The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 2

2ATheDes Moines Register! Wednesday, Augusts, 1997 IWA KflEWS Boefor's volmteer offer bloekeo the doctor no longer carries personal liability insurance, she can't practice. Dateline Iowa Train derailment blocks state highway The Register's Iowa News Service Postville, la. A train derailed Tuesday on the edge of Postville and was blocking Iowa Highway 51, the Iowa State Patrol said. The road was closed into the evening after the accident at about 5:30 p.m. Allamakee County authorities were on the scene and could not be reached for details.

A Postville resident said two'cars of the train tipped over near the town's co-op and may have struck a co-op building. introduce legislation to correct it, shesaid. "If doctors are willing time, we've got to take the re-; -jsponsibility of the liability," Tins-man said. A littlerhelp to needy women now could reduce welfare costs later, she saidi "We're trying to limit disabilities, and prenatal care does that," Tinsman said. Changing the Rules She said it may be possible to handle the matter with a change in -the department's rules governing the program or by getting Rails-back covered by a policy elsewhere.

Railsback, 49, was an obstetrician in Des Moines for 19 years before giving up her practice to go -on a four-month stint in Serbia helping pregnant women caught up in the Balkan strife. Because her liability insurance policy lapsed when she quit her do free clinics and I can't do it." Railsback has been spending her time consulting for insurance com-' panies. After she gave up her medical practice and before her trip to Serbia, she worked in a bagel shop. She is trying to arrange another stint in Serbia and wants to do something useful until she goes back. "There are women out there who need care," Railsback said.

She said many poor women cannot afford private health care. Others are working at minimum-wage jobs and can't find time or the transportation to get to public clinics. In Perry, she said some of the girlfriends of workers at the IBP packing plant need care because they are not covered by the health insurance the company provides families of workers. State Sen. Maggie Tinsman, a Davenport Republican, said the state's program should be changed.

And if the health department doesn't make the change, she will lowans want aid for crime victimsi "I came back from Serbia intending to help out the home folks a little bit, and I can't do that," she said. "I can't see spending $52,000 in liability insurance so I can work at Railsback Can't volunteer 8 free clinic. Even if I chose to go bare, there's no way a clinic is going to let anybody like that work there because they become the deep pockets. "It seems a tad bit discriminatory and not quite right that pregnant folk, who are a group that needs the most help, can't get care. Here you've got someone with 19 years of experience who wants to Cool Swinging "A- ur fit XT wax 1 i ft practice, Railsback said that when she decided to volunteer in a Perry clinic, she sought protection under the state's Volunteer Health Provider program.

However, rutecj for that program soecjfy that i siemc services arc iwi wyereu. The cheapest liability policy smZ can find would cost her shesaid. Kevin Teale, a spokesman for the- Department of Health, said th when the rules were written for thi program, officials feared lawsui stemming from problem births. Since the rules were approved Teale said the Legislature has duced the length of time an tncian is liable for damages to'CTl newborn. That period was reduced I from 20 years after birth to eigteJ traara affoi I ai a until.

The change may make it easier for policy-makers to allow the state to accept liability for Railsback's" work. He said the department not oppose a change. Iowa that heard from hundreds off residents in 16 cities through Iowa fiber optics network. The; meetings were sponsored by the Community Corrections Improve ment Association of Cedar 11 ie iauunai utsuime ui iurreq-tions, the Governor's Alliance oh Substance Abuse, the Cedar Rapids" Police Department and the East Central Iowa SAFE Coalition. Hinzman said some of the other key issues that surfaced at meetings included: lowans overwhelmingly support programs inside and outside of prison that can provide "real change" for criminals.

Many people favored the concept of neighbor-" hood programs to work with offenders and their families. People expressed concern about insufficient between criminal justice programs dealing with juveniles and and "a general lack of community accountability for youthful offend; ers." lowans feel. that prisons and, jails are not a problem and should:" be used to lock up violent offenders'" or criminals who repeatedly upon society. But lowans also don't" want offenders "coming back horn worse than when they went in. Both commission members the public agreed that punishment serves a legitimate purpose.

But they also thought punishment should be used in conjunction with treatment to prevent offenders1, from returning to crime. 60th anniversary Located near New London, Geode State Park was uesignaiea as a siaie pane in 1937. The 60th anniversaro celebration wilt help kick off a fund-raiser to develop a year-round visitor and activity center. Horse trainer injured in wagon accident Milton, la. (AP) An Iowa horse trainer who drove a wagon with the Mormon Trail re-enactment was in critical condition after a weekend wagon accident.

