The good
Ames residents can now drink the water. Last Sunday, city officials announced that tap water in Ames is once again safe to drink. The city tested water in 173 locations over a span of three days, with all the results testing negative for harmful bacteria. The city was able to declare the water drinkable about two days earlier than expected due to quick repairs. This is a small victory for the city, which has its hands full with clean-up and repairs from recent flash flooding.
Rock stars often live the life of luxury, so it’s nice to see them give back to a state they don’t even live in. Singer and reality star Bret Michaels donated $2,500 to Camp Hertko Hollow, a specialized residential camp for diabetic youth (ages 6 to 18) just north of Boone. Michaels, who also suffers from Type 1 diabetes, wrote the check from the proceeds of the concert he performed last March in Des Moines. The money will help support camperships for Iowa children with diabetes to attend Camp Hertko Hollow’s 2011 summer camp sessions. With this money, Michaels has given these kids a brighter future and something to believe in.
The bad
Think this summer is hot? Get used to it because all indications point to more sweltering summers to come. According to the National Wildlife Federation and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the summer heat wave blistering much of the United States is mild compared to what typical summers could be like in the future. The report, part of a 2009 report on heat waves, mentions that more hot summers are projected for every part of the country by 2050. A report by the U.S. Global Change Research Program in 2009 found that the average temperature in the United States increased more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the past five decades. Break out the lemonade and beer.
Mudslides in China have claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people in the Gansu province, making it the worst natural disaster to hit the country in decades. Last week’s mudslides buried people under four stories of rock and mud. Emergency teams have already rescued more than 1,200 people. At least 600 people remain missing. Reports indicate the land was loose, caused in part by torrential rains that swept across the province two weeks ago.
The ugly
A portion of Interstate Highway 29 turned deadly last week when four motorcyclists were killed in a head-on collision. Dennis Chaney, Dale Aspedon, Jay Bock and Steve Benscoter were traveling home from a Sturgis Falls rally when a pickup truck, driven by Andrew Schlichtemeier, crossed the median and struck the individuals. Schlichtemeier, 21, of Murray, Neb., suffered minor injuries and is under investigation for drunken driving. Schlichtemeier failed a preliminary breath test and consented to a blood test. He could face four charges of vehicular homicide. Regrettably Schlichtemeier failed to learn that drinking and driving do not mix. In November 2008, while at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Schlichtemeier plead guilty to first-offense driving while intoxicated. He has also pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license.
Great — a virus we have no idea how to cure has claimed its first victim. The “superbug,” also known as New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, or NDM-1, has appeared in patients in South Asia and Britain. According to officials, NDM-1 makes bacteria highly resistant to almost all antibiotics, including the most powerful class called carbapenems. Experts say there are no new drugs on the horizon to tackle it. A Belgian man, who was hospitalized with a major leg injury, is the first confirmed death after becoming infected. Let’s hope this will dissolve like the H1N1 scare. CV
