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Hazing case causes regulators to look at sale of Everclear

November 17, 2009 By

State regulators may discuss the idea of banning an alcoholic beverage linked to the hospitalization of a Drake University student. Lynn Walding, administrator of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, says the five-member Alcoholic Beverages Commission will probably address the dangers of Everclear during a meeting on Thursday.

“In light of what happened at Drake recently, the commission is debating looking at the issue further. So, it will come under examination I believe – whether or not we should be listing and carrying that product in the state of Iowa,” Walding said. About six months ago, the commission banned a 190-proof Everclear, but said it could remain on store shelves until the supply was exhausted.

Most of the Everclear sold in the state now is 151-proof, nearly double the typical 80-proof vodka. “I think one of the things the commission is going to look at is who actually uses Everclear? Is it something the mainstream audience does or does it tend to be marketed toward college students who are just learning how to drink,” Walding said.

Everclear is a relatively tasteless and odorless beverage that is usually mixed with another drink. On November 8, 19-year-old Nathan Erickson of Durant was hospitalized after reportedly drinking Everclear as part of a fraternity hazing. Two members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Drake were charged by police with hazing and the fraternity’s charter was revoked on Monday by the university.

Walding says Everclear was banned in Iowa for “quite some time” prior to its deregulation in the 1980s and it may be time to revisit the ban. “I think it’s always appropriate to look at the issues and this is certainly something that I think deserves attention,” Walding said. “Not to say that it’s created a lot of issues out there, but every now and then, there’s an issue about Everclear and how it’s inappropriately consumed.”

Erickson’s blood-alcohol level, when he arrived at the hospital, was nearly .50. He was released from the hospital the next day. Walding says the Alcoholic Beverages Division is trying to find out what kind of Everclear was used in the alleged hazing incident. That information was not included in the police report.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Education, Politics & Government Tagged With:

State extending unemployment for 20,000

November 17, 2009 By

Thousands of Iowans are eligible for additional unemployment benefits. Kerry Koonce of the Iowa Workforce Development Agency says her agency is sending out 20,000 letters today to those who are eligible. “Some of them are for individuals who qualify for the additional week under what the federal government calls tier two of the benefits,” Koonce says. “And some of them to individuals who have completely exhausted their benefits, which is about 10,000 of the individuals who are now eligible for tier three as well.”

That means those 10,000 Iowans can get “emergency” unemployment for up to 14 more weeks. Koonce says this will extend the “safety net” to those who’ve been out of a job for nearly a year or longer. “This recession that we’re currently in has just hit every industry and every professional level within those industries,” Koonce says, “so it’s really spread out across the state as far as the different kinds of companies and industries that these individuals are affected in.”

Koonce says the letters which are being sent to Iowans give specific instructions for how they can sign up for and receive the “emergency” unemployment benefits. “About two weeks ago the president signed off on the of the new Worker Assistance Act of 2009 which is what provides these benefits and then it takes the federal government a little bit of time to get it organized and sent out,” Koonce says.

“So there are people that have heard that the president has signed off on these benefits, but they’re not quite sure yet and of course, we’ve got roughly 10,000 who have been out of benefits for a while that are going to benefit from this which is good for those individuals.” Koonce says each of the 20,000 Iowans who are being notified should receive a letter in the mail by the end of the week, as the notices are being mailed today.

Filed Under: Business, Politics & Government Tagged With:

March of Dimes gives Iowa a “D” on preterm birth rate

November 17, 2009 By

A report card from the March of Dimes being released today gives Iowa a “D” grade for its rate of preterm births. About one in every nine births in Iowa is premature. Stephen Hunter, a University of Iowa professor of obstetrics and gynecology, says the low grade wasn’t a surprise.

Dr. Hunter says, “We had a ‘D’ last year and we didn’t expect to see much improvement yet this year because the prematurity rate actually hasn’t changed a whole lot.” Overall, the nation got a “D” in the report. As for states, there were no “A” grades, only Vermont got a “B,” there were a dozen “Cs,” and a majority of the states, like Iowa, got “Ds” or failing grades. Hunter, the prematurity chair for the March of Dimes Iowa chapter, explains how the grades were figured.

Hunter says, “They compare the preterm birth rate to get the grade with the healthy 2010 preterm birth objective, which was 7.6%, and we come in at about 11.6% so, considerably above that, although we are below the national average of 12.7%.” Many factors that contribute to premature birth aren’t yet understood, but Hunter says research is continuing to identify causes and prevention strategies, improve the outcomes of preterm infants and to better define and track the problem.

“The whole issue of prematurity puts us in dire straits,” Hunter says. “The cost of preterm birth costs this nation $26-billion every year. That in and of itself is a dire statement.” He says progress is gradual and focused on several areas, like getting expectant mothers to quit smoking. Hunter says he’s also encouraging moms and doctors not to pursue elective deliveries before 39 weeks.

Hunter says, “Offering women who have a history of preterm delivery a progesterone supplementation has been shown to decrease recurrent preterm birth and assuring that women can get prenatal care during pregnancy has also been shown to decrease preterm birth.”