Larry "Turbo" Stewart of Milton was loading his wagon in Farson, on Saturday when it slipped and pinned him against a van, relatives said. The wagon's weight was pressed against him when a friend found him. Stewart first was taken to Rock Springs, then flown later Satur day to IDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he underwent two brain surgeries. Stewart was in the intensive-care unit in critical condition Tuesday, a nursing supervisor said. Doctors have told the family that after 14 days they will be able to see how serious his disabilities might be.

Eight-year-old boy drowns at state park The Register's Iowa News Service Paullina, la. An 8-year-old boy drowned Monday while swimming at Mill Creek State Park in Paullina. The O'Brien County Sheriffs Office is still investigating the death of Thomas Joseph Ney, son of Michael and Jacquelin Ney of Sheldon. According to the O'Brien County Sheriffs Office, the boy was swimming in the Mill Creek swimming area Monday afternoon. He had a medical condition that causes seizures that may have caused the drowning.

Thomas was taken to Baum Harmon Memorial Hospital in Primghar, then was flown to Marion, Heajfth Center in siouxuty. Hog lot may receive blame in fish kill The Register's Iowa Newsservice Washington, la. The cause of a fish kill at a creek near Washington has not been determined, but Department of Natural Resources officials believe a hog lot may be the cause. At least a mile and a half area of the south fork of Long Creek, about three miles east and one mile north of Washington, has been contaminated with a substance that has killed an undetermined number of fish, officials said. Though officials have no specific cause yet, they said the odor of hog manure is prominent in the creek.

Biologists estimated the fish kill began Aug. 2 or 3. There is no danger to water users downstream, DNR officials said. The investigation of the site is continuing. A task force also finds that people want churches and businesses more involved in the justice system.

By WILLIAM PETR0SKI Register Staff Writer lowans want more help for crime victims, and they "solidly support" having churches become more involved in justice issues, a corrections official says. Gerald Hinzman, who recently led a statewide task force on community justice concerns, said lowans believe crime victims must receive assistance to meet their needs. And many people favor the idea of victim and offender reconciliation, he said. "This issue was raised numerous times, especially in the Des Moines community," he said. "The public also asked for more community dispute resolution Hinzman, who is the district director of community corrections in the Cedar Rapids area, added that lowans want government to "cut the red tape" that hampers church involvement in community justice issues.

Many people also want business to become more involved, he said. Hinzman's group known as the Commission on Community Justice recently completed three days of public meetings across After a four-month stint in Serbia, the Des Moines obstetrician no longer has liability insurance. By DAVID YEPSEN Register Staff Writer She can go to Serbia to help needy pregnant women but she can't go to Perry to help them there. Dr. Linda Railsback, a Des Moines obstetrician, said fears of liability lawsuits are preventing her from volunteering to help needy Hispanic women who need prenatal care in Iowa.

State Department of Health officials confirm that Railsback does not qualify for protection from lawsuits under a state program created in 1993 to encourage healthcare workers to volunteer. Since III Pedlty celebrates in the pleting his Jump Tuesday GOP to pay $1,000 fine in finance case The Republican Party of Iowa has agreed to pay a $1,000 fine as part of an informal settlement of a campaign finance case, state GOP officials said. At issue was an illegal transfer of $50,000 from ihe Florida Republican Party to the Iowa GOP. The Florida money included contributions from corporations, which are illegal in Iowa. Instead of taking formal legal action against the Iowa GOP, the state Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board and the party agreed to the informal settlement.

Under the terms of the agreement, the money has been repaid to the Florida GOP and the party has agreed to pay a $1,000 fine and accept a letter of reprimand. The board said the people "involved in the transaction entailing the Florida contribution were in positions where they knew or should have known the restrictions of Iowa law" involving corporate donors. State GOP officials say they did not intend to violate Iowa law. They noted that the issue came before the ethics board when GOP staffers themselves disclosed it to the board as part of routine book keeping practices, rr I as Glittering celebration slated at state park -TV 'I fT; former director Donald Ziska, who lives in Urbandale and retired earlier this year. Ron Bowerman, a lawyer for the agency in Des Moines, declined comment.

Ziska, who Arnold notes is a Catholic and was his supervisor, said he hadn't seen the lawsuit and wouldn't comment. "We treated everyone fairly," Ziska said. Arnold, a Southern Baptist who lives in Newton and who began working at the hospital in 1983, is asking fair actual damages, punitive damages and lawyer fees. He is also asking for court action to correct the alleged discrimination and "implement appropriate safeguards" to prevent future bias. Among his claims, Arnold maintains that he first complained about the situation in 1987, but nothing was done.

