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Study planned for Missouri River

August 5, 2009 By

A massive study of Missouri River ecosystems is being planned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Corps spokesman Paul Johnston says the study will be comprehensive in both size and area. Johnston says, "It’s looking at environmental restoration the full length of the Missouri River and most of the major tributaries, so obviously, that is a big effort."

He says the agencies are looking for public input as the project is almost ready to get underway. People who attend the meetings will be able to learn more about the timeline, the processes and goals of the study. "We’re having a series of scoping meetings to get people who are interested in the river to make sure their concerns and interests get factored in," Johnston says.

The first public meeting will be held next Monday in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with many more meetings in several states all along the waterway, ending in St. Charles, Missouri, in September. The list includes a hearing in Omaha/Council Bluffs on August 31st. Johnston says the study will be far-reaching.

He says, "It will probably include studies on the Yellowstone, the Platte in Nebraska, the Kansas River, some of the major tributaries and some of the smaller tributaries." Johnston says the study will take many months to complete. He notes there’s an appropriate old joke that goes: How do you eat an elephant? The answer is: One bite at a time.

"We’re trying to figure out an approximate size of the elephant so we can start the one bite at a time," he says. The results of the study, Johnston says, will be a fully-integrated plan for the Missouri River and an environmental impact statement. 

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation

You can now sign up for more DHS services on-line

August 5, 2009 By

You can now sign up for more services from the Iowa Department of Human Services on-line. D.H.S. spokesperson Ann Wiebers says it’s a major change in the information available. Wiebers says they’ve had an on-line application for the last two year, but they’ve expanded now so you can apply for all the financial and health programs on-line.

She says the system also includes a way to determine if you are eligible for services. Wiebers says you can do a pre-screening tool that will help you determine if you might be eligible for a program before you apply. And if you decide to apply, the website lets you get on-line and apply whenever you want without having to visit a D.H.S. office.

Wiebers says they hope the system will make things faster and more accurate in processing applications. Wiebers says once the application is submitted, it will automatically be in the system and workers can begin on it immediately. She says the process is still the same once the application is submitted.

The on-line site is called OASIS, or On-line Application for State of Iowa Services.

You can see the website here .

 

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Politics & Government

ISU deputy chief leaving for Virginia Tech "Threat Management" post

August 5, 2009 By

Iowa State University’s Deputy Chief of Police is leaving to become Director of Threat Management Services at Virginia Tech.  Over two years ago a Virginia Tech student shot 32 people on campus before committing suicide.

"The Virginia Tech and Blacksburg, Christiansburg communities are much more than just the tragedy of April 16, 2007," says Gene Deisinger, the soon-to-be former I.S.U. Deputy Chief of Police.

"Over the last couple of years of having an opportunity to know and work with colleagues at Virginia Tech, I’ve been very struck by the level of compassion and commitment within that institution and the strong sense of community so as I look forward to that change, I’m very eager to join that community and to continue to contribute to making the best, safest environment that I can."

Deisinger, who is 44 years old, is a licensed psychologist and has headed a nationally-recognized "Special Operations Unit" at Iowa State that assesses campus threats. Deisinger arrived in Ames in 1987 as a doctoral student.

"I’ve had the pleasure of being on staff at Iowa State University since 1989, first in the counseling service and then, in 1998, moving over to the police department," Deisinger says.

Deisinger was among those who advocated arming police on the campuses of the state-supported universities in Ames, Iowa City and Cedar Falls. In the fall of 2007, the board that governs the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa voted to reverse a 40-year-old policy and allow campus police to carry guns .

"If colleges and universities are going to have police forces, then those officers should be fully trained, certified and equipped to perform all of the necessary functions of being a police officer," Deisinger says, "and that includes arming and being able to provide a full emergency response."

Virginia Tech, like Iowa State, provides the "full range of police services" according to Deisinger, and that includes the use of guns. Deisinger co-authored "The Handbook for Campus Threat Assessment and Management Teams ," which was released in late 2008.

