MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Telegraph Herald) — Federal authorities are taking over monitoring of contamination from a carcinogenic chemical that’s spread from a factory site in the eastern Iowa city of Maquoketa. The Telegraph Herald reported that the contamination stems from the operations of Clinton Machine Co., which built small engines in Maquoketa from 1950 into the 1990s. The factory used trichloroethene, commonly known as TCE, as a degreasing agent.

Federal authorities have since determined that TCE is carcinogenic. Authorities have said TCE in groundwater also creates the potential for indoor contamination.

Three people were arrested on separate charges, Saturday, in Creston. Authorities say 28-year old Christopher Keller, of Creston, was arrested Saturday afternoon at the Union County Law Enforcement Center (LEC), on the charges of Interference with Official Acts, Theft in the 4th Degree, and Driving While Barred. Keller was later released on $3,300 bond. 24-year old Shelby Fetters, of Altoona, was arrested at the Union County LEC Saturday afternoon, for Driving While Suspended and Theft in the 4th. She was later released on $1,300 bond.

And, late Saturday night, 43-year old Jeffery Johnson, of Creston, was arrested at the LEC for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. He was later released on a $300 bond.

Two students with the CAM School District are the 2020 winners of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), American History Essay Contest. Sixth-grade student Collin Bower, and Seventh grader Sidney Amdor won for their essay “The Voyage of the Mayflower. Each student participant receives a certificate of participation from the chapter and the chapter winners receive bronze medals and certificates.

Sixth-grade student Collin Bower, and Seventh grader Sidney Amdor.

The DAR’s History Essay Contest was established to encourage young people to think creatively about our nation’s great history and learn about history in a new light. Essays are judged for historical accuracy, adherence to the topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness.

2020 marks the 400th Anniversary of the voyage of the Mayflower and the founding of the Plymouth Colony. Imagine you are one of the passengers on the Mayflower. Knowing what materials were available in 1620, what would you have packed to prepare for the trip and starting a new life in the wilderness? After experiencing more than two months at sea then finally landing at Plymouth Colony on November 9, 1620, do you think you would have made different choices and why?

(Radio Iowa) — Coronavirus cases worldwide now exceed 100-thousand with at least 22 U-S deaths, but health officials in northwest Iowa say there’s a fine line between being prepared for an outbreak and overreacting. Tyler Brock, deputy director of Siouxland District Health, says some people in the area have asked to be tested out of concern they may have contracted the potentially-deadly virus. “They’re just nervous about it and they want to know for sure whether or not they have this,” Brock says. “Even though symptoms don’t quite line up with the way the disease actually presents, there have been some folks seeking testing that really probably don’t need to be tested.”

There is a concern about people who have traveled overseas coming into a local clinic. Brock says they had a patient recently who had traveled abroad. The person was quickly moved from the waiting room to a separate area. Brock says 80-percent of people who test positive for coronavirus recover fairly quickly. “The vast majority of these cases are mild,” Brock says. “While we want to be concerned, we want to have the proper level of concern, the balance between, yeah, we’re taking it seriously and yet we’re not overreacting to the situation which tends to make it worse.”

Brock says it’s important for Iowans who are returning from overseas trips, especially from countries with major outbreaks like China, Italy and South Korea, to act responsibly. “The primary thing with folks returning from these countries are self-isolation, self-monitoring,” Brock says. “They’re not being ordered and quarantined or that kind of thing. It’s just a self-isolate, monitor yourself for symptoms, contact your provider when you think you have symptoms and your provider will take it from there.”

Statistics show the median age of a person with coronavirus is 51 with most cases between the ages of 30 to 69. Few children are affected, with only two to four percent of worldwide cases involving youngsters. The mortality rate is 3.7 percent, with most of the fatalities in older adults with respiratory issues and weakened immune systems.