Gehlen Celebrates The Remainder Of Catholic Schools Week
(Le Mars) — Tuesday’s snow storm may have interrupted the schedule for Gehlen Catholic’s activities acknowledging Catholic Schools Week, but Gehlen’s Development Director, Lisa Niebuhr says the remaining activities scheduled for today and Friday are still on.
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Niebuhr highlights the rest of the events scheduled for Friday and through the weekend.
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Niebuhr says the Mission Honduras Tailgate will begin at 5:00 p.m. and continue until 7:30 p.m. The tailgate will feature grilled brat burgers and hotdogs, along with beans and chips, and dessert bars and ice cream. Proceeds from the tailgate will be used for supplies needed to build homes during the 2016 Student Mission trip to Honduras. As for the events that were cancelled from Tuesday and Wednesday, the Gehlen Development Director says those activities are being re-scheduled.
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Niebuhr says there are a number of other events already scheduled for Wednesday, February 17th relating to Gehlen Catholic schools, and she is hopeful people will be able to attend most, if not all the other events.
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Newell Family Overcome By Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
NEWELL, Iowa (AP) – A northwest Iowa family of eight was taken to the hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Newell Fire Chief Bruce Erie says the family woke up around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday and didn’t feel well, so they called 911. When emergency crews arrived at the home they found dangerously high carbon monoxide levels.
Authorities say snow that piled up Tuesday closed off a furnace vent in their home.
Two adults and six children were taken to a Storm Lake Hospital but no one was seriously injured. Authorities have not released the identities of the family members.
The home did not have a carbon monoxide detector.
Grassley Introduces Bill To Help Rural Hospitals
(Washington) — U-S Senator Chuck Grassley has recently introduced legislation that would help protect smaller rural community hospitals. The bill is called the Rural Emergency Acute Care Hospital Act or REACH. Grassley says the bill would provide a voluntary path forward for rural hospitals to eliminate their underutilized inpatient services and ensure patients access to emergency medical care. Grassley says over the last couple of years more than 80 hospitals have closed. Grassley says its important to continue to provide some type of healthcare to rural residents.
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Grassley says important to provide some type of healthcare for trauma cases within the first hour.
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Senate Democrats Want To End Medicaid Privatization
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Democrats in the Iowa Senate plan on passing a bill next week that would halt Gov. Terry Branstad’s plans to turn over management of the state’s Medicaid program to three private companies.
The bill introduced in a subcommittee Wednesday directs the Iowa Department of Human Services to give a 30-day notice of contract termination to the three companies with which the state has contracted for private management of Medicaid. It also directs the agency to continue previous efforts to improve patient outcomes, increase access to care and make the public management of Medicaid more efficient.
Senate leaders said Thursday they plan to pass the bill out of committees on Monday making it eligible for debate next Thursday.
House Speaker Linda Upmeyer says the bill has no chance in the House.
Iowa Events Center To Add Hotel
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Polk County’s board of supervisors has agreed to loan nearly $30 million in additional financing to build a convention hotel attached to the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines.
Officials voted for the loan on Wednesday. The board will loan up to $29 million through a partnership with Bankers Trust to kick-start construction on the $101 million hotel project, which will be managed and operated by Hilton.
Bankers Trust has created a subsidiary company that will buy the hotel after its expected completion in 2018.
The Iowa Events Center is owned by Polk County and operates on gaming revenue collected through gambling profits at Prairie Meadows casino.