Deisinger, a native of Maine who grew up in Wisconsin, has spent his professional career in Iowa. Deisinger’s last day at Iowa State is August 7th, then 10 days later he’ll start his new job at Virginia Tech. 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Human Interest Tagged With: , , ,

Child dies in Newton fire

August 5, 2009 By

A five-month-old boy was killed in a house fire in Newton on Tuesday afternoon, the 34th fire death in Iowa this year. Police say Chase Edward Finch apparently died from injuries sustained in the fire.

An autopsy will be performed. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Flames were in the kitchen of the one-story house and quickly filled the house with smoke. Neighbors say one of two men who live in the house is the ex-husband of the infant’s mother, but he’s not the child’s father. He was reportedly babysitting.

Both men were reportedly outside the house, talking, when the fire was discovered. The men and neighbors tried to get to the infant, even using a garden hose, but the heat and smoke were too intense. The boy was reportedly sleeping in a car seat in the kitchen. The fire was quickly extinguished and damage to the house was limited.

 

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Motorist dies in accident with train

August 5, 2009 By

A car-train accident in Greene County on Tuesday killed the car’s driver. The identity of the victim has not been released by the Iowa State Patrol. The accident happened shortly before eight Tuesday morning a mile east of Ralston on B Avenue.

The driver of a 1999 Buick LeSabre was heading northbound when it failed to stop for the eastbound Union Pacific train. The train then hit the driver’s door of the car causing the vehicle to go off into the northeast ditch and burst into flames.

The body was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy. The accident remains under investigation by the State Patrol.

 

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Study says early activity helps kids later in life

August 5, 2009 By

A new study from the University of Iowa suggests kids who are active at age five have a better chance to stay lean even if they don’t remain as active over the next six years. Lead author Kathleen Janz calls it a "banking" effect. "That means there was something protective about their activity at age 5 that allowed them, at least in our study, to have less fat later on in childhood," Janz explained.

U-I researchers tested the body fat and activity level of 333 kids at ages 5, 8 and 11. Their findings indicate that kids who are active at age 5 end up with less fat at age 8 and 11, even when controlling for their accumulated level of activity. Janz also found that boys are more likely to experience the banking effect than girls.

She says that may be because the boys at age 5 were more active than girls. "So it might be that boys and girls are just different or it might just be that because boys were more active at age 5, they got better benefits later on at age 8 and age 11," Janz said. The researchers say further study is needed to determine if the active 5-year-olds will still develop less fat as teens and young adults.

Janz also wants to learn exactly what causes the banking effect. "We need to figure out…is it that they ended up with fewer fat cells because they’re active at age 5? Or that they have a different type of insulin/glucose relationship…or what is it in fact that changed biologically that seems to have allowed for some protection as they matured," Janz said.

Whatever the cause, Janz says the research implies that even 5-year-olds should be encouraged to be as active as possible because it appears to pay off as they grow older. 

Filed Under: Health & Medicine Tagged With:

Applications in for next phase of I-Jobs funding

August 5, 2009 By

State officials say 136 communities have applied for funding for projects under the latest phase of the I-Jobs program. The state program has $118-million available to communities, counties and nonprofit organizations for projects to rebuild and replace local public buildings, flood control and protection, and future flood prevention.

The applications asked for double the amount allocated, and Phil Roeder, a spokesman for the governor, says that means an expansion of the program will likely be considered during the next legislative session. Roeder says,"I think the fact that there was such great demand for the local infrastructure funds sends a pretty loud and clear message to people across the state including people here at the state capital that we’ve got some real needs and there’s a real interest across the state in this type of support."

Roeder says several communities should benefit from the money. He says while the demand exceeds the funds available, the good news is that there is over 188-million dollars available that will go out in the near future. Roeder says the applications will be considered at an I-JOBS board meeting at the end of the month.

"They’ll probably start to make at least some of the funding decisions and approvals at that point. Because of that we’ll be seeing funds from I-JOBS for local infrastructure projects start to go out perhaps sometime as early as September," Roeder says. The first phase of the infrastructure money — 46-point-five million dollars — was approved in June for specific projects in communities hit during last year’s storms and floods.

You can see a summary of the applications received on the I-JOBS website .

 

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government
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