Ben Bernanke’s Dad, Retired Pharmacist ‘Dr. Phil,’ Dies

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke‘s father, a retired pharmacist, died Wednesday.

Philip Richard Bernanke died at the age of 85 in Charlotte, N.C., according to an obituary in the Charlotte Observer. Fed officials confirmed that he was the father of the Fed chairman.

The elder Bernanke met his wife, Edna, while they attended different campuses of theUniversity of North Carolina. After getting married, they moved to Dillon, S.C., where Philip Bernanke ran the Jay Bee Drugs drugstore with his father and brother, Mort.

The Bernanke brothers were often known as “Dr. Phil” and “Dr. Mort” to their customers, Ben Bernanke said in a 2009 speech in Dillon.

More than 1 million GE dishwashers recalled for fire hazard

WASHINGTON (AP) – More than a million GE dishwashers are being recalled due to fire hazard.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that the voluntary recall includes about 1.3 million GE, GE Adora, GE Eterna, GE Profile and Hotpoint dishwashers. The machines' heating elements can fail and cause fires.

GE has received seven reports of fires, three of which caused extensive property damage. No injuries have been reported.

The dishwashers were sold nationwide from March 2006 through August 2009 for $350 to $850.

The government said people should stop using the dishwashers and immediately disconnect the electric supply by shutting off the fuse or circuit breaker.

Back-to-school scramble: New state law causes college kids to vaccinate

SAN ANTONIO – College students across the state already have their first test: They’ve got 10 days before the start of school to prove they've had the meningitis vaccine.

So, 22-year-old Michelle Para started her academic year at UTSA with a shot in the arm.

“Yes it hurt so bad… I hate needles!” Para exclaimed. “People share water bottles and everything. You think it’s so minimal, but it can cost you.”

Bacterial meningitis is a potentially fatal disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord. The death of a Texas A & M student in 2011 prompted a new Texas law requiring every college student under age 30 to provide proof of the vaccine or a booster shot in order to register for school.

“It may present as a simple case of the flu, and within 12-24 hours on the onset of those symptoms, patients can be comatose or very acutely ill,” said Dr. Beth Wichman, UTSA’s director of Health Services.

UTSA officials believe thousands of their students will have to roll up their sleeves, or face canceling classes.