Bloglander

Spud Wars: Jamie Oliver Strikes Back — A federal proposal suggests getting rid of potatoes in school lunches – whether they’re mashed, boiled or stuck in a stew – and swapping them out for other vegetables. Farmers and fry-loving kids are angry. No word if they’ll count ketchup as a vegetable. (SR)

Finding jobs — The Hire One Act, a new law in Idaho gives employers tax credits for hiring new workers, hopefully driving down the 9.7 percent unemployment rate. (KREM)

Connected to high unemployment rate? — Child abuse calls in North Idaho are up 10 percent this year, perhaps because of the awful economy and rapid population growth. (KXLY)

Hello? Cancer speaking — New York Times Magazine takes a deep long look at studies analyzing the risks of cell phones causing cancer. The answer — “this extraordinarily wide-cast net has yet to find solid proof of risk for cellphone radiation.” But research for cancer, as anyone who’s followed health news for the last 10 years knows, is incredibly complicated. So don’t expect this debate to remove the concern from those recommending you hold the phone away from your brain. Research, the constant chant goes, is still needed.