DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa State Fair officials are on alert but not overly worried about swine flu cases showing up at the fair as it begins Thursday. Animals have been passing a new swine flu strain on to humans. Officials say more than two dozen human cases of the new strain have been confirmed in the U.S. in the past year. Ten cases confirmed last week were linked to the Butler County Fair in southwest Ohio.

Iowa State Fair manager Gary Slater, says that the state veterinarian has been checking fairground preparations before up to 3,500 pigs start arriving today (Tuesday). Each animal must have papers from its local veterinarian, attesting to the animal’s health. Slater says any pig that appears to be sick will be sent home if necessary.

A vehicle which had been parked in the driveway of a Clarinda funeral home was driven through a garage door, last Tuesday (July 31st). The Clarinda Police Department says the owner of the Walker-Merrick Funeral Home reported a burglary and theft had occurred at the funeral home. Officials say a BMW parked in the drive had been crashed through a garage door at the funeral home. The owner of the business said two firearms that had been in the vehicle were stolen. No damage estimates to either the building or the BMW were given at the time of the report. The incident remains under investigation.

Police in Clarinda also report no arrests have been made in connection with a series of vandalism incidents which occurred the week of July 22nd through the 28th. The damage amounted to more than $2,500, and included an incident which took place at the Meadow Run Apartment Complex, where a sign designating the location of the business office had been deliberately set on fire.

Officials say also, no arrests have been made in connection with several incidents of theft that occurred that same week. Items stolen include: the hood to a riding lawn mower; cash, a cell phone charger and CD’s taken from a vehicle, and, an I-Pod. The loss amounted to more than $730 altogether.

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Police in Clarinda were involved in the foot pursuit early Sunday morning, of a person suspected of being a prowler. Police Chief Keith Brothers says his officers responded to a report of prowler in the area of the Clarhaven apartment housing complex on west Willow Street. During a search of the area officers became involved in a foot pursuit with a white male in his late teens or early twenties. The suspect managed to elude the police and was not apprehended. The incident remains under investigation.

In other news from the Clarinda P.D., Chief Brothers says officers investigated a shoplifting incident at the Alco Store, Saturday.  Store staff reported that an unknown female had shoplifted a fold up bed valued at $400.00 from the store. The incident remains under investigation.

Late Friday night, Clarinda Police  responded to a report of a disturbance and fight in progress at the City of Clarinda softball field complex. Officers were able to diffuse the situation that stemmed from an altercation during a slow pitch softball tournament game and no arrests were made.

And, on Friday, personnel at Johnson Tire & Muffler in Clarinda, reported that two 26-inch, ten bolt, yellow John Deere wheels to a combine implement, had been stolen from outside the business sometime during the early morning hours. The wheels are valued at $800.00. The incident remains under investigation.

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 small can crushed pineapple
• 3 oz. instant pudding (any flavor)
• 3 bannanas, sliced
• 8 oz. whipped topping
• coconut
• chopped pecans

Bake cake as directed in a deep 9×13 inch pan. When cake is done and still warm, poke holes in top with wooden spoon handle. Heat pineapple and sugar together. Stir until dissolved. Pour over cake. Prepare pudding mix according to directions. Pour over cooled cake. Cover with bannanas. Put whipped topping on top. Sprinkle coconut on top. Top with pecans.

Toast chopped pecans in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool. Roll balls of vanilla ice cream in pecans. Keep in freezer until ready to serve. Place in attractive dish, spoon hot fudge sauce over and serve. Can make own hot fudge sauce or heat up chocolate syrup. Could use other flavors of ice cream if desired. Like a hot fudge sundae only more elegant.

The City of Woodbine, in Harrison County, celebrated a ribbon cutting ceremony in their historic downtown Monday night. In the last 18 months, Woodbine welcomed 13 new businesses and 35 new employees to its 3 by 3 block Main Street District while renovating 25 historic buildings into energy efficient storefronts, office spaces and upper-story apartments. On Monday night, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. Branstad said the transformation in Woodbine was phenomenal.

He said the community had a lot of old buildings that were falling down. The Main Street program, he says, helped to make it something that everyone can be proud of. Branstad says Woodbine should be an inspiration to other towns.

A crowd of close to 300 people witnessed a photo re-staging of a 1911 Chautauqua “Big Doings in Woodbine Town” streetscape scene complete with period costumes, horse and buggy and automobiles ranging from back in the early 1900s all the way to a brand new John Deere tractor. The ribbon cutting ceremony finished quite a long day for Governor Branstad. His day began in the Guthrie County community of Panora, and included lunch featuring Iowa’s Best Burger, in Coon Rapids, as well as a stop in Audubon, and finally, Harlan.

The Governor will travel through northwest Iowa today starting in Onawa this morning.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

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Almost one in five Iowans smoke and a program to help them quit is getting new accolades. A survey of Iowans who smoke finds 83-percent wish they could quit. From that figure, Operation 83 was launched. Lori Mein, a nurse practitioner at the Mercy Clinic in Des Moines, says they work with Quitline Iowa to give smokers the necessary tools.

Smokers who come to the clinic can get one-on-one counseling, while those on Title 19 Medicaid may qualify for three months of medication that can ease the transition to a smoke-free lifestyle. Operation 83 is being featured in a new publication, “Staying Well,” from the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network. Seven months after completing the program, up to 24-percent of clients weren’t using tobacco. Only about four-percent of smokers without support could say the same. While she’s a lifelong non-smoker, Mein says she’s lost several family members to smoking, though it wasn’t to lung disease or cancer, but heart disease.

The latest figures from the CDC find just about 19-percent of Iowans smoke, or 429-thousand people. That’s slightly above the national average. Tobacco use is blamed for killing more than 44-thousand Iowans every year. Learn more at “www.quitlineiowa.org” or call 800-Quit-Now.

(Radio Iowa)