America the Messy Yard Police StateMessy yard cops take 4 years to shut down mice infested Pennsylvania Capitol cafeteria.Messy yard cops take 4 years to shut down mice infested Pennsylvania Capitol cafeteria. I guess those messy yard laws apply to everyone execpt the government nannies who enforce them.
Teeming with mice, Pennsylvania Capitol cafeteria gets shut down by state officials By Associated Press December 24, 2009 | 1:25 p.m. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Why is the cafeteria at the Pennsylvania Capitol infested with mice? Probably because health inspectors didn't visit it for four years. State law requires annual checks for health and sanitation. Auditor General Jack Wagner said Thursday he received assurances in 2005 that the state Agriculture Department would inspect it. He says his auditors later received false assurances that it was being inspected regularly. When an inspection was finally done last week, authorities found "excessive" droppings on food preparation equipment and in cabinets and utensil bins. That's an imminent health risk. The ground-floor cafeteria is now closed and is not expected to reopen until January. It is a popular coffee and lunch spot for statehouse visitors and employees.
Auditor: Pa. Capitol eatery uninspected since 2005 By MARC LEVY Associated Press Writer HARRISBURG, Pa.—The rodent-infested cafeteria in Pennsylvania's Capitol where Gov. Ed Rendell, lawmakers, and many statehouse visitors and employees regularly dine was not inspected for four years, despite a law requiring annual such checks. That revelation behooves the need for a new food safety law to greatly improve the restaurant inspection process, state Auditor General Jack Wagner said Thursday. One such bill passed the House in June and has remained in the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee since then. A 2005 audit by Wagner's office found that thousands of Pennsylvania restaurants were being licensed without the required annual inspections for sanitation and health, and that penalties for failing the checks had been rare and insignificant. As part of the audit, Wagner raised the concern that jurisdictional wrangling between the state and the city of Harrisburg was leaving the Capitol cafeteria uninspected. As a result, the Agriculture Department inspected the cafeteria in November 2005 and, according to Wagner, told his auditors in 2007 that it was continuing regular inspections. Agriculture Department spokesman Justin Fleming called the four-year lapse an "unfortunate oversight" while the agency worked to correct problems cited in Wagner's audit. As to whether the agency misled auditors in 2007, Fleming said the Agriculture Department was working to locate any records of written communication on the matter. Last week, Agriculture Department inspectors finally arrived at the ground-floor cafeteria, a popular coffee and lunch spot. They found a "severe" rodent infestation, including an "excessive" amount of rodent droppings on food preparation equipment and in cabinets, utensil bins and elsewhere. The droppings indicate the presence of live mice and are considered an imminent health risk. The now-closed cafeteria is not expected to reopen until January. Aramark Corp., the Philadelphia-based food service company that runs the cafeteria, is working with state workers to clean it up.
Auditor: Pa. Capitol Eatery Uninspected Since 2005 HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) The rodent-infested cafeteria in Pennsylvania's Capitol where Gov. Ed Rendell, lawmakers, and many statehouse visitors and employees regularly dine was not inspected for four years, despite a law requiring annual such checks. That revelation behooves the need for a new food safety law to greatly improve the restaurant inspection process, state Auditor General Jack Wagner said Thursday. One such bill passed the House in June and has remained in the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee since then. A 2005 audit by Wagner's office found that thousands of Pennsylvania restaurants were being licensed without the required annual inspections for sanitation and health, and that penalties for failing the checks had been rare and insignificant. As part of the audit, Wagner raised the concern that jurisdictional wrangling between the state and the city of Harrisburg was leaving the Capitol cafeteria uninspected. As a result, the Agriculture Department inspected the cafeteria in November 2005 and, according to Wagner, told his auditors in 2007 that it was continuing regular inspections. Agriculture Department spokesman Justin Fleming called the four-year lapse an "unfortunate oversight" while the agency worked to correct problems cited in Wagner's audit. As to whether the agency misled auditors in 2007, Fleming said the Agriculture Department was working to locate any records of written communication on the matter. Last week, Agriculture Department inspectors finally arrived at the ground-floor cafeteria, a popular coffee and lunch spot. They found a "severe" rodent infestation, including an "excessive" amount of rodent droppings on food preparation equipment and in cabinets, utensil bins and elsewhere. The droppings indicate the presence of live mice and are considered an imminent health risk. The now-closed cafeteria is not expected to reopen until January. Aramark Corp., the Philadelphia-based food service company that runs the cafeteria, is working with state workers to clean it up. |
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