Instead, he contends, Ziska retaliated by changing his performance appraisals, became overly critical of his performance and tried on several occasions to intimidate him. Arnold alleges that "Protestant chaplains have been overlooked when it came to recognition, where Catholic chaplains were routinely recognized for their job Associated Press water after com- swings through the air at one of the rock Tony Hovland quarry pits in Mason City. Chaplain: Hospital official biased against Protestants HENRY I COUNTY iefo Mount i yNNsNn indon J-ii Geode 1 1.1.1, l.t-lHENHY ''''J county Inmate pleads guilty of helping in assault Iowa City, la. (AP) An inmate who distracted a guard during a stabbing at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center has been sentenced to two more years in prison. Chip J.

Kurelko, 35, of Mason City pleaded guilty of aiding and abetting an assault with a dangerous weapon. Prison officials said Kurelko and another inmate, Jerry Davis, 26, of Des Moines, distracted a guard while Lon-rue Foster, 29, of Des Moines stabbed a fourth inmate in an exercise yard last September. The sentence handed down Monday by Johnson County District Judge Larry Conmey will run after the 10-year sentence Kurelko already is serv- ing for possession of a firearm as a felon in Polk County. Kurelko also was ordered to pay $5,324 in fines, at- tomey's fees and court costs. Foster, who faces charges of at- tempted murder and willful injury, is scheduled to go on trial Aug.

18 in Johnson County District Court. By CHARLOTTE EBY Register Correspondent Geode State Park near New In- don is celebrating 60 years of some of the best rock hunting in Iowa. Named for its abundance of the hollow, crystal-filled rocks. Geode State Park was opened in 1937 after local residents pushed to have the area recognized as a state park. The park's 60th anniversary celebration Saturday will include nature programs for children, a boat safety demonstration and a geode display featuring a 725-pound aga-tized geode.

The area surrounding Keokuk and including the park is well-known to collectors and geologists as a hot spot for geodes, which were named Iowa's official state rock in 1957. The rocks from the area including Lee, Henry and Van Buren counties are known as "Keokuk geodes." Both crystallized and agatized geodes are abundant in the park, with quartz being the most common mineral inside. Other types of minerals can be found in the center of these rocks in a range of colors. Agatized geodes have a smooth center rather than the prism-like look of the crystallized geodes. E.

Earl Smith of New London has spent most of his life gathering the rocks. Smith remembers digging up geodes as a child during the Great Depression for his family's business, Geode Industries, which made them into ashtrays and book-ends for sale. Smith has written a book. 'Mem. ories of Geode State Park," detail-ins the oark's history.

He hnspH much of the book on the records of his father, Edward N. Smith, the park's original development chair man. Proceeds from the book, avail able for sale at the celebration, will help to complete a new visitors center at the park. The center will By FRANK SANTIAGO Register Staff Writer A chaplain at the Veterans Medical Center in Knoxville has filed a federal lawsuit claiming he has been a victim of religious discrimination by administrators at the hospital. Robert Arnold contends that Protestant chaplains, such as himself, were treated unfairly compared to Catholic chaplains.

In one of the claims, Arnold alleges that Protestant clerics routinely were called into the director's office and belittled with trivial matters while Catholic chaplains "were not subjected to the same scrutiny." Arnold maintains that the number of Protestant chaplains was reduced to one, while Catholic chaplains remained at two, although Protestant patients outnumbered Catholic patients 3-to-l. Clive lawyer Jeff Lipman, who filed the lawsuit in Des Moines for Arnold, said, "It is very troubling and unsettling to know that officials from the United States government could get away with this type of discrimination." Named as defendants are the Department of Veterans Affairs and feature an exhibition of geodes park memorabilia and a meeting fa ditty. "When people come from Iowa and adjoining states, they'll be able to see something more than the outj" doors," Smith said. A new boat ramp at Lake Geode is scheduled for completion next year. -'r; Some of the park's early worky including construction of the ranger's residence and the clearing of roads through the park, was peB.

formed by the Civilian tion Corps during the Great pression. But some of the were left unfinished as corps mem bers departed to serve in World-War II. Smith said the recent pictures" from Mars and the floods of 1993 that revealed a multitude of fossils'' at the Coralville Reservoir have renewed lowans' interest in learning more about rocks and geology. Speed limit raised on Highway 61 The Reuister'sIowa News Skrvice i Burlington, la. The speed limit has been raised to 65 mph on a 1 3-mile stretch Of U.S.

Highway 61 between Burlington and Fort Madison that has been widened from two lanes to a four-lane expressway, state officials said. Iowa Department of Transportation workers began replacing the old KK mnk limit )0T1 last UHwIf i my wci uuv nmiwibu uivhw.