To see the full report, click on this link: “www.marchofdimes.com“.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

American Cancer Society sticking to its guidelines on mammography

November 17, 2009 By

A spokesman for the Iowa chapter of the American Cancer Society says the organization does not agree with recommendations on mammograms released today by a government task force. Those recommendations say women don’t have to start getting mammograms in their 40′s and can wait until their 50′s to get the exams, and then only need them every two years.

A.C.S. spokesman Chuck Reed says they won’t change their guidelines. Reed says the American Cancer Society continues to recommend annual mammography screening for women beginning at age 40. “We are not changing what we believe in,” Reed says. He says they made their determination based on all the same data reviewed by United States Preventative Services Task Force and also additional data the task force did not consider.

Reed says they will continue to hold fast to their current guidelines that call for women to get annual mammograms when they hit age 40. Reed says if women have a family history or breast cancer, or don’t feel something is right, then they should talk to their doctor immediately. The task force says breast self-exams do no good and women shouldn’t be taught to do them.

Reed says the American Cancer Society doesn’t push for the self exams. Reed says they don’t recommend self exams, but he does say that many women have told them that their husbands have found lumps. “And so I’m not totally against it, we don’t put everything we have into it…mammography is really what we base all our guidelines on because that’s the gold standard of screenings,” Reed says.

Reed says they have had a lot of questions since the task force report came out. Reed says it has been a “hot topic issue” as he says breast cancer hits one in eight women, so it impacts a lot of people. Reed says you can find out more about breast cancer guidelines and other cancer information on their website  here: www.cancer.org.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine Tagged With:

Ferentz says he won’t second guess final seconds against Buckeyes

November 17, 2009 By

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz is not second guessing himself over the final seconds of regulation in the Hawkeyes overtime loss at Ohio State. With 52 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter the Hawks ran the ball and let time expire instead of trying to get in position for a game winning field goal.

Ferentz says he had a tougher time releasing the two interception returns they took place in the second half than some other people. “We’d played our tails off for 59 minutes, to me it was better to get the middle ground, for our football team at that point, I figured both teams starting out even was the better way,” Ferentz says. He says he would have changed his thinking if they had gotten a good punt return or a bad punt, but he didn’t like the odds of going 70 yards in 52 seconds.

At 9-2, the Hawks are still in the hunt for an at-large spot in a BCS bowl but Ferentz declined an opportunity to make the case for his team at his weekly news conference. He says none of the speculation will matter if the Hawks don’t beat Minnesota in their regular season finale. He says if they win they are 10-2 and if they lose they’ll be 9-3 and he isn’t thinking about anything beyond that, because it doesn’t matter.

Ricky Stanzi will not return this week and freshman James Vandenberg will get his second consecutive start at quarterback. Ferentz says Vandenberg was impressive against the Buckeyes. Ferentz says it showed that Vandenberg has been doing his homework, has been attentive and learning quickly. Ferentz says Vandenberg showed a lot of poise and that is something you never know about until you see it.

This will be the final home game for 17 seniors. It is a group that has helped return the program to the national stage. Ferentz says he has really enjoyed the last two years as he says the seniors did a good job last year and have been leaders this year.

Iowa beat Minnesota 55-0 last year in the Twin Cities but Ferentz is not expecting anything like that on Saturday. Ferentz says he’s still not sure how that happened last year and he did not see it coming. He says that does not happen often, especially in conference play.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Employees in auditor’s office to take 6 unpaid days off

November 17, 2009 By
State Auditor David Vaudt

State Auditor David Vaudt

Every employee in the state auditor’s office will be taking six unpaid days off from January through June. State Auditor Dave Vaudt says that’s how he decided to impose the 10% across-the-board reduction the governor ordered in executive branch agencies.

“Once we took a look at the numbers for the most recent across-the-board cuts, we decided that the best way for us to address the total appropriate decrease that we had — which was about 36% over what last year was — was to implement some furlough days for our employees,” Vaudt says.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Search continues for missing eastern Iowa man

November 17, 2009 By

Family and friends of a missing eastern Iowa man say they’re mystified by his disappearance. Twenty-two-year-old John Skalsky Junior of Blairstown was last seen Saturday night. He left his home to walk to a party nine miles away in Norway, but he never made it. Benton County Sheriff Randy Forsyth says Skalsky’s mom was the last person to talk to him around 7:30 that night.

“During the conversation, supposedly there was some noise she heard, a car pulled up and he said ‘someone is here to give me a ride,’ and she said ‘do you know them,’ and he said ‘well, kind of,’” Forsyth said. No one has reported knowing anything about that possible car. Searchers have scoured the area on foot and in the air, especially near railroad tracks between the two towns.

“Union Pacific Railroad had seen somebody walking near the tracks, probably about that same time, but we didn’t find anyone down there,” Forsyth said. Family and friends met again at 8 o’clock this morning to resume the search. Skalsky’s sister, Brenda, says they’re following every lead.

“Nothing is adding up,” Brenda said. “It just doesn’t make any sense, so now I don’t even know what to think.” John Skalsky Junior shares an apartment in Blairstown with his fiancee Tara Lafler. They got engaged last month and are expecting a baby next spring.

By Claire Kellett, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids

Filed Under: Crime & Courts
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