Iconoclast Newsbriefs

Scams are hitting Texans in the wake of Hurricane Dolly, according to the Texas AgriLife Extension. In one case, con artists posing as government agents are giving away fake $500 food vouchers to needy Texans in exchange for their Social Security numbers.

Fecal contamination on Texas beaches increased by 12 percent since last year, reported Environment Texas. In 2007, Texas agents closed 532 beaches, up from 473 beaches in 2006. Storm water runoff and aging infrastructure are the main causes, experts say.

Certain granite countertops have dangerous levels of uranium radiation and therefore more government oversight should be sought, according to Rice University physics professor W.J. Llope. A trade group responded noting that a study found granite in 85 percent of countertops was safe.

Sen. Ted Stevens was indicted on seven counts of falsely reporting services from the company that improved his vacation home. The 84-year-old Alaskan Republican denied knowlingly accepting the services. Stevens is the 11th U.S. senator in history to have ever been indicted.

A New Jersey assemblyman resigned a week after child pornography was supposedly found on his legislative-office computer. Democrat Neil Cohen