the Florida Medical Examiners Commission has reported. A high-water vehicle with responders drives through a flooded neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in North Port, Fla., on Oct. 3. Precisely how many have died as a result of Hurricane Ian is a point of contention. “The communities hit by Hurricane Ian were places that have many new residents who had never experienced a major storm,” he said.

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