Six at McDonald's hospitalized after exposure to substance

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Customers become ill at McDonald's

Six people went to local hospitals Sunday after exposure to an unknown material at a McDonald's restaurant in Knightdale.

The McDonald's at 7141 Knightdale Blvd. was evacuated shortly after 10 a.m.

Thirty-one people, including customers and employees, were treated by emergency medical personnel for complaints such as burning noses and eyes, said Jeffrey Hammerstein, district chief for Wake County EMS. Six people were taken to hospitals for evaluation.

Sickening substance remains a mystery

Raleigh's fire marshal said Monday that a hazardous material team could not pinpoint the irritating substance that sent six people to the hospital and sickened about two dozen more at a McDonald's restaurant in Knightdale over the weekend.

Fire Marshal Rusty Styons said the culprit may have been pepper spray or ammonia that someone either accidentally or intentionally released into the fast food restaurant's ventilation system late Sunday morning; it would have circulated throughout the restaurant.

"There was the suggestion that a chemical repellent had been released in the bathroom," Styons said.

'Super Size' makes its point

Maybe Morgan Spurlock goes a little too far when he makes "I'm Your Pusher" the background music for a photo montage of Ronald McDonald.

But the writer-director and guinea pig of "Super Size Me" has a point to make, and he's not above using a sledgehammer to do it.

By now, you're probably familiar with the premise of this fast-food documentary: Healthy guy eats nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days and becomes unhealthy guy. Specifically, Spurlock gains 24.5 pounds, his cholesterol level shoots up 65 points and his doctors fret that his liver is becoming as fatty as pate.

1 charge dropped against mother

Michelle Dawn Richardson left her 6-hour-old son in the corner of a McDonald's restroom stall this month, but one of the charges against her was dropped Wednesday.

A felony abandonment charge was dismissed by Wake Assistant District Attorney Tom Ford because North Carolina law calls for a child to be left for at least six months to charge a parent or guardian.

The baby, wrapped in a red blanket with his umbilical cord tied off with a shoestring, was found unharmed Dec. 7 by a patron of the Zebulon restaurant. Richardson, 27, was arrested the next day on felony child abuse and abandonment charges.

No. 12 North Carolina

vs. Georgia Tech, 2 p.m. today, ESPN

McDonald's 'D' leads to minutes

A month ago, it looked like freshman Leslie McDonald might be one of the reserves destined to play fewer minutes as coach Roy Williams whittled down North Carolina's rotation. Instead, his defense has earned him more court time of late - double-figure minutes the last four games.