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IHSAA takes steps to avoid disease spread in wrestling

January 31, 2007 By

The man in charge of Iowa high school wrestling says it’s tough to control all communicable diseases such as herpes gladiatorum in a sport like wrestling. Alan Beste of the Iowa High School Athletic Association says that wrestling coaches, officials, and participants try their best to make sure nothing is spread between wrestlers.

Beste says officials do check over wrestlers prior to a meet to make sure there is nothing suspicious on their body. He says anything that looks suspicious in a skin check requires a form from the wrestlers doctor to say the condition is not communicable.

Minnesota’s high school athletic association has shut down the sport for eight days due to the outbreak. Beste says that was the best move in that situation, and says if there’s ever a similar outbreak here in Iowa, high school officials would shut down the sport as well. Beste says you have to applaud Minnesota as they took a drastic measure to get the situation under control.

Beste says they’ve contacted every school in the state to make sure they are looking at their wrestlers carefully to make sure they don’t have skin conditions like herpes gladiatorum. He says before the season starts the association sends out information on how to prevent the spread of such things. Beste says they sent an e-mail to remind everyone after hearing what happened in Minnesota.

A wrestler from Clear Lake has been diagnosed with the condition as well as24 cases reported by ten teams in Minnesota. Clear Lake faced one of those teams, Kasson-Mantorville, two weeks ago at the Osage Duals tournament.

 

 

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Disease could have serious side effects for wrestlers

January 31, 2007 By

At least one north-central Iowa wrestler has been affected by a widespread outbreak of herpes gladiatorum in the state of Minnesota. The Minnesota State High School League has suspended wrestling in the state for the next week to try and control the outbreak.

Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health Disease Prevention Specialist Betty Krones says it is a virus that is similar to the one that produces cold sores. She says it is a herpes virus that affects the skin found in athletes that compete in close contract. Krones says herpes gladiatorum can start out as a rash and gradually get worse. She says the area may start out as a reddened area, turning into a blistered rash that will eventually scab over in seven to ten days.

People affected may also end up having a fever or muscle aches as well. Krones says if a person thinks they have herpes gladiatorum, they should immediately see their doctor. Krones says since herpes gladiatorum is spread through skin-to-skin contact, people who have it should make sure they protect other people from the virus. Krones says the virus is easily spread and could cause some serious side effects, especially if it gets into someone’s eye.

Minnesota officials say 24 cases of the virus have been reported by ten teams, including Kasson-Mantorville, a team that two weekends ago participated in the Osage Duals tournament. Clear Lake wrestling coach Gary Weber confirms that one of his wrestlers has missed the past week and is being treated for the disease. The coaches for the other teams involved, Osage, Emmetsburg, and Independence, have not reported any of their wrestlers having symptoms.

Minnesota has banned competitions and direct contact between wrestlers in practice until February 6th. Minnesota state officials decided to halt wrestling activities to try and control the current outbreak, allow time to diagnose new cases, and prevent disqualifications during the upcoming tournament series leading up to the Minnesota state tournament February 28th through March 3rd.

 

 

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Two arrested in Grinnell, pot seized

January 31, 2007 By

Two men were busted Tuesday afternoon in Grinnell and 100 pounds of pot were seized. The Grinnell Police Department reports that a suspect vehicle committed an illegal lane change just north of I-80. Grinnell police detective Jeffrey Hughes says the vehicle had been under surveillance: "This was a joint effort that was initiated by the Iowa state patrol, and included the mid-Iowa narcotics enforcement task force along with the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s office and the Dallas County Sheriff’s office."

The Dallas County Sheriff’s drug dog was brought in, and the trunk of the vehicle was indicated. The marijuana was located, along with additional evidence and some cash. Hughes says it’s the biggest pot bust he knows of in Grinnell. "I’ve been here since 1998, and as far as I know, it’s the largest marijuana seizure ever in the city of Grinnell," Hughes said.

Two Michigan men were arrested, 27-year old Aniema Victor Ubom and 28-year old Earl Watts. Both are charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana and failure to affix drug tax stamp.

 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Iowa State women on the road

January 31, 2007 By

The Iowa State women are on the road in the Big-12, tonight, when they visit Nebraska. The Cyclones are 4-4 in conference play while the Huskers carry a 5-2 league mark and the nation’s 22nd ranking into the contest.

Cyclone coach Bill Fennelly says they remind him a lot of Oklahoma, as they have a good post player surrounded by seniors. Fennelly is not surprised the Huskers are in the thick of the Big-12 chase. He said at media day he thought Nebraska would be a very good team. Fenelly says they’re playing at a high level that is not surprising.

Iowa State is 16-5 overall. Nebraska is 17-4.

 

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Economist says cigarette tax increase could hurt border stores

January 31, 2007 By

Iowa governor Chet Culver is basing a lot of the spending he proposed in his budget outline this week on revenues from a dollar-a-pack increase in the state cigarette tax, but a Midwestern economist says border-town lawmakers uneasy about the prospect have reason to be concerned. Economics Professor Ernie Goss says if the tax hike is passed, those stores will see a dropoff in more than just their cigarette sales.

"When somebody comes in to buy cigarettes, they also buy other items in your retail establishment," says Goss. So not only do you lose cigarette sales, you lose sales of other retail items, and he says it could be "quite significant" for those retailers. "As you raise the taxes, you get fewer and fewer consumers and the revenue base goes away."

But Professor Goss says there’s also a likelihood that some will start driving across the border with "contraband" cigarettes. Those are cigarettes on which people haven’t paid the tax. Goss says you’ll get "cross-border" impacts, where people from Council Bluffs will drive to Omaha to buy their cigarettes. And finally, he says, you have some who will actually quit smoking.

Goss says the tax increase probably won’t bring in as much revenue as expected for the Hawkeye State. He says if Governor Chet Culver’s plan is approved, it could mean a jump in business for Nebraska retailers near the Iowa border. Nebraska’s cigarette tax right now is 64-cents a pack

 

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Cedar Falls woman charged in Hurricane fraud

January 31, 2007 By

A Cedar Falls woman who applied for and received disaster assistance from the federal government is now charged with theft. Waterloo police say 43-year-old Monique Blakeney portrayed herself as a Hurricane Katrina victim and received more than 15-thousand dollars from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

In September 2005, police say Blakeney applied for hurricane disaster relief, listing damage to her home, personal property and vehicle. Police say she used a New Orleans address on the application, but authorities believe she was living in Cedar Falls at the time. Blakeney is charged with first-degree theft. She’s being held in the Black Hawk County Jail.

 

 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Marion Mayor wants police to track down illegals

January 31, 2007 By

An eastern Iowa mayor wants one of his city’s police officers dedicated to tracking down illegal workers. Marion Mayor John Nieland says local businesses would be targeted, too, if they hire illegal immigrants.

"They’re taking away jobs from your friends and your neighbors," Nieland says. Nieland is particularly concerned about undocumented workers landing jobs with local construction companies.

"People keep hiring them and if you didn’t hire them, there would be no problem," Nieland says. Nieland wants the City of Marion to hire a new police officer, send that officer away for five weeks of training so they can be deputized as a U.S. Marshal with the authority to investigate complaints about undocumented workers.

Nieland says he’s getting positive reviews from lots of places, including praise from a union worker in the construction trades who’s seen illegal immigrants hired to work for cheaper wages. Former Cedar Rapids Mayor Lee Clancy, the president of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, says Nieland’s crackdown could jeopardize efforts by many area businesses to create a "welcoming environment" for workers from different cultures.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts
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