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Bed bugs see a resurgence in Iowa and the rest of the country

November 26, 2010 By

Bed bugs are a concern for travelers this holiday season. E.P.A. district administrator, Karl Brooks, says bed bugs have made a resurgence as older pesticides used against them were retired. Brooks says the old pesticides had major down sides and public health risks and the bugs have developed immunities to the commonly used pesticides. Brooks says you can take some steps to prevent spreading the bed bugs.

Brooks says the main way the bugs get around is on your luggage. He says put your luggage in a tub or up on a rack, and when you get home, anything on the floor should be washed. Brook says there is plenty of information available on dealing with bedbugs. He says you can go to EPA.gov on-line and look for the bed bug button, or go to the Iowa Department of Public Health website. Brooks says it doesn’t matter if you stay in an expensive hotel or a bargain bed.

Brooks says some of the “really pricey” hotels in big cities have had some of the worst bed bug outbreaks, as the bugs don’t care how much money you have, they just want to be around people. Brooks says the only good news about bed bugs, is that they don’t carry diseases that can pass on to you.

Brook says they are basically really irritating and the E.P.A. does not know of any disease they spread like at tick or mosquito does. Brooks supervises E.P.A. operations in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Thanksgiving leftovers: 4 days, throw away

November 26, 2010 By

A lot of people will be eating more Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing over the next few days. Iowa State University Extension is part of a campaign designed to let people know how long they can safely keep leftovers.

Julie Albrecht is an Extension food specialist and says you never want to take a chance with a possible food borne illness. “The general rule is four days, throw it away,” Albrecht said. “That is the message we want to get across, especially now with the holiday season because so many people have leftovers after Thanksgiving, Christmas and then it is going to be the Super Bowl. We want to make sure you keep your family safe and throw those leftovers away if you haven’t eaten them within four days.”

Another option involves the freezer. “If you have turkey leftovers and you are getting tired of them on Saturday and Sunday…you can freeze them, but I wouldn’t recommend keeping them longer than three to six months,” Albrecht said.

The “4-day, Throw Away” campaign is targeted toward younger cooks who may not know just how long food can be safely saved. ISU Extension is spreading the message through a website, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Along with a media campaign, a red #4 mascot will visit a number of grocery stores in Cedar Rapids and the Omaha/Council Bluffs area.

Filed Under: Education, Health & Medicine, Human Interest

Branstad first governor in over half a century to have grandkids

November 26, 2010 By

When Governor-elect Terry Branstad takes office in January, he will be the first Iowa governor in at least 50 years to have grandchildren.

During his campaign for a fifth term, Branstad often joked that his four-year-old granddaughter Mackenzie would tell people both she and grandpa were running for governor.  ”She walked the whole State Fair Parade with me with the heat index over 100 degrees. She walked the whole Forest City parade which is nearly three miles long,” Branstad says. “She’s got down the, you know, throwing out candy and waving and all that.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Vilsack says “food insecurity” in past year “leveled off”

November 25, 2010 By

The latest report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates up to 45 million Americans live in a household where food is sometimes scarce or not available. About 11.5 percent of Iowans lived in a household considered “food insecure” by the U.S.D.A.

Tom Vilsack — the former Iowa governor who is now the nation’s Secretary of Agriculture — oversees the U.S.D.A., the agency which administers federal food programs.”Fortunately in the last year despite a difficult economy, the number of those families has leveled off and I think it’s a reflection of the work we’re doing to try to expand nutrition programs,” Vilsack says. “The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — formerly the food stamp program — we’ve been a dramatic increase in participation and that’s helped us keep those numbers where they are.” 

At the end of August, nearly 352,000 Iowans lived in a household that received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. That’s a 12 percent increase compared to the same month last year.  Vilsack says at some point during the past month, about 17 million Americans have wondered how they can come up with enough food for themselves and their families.

“So we obviously have to continue to work to expand nutrition programs and we have to continue to support food banks around the country and, most importantly of all, we have to work — as we are every day — to try to increase the number of job opportunities,” Vilsack says “As people go back to work, then, obviously there’ll be less pressure on the food banks and on (government) nutrition programs.” 

