DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa is reporting its first case of West Nile virus this year. The Iowa Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that the first person infected is a man, between the age of 18 and 40, who lives in Clay County. Patricia Quinlisk, the agency’s medical director, says the man is recovering. Details about the man weren’t released.

About 20 percent of people infected with West Nile virus have mild to moderate symptoms, including fever, headache and vomiting. Less than 1 percent become seriously ill, and people can occasionally die of the disease. The virus first appeared in Iowa in 2002. Last year, there were 44 confirmed cases and no deaths.

Mosquitoes carrying the virus usually lay eggs in stagnant water, so it’s important to eliminate standing water whenever possible.

A former Mason City woman is identified as one of three victims in an Arizona homicide case. Fifty-seven-year-old Lisa Baker of Wittmann, Arizona, was found on June 9th in the back of a burned pickup truck in a remote area of Surprise, Arizona. Baker is a 1975 graduate of Mason City High School and later attended Iowa State University.

Two other victims were identified and both had criminal records, according to Arizona court records. An autopsy shows all three were shot before being burned. Police as of last week said they didn’t have any suspects in the case. Anybody with information about the case was being asked to contact the Surprise Police Department.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Records say June’s rainfall was the highest ever recorded for a single month in Sioux City. The Sioux City Journal says 16.65 inches was reported at the airport, swamping the May 1903 record of 11.78 inches.

Farmers near Smithland and Oto have said their gauges recorded 20 to 22 inches of rain last month. The state’s rain record for a single month belongs to Red Oak in southwest Iowa. It recorded 22.18 inches of rain in June 1967.

Police in Atlantic report the arrest on Monday, of 23-year old Kristopher Christensen, of Atlantic. Christensen was taken into custody on a charge of OWI/1st offense. He was booked into the Cass County Jail.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has announced 11 Iowa water systems and communities have been awarded fluoride certificates by the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Dental Association (ADA). Among the communities receiving a 50-year Award from the IDPH, was Audubon (Audubon Water Supply) and Villisca (The Villisca Municipal Water Department).

Fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride in the water to an optimal level for preventing tooth decay. The award recognizes communities that maintained a consistent level of optimally fluoridated water throughout 2010.

Fluoride is a natural element found in rocks, soil, and water. Fluoride’s benefits for teeth were discovered in the 1930s. Dental scientists found low tooth decay rates among people whose water supplies contained natural fluoride. In communities of 20,000 people, every $1 invested in water fluoridation results in $38 of savings in dental treatment costs.

The CDC has recognized community water fluoridation as one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th Century and recommends water fluoridation as a safe, effective, and inexpensive method of preventing tooth decay. IDPH is a strong supporter of fluoridation programs. The IDPH Division of Environmental Health monitors the fluoridation of public water supplies, assists and trains water system operators, and helps communities with fluoridation projects. To see the fluoridation status of Iowa counties and towns, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/hpcdp/fluoride_search.asp.

Iowans who are planning to celebrate Independence Day by hitting the open road will find plenty of company on the interstates and gasoline prices a little higher as they leave the state. Gail Weinholzer, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says the travel forecast for the 4th of July weekend calls for a boost in vacationers. “AAA Travel is predicting 41-million Americans will journey at least 50 miles or more sometime between Wednesday, July 2nd and Sunday, July 6th,” Weinholzer says. “That’s about a 2% increase over last year and it’s about 14% more than travel for Memorial Day.”

That’s five-million more travelers on this holiday than the last one. The motor club says most travelers, about 85-percent of them, will be heading to their destinations in motor vehicles, so gasoline prices will be one deciding factor in how far they go. She says prices are down slightly in Iowa, compared to the rest of the U-S. Weinholzer says, “Gas prices are below the national average by anywhere from a nickel to a dime but above last year’s totals that people were experiencing at the pump last year.”

Davenport has the cheapest gas in the state, averaging $3.45 a gallon while it’s most expensive in Waterloo at $3.59. The 4th of July holiday falls on a Friday this year, making for a natural three-day weekend for most Iowans. She says Independence Day is usually the busiest of the summer holidays, for good reason.  “We’ve got some states that don’t let their schools out prior to Memorial Day and others that go in prior to Labor Day but obviously everybody is off around the 4th of July,” Weinholzer says. “School schedules typically keep Memorial Day and Labor Day lower than the 4th of July travel.”

The current statewide average price in Iowa is $3.55 a gallon, compared to the national average of $3.68. The highest-ever statewide price for gasoline in Iowa was hit in July of 2008 at 4-oh-two a gallon.

(Radio Iowa)