Mistakes

A pharmacy acknowledged Thursday that it had incorrectly mixed a vitamin compound given to 21 polo horses before they collapsed and died. The horses belonging to the Lechuza Caracas polo team fell ill Sunday at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. Some died on the field, some in trailers and others in the hospital. The botched vitamin compound was a substitute for Biodyl, a vitamin-mineral mixture that the Food and Drug Administration forbids in the U.S.

In the wake of the deaths of 21 prized polo horses, the United States Polo Assn. says it will announce today plans to provide additional protections for its animals. The announcement is expected after today's USPA Board of Governors meeting in Wellington. A spokeswoman for the organization did not provide any specifics of what is being considered, but there has been much discussion about the treatment of polo horses since the deaths last weekend.

A newly released report says that the U.S. military in Afghanistan must give higher priority to avoiding civilian casualties when calling for airstrikes, but that the practice of using warplanes to support units engaged in battle should continue. The U.S. military investigation examined a battle May 4 in western Farah province that resulted in at least two dozen civilian deaths and prompted outrage among Afghans.

`The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has revised an earlier study detailing severe shortages of dentists in several California counties. A technical error -- which arose because some ZIP Codes span two counties -- caused an underestimate in the total number of active dentists and the ratio of dentists to population in some areas. The overall remain largely the same: Some counties are experiencing a severe shortage and others may soon see shortages when aging dentists retire.

The city of Cerritos is used to raking in awards and distinctions. Named an All-America City in 2008 and a Tree City USA for 11 consecutive years, Cerritos bills itself as an oasis in an urban desert. A fountain adjacent to City Hall belches up clean, chlorinated water to the delight of area children, who romp in their bathing suits in the sun reflected off the city's award-winning, titanium-clad library.

A Los Angeles County judge has dismissed a felony gun possession charge against a parolee after a police radio recording contradicted testimony by a Culver City police officer who arrested him. Defense attorneys accused Officer Derek Brown of falsely testifying so that he could justify a search of the suspect's motel room, where a semiautomatic pistol was found.

In the realm of power list injustices, this one was a stinker. Forbes magazine released its annual "100 Most Powerful Women" list Wednesday, and Walt Disney Co.'s Anne Sweeney appeared to suffer a bruising fall from grace. A year ago, Sweeney -- who as co-chairwoman of Disney Media Networks oversees such influential TV institutions as ABC, the Disney Channel and ABC Family -- ranked a respectable No. 30. This year, even though her job didn't change, Sweeney came in at No. 98. Forbes, say it isn't so. In fact, it wasn't.

Every time a patient receives a CT scan, a mundane array of numbers appears on a computer screen before a technician. The numbers include the radiation dose. "It's in your face on the screen," said Dr. Donald Rucker, chief medical officer for Siemens, a manufacturer of CT scanners. Beginning in February 2008, each time a patient at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center received a CT brain perfusion scan -- a state-of-the-art procedure used to diagnose strokes -- the dose displayed would have been eight times higher than normal.

Chicago made another huge mistake in the red zone, and the Atlanta Falcons held on for another wild victory over the Bears. Michael Turner scored the go-ahead touchdown on an otherwise forgettable night, powering over from five yards with 3:06 remaining, and the defense held at the end to preserve a 21-14 victory Sunday night. Matt Ryan threw two touchdown passes for the Falcons (4-1), who matched the best five-game start in franchise history. The Bears (3-2) will surely be moaning about all the mistakes down close that helped end their three-game winning streak: a fumble at the one, an interception at the nine and a crucial penalty when they had fourth and one at the Atlanta five with less than a minute to go. The teams played a thriller for the second year in a row. This time, the team that was behind couldn't pull off the comeback.

Philadelphia's primary mass transit agency may need a better map: It sold passes featuring New York City's skyline. An agency spokeswoman said transit officials liked the look of the pass but didn't realize the photo was of the wrong city. New passes are being printed.