Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON STATE : Bacteria Sickens Six, Closes Restaurant

Six patrons of a Sizzler were sickened by the E. coli bacteria, prompting health authorities in Seattle to close the restaurant and attempt to pinpoint the food involved. Five women and a 5-year-old boy fell ill after eating at a Sizzler in the Northgate neighborhood between Aug. 14 and 18. None were hospitalized and all are recovering, health authorities said. E. coli contamination also sickened patrons at a Sizzler restaurant in Corvallis, Ore., in early August. In March, outbreaks were reported at Sizzlers in Grants Pass and North Bend in Oregon. The same variety of bacteria was traced to earlier outbreaks involving other Washington state restaurants that killed three people and left hundreds ill.