The dean of the University of Notre Dame’s College of Science is pedaling his bicycle across Iowa this week to raise awareness and money about a rare childhood disease that’s always fatal.

From the website http://blogs.nd.edu/gregcrawford/

Greg Crawford is about halfway through his cross-country Road to Discovery ride that’s taking him from New York to California. Crawford is educating people along the way about Niemann-Pick Type C disease, or N-P-C. It’s often diagnosed between the ages of three and five and progresses slowly.

“The child can’t process cholesterol properly or metabolize it, as we say,” Crawford says. “It starts to build up in all of your organs and your cells and ultimately, in the brain, and it becomes neurodegenerative. When that happens, the final days are in a wheelchair with a feeding tube, you can’t eat, you can’t walk, you can’t talk and kids typically only live into their early teens.” The genetic disorder claimed the lives of three of the four grandchildren of Ara Parseghian, the Notre Dame football coach from 1964 to ’74. Crawford will spend about four weeks making the two-wheeled trek across America, covering between 100 and 150 miles a day and a total of about three-thousand miles from coast-to-coast. After stops in Davenport and Iowa City, Crawford plans to be in Des Moines for an event on Wednesday. Another stop is scheduled in Omaha on Thursday.

“We have towns that are picked out from Long Island, New York, all the way to Pebble Beach, California,” Crawford says. “Those towns or cities have a lot of Notre Dame alumni and typically, alumni rally around this cause and we’ll have events like fundraisers, auctions, good times and we actually ask for money to support research into this rare disease.” This is the 5th year Crawford has biked across the country to raise funds and awareness for N-P-C and he says, it may be the last year. About a million dollars was raised during the first four trips and this year’s goal is another full million dollars.

“What happened over the past two years is that one of our professors at Notre Dame actually discovered a drug that was repurposed for this rare disease called NPC,” Crawford says. “The drug is now in clinical trials in phase one. We’re hoping to raise money with this ride to get it to phase two and phase three trials in the very near future.” Learn more and donate at the website: roadtodiscovery.nd.edu

(Radio Iowa)

Authorities in Council Bluffs say foul play is NOT suspected in the death of a woman and her dog, both of whom were found near a burning pickup truck in a motel parking lot, early Monday morning. Officials say Bluffs Police and Fire responded just before 2-a.m. to the Days Inn on south 7th Street, for a vehicle fire. When Officers arrived, they found a Ford F-150 parked on the northern edge of the motel’s parking lot, fully engulfed in flames. Located to the north of that vehicle, in a grassy area, was the body of a deceased female and a deceased dog. The dog and the female each had a single gunshot wound to the head. The female was identified as 43 year old Paula Arnett, of Ingleside Texas. A handgun was located under Arnett’s body and the burning F-150 was registered to her husband. Arnett was also the owner of the deceased dog. Arnett, her husband and her seventeen year old Stepson were traveling from Texas to Sioux City, IA. and were spending the night at Days Inn. The incident is being investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division. An autopsy will be conducted on Arnett tomorrow (Tuesday), but again, authorities say foul play is not suspected at this time.

Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson reports an investigation into two separate incidents that took place in the 2100 and 2200 blocks of 300th Street on May 26th, has resulted in the arrest of 35-year old Christopher Matthew Andersen, of Elk Horn. Andersen was taken into custody with the help of deputies from Shelby County, at around 11-p.m. Sunday. He was arrested on an outstanding Audubon County warrant for Operating (a motor vehicle) without the Owner’s Consent, Trespassing, and Theft in the 5th degree.

Anderson was booked into the Audubon County Jail and held on $2,000 bond.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports two recent arrests. Friday afternoon, 31-year old Patrick Lawrence Nolte, of Stuart, was arrested in Stuart on a warrant issued May 29th, charging him with Driving While Barred. He was also arrested for Simple Domestic Assault, 2nd Offense. Nolte was being held in the Adair County Jail on $2,000 bond.

And on June 4th, 25-year old Matthew David Alluisi, of Orient, was arrested in Greenfield for Driving While License Denied or Revoked. Bond was set at $1,000.

Authorities in Cass County located a missing woman Sunday, about three-hours after she was seen leaving Valley Oil, on foot. The Sheriff’s Office says the 19-year old walked away for reasons unknown at around 2:20-a.m., and headed east across Highway 71, into a wooded area.

The Cass County Communications Center reported at the time the woman seemed very confused when she spoke with a dispatcher, and was somewhat uncooperative. She remained on her cell phone until it was either shut off or the battery died. Until the call ended, the dispatcher triangulated the location of her phone, helping authorities narrow down their search.

When she was found, the woman transported to Cass County Memorial Hospital for a medical and mental evaluation. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol, the Atlantic Police Department, and Audubon County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff would also like to extend special thanks to the Atlantic Firemen who volunteered to come out and assist with the search.