State epidemiologist Patricia Quinlisk expects to see more H-1-N-1 Flu cases in Iowa soon. That’s because students are returning to school. "We do know that children – with respiratory viruses like the flu – are often the primary spreaders within the community. So, that’s why we do expect it to come back and be in the schools," Quinlisk said. She’s encouraging parents and teachers to talk to kids about the importance of washing their hands and coughing into their sleeve or a tissue. Quinlisk says parents should be prepared a flu outbreak. "One of things that we see happening in some neighborhoods is parents all getting together and saying ‘if our children all get sick about the time, we’re going to have one parent stay home from work on Monday, another one will stay home on Tuesday, etcetera.’ So, nobody has to stay home with their all week," Quinlisk said. "The Iowa Department of Education is supplying school administrators with toolkits. They contain information about H-1-N-1 Influenza, recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and ways to help prevent an outbreak. A vaccine for H-1-N-1 won’t be available for a couple months but Quinlisk says getting the seasonal flu vaccine could offer protection from other types of flu. Quinlisk made her comments today on Iowa Public Radio’s Talk at Twelve program.
Expect more H-1-N-1 cases as school gets back in session
Benefit walks planned for SIDS Foundation
Benefit walks are planned in seven Iowa cities on Saturday for the state chapter of the SIDS Foundation . It’s the tenth year for the Iowa events to raise money for research into Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Foundation executive director Patty Keeley says SIDS is the leading cause of death for infants between one and 12 months of age. She says SIDS is the sudden and unexpected death of an infant under age one. A diagnosis of exclusion means that everything else has been ruled out after an autopsy and a clinical review of both the child and the mother’s pre-and-post-natal history. Keeley says one of the possible causes of SIDS death deals with the baby’s brain stem. She says what’s found during autopsy is a brain stem abnormality that leaves the baby potentially vulnerable. Keeley says the foundation does a number of things to help parents who have suffered a loss and to help parents of healthy newborns. She says they do education about SIDS, they provide support to those who have had a baby die from SIDS, as well as donate a portion of proceeds to SIDS research. Walks on Saturday will take place in: Albia, Cedar Rapids, Keswick, Waterloo, Mason City, Pleasant Hill and Washington.
Gold Star Museum periscope gives a look at sub history
A new exhibit piece was added today at the Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge that is 43-feet long and gives you a view for miles.
A construction crane lifted the submarine periscope to the top of the new addition of the Gold Star Museum, and guided it through a hole in the roof to a pedestal down below.
The periscope was donated by the U.S. Navy and came from a cold war era attack sub. Museum curator Mike Vogt says they’d been seeking something to represent Iowa’s submarine veterans.
Vogt says nothing is more emblematic of the submarine service than the periscope, so they contact the local organization of sub veterans known as the “Pachyderm Squadron.” The museum was turned down by the Navy in its first few requests for a periscope.
They kept searching an eventually hooked up with Paul Lipinski who used to work at the Kollmogen Electric Company of Rhode Island which manufactures periscopes.
Vogt says they were able to get a periscope donated, and it is now landlocked at Camp Dodge.
He says it’s the only operating Navy periscope that he’s aware of that’s on exhibit in the state of Iowa.
Once the expansion is completed, anyone can step up to the periscope eyepiece and pretend they’re in the midst of hunting for the Red October. While you’ll only be able to see the enemy sub in your mind’s eye — Vogt, says you will have a good view of Polk County from the top of the museum.
He expects the periscope to be a popular exhibit as they currently have a mock up of a four foot periscope in their old gallery, and kids line up to look into it. David Farran of Waverly served on a couple of subs, and is part of the state submarine veterans group. Farran says he’s excited his branch of the service will get the attention that’s often missing from the “silent service.”
Farran says: “Submarines just go out to sea and disappear and then they come back…it’s a branch that doesn’t get much recognition. World War Two would never have lasted long enough for us to do anything with it if it hadn’t been for our submarine force — because the rest of our navy was gone. We didn’t have a navy, it was essentially destroyed in Pearl Harbor.”
Farran was in the submarine service from 1960 to 1966, serving on the World War Two era U-S-S Bream, and then on the nuclear sub U-S-S Scamp. Farran says it was an enjoyable time. Farran says life on a nuclear submarine was a “very interesting” situation. He says you really don’t think about being under water and enjoy yourself.
