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Earlham woman featured in book on hometown heroes

May 28, 2007 By

Hometown Hereos book An Iowa woman who created a farm safety program for kids after her own son died in an accident is featured in a book the profiles 50 "Hometown Heroes." Marilyn Adams of Earlham created "Farm Safety 4 Just Kids" in 1986 after her 11-year-old son Keith died in a grain wagon accident while helping on the farm. The farm safety organization reaches out to farm families to tell about he dangers of grain wagons, and other farm hazards. Her story got into the book based on a newspaper article.

Adams’ story, and those of the other 49 people in the book were first featured in the America’s Profiles insert in Sunday newspapers. Those stories were expanded for the book called : "Hometown Heroes: Real stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary things All Across America." Adams though doesn’t think she’s a hero — just someone who tried to make something good out of bad situation.

Adams says she had to find something positive to be able to deal with the tragedy. There are probably a lot of people who believe Adams is a hero after hearing about the impact of her program. When she started the organization in 1986, farm deaths among kids were 300 a year. Ten years later, the number of farm deaths among kids had dropped to 104. Adams says they broadened their focus from grain wagons, to riding on tractors and safe play areas.

The group continues to look for ways to help improve farm safety for kids, and Adams says they’re always looking for volunteers to help. She says you can call 1-800-423-5437 or surf to the Farm Safety 4 Just Kids website . The book featuring Adams is available at most major bookstores.

 

 

Audio Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports.

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Public Safety says "Click it or Ticket" is working

May 28, 2007 By

It appears that the Iowa’s "click it or ticket" campaign is working. Iowa Department of Public Safety spokesperson Jim Saunders says more Iowa motorists are wearing a seat belt than every before. He says, "One of the last surveys showed that Iowa was running about 90 percent compliance in seatbelt usage and that’s good."

Accident investigators are reporting that seat belts are saving lives. Saunders says, "Just to give you an example, we’ve seen a significant downtrend in the number of fatalities that we’ve had and I think a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that we have a high compliance rate with seat belts." Saunders says the fact that nine out of 10 Iowans are buckling up is paying off.

"We’re down 11 fatalities this year from the same time period last year," Saunders says, "so we want to keep seeing those numbers reduced as time goes on and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that we do put a lot of emphasis on the use of seat belts." Saunders says if you don’t buckle up, you’ll have to pay up. The cost of a seat belt ticket is around $88.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Proper tire pressure could help you save gas

May 28, 2007 By

With fuel prices causing many Iowans to make changes in their driving and spending habits, one organization is reminding people to look to an often-overlooked area for beating the gas pump blues. Dan Zolinski, spokesman for the Rubber Manufacturers Association, says proper tire inflation will allow your tires to last longer and will help with miles-per-gallon.

Zolinski says, "Properly inflated tires will improve efficiency by about three-point-three percent, saving you about nine cents a gallon at today’s prices." Besides saving you money, he says proper tire inflation is paramount to the safety of drivers and passengers. With scorching temperatures expected this summer, Zolinski says that could lead to unnecessary blowouts and cause a crash.

He says tire pressure keeps tires running safe and cool. When it’s underinflated, problems can develop with the additional friction as more rubber is on the road which, over time, could lead to tire failure. Zolinski says motorists should be checking their tire pressure once a month and before any long trips. He says it’s easy to find the proper inflation level for your tires, though many think it’s found on the tire itself. Zolinski says on the contrary, the proper inflation level is found inside the car, usually on a sticker or in the owner’s manual.

He says people also need to keep an eye on the tread to maintain proper safety. Put a penny upside-down into a groove in the tread. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, it’s likely time to replace the tire. For more information, visit " www.betiresmart.org ".

 

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Large bugs invade Science Center

May 28, 2007 By

Visitors to the Science Center of Iowa might feel like they’ve been hit by the shrink ray in the movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." An exhibit opening today called Backyard Monster offers a bug’s-eye view of the world. Center spokeswoman Sally Dix says it puts visitors face-to-antenna with a host of huge, robotic insects.

Dix says there is a giant paper wasp, a beautiful 20-foot wide monarch butterfly that flaps its wings, and an 11-foot tomato caterpillar. She says people will feel as if they’ve been miniaturized in the oversized backyard setting where blades of grass are as large as trees and insects are gigantic.

Dix says there are interactive exhibits along with each giant bug, so kids can pull ropes to see how the muscles of a bee work to flap their wings, or too see how certain bugs make noises. She says folks should be on the lookout for two fighting atlas beetles, a tarantula and even a giant scorpion that’s prepared to strike its prey.

Dix says it will be a fun exhibit but kids will also get the chance to see that insects aren’t necessarily all that scary and there are plenty of interesting facts to learn about them. She says each figure contains a system of animated robotics that enables it to display lifelike movements like moving heads, flapping wings and creeping legs.

An extensive insect specimen collection is included with the exhibition that features real butterflies, beetles and a foot-long "walking stick" bug. Backyard Monsters will be at the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines through September 4th. For more information, visit www.sciowa.org .