The U.S.D.A. administers the program which provides free or reduced-price lunches to elementary and high schoolers who live in a low income household.  According to the latest “Iowa Kids Count” report, one-third of the students in Iowa schools qualified to receive a free or reduced-price meal at school.

Filed Under: Agriculture, Health & Medicine, Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Environmental group “One Mississippi” puts focus on the river

November 25, 2010 By

A new coalition of local, state and national groups aims to protect the Mississippi River. The group called One Mississippi will target the entire river, from its headwaters in Minnesota to the delta at New Orleans. Susan Heathcote is the water program director of the Iowa Environmental Council, one of the 30 agencies involved in the effort.

“This is a campaign to unite people who live and recreate near or on the Mississippi River,” Heathcote says. “It’s a campaign to raise the profile of the Mississippi River and some of the problems the river’s facing, but also some of the opportunities that folks who live along the river are able to participate in.”

The One Mississippi group says the river is the source of drinking water for 18-million people and connects 31 states via its tributaries. Heathcote says the coalition allows individual agencies to have a greater impact along the whole waterway than they’d otherwise be able to achieve on their own.

“It’s really important for us to recognize that the Mississippi River is a national treasure and an international treasure,” Heathcote says. “It’s one of the largest river systems in the world and it’s our responsiblity, as citizens who live along the river and in the basin that drains to the river, to address the problems that are affecting that great river system.”

The coalition website offers Iowans and others a host of suggestions for ways they can help protect and clean up the river. For more information, visit www.1mississippi.net

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation

Homelessness in Iowa up 20%

November 25, 2010 By

Many Iowans are spending this Thanksgiving holiday in a homeless shelter. Homelessness in Iowa is still rising, even after reaching record highs last year.

Some counties are reporting high numbers of displaced children. Ann Hearn is the deputy director of community planning in Linn County. She says more than half of the people in Cedar Rapids area shelters are kids. “A lot of times when people think about the homeless, they don’t often think of children being homeless,” Hearn said. “In our local homeless population, we see a large number of families, particularly single female head of household families, that are coming into the shelters and other programs seeking assistance.” Linn County has had a particularly tough couple of years – the 2008 flood, the economic downturn, and now, local homeless shelters are reporting some of the largest increases in homelessness in the state.

Across the state, homelessness is up 20% from this time last year. At least one expert says this latest rise may actually mean more homeless individuals are getting help. That’s because this year’s increase in state and federal funding for homelessness programs may mean those services are finally getting to more people. Ehren Stover-Wright is a lead researcher with the Iowa Institute for Community Alliances. “Now, with all of this spending, those people who would become homeless but might not ever hit the system are able to turn to agencies and receive help, case management and assistance to make their lives stable again and to get back on track,” Stover-Wright said.

Homelessness fluctuates across the state. Polk County is reporting a 4% drop thus far this year, while Linn County is reporting a 24% increase in services at local shelters.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Record number of high schoolers taking community college classes

November 25, 2010 By

A record number of Iowa high schoolers are taking classes at the state’s community colleges this fall. 

Tom Schenk, Junior, of the Iowa Department of Education tracks the numbers. ”More and more high school students are trying to get college credits before they actually get to college and when we actually take a look at these students who are doing it, they tend to be above average students,” Schneck says. “They have above average ACT scores. They’re older. They’re (high school) seniors.”

Almost 28,000 Iowa high school students are taking at least one class at a community college this fall. That’s seven percent more than last year. Starting college coursework early can keep kids from losing interest in school. 

“A lot of the emphasis, especially in our current technical education classes are really geared toward the interests of the students, to keep them engaged,” Schenk says.

It can also save money, as high schoolers may take up to 30 credit hours at a community college without paying tuition. Nearly a quarter of the 106,000 students enrolled in classes at the state’s community colleges this fall are high schoolers.

Filed Under: Education, Politics & Government Tagged With:
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