Gomers: What's going wrong

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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DECOSTER AGAIN: About 288,000 eggs mistakenly distributed from an Ohio producer where salmonella was found were recalled last week. And guess what: Ohio Fresh Eggs is linked to Austin “Jack” DeCoster, a habitual violator of environmental laws in Iowa whose Wright County Egg farm earlier this year recalled several hundred million eggs linked to hundreds of salmonella poisoning cases. DeCoster, Ohio officials say, has invested millions into Ohio Fresh Eggs there and hid behind other farmers to get permits in 2004.

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CLIMATE CHANGES: Iowa's climate has changed significantly over the past century. Average precipitation was 33 inches in 1910; lately, it's 40-plus inches, says a draft report discussed by the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council. The number of extreme weather events, such as 5-inch rainfalls, is increasing even faster. Don't we know.

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MORE WHOOPING: The number of pertussis, or whooping cough, cases is up 33 percent in Iowa compared with the last five-year average. The increase isn't unusual because the disease is cyclical, but pertussis can cause serious illness, especially in infants. Best prevention is still immunization.