The Iowa Department of Transportation reports U-S Highway 44 between US Highway 30 and Iowa Highway 191 (2 miles west of the Portsmouth area), has alternating lane closures due to a crash. No other details were immediately available.

A special investigation by the State Auditor has found a former University of Northern Iowa professor put school money into his own account. The special investigation was requested by U-N-I over concerns about money handled by Samuel Lankford, who worked in the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services. The audit found he improperly deposited three checks worth nearly 15-thousand dollars into his personal bank account from a report he did for the Artic Winter Games in 2014.

The audit says the money should have gone to the university. The report says it is not possible to determine if there were other improper deposits to Lankford’s account because proper records were not available for review. Lankford resigned in July of 2015. The results of the report have been turned over to the U-N-I Department of Public Safety, the D-C-I and Black Hawk County Attorney’s office.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa – High blood pressure poses a significant risk for stroke, but low blood pressure also causes problems – and that’s why it’s important to know your numbers.  The American Heart Association says most people who’ve had a first stroke also had high blood pressure. For Tinika Raymond, new-student orientation coordinator and academic advisor with Des Moines Area Community College, hypertension runs in the family. But when her 21-year-old son experienced dizziness and nausea that led to stroke, it was due to low blood pressure and other complications. As an African-American, she’s particularly aware of the risks.
“It’s been impacting African-Americans at a higher rate than any other race,” says Raymond. “So that’s why I think it’s important for us to get the word out and pay attention to your body, know your body, know your numbers.”

Two numbers represent blood pressure. The new guideline for normal blood pressure is below 120 over 80, which means numbers that stay over that average for any length of time qualify as high blood pressure.
Hypertension damages arteries throughout the body and elevates the risk for stroke. A stroke can threaten your ability to think, move and function, affect language, vision and even cause paralysis or death. Raymond says when it runs in families, earlier detection is better. “If you go to the doctor and find out what it is, sometimes they can get ahead of it and if they can detect it, soon enough then there’s medication and other ways to treat whatever the symptoms are,” says Raymond.

Raymond notes you can’t control race or age when it comes to high blood pressure, but medication combined with more walking, reduced sodium and fewer carbohydrates help her control the numbers. “So the lifestyle could be the exercise and the diet or it could be stress-related,” says Raymond. “So we have to pay attention to the environment which we’re in.” The American Heart Association says managing blood pressure is a lifelong commitment which may require those afflicted to learn how to monitor blood pressure at home.

(Iowa News Service)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A popular Democratic candidate in Iowa’s crowded race for governor is suspending his campaign, after a newspaper reported three women had accused him of sexual misconduct. Des Moines state Sen. Nate Boulton announced Thursday that he’s leaving the race. The allegations appeared in The Des Moines Register on Wednesday. The women have said Boulton touched them inappropriately during separate incidents.

One woman alleges Boulton repeatedly grabbed her buttocks at a bar in 2015. Two other women said he rubbed his clothed crotch against them more than a decade ago. Boulton hasn’t denied the accusations but argues the alleged incidents didn’t equate more serious instances of misconduct. He apologized to the women in a statement. Boulton’s departure comes less than two weeks before the June 5 Democratic primary for governor.

A report from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition says six bicyclists were killed in crashes with vehicles on Iowa roads last year, another 15 cyclists were badly hurt. Lindsey Pavlick, a spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says now that the warmer weather has arrived, motorists across the state can expect to see more bicyclists in traffic.  “Cyclists’ deaths are on the rise and a big reason for that is there’s more bicycles on the road,” Pavlick says. “It’s so important, especially if you’re a motorist, to put down the cell phone, eliminate those distractions, and for bicyclists and motorists, examine your habits while on the road so we can all get to our destination safely.”

The number of cyclists killed nationwide is on the rise, with 840 bicyclists killed in crashes in 2016, the highest number on record since 1991, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Pavlick says cyclists are well aware of the risks. “In a recent survey, AAA found that bicyclists are most concerned about being hit by a vehicle and distracted drivers,” Pavlick says. “That’s understandable being that distracted driving is so prevalent among motorists these days and is a huge traffic safety concern.”

Traveling on the road requires care and courtesy, she says, and it’s imperative for motorists and bicyclists to be aware of each other. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot of people out there who don’t know the rules of the road and they are not aware that bicycles are vehicles,” Pavlick says. “It’s so important that motorists and bicyclists know the rules of the road and share the road so everybody can get to their destination safely.” Cyclists need to follow the same rules of the road as everyone else, including riding in the same direction as traffic and following all the same traffic signs and signals, she says. Motorists need to stay alert, avoid distractions and when passing a cyclist, slow down and give at least three feet of clearance.

(Radio Iowa)