Home News Thursday Afternoon News, May 22

Thursday Afternoon News, May 22

Aurelia Woman Dies From ATV Accident

(Cherokee) — A 55 year old Aurelia woman was killed Tuesday when the ATV she was riding overturned and trapped her.  Sandra Tuttle was spraying weeds in a pasture when the accident occurred.  The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office says Tuttle was pronounced dead at the scene. 

 

Romney Returns To Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Mitt Romney is returning to Iowa for the first time since the 2012 presidential election, this time to campaign for U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst. 
     In a press release Thursday, Ernst’s campaign says the former Massachusetts governor will campaign May 30 with the southwestern Iowa state senator. They will visit Cedar Rapids and Davenport, eastern Iowa’s largest media markets. 
     Polls indicate Ernst leads a five-way race for the Republican nomination as the June 3 primary election nears.
     Ernst has been endorsed by a range of groups and individuals, from the tea party-backed Senate Conservatives Fund to the pro-establishment U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
     Ernst supported Romney in the 2012 caucuses. Romney finished second in the leadoff presidential voting in Iowa but lost the state in November to Democratic President Barack Obama.

 

Family Files Claim Against State

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The family of an Iowa man who died at a mental health institution has filed a claim against the state.
     Cleojean Olson, sister of Richard Meredith, says she recently filed the claim for $1.8 million through the State Appeal Board. If it is rejected, the family can file a lawsuit.
     Meredith was 81 when he was a patient at Clarinda Mental Health Institute in southwest Iowa last August. State records show staff gave him a peanut butter sandwich despite orders that specified he be given pureed food.
     Meredith was later found slumped over and unresponsive. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
     Meredith’s family says state officials failed to disclose the circumstances of his death until the case gained media attention.
     —

 

Salmonella Victim Praises Charges Against Egg Producer

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A California woman who was severely sickened after eating tainted eggs in 2010 says she welcomes criminal charges against the corporate executives blamed for a salmonella outbreak.
     Sarah Lewis said Thursday that Austin “Jack” DeCoster and son Peter DeCoster should be punished for the damage they did to her and countless others.
     Lewis was hospitalized three times after eating a custard tart. The 34-year-old wife and mother says the illness triggered a rare autoimmune disease that she had been carrying.
     Lewis met with the DeCosters in 2010 after testifying during a Congressional hearing about the outbreak, which led to the recall of 550 million eggs. She says she told them, “You screwed up my life.”
     The DeCosters and their company were charged Wednesday with introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.

 

Iowa Maps Available For Tourists

(Des Moines) — Just in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the new, fold-out maps of the State of Iowa are available. Cartographer Mark Hansen is the Iowa Department of Transportation’s map man.

Listen to
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The D-O-T has printed 830-thousand road maps. The list of Iowa cities and towns identified on the map hasn’t changed since last year, but there have been about 200 adjustments from the previous version.

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A few states quit printing maps, while some have begun charging for paper maps. Some Iowa legislators have suggested it’s time to quit spending state tax dollars printing state maps, as many travelers are using G-P-S devices or their smart phone to navigate Iowa’s roads, but lawmakers in the end agreed to budget more money to print and distribute the free maps.

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However, last year the D-O-T unveiled a map “app” for those who want to use their mobile device to navigate around the state. Figures for how many times that app has been downloaded are not yet available.