Friday, May 1, 2009

Two injured in crash near Wellman

Two Washington County men were hospitalized yesterday after a car accident southeast of Wellman. Jared Gent, and Ryan Detweiler were both taken to University Hospital in Iowa City. Police say Gent failed to yield at the intersection of 170th and Juniper Avenue, and collided with Detweiler. Hospital officials say Gent was treated and released. No other information was immediately available.

Washington Schools review flu procedures

As swine flu cases continue to be discovered, Washington's schools superintendent says he's in the process of reviewing their emergency health plan. Dave Sextro says he met with school nurses and is sending letters home to parents explaining what the plan is. Sextro says students and their parents are encouraged to practice frequent hand washing. He says parents should keep their students home if they are feeling ill. There have been no cases of the H1N1 virus discovered in Washington County.

Tamiflu works against H1N1

The chief nursing officer at Washington County Hospital and Clinics says they do have an effective treatment method for the new influenza strain. Bonnie Kester says an antiviral medication introduced last year, is working against the H1N1 virus. Kester says they have procedures in place to deal with flu infections, including negative pressure containment rooms. Kester reminds area residents to follow the normal influenza precautions of frequent hand washing, covering your mouth when you cough and staying home if you don't feel well. No cases of H1N1 have been discovered in Washington County.

JWV co-owner not calling it Swine Flu

Using "swine flu" to describe the recently discovered H1N1 virus has taken its toll on the pork market. Heidie Vittetoe is co-owner of JWV Pork in Washington. She says the fear now associated with swine isn't based on science, but it is understandable. Vittetoe says at this time it's unclear what the long term impact will be on the pork industry. She says it's unfortunate that this new strain of influenza came about at this time of year. She says they generally look for an upswing in the market at this time.

WMU at Physics Olympics

Winfield Mount-Union recently participated in the Regional Physics Olympics held in Hedrick.Superintendent, Lynn Ubben says the entries included Grant Fricke and James Smith in the "Optical Slalom" event using lasers, Jordan Kruger and Emery Davis in the "Mousetrap Car Race" and also the "Challenge Problem", and Skylar Davis and Brennan Haymond in the "Catapult Ping Pong Ball Launch". She says the team learned a lot and had fun doing so. Chris Roules, WMU physics teacher, is very proud of her students and looks forward to having WMU compete again in future years.

Final WCA show tonight

The final show of the Washington Concert Association's season is this evening. WCA President Linda Miksch says it will feature Canadian musician April Verch. Miksch says the performance will include a wide array of musical stylings. Miksch says they'll be offering free admission to the concert with the purchase of a pass to the 2009-2010 season. She says if youre not sure if you want to commit to season tickets, you can still get in to the show for $15.

KMU seeks clothing donations

KMU seeks clothing donations
The Kalona United Methodist Church will be collecting good clean used, hats, shoes, coats, scarves, school bags, bedding and towels. Marcia Miller with the Lower Deer Creek church in Kalona says due to space and time issues, please bring any items you want to donate to the red double door entry on the west side of the church on Today through Thursday May 14th only.She says the give away will be held on Friday and Saturday August 7th and 8th. Miller says last year's give away was a huge success, serving 106 families in the Mid-Prairie School District. Any items remaining afterwards will be donated to The Crowded Closet. If you have questions call the KUMC office at 656-2642.

ISU announces extension restructuring

Iowa State University is reducing the number of extension offices. ISU Vice President for Extension and Outreach Jack Payne has announced a plan to restructure field offices in the wake of a $4.5 million dollar reduction in state appropriations. The plan will eliminate county extension education directors, and in their place, regional positions will be created. It also establishes 20 ISU exstension regions. According to a map on ISU's website, Washington County will become part of region 15, which also includes Johnson, Iowa and Keokuk Counties. Washington Extension Education Director Gene Mohling says they don't have enough information at this time to make any assumptions or clear analogies.