Bits of News

Vandals Release 600 Hogs
COLLINS, Iowa -- The Story County sheriff's office said Wednesday that nearly three-dozen hogs were killed or injured over the weekend near Collins.

Deputies and farmers said that what happened near Collins was not an accident.

They said that sometime late Saturday night, gates were opened and more than 600 hogs were set free from the Struthers family farm northeast of Collins. Then, they believe whoever set them free, used their vehicle to chase the hogs through nearby farm fields, hitting and killing several of them.

In all, more than 30 animals have been killed or euthanized because of the injuries they sustained, adding up to several thousand dollars in losses for the Struthers family.

A $1,500 reward is now being offered.

Deputies are following up on some clues in the case, including parts of the vehicle that were found.
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Emergency Rooms in America: A Deadly Prognosis
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
In a crowded Arizona emergency room, a 10-year old boy struggles to breathe. He is having an asthma attack.
Within 15 minutes, he is dead.
Had he not been turned away from two children’s hospitals closer to his home, he might be alive.
However, those ERs were too full to take the boy.
“The boy might be alive today if he was treated at one of the children’s hospitals instead of the ambulance being diverted to my crowded emergency department 20 to 30 minutes away,” said a doctor who formerly worked in that emergency department, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The practice of diverting ambulances from overcrowded emergency rooms has become widespread — and the delay in treatment can have fatal consequences.
Consider these overwhelming statistics: