January 27, 2012

Temperatures expected to drop back down

Temperatures across Iowa are about to take a nose dive. Highs reached the upper 50s Sunday, but will be nearly half that on Tuesday. National Weather Service meteorologist Aubry Wilkins says the cold air moving in this afternoon will be accompanied by light rain or snow.

Highs on Tuesday will be in the lower 30s in southern Iowa and in the 20s to the north. “It’s going to be pretty windy with that cold too, so it’s going feel a lot colder,” Wilkins said. The rain could change over to snow tonight north of Interstate 80, but Wilkins doesn’t expect much accumulation.

“As far as the south goes, it should be mostly just rain,” Wilkins said. “The north does have a chance for snow. That’s mostly going to be in the late evening or overnight hours as the temperatures get colder. As far as accumulations, maybe an inch or inch-and-a-half.”

Daytime high temperatures are expected in the 20s and 30s through Thursday, with overnight lows in the teens.

Iowa National Guard turning away some who want to sign up

Iowa National Guard recruiters are having to turn away some men and women who want to join their ranks. In recent years, up to 1,500 people have enlisted every year, maintaining the state’s Army and Air Guard strength levels at 100%.

Guard spokesman Colonel Greg Hapgood says Iowans are patriotic, plus, the economy makes the military a strong career choice.

“There’s not a waiting list, per se, but if you have a specific thing you want to do and that’s the only thing want to do, you may have to wait in order to let those spaces clear out,” Hapgood says. “In the Iowa Air National Guard, they do have some waiting for certain slots, depending on what those slots are.”

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Officials say alcohol may be involved in fatal northwest Iowa accident

Authorities think alcohol may have been involved in a weekend accident in northwest Iowa that killed a South Dakota man.

The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office reports that sometime during the nighttime hours of Saturday, (11/27) or the early morning hours of Sunday, 36-year-old Steven Brandt of Hudson, South Dakota, had been northbound on Highway 10 at the South Dakota state line, two-and-a-half miles north of Hawarden.

The investigation showed that his vehicle left the roadway and drove onto the right shoulder, he overcorrected and lost control of the vehicle. It crossed the highway and hit the guardrail of the bridge that crosses the Big Sioux River. The vehicle landed on its top and slid down the embankment near the river. Brandt was transported to the Hawarden Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Brandt had not been wearing his seatbelt.

By Scott Van Aartsen, KIWA, Sheldon

Seven drug companies paid 259 Iowa doctors $1.88 million

New requirements in the federal health care reform reveal 259 Iowa doctors received nearly $1.9 million in payments from pharmaceutical companies during an 18-month period. 

Pro Publica is an independent, non-profit group that conducts investigative journalism. It has taken lists from seven different drug companies and found about 17,000 American doctors have been paid to speak to other doctors about certain pharmaceutical products from January of 2009 through July of this year.

Eli Lilly, the Indiana-based company that makes brand name drugs like Cialis and Prozac — spent nearly a million dollars paying Iowa doctors fees to conduct “professional education” programs. 

GlaxoSmithKline — maker of Boniva and Nicoderm — is the world’s third-largest pharmaceutical company. It paid Iowa doctors over half a million.  London-based AstraZeneca spent almost $142,000 on fees for Iowa doctors. One of AstraZeneca’s most recognizable brands is Prilosec.

Pfizer is the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, but it spent far less than its competitors in Iowa, paying doctors in the state about $87,000. Three other companies — Johnson and Johnson; Merck and Cephalon — spent between $20,000 and $30,000. 

Here’s the list of 259 Iowa doctors who received payments from those seven drug companies. It includes a Fairfield doctor who received more than $125,000 from Eli Lilly over the 18-month period for conducting professional education programs, and for advising and consulting.

Iowa sits and waits for bowl after late season slide

The Iowa Hawkeyes now must sit and wait to find out which bowl game wants them after they unraveled down the stretch of the regular season with three straight losses, the latest one, an embarrassing 27-24 loss at Minnesota. The gophers only home victory of the season and just their second win in the series in 10 tries.

The once heralded Iowa defense has become so soft that the Gophers rushed for 216 yards while the Hawks managed only 91 on the ground and only 218 yards of total offense. Special teams also faltered. Minnesota converted an onside kick that led to the game’s first touchdown and the Hawks were penalized for an illegal substitution on a Minnesota punt.

Just over three weeks ago Iowa was still in the hunt for the Big Ten title but if it wasn’t for Indiana dropping a game winning touchdown, the Hawkeyes would not even have a winning record.

UNI knocked out of the football playoffs

U.N.I’s season came to a stunning end against Lehigh in the opening round of the FCS playoffs as the Mountain Hawks claimed a 14-7 win before a crowd of fewer than 6,000 fans in the UNI-Dome.

The Mountain Hawks trailed 7-0 at the half but scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to advance to face Delaware in the second round next Saturday. Lehigh out-gained U.N.I. in total yards, 336-251. The 251 yards of offense for the Panthers was a season-low.

After winning the Missouri Valley regular season title the Panthers end the season with a record of 7-5.

Two children die, two adults injured in crash near Red Oak

Two southwest Iowa children were killed and two adults were critically hurt in a crash Sunday night near Red Oak. According to the Iowa State Patrol, five-year-old Maliki Todd and four-year-old Alex Todd, both of Cumberland, died in the crash which occurred on Highway 48 at around 5:40 P.M. Sunday.

The drivers of the vehicles, 18-year-old Karli Brown, of Essex, and 25-year-old Nina McNeese, of Cumberland, were injured. Both were flown by helicopter to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Officials say the crash happened as a southbound 2005 Nissan Altima driven by Karli Brown was passing two other cars on the hill. Her vehicle collided head-on with a northbound 2001 Kia Spectra, driven by McNeese.

The patrol reports all of the victims were wearing their seatbelts.

By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic