Culver Stops By

Gov. Chet Culver told The Gazette’s editorial board today that state officials ate determined to stay ahead of a possible H1N1 flu outbreak, even if it doesn’t turn out to be severe.

“I learned this at new governor’s school,” Culver said, referring to the training meeting for newly-elected governors. Culver went to school after his 2006 victory. “You’d better be prepared for any emergency.”

Culver is trying to walk a thin line. On one hand, he declared a dire-sounding  “public health disaster” after the first flu case was confirmed over the weekend.  One large school district, Marshalltown, has cancelled classes for a week at the urging of state and federal officials. 

He said Monday that another school district weighed closure but decided to stay open for now. He didn’t name the district.

He also says Iowans shouldn’t be worried.

“There’s no alarm here. There’s no reason for families or individuals to be scared or concerned about this situation,” Culver said.

Declaring a disaster, he said,  helps the state get its hands on antiviral drug supplies and other federal assistance. It also gives the state the power to quarantine patients, even if they object to being isolated. Culver says he’s taking a “hands-on” role in all flu-related decisions.

“With the new flu, we’re being very aggressive,” Culver said, likening the state’s response to the illness with it’s response to last spring’s devastating flooding.

(I know he’s probably referring to the initial emergency response, but telling folks around these parts that the government will respond to the flu just like it did to the flood is not likely to inspire broad confidence. Just a thought.)

It’s pretty early to judge Culver’s flu response. But so far it seems to be following that new governor’s textbook.

Culver was asked about Lt. Gov. Patty Judge’s unplanned appearance last week on “Late Night with David Letterman.” Judge’s coughing fit during a flu briefing drew yucks here and across the country.  Culver can be seen behind Judge, urging aides to get her a glass of water.

Culver smiled when he was asked about it. But all kidding aside…

“This is a very serious situation that our country is dealing with,” said Culver, who added it that it would be wrong to “make light” of the outbreak.

On other subjects, Culver touted the Legislature’s record on flood recovery, which was his No.1 priority entering the 2009 session. He spoke of hundreds of millions of dollars in flood-related spending approved by lawmakers and several other policy measure aimed at aiding recovery.

Culver made his pitch, although The Gazette already praised those accomplishments in a Saturday editorial.

Culver said lawmakers likely will be asked to approve another package of flood aid next year, especially if the federal government continues to drag its feet on assistance.

“We need to continue to keep it (the flood) on the front burner,” Culver said.

After the jump – The press release Culver sent out from his CR visit highlighting legisltive efforts:

Monday Reads – Numbers

I’m sensing a numeric theme in this morning’s news items.

27 — That’s the percentage jump in the number of assaults reported to Iowa City Police between 2006 and 2008, according to this morning’s Des Moines Register. And assault reports during the first three months of this year exceed the same period during the past three years.

This has been a big story around these parts, and it’s got plenty of people worried. That includes parents of University of Iowa students. School and regent’s officials are hearing all about it. Downtown, after the bars close, some bad stuff is happening.

So what’s the deal? Booze, immaturity and violence add up to  “toxic masculinity.” From Erin Jordan’s Register story:

“When you mix alcohol and immaturity along with these value systems, it’s a very negative convergence,” said Sam Cochran, director of the U of I Counseling Service.

Fighting is part of a “toxic masculinity” that is influenced by popular culture, Cochran said.

Research shows that assaults increase during some sporting events, like college football games, said Ryan Williams, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

He has researched mixed martial arts, a no-holds-barred fighting sport.

So now you know.

548 — That’s how many possible H1N1 Swine flu cases have been tested in Iowa as of Sunday, according to AP.  Of those, just seven probable cases were found.

The first confirmed case in Iowa was announced on Saturday. And a cluster of probable cases in Marshall County among school-aged children prompted Marshalltown school officials to shut down the district this week as a precaution.

Masks and hand sanitizer continue to sell, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier.

450 — The Register reported Sunday that the first week of legal same-sex marriages in Iowa saw more than 450 couples apply for licenses. Polk County had 116 applications followed by Johnson County with 80 and Linn County with 77.

Today’s Quad-City Times carries news of eight couples getting hitched at a Church on Sunday.

Media interest is fading and political heat is cooling a bit after just one week. And this is supposed to be the red hot issue of an election 16 months from now. Hmmm.