Thursday, November 2, 2006 Today, mostly sunny and blustery. High in the lower 40s. Tonight, mostly clear. Low 16. Tomorrow, mostly sunny in the morning then becoming partly sunny. High in the upper 40s. W eather Hospitals boost local, state, and national economy Hospitals in Johnson County employ 9,682 workers, making the group of hospitals the county’s largest employers with a total economic impact of $586,911,801, according to a study from the Iowa Hospital Association. Three hospitals are located in Johnson County—University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Mercy Iowa City, and Veterans Affairs (VA) Iowa City Health Care System. Visit http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2006/november/110106hospital-impact.html to read more. November 1, 1991, shooting victims remembered About 100 members of the University of Iowa community attended a memorial service yesterday to remember the victims of the Nov. 1, 1991, shootings on campus. During the service, Rex Honey, a professor in the Department of Geography, and others spoke out against gun violence. Today in history: In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill in the White House Rose Garden designating a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., to be observed on the third Monday of January. NYC to hire more searchers for 9/11 remains The renewed search for human remains around the World Trade Center site is so massive, the city will hire several additional forensics experts more than five years after the 9/11 attacks. The search was prompted by the discovery last month of human bones in an abandoned manhole. Controversy swirls around Kerry’s Iraq remark Sen. John Kerry apologized yesterday for a “botched joke” that suggested U.S. troops in Iraq are uneducated. The firestorm began Monday when Kerry told a college crowd that if they studied hard and made “an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.” Novelist William Styron dies at 81 William Styron, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Confessions of Nat Turner and other novels whose explorations of the darkest corners of the human mind and experience were charged by his own near-suicidal demons, died yesterday. He was 81. Styron’s daughter, Alexandra, said the author died of pneumonia at a hospital in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Washington state woman unexpectedly has baby boy Amanda Brisendine had attributed the 30 pounds she gained in the past year to an abandoned smoking habit and rich food. Turns out, she was pregnant—a fact she didn’t discover until just before her son, Alexander, was delivered by Caesarean section. Already mother to a 14-monthold daughter, Brisendine said she didn't experience typical pregnancy symptoms. ‘Jelly bellies’ memo costs police chief his job Winter Haven, Florida, Police Chief Paul Goward was tired of looking around his department and seeing fat hanging over the belts of some of his officers. So he sent out a memo exhorting the “jelly bellies” to shape up. In the end, the department lost 190 pounds—all of them belonging to Goward. He was forced out as chief because some of his officers were offended by the memo. Donald Trump cited for 80-foot flagpole Donald Trump’s display of patriotism is apparently too flamboyant for Palm Beach, Florida. Town officials cited him for hoisting an American flag atop an 80-foot pole at his Mar-a-Lago estate and club. The real estate mogul has violated zoning codes with a flagpole taller than 42 feet and for erecting it without a building permit and permission from the landmarks board. James, Hughes carry Cavaliers over Wizards Larry Hughes scored 27 points, LeBron James added 26, and the Cleveland Cavaliers opened a season many believe can end with an NBA championship by beating Washington, 97-94. ART SALE: Children’s Miracle Network is having a round-the-clock art sale until 4 p.m. tomorrow in the Pappajohn Pavilion Lobby. Cash, check, credit cards, and staff charge will be available. Proceeds benefit Children’s Hospital of Iowa. INFLUENZA VACCINATIONS for UI Health Care staff are being given in the University Employee Health Clinic, 1005-2 Boyd Tower, through 5 p.m. today and from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. tomorrow. SATELLITE EARLY VOTING is being offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow in the eighth level Solarium and Monday in the Pappajohn Pavilion Lobby. NEW FOR FACULTY AND STAFF: What’s The Point? To find out, come to the demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in the Fountain Dining Room or 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow in the Melrose Dining Room. Take a ride on The Point and get a cookie and a prize (while they last). LIONS CLUB: The UI Health Care Lions Club meets at 12:15 p.m. today at Atrium Dining Conference Room G. Prospective members are invited to attend. STAGING REVIEW TODAY: Tonight at 5 p.m. in the cancer center classroom (4638 JPP), the annual AJCC/CAP staging review will be held, as required by ACoS/CoC. All cancer physicians, pathologists, physician assistants, nurses, fellows, and residents are invited and encouraged to attend. Pizza and drink provided. Call Deb Schulte, 356-2388 with questions. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: An open meeting will be held at 7:30 tonight, Conference Room G, 7 JCP. TUNE IN: An interview about exercise and diabetes with Rhonda Barr, a clinical specialist in physical therapy and coordinator of the REACH program at UI Hospitals and Clinics, will air at 7:30 and 9:50 a.m. tomorrow on the KXIC-AM (800) University of Iowa Health Care Today program. CALLING ALL QUITTERS: The Smoke-Free Environment Task Force is looking for staff who have quit smoking— whether it was 10 years, 10 months, or 10 days ago. Come visit the week of Nov. 6 to sign their “proud to be smoke free” banners and pick up a Tell Us Your Story form. Task force representatives will be available for questions and banner signing at the following locations and times: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, Melrose Dining Room; 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, Fountain Dining Room; and 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, Atrium Dining Room. LASIK SEMINAR: A free discussion on the latest news in laser vision correction (LASIK) will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Blodi Conference Room (11131 PFP). To reserve your spot or for more details, call 353-7625 or e-mail [email protected], or visit http://webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/dept/laser/reg-seminar.htm to fill out a registration form. ELDER CARE GUIDANCE, INFORMATION AND REFERRAL: Holiday times can be especially stressful for elder caregiving. Appointments for a program to help faculty, staff, and students with elder care issues are now being scheduled for Nov. 14 and Dec. 12 at UI Hospitals and Clinics. Contact Jane Holland at [email protected] or 335-1371. HOLIDAY SHOPPING TRIP: Enjoy a fun-filled day in Galena, Illinois, on Saturday, Dec. 2. The bus will leave Iowa City at 8 a.m. and return around 8 p.m. that day. Cost is $30 per person; cash, check, or staff charge accepted. Refunds are not available once payment is made. If interested, call Susie in Hospital Human Resources at 356-2008. ACL STUDY: Interested persons are invited to participate in an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) study being conducted by Richard Shields, PhD, professor, UI graduate program in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. The study involves a total testing time of 1.5 hours and involves a maximum of two visits. If you are a female between 18 and 30 years of age and have injured your ACL anytime, contact Richard Shields at 335-9808 or e-mail Sangeetha Madhavan ([email protected]) for more information. FORMULA-FED BABIES who are 12 to 16 days of age are invited to participate in a four-month nutrition research study conducted in the Pediatric Nutrition Unit, The University of Iowa, and satellite research clinics in Cedar Rapids and Davenport. Compensation. Call 335-4936 or 866-778-5818 (pediatric nutrition staff). REMINDER: Personal mail should be deposited in the U.S. mailboxes located throughout the main level of UI Hospitals and Clinics.