“Color Me Sweet” Scheduled For Saturday
(Le Mars) — Tomorrow, (Saturday) is the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce “Color Me Sweet” Walk and Run event to be held at the Maser Trail circling the Willow Creek Golf Course. At least 735 people have registered for the 3.1 mile event. Mary Reynolds, Main Street coordinator says the inaugural event will have 16 different places for contestants to be “showered” with a different color. Prior to the start of the walk and run, people will loosen up and stretch and listen to music and perform some Zumba.
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Reynolds talks about how the Chamber first came up with the idea of the “Color Me Sweet” walk and run.
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As mentioned, sponsors will be placed around the course, ready to throw different colors on the participants. Reynolds says contestants need not to worry because the colors will wash away.
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Reynolds says the event is already proven to be successful, and will become an annual event for Le Mars. The Chamber Mainstreet coordinator says each sponsor has developed its own way of splashing the colors on the contestants.
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Reynolds says the start and finish line will be at the Maser trail next to the tennis courts. She says at the conclusion of the walk, contestants and spectators will be encouraged to throw a color packet into the sky to offer a rainbow effect.
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Contestants are encouraged to wear white clothing, and by the end, they will be multi-colored. Participants should report to the Le Mars YMCA this evening (Friday) after 5:00 p.m. to pick up their registration packet. Registration is set to begin at 7:00 a.m. with the start scheduled for 9:00 a.m.
Zebra Mussels Found In Iowa Great Lakes
ORLEANS, Iowa (AP) – Iowa officials say they’ve found evidence that invasive zebra mussels have reached another of Iowa’s Great Lakes.
State fisheries biologist Mike Hawkins says that two larval zebra mussels were found in a recent water sample. He says more tests will be performed this summer to confirm the presence.
The mussels can attach themselves to pipes or other structures, damage boat motors and reduce the ability to draw water into facilities such as water treatment and power plants. The city of Spirit Lake recently contracted for a system to keep zebra mussels from clogging its intake pipes.
State officials say signs of zebra mussels already have been found in nearby East Okoboji, West Okoboji and Upper Gar lakes.
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Court Dismisses Lawsuit For Closure Of Juvenile Home
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court is dismissing a lawsuit that challenged Gov. Terry Branstad’s decision to close the Iowa Juvenile Home last year.
The court ruled Friday the lawsuit brought by Democratic lawmakers and a labor union leader was now moot because the Legislature is no longer appropriating money to operate the home.
The court’s decision vacates a temporary injunction entered by a district judge last year ordering the home to be reopened. The high court had put the injunction on hold while it heard the governor’s appeal.
For decades, the home in Toledo provided housing, education and other services to some of Iowa’s most troubled youth.
The Branstad administration transferred the home’s residents elsewhere and laid off its workers amid reports of mistreatment, including the use of isolation cells.
Virtual Clinic
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa Health Care has begun offering a virtual clinic that lets people use their computers, tablets or smartphones to check with health care providers.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen says UIeCare.com is designed to gain help on minor illnesses and injuries that might be urgent but not life-threatening.
The fee is $50 per visit, and users must have Internet connections and web cameras on their computers or mobile devices.
After each visit to the virtual clinic, patients will be sent detailed email summaries of what was discussed. A provider will check back five days later.
Dr. Patrick Brophy with University of Iowa Health Care says a Nebraska company offers similar virtual clinics in western Iowa, but UIeCare would be the first such Iowa-based service.
O’Malley To Visit Iowa After He Announces Bid For President
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Martin O’Malley is returning to the state that introduced him to presidential politics three decades ago, when he played guitar and knocked on doors for Gary Hart.
This time he’ll be in Iowa as a Democratic presidential candidate, if he announces a White House bid Saturday as expected.
Iowa could well determine whether O’Malley’s longshot challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination takes roots or fades away.
The former two-term Maryland governor has been well received in recent trips to Iowa and New Hampshire. But Clinton holds a commanding advantage. And O’Malley faces competition for liberal support from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the nomination race.
O’Malley is making his announcement in Baltimore, where he served as mayor, before campaigning in Iowa later Saturday.
