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• The lean, textured beef trimmings were the subject of many media reports earlier this year, and also have drawn comments from television chefs and food commentators. The term "pink slime" was coined by a former U.S. Department of Agriculture microbiologist.
• BPI has declined to discuss how much it has lost in sales, but acknowledged it took a "substantial" hit after social media erupted with worry over the product and an online petition seeking its ouster from schools drew hundreds of thousands of supporters.
• Critics worried about the way the meat is processed -- bits of beef are heated and treated with a small amount of ammonia to kill bacteria. The filler has been used for years and meets federal food safety standards.
• The company has won public backing from multiple governors, including Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman.
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SD fire officials warn farmers about wildfires
• RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- Fire officials in South Dakota are urging ranchers and farmers to take precautions to prevent wildfires when harvesting.
• The South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire Suppression says the warm, windy weather mixed with dry fuel conditions can cause fast-moving prairie fires.
• Fire Division Director Jay Esperance says in a news release that the agency anticipates high to very high fire danger in the western half of the state. He says farmers and ranchers should have precautions in place to prevent prairie fires, like locating water tanks nearby and blowing chaff off combines to minimize fire potential.
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SD Legislative panel approves school rules
CHET BROKAW,Associated Press
• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- The South Dakota Education Department can go ahead with its new system for assessing the performance of schools and providing help to those that perform poorly, a split legislative panel decided Wednesday.
• The Rules Review Committee, a panel that must approve any agency's rules before they take effect, voted 4-2 to endorse the department's rules to set up a new accountability system that will replace the requirements of the federal school improvement law known as No Child Left Behind.
• The panel's two Democratic members voted against the rules, saying the department is moving too fast on the part of the system that would change performance (Continued on page 14)
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