Many Iowans, who are smokers, may have this Thursday circled on their calendars. The third Thursday in November is the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout — an annual effort to encourage smokers to quit for the day or make a plan to quit. Peggy Huppert, with the American Cancer Society in Central Iowa, says in the early 1970s, more than 40-percent of adult Iowans smoked cigarettes or cigars. Today, that figure has dropped to 18-percent. “We still think that’s too high,” Huppert said. “We have a lot of emphasis on helping people quit because of the harm that is caused. It is the number one preventable cause of death and disease in the nation and in Iowa.”

Smoking is blamed for roughly 80-percent of all lung cancer cases in the U.S. and lung cancer is the leading cause of death among all forms of cancer. Despite the extreme risks associated with smoking, thousands of Iowans have trouble quitting. “It’s extremely hard to quit smoking. Nicotine is the most addictive substance known to humans, more addictive than crack, meth, or any illegal drug,” Huppert said. “The average person has to try seven times to quit smoking before they’re successful.”

Around 42 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, which equates to just under 1 in every 5 adults. Huppert suggests Iowans who need help quitting smoking or using smokeless tobacco contact Quitline Iowa. “Within 30 days of quitting, your health can improve significantly and it will add years to your life,” Huppert said.

Persons who enroll in the Quitline Iowa program could be eligible for eight weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy, including patches, gum, or lozenges.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

JOHNSTOWN, Iowa (AP) — About 80 soldiers in an Iowa Army National Guard unit may be sent to West Africa to help respond to the Ebola outbreak there. The Iowa National Guard said yesterday that members of the 294th Area Support Medical Company are being notified that they may be deployed next spring for six months to a year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State officials may impose new limits on groundwater use to protect the underground aquifer that supplies drinking water to a half-million Iowans. The Des Moines Register reports environmental leaders are concerned about the future of the Jordan aquifer that sits beneath most of Iowa because water use continues to grow. The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission is scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss requiring additional conservation measures and possibly force some water users to seek other sources of water.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A shooting in downtown Dubuque that injured two women is being investigated. Police Lieutenant Pablo Ramirez says 46-year-old Tanya Brisco and 34-year-old Danielle Brown were both wounded shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday. The Telegraph Herald reports that the shooting happened at The Mad Hatter bar, which was the site of a different shooting last November when the bar was called Players Club.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A 5-year-old girl was critically hurt this weekend when she sledded into a street in Council Bluffs and was hit by a pickup truck. The Daily Nonpareil reports the incident happened just before 1 p.m. Saturday.

Republican Congressman Steve King says President Obama will provoke a “constitutional crisis” if he follows through with an executive order that would shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. “There’s just a growing coalition of people that are starting to see that this isn’t just a trial balloon that the president has been floating for several months,” King says, “but it is a very, very serious threat to our constitution and it is an impending constitutional crisis.” King has been a leading critic of what he calls “amnesty” for illegal immigrants. Congress was in session last week and King talked with his colleagues about what action can be taken if Obama issues that executive order.

“We haven’t coalesced on an idea and a direction at this point, but I believe we that we’re digging in, ready to do so,” King says. “And there are a number of options that are in front of us.” The “preferred” option, according to King, would be for the president to back off his threat to take executive action but, if Obama does, King says congress can act quickly in December to shut off funding for the agencies that would carry out the new immigration policy. As for filing articles of impeachment against Obama if he does issue an executive order on immigration, King says that’s a political decision.

“High crimes and misdemeanors are not defined. Congress defines them. That really means that the people need to weigh in,” King says, “so of course I don’t want to go there. I don’t want to say the word (impeachment) but we have this: The president has taken an oath…to uphold the constitution, to take care that the laws are faithfully executed. We also take an oath and the president’s oath to the constitution may or may not mean something to him, but ours had better mean something to us.” Some Democrats have said executive action from President Obama on immigration would only be temporary, as it would put pressure on congress to act.

“There are a few Republicans who think that, but I think that there’s a huge flaw in that thinking,” King says. “…If the president could violate the constitution and insist that congress pass legislation to conform to his lawless legislative edict in order for the president’s edict to be constitutional, that is a ridiculous concept that our founding fathers sought to avoid. They want congress to restrain a president, not want to conform to a lawless one.” King says he cannot fathom the “audacity” of President Obama thinking “he can completely destroy the rule of law with the stroke of a pen.”

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Council Bluffs, late Sunday evening, released additional information about a sledding accident that occurred Saturday afternoon. Officials said at around 12:55-p.m., 5-year old Kailey Maloney, of Council Bluffs was sledding near Abraham Lincoln High School. Her sled slid onto Bennett Avenue. 58-year old Michael Needham, of Council Bluffs, was driving southbound on Bennett Avenue in a Chevy Colorado pickup, when Kailey slide into the path of the pickup and was struck.

The girl was seriously injured and transported by the Council Bluffs Fire Department to the Nebraska Medical Center in critical condition. Needham was not injured. The Council Bluffs Police Department Traffic Unit is investigating the crash. No further information is available at this time

Iowa National Guard spokesman Col. Greg Hapgood said Sunday, that the Secretary of Defense has notified the 294th Area Support Medical Company, Iowa Army National Guard based in Washington, Iowa, of a pending mobilization in support of Operation United Assistance. The mobilization will affect approximately 80 Soldiers from the unit.

Operation United Assistance, the U.S. response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, is led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Department of Defense and other U.S. government agencies are providing certain unique, supporting capabilities as needed to the operation.

Army National Guard personnel, in conjunction with other U.S. military personnel, are being deployed to provide military force command and control, engineering, logistical, and training support to the whole-of-U.S. Government humanitarian mission. This deployment is in support of a humanitarian mission designed to stop the spread of the Ebola virus and keep it from becoming a pandemic that could potentially impact American citizens. It is anticipated that the deployment will commence in Spring 2015 and last for approximately six months.

All Soldiers will be provided necessary training and equipment to prevent the Ebola virus from infecting them. As a precautionary measure and to ensure everyone’s safety, all Soldiers re-deploying from Africa will undergo an observation program overseas to ensure all returning personnel are healthy and have not contracted the Ebola virus.

The 294th Area Support Medical Company previously deployed in 2009 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where the unit provided full spectrum medical support at the Taji Theater Internment Facility Reintegration Center (TIFRC).