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Loebsack asks CDC to help pork producers in public relations battle

May 7, 2009 By

Congressman Dave Loebsack, a Democrat from Mount Vernon, is asking officials from the Centers for Disease Control to do more to help rescue the pork industry from a public relations nightmare. The C.D.C. website says there is "currently" no evidence one can get the H-1-N-1 flu from eating pork products.

During a congressional hearing this new strain of the flu, Loebsack made a direct appeal to C.D.C. officials.

"Can you be less equivocal and state that one may not get this influenza from pork products?" Loebsack asked. "…I understand why you use this language. There’s no evidence currently right now that anyone’s gotten, you know, the influenza from pork. But can we go further from that and say that there’s no way, if you will, that anyone can get this influenza from pork products?"

Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control responded, giving Loebsack a little of what he asked, but then adding something he probably didn’t want re-aired.

"People don’t need to be worried about eating pork in terms of this particular virus," she said. "Influenza viruses can affect swine…Swine can become ill from influenza viruses, but everything we know about what’s going on right now suggests you don’t need to worry about pork in terms of eating that or handling it."

Loebsack thanked the doctor for "going that far" but then asked her to do more.

"We’ve placed communication as our highest priority really in this response ’cause information and misinformation are important in how the public reacts and the unintended consequences," she told Loebsack. "In terms of the pork issue, we’ve been working with both USDA and the Pork Board and other business concerns to understand what we can do to clarify the issue. You know, here in the U.S. this is an issue. In other countries it’s an issue as well and we’re really trying to be sensitive to both the cultural and economic impacts of our words."

China has banned pork imports from Iowa and other states where H1N1 cases have been confirmed. Loebsack calls that "very unfortunate."

If you’d like to watch the exchange between Loebsack and the C.D.C. doctor,  click here .

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Business, Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Health & Medicine, Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

Gas prices go back up

May 7, 2009 By

Some economists are hinting that the nation’s economy may be recovering faster than expected and while that’s encouraging news, it’s having an impact on fuel prices.

Gail Weinholzer, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says gasoline prices are rising in Iowa, bumping up 10 to 20-cents a gallon in the past week. "They are definitely beginning to climb up again," Weinholzer says. "We’re seeing crude oil selling at about $54 a barrel and that’s forcing prices up at the pump."

After being ten or 20-cents below the $2 mark for several weeks, she says prices are now over two-bucks a gallon in most Iowa cities. Weinholzer says the good news about the nation’s marketplace is evidently translating to bad news at gas stations.

"The crude oil prices are being pushed up by the fact that there’s some expectation that the economy will warm up the second half of the year," she says. "Keep that in mind, as well as the fact we’re heading into the summer driving season. There’s certainly some expectation that we won’t see any lessening of fuel prices."

When gas prices rise, Weinholzer says diesel prices usually follow. She says diesel is usually ten to 15-cents a gallon above regular fuel and she expects that margin to be sustained.

The current national average for a gallon of self-service unleaded gas is two-14, compared to $2.07 in Iowa. The record high price for gasoline in Iowa is almost twice as high $4.02 a gallon — set last July.

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Provision in ed bill could spur donations to private schools

May 7, 2009 By

A last minute provision in an education bill could mean a new corporate tax credit to benefit private schools, if the governor signs the change into law. Currently, individual contributors to private school scholarship funds receive a significant income tax credit.

Under the new law, that tax break would extend to corporations. Representative Cindy Winckler, a Democrat from Davenport, says the cost to the state treasury will still be capped at seven-point-five million dollars. "They had not reached their limit on the 7.5 million dollar cap so they extended it to corporate entities who could contribute and get the tax credit," Winckler says.

The senate unanimously approved the change. Winckler says the house had reservations about yet another tax credit when the state treasury is under siege. "Those were the conversations that occurred in our democratic caucus when we were identifying the differences between the house and senate version. It had not even been discussed in the house. So as you work on compromise however, the senate felt strongly about keeping that in," Winckler says.

The change was a top priority for private schools for this year’s legislative session.  

Filed Under: Education, Politics & Government

ISU softball team faces Kansas in tourney

May 7, 2009 By

The Iowa State softball team opens the Big-12 Tournament in Oklahoma City on Friday with a matchup against Kansas. The Cyclones finished the Big-12 regular season race by winning six of nine games and swept the Jayhawks in two games last weekend.

ISU coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler says it’s a great tournament and they were able to play with any team in the conference, so they come in with confidence.

The Big-12 has followed the lead of some other leagues and adopted a single elimination format. Gemeinhardt-Cesler says they did that to eliminate the wear and tear on the bodies, as a longer tournament would leave the players not as rested as they go into regionals.

The winner will move on to play regular season champion Oklahoma.

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Grinnell tennis teams head to regional

May 7, 2009 By

The Grinnell College men’s and women’s tennis teams take part in division three regional action this weekend. The women travel to Greencastle, Indiana for regional action.

Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton who is concerned about a lack of experience as he says they play a fall season, while the other teams play a spring season. The winner will advance to take on a University of Chicago team that is ranked third nationally.

The Grinnell men travel to Washington University in St. Louis and take on DePauw in the opening round on Saturday.

The surroundings will be familiar. This will be Grinnell’s third trip to Washington University in the past year.

Grinnell is 18-9 on the season.

 

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Grinell baseball team to play in conference tournament

May 7, 2009 By

After setting a school record for wins during the regular season the Grinnell College baseball team opens the Midwest Conference Tournament on Friday in De Pere, Wisconsin. The Pioneers finished second in the South division race and will play North division champ St. Norbert in the opening round.

Grinnell coach Tim Hollibaugh says in the big picture the most important thing is making the tournament, and he says they have the pitching depth, defense and offense to beat anyone. Hollibaugh says they don’t really want to face the top seed in the first game, but that’s the way it is.

The Pioneers enter the tournament with a record of 22-12, and he says they are hungry and have been playing good baseball.

Hollibaugh says Grinnell and St. Norbert have similar styles, with solid defense and good pitching. He says St. Norbert steals more bases and that is something they will work on stopping.

Monmouth and Beloit meet in the other first round game.

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Culver in western Iowa, touting "I-JOBS" projects

May 7, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver made stops in two western Iowa cities today to tout projects which will receive financing from the state’s new “I-JOBS” initiative.

Culver convinced legislators to borrow over $800 million for a variety of infrastructure projects. Half a million in I-JOBS money will go toward housing in western Iowa for people with disabilities according to Culver. Two apartment complexes will be built in Council Bluffs for residents who are mentally or developmentally disabled.

Jim Pullman, executive director of the Omaha-based outfit that will build the apartments, says the new units are needed.

“We’ve seen numerous people that we’ve provided 24-hour supports to gain enough independence and enough skills to move out on their own, only to find that when they find a place that they can afford, it’s not in a very good part of town (and) they find themselves isolated in their own community with no friends, no phone, no one to turn to for immediate help,” he says.

Residents of the new apartments will pay 30 percent of their income in rent. The state’s putting up one-fifth of the financing for the units. The other $2 million is coming from the federal government’s Housing and Urban Development agency.

The governor visited Council Bluffs this morning. Over the noon-hour, Culver was in Sioux City, to tout I-JOBS projects in that area.

 

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