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Take proper precautions for backyard swimming

May 28, 2007 By

The Department of Public Health is reminding Iowans to be aware of potential problems when taking a dip this summer. State Epidemiologist, Patricia Quinlisk, says a majority of recreational water illness outbreaks are caused by the parasite Cryptosporidium, otherwise know as Crypto.

Quinlisk says Crypto is spread by people with diarrhea. Quinlisk says typically a kid with diarrhea, or a kid in diapers that has accidents, gets into a pool and wash themselves off in the water. Then another kid swallows that water and gets sick. Quinlisk says the parasite is not easily killed by chlorine. One of the biggest concerns is a backyard pool that doesn’t get much attention.

Quinlisk says the backyard kiddie pools are filled with water that’s not swimming pool water, and doesn’t have any chlorine in it. She says the best remedy is to keep kids that’re sick out of your backyard pool. You can also add a small amount of bleach to the water. Quinlisk says pools with filters give you more protection.

Quinlisk says since the parasite isn’t always killed by the chlorine, the filtering is important too. She says if you have concerns, you may be safer using a sprinkler instead of the kiddie pool.

Quinklisk says the young, elderly, pregnant women are at a greater risk of getting sick from a backyard pool. Other tips for avoiding illness around the pool: Don’t swallow pool water or get pool water in your mouth; Shower before swimming (children too!); Wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers; Take children on bathroom breaks or change diapers often; Change children’s diapers in a bathroom, not at poolside. For more information on healthy swimming, visit: www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming  . 

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Be sure to check yourself for ticks after camping

May 28, 2007 By

As Iowans go hiking, fishing and camping on this Memorial Day, they might encounter ticks and the potential for lyme disease. Judith Weeg, co-director of the Iowa Lyme Disease Association, suggests folks who are spending a lot of time outdoors conduct frequent tick checks on themselves.

Weeg says, "Check in the crevices of your body like behind the ears. A tick can be anywhere on the body. If you find a tick, take tweezers with you on the camping trip, pull the tick straight out and then watch for some symptoms." She says those symptoms are varied.

Weeg says symptoms, including a rash, may appear from 48 hours to several weeks after an infected tick bite and are often flu-like symptoms like fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headache, fever, chills, swollen glands, sore throat and stiff neck.

Weeg has some suggestions on how to protect yourself from ticks. Wear light colored clothing so you can see a tick readily. Pull your socks over your pantlegs to keep a tick from crawling in. Wear a long sleeve shirt and a hat. She also suggests using an insect repellent. For more information, visit www.iowalymedisease.com .

 

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Iowa Guardmembers talk about tour in Iraq on "60 Minutes"

May 28, 2007 By

The Iowa National Guard’s 133rd infantry unit based in Iowa Falls was featured on last night’s CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes." The entire hour of the program focused on the number of relatives that serve together in the unit and how its deployment to Iraq has impacted them, and family members back home. The unit’s main responsibility is to escort convoys of supplies across the most dangerous area of Iraq.

The program followed the unit from the day it deployed until recently. It found some of the members, like Josh Ites, questioned their mission in Iraq. "I just feel that we will be here a long time, and it’s going to take a lot more time than what people think back home to fix what’s going on over here," Ites says, "from what I can see, they (the Iraqis) don’t want us here."

Josh’s dad Mike also serves in the unit, and disagreed with his son. Mike Ites says, "Yeah, I believe that we’re supposed to be over here," He says, "Progress is being made. If you go back to 9-11 and what the people did there, and when the President asked, ‘Do you want me to go after these people?’, the whole United States stood up in unison and said ‘yes we do’. He says ‘This is going to be long and drawn out. Are you really sure you’re going to stand with me?’ And they said ‘yes we will.’ Well, now there are some that aren’t. Because the American people are a ‘give me’ people and ‘give it to me know.’"

C-B-S correspondent Scott Pelley jump in, saying, "You’re a little bit angry that folks at home have turned against the war." Ites responded, "Yes, you could say that." Pelley responded again saying Ites was more than a little bit angry and he responded, "As I said, I believe in what we’re doing." Pelley said.

Even though some questioned their mission, a majority of the unit members have reenlisted in the Iowa guard. The program included an interview with Jerri Nisley of Marshalltown, the wife of one of the two members of the unit to be killed by roadside bombs. Nisley says she knew immediately when the military visited her that something had happened to her 48-year-old husband, Staff Sergeant Scott Nisley.

Nisley kept telling herself over and over that she just wanted to hear that her husband had been injured, "I don’t care if he doesn’t comes home with any legs. I don’t care, just let him come home," She says, "But they said no, that he had been killed in action." The program showed Nisley meeting Scott’s body at the Des Moines airport as his casket was unloaded.

Nisley said she had to meet his body when it came home, because she’d been at all his other homecomings. Nisley said it was going to be their 25th wedding anniversary when he got home. Nisley said she hadn’t experienced any anger, just disappointment in her personal loss.

Nisley was asked what she thought about the war now, and said going and fighting is what Scott Nisley wanted to do. Twenty-year-old Specialist Kampha Sourivong of Iowa City was killed by the same roadside bomb as Nisley.

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