Vogt says it’s anticipated the Gold Start Museum expansion will open in March of next year.
AUDIO: Dar Danielson reports on the Gold Star Museum periscope. :64 MP3
McKinley suggests more than one candidate may emerge
Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley suggests there’s more than one potential G.O.P. candidate for governor who may jump into the race.
Former Governor Terry Branstad is considering the idea of running for a fifth term in 2010, but McKinley says he will continue to "aggressively explore" the idea of running for governor. "Until it no longer seems fruitful to do so," McKinley says. "You know, there are rumors of other folks getting into the race and if that occurs, I will reevaluate at that time."
There have been numerous forums featuring the current field of G.O.P. gubernatorial candidates and while five candidates have made it to most of those events, McKinley has not attended any. The Republican Party of Iowa is trying to coordinate the schedule of future candidate forums, acccording to McKinley, and McKinley says he’s had "honest, legitimate conflicts" on each previous occasion.
"Frankly, I’ve been doing the duties of the senate Republican leader: recruiting, trying to raise funds for Republicans and getting the Republican message out," McKinley says.
The prospect of a Branstad candidacy has "frozen the field," according to McKinley. "I’ve been out doing the senate thing and I can tell you raising money in this environment is very tough. I suspect even the governor is finding that it’s tough to raise money," McKinley says. "Traditional Republican donors — small businessmen, commercial folks — they’ve taken a pretty good haircut with everything going on in the United States, the spectre of increased taxes and business going down. It’s a pretty tough environment."
McKinley predicts a "pretty fiesty" primary campaign among the Republicans who do run for governor in 2010, whether or not he’s part of that field.
Biker loses brakes, hits trooper
A young bicyclist from southwest Iowa is recovering after colliding with a law officer’s vehicle. It was certainly an accident when the brakes failed on 15-year-old Brandon Michael Holt’s bike as he popped out from behind a building just in time to collide with an Iowa State trooper’s car. The accident happened on East Erie Street in Missiouri Valley. Trooper Lee Dale Lange was southbound in an alley between East 3rd and 4th Streets. Holt was biking east on the north side of the sidewalk. Trooper Lange reports that his vision was blocked by the building when Holt’s bike hit the right front corner of his patrol car. Holt was transported by Missouri Valley rescue team to Missouri Valley Hospital where he was treated and released. Trooper Chuck Downing examined the bicycle and confirmed the brakes were not working.
One million dollar Powerball ticket sold in Iowa
Someone is a million dollars richer after buying a Powerball ticket in central Iowa. Iowa Lottery spokesperson Mary Neubauer says the ticket was for last night’s drawing. It was sold at the Hy-Vee Gas station located at 4910 Maple Drive in Pleasant Hill, a Des Moines suburb. The player who purchased the ticket will need to claim their prize at lottery headquarters in Des Moines. "The ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $200,000 prize and then whomever purchased the ticket added the Power Play option, so that automatically multiplied that prize up to a million dollars," Neubauer said. There are at least five other million dollar winners around the country from last night’s drawing, but a Powerball ticket sold in Columbia, South Carolina matched all six numbers to win the jackpot worth nearly $260 million. Another ticket sold in Iowa for last night’s drawing narrowly missed matching all six numbers. Neubauer says that ticket matched four of the first five numbers and also matched the Powerball for a prize of $10,000. "That ticket was sold at a Kum and Go in Grinnell. The specific address is 1002 West Street in Grinnell," Neubauer said. Powerball is played in 30 states.
No injuries reported in NE Iowa storms
Clean up is underway in northeast Iowa after tornadoes touched down across the area Wednesday. A twister was spotted by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office on the ground just southwest of West Union just before 5 p.m. The tornado traveled northeast, just missing West Union, and went toward Eldorado. There was minor damage reported, some roof damage to area outbuildins and there was one tree that fell on a house. A slow moving tornado struck near Stanley and stayed on the ground for nearly and hour. It was about 100 yards wide and caused some damage to area buildings. A possible tornado also struck near Fredericksburg in Chickasaw county and destroyed a barn. Some trees fell on homes near Hawkeye and about 40 feet of roof was ripped off a vacant poultry building north of West Union. Some students at South Winneshiek High School going back for the first day of classes huddled in a school shelter. Football players, girls volleyball and cross country teams were still at the school when the storm hit. No injuries were reported in the storms.
