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Santa Clara County in California has just ushered in a sad day for Happy Meals -- by banning them, along with other such promotions for unhealthy kids' meals. But this sad day for McDonald's may lead to many happier ones for all those kids who might now have a better shot at growing up with healthier eating habits. That is, if you believe the ordinance will work -- and don't think the measure is altogether out of line.

The super-sized Queens Democrat seeking a ban on McDonald's Happy Meal toys is himself a cautionary tale on the consequences of scarfing down too many Big Macs, Marcia Comrie said.

"He doesn't do it in front of me -- he knows it's the bane of my existence," she said of her 335-pound husband's fast-food-devouring ways. "But the results are there for anyone to see."

A U.S. consumer group wants McDonald's Corp to stop using Happy Meal toys to lure children into its restaurants and has threatened to sue if the world's biggest hamburger chain does not comply within 30 days.

After delaying the vote so that it would not be a campaign issue, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has now voted to ban toy giveaways in Happy Meals and similar fast-food offerings aimed at kids unless they have reduced sodium, fat and sugar content and include fruit and vegetables.

A US consumer advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s, accusing the fast-food chain of using deceptive advertising practices to lure children to the company’s restaurants. The lawsuit, brought by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, accuses McDonald’s of using the promotional toys included in its Happy Meals to get children to pester their parents into bringing them to its restaurants.

The eradication of a large pot farm in Santa Clara County turned deadly. Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a suspected marijuana grower this morning in a remote area about ten miles south of Livermore’s Del Valle Regional Park.

“We are talking about very rugged terrain up in the mountains,” Santa Clara County Sheriff’s spokesman Rick Sung.

About 12 deputies started the marijuana enforcement operation at sunrise in the rugged hills near the border of Alameda and Santa Clara counties.

The Board of Supervisors just banned toys in Happy Meals, which drew worldwide attention.

Now the latest ban being proposed in San Francisco is on male circumcision.

A proposed ballot measure for the November 2011 ballot – when voters will be electing the San Francisco’s next mayor – would amend The City’s police code “to make it a misdemeanor to circumcise, excise, cut or mutilate the foreskin, testicle or penis of another person who has not attained the age of 18."

The San Francisco ban on providing free toys to entice children to eat unhealthy foods goes into effect Thursday, but McDonald’s plans to comply with the law by charging 10 cents a toy for their Happy Meals and donating the money to the nonprofit Ronald McDonald House.

To cut down on underage drinking, county officials will begin enforcement of a new ordinance next month that allows officers entry into residencies if they suspect minors are drinking on the premises.