NO LONGER BEHIND the SCENES Radiation by the NUMBERS Dosage
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73 / 51 HONING IN Buhl's Leckenby HagermanHagerman womanwoman overcomesovercomes is Times-News Baseball Athlete of the Year birthbirth defectdefect Sports 1 Warmer. Family Life 1 Sports 6 POINTING THE WAY >>> T.F. visitor center volunteers offer friendly advice, BUSINESS 1 SUNDAY $1.50 June 13, 2010 TIMES-NEWS Magicvalley.com Americans NO LONGER BEHIND THE SCENES radiation BY THE NUMBERS dosage Here's a look at how much state funding for a selection increases of area school districts will be cut in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. The Most of our figures are preliminary estimates. radiation comes TWIN FALLS from medical scans $2.64 million By Marilynn Marchione CASSIA COUNTY Associated Press writer $2.5 million We fret about airport scanners, power lines, cell phones and even MINIDOKA COUNTY microwaves. It’s true that we get $2.1 million too much radiation. But it’s not from those sources — it’s from too many medical tests. HANSEN Americans get the most medical $300,000 radiation in the world, even more than folks in other rich countries. KIMBERLY The U.S. accounts for half of the Photos by MEAGAN THOMPSON/Times-News $660,630 most advanced procedures that Britteny Tipton, a freshman at North Valley Academy, peers through the curtains at the gathering audience before a play June 2 at the use radiation, and the average Gooding charter school. Parents helped supply costumes and props for the production, which was held as part of the entertainment American’s dose has grown sixfold WENDELL over the last couple of decades. for the last day of school. Due to tight public school budgets, donations from parents and school organizations are becoming an $579,573 Too much radiation raises the increasingly crucial part of funding school activities like drama and music. risk of cancer. That risk is growing because people in everyday situa- tions are getting imaging tests far too often. Like the New Hampshire Education budget shortfalls shine spotlight teen who was about to get a CT scan to check for kidney stones until a radiologist, Dr. Steven Birnbaum, discovered he’d already on parent, nonprofit fundraising efforts had 14 of these powerful X-rays for previous episodes. Adding up the By Ben Botkin total dose, “I was horrified’’ at the Times-News writer cancer risk it posed, Birnbaum said. hese days, public schools have no shortage of After his own daughter, Molly, was given too many scans follow- needs. ing a car accident, Birnbaum took T Those needs will likely become even more action: He asked the two hospitals apparent as the new school year begins and Idaho edu- where he works to watch for any cators grapple with a $128.5 million, 7.5 percent cut in patients who had had 10 or more CT scans, or patients under 40 state funding. Besides less money for salaries, there’s who had had five — clearly danger- also less to go around for needs like transportation, ous amounts. They found 50 peo- class supplies and technology. ple over a three-year period, including a young woman with 31 Throughout the Magic Valley, they take annual exams, helped abdominal scans. school groups like parent-teacher raise money for a field trip to When other radiologists tell him and booster organizations are find- Hagerman-area fish hatcheries they’ve never found such a case, ing that their work is all the more and started a long-term effort to Kaitlyn Loosle, a sixth-grader at Kimberly Elementary School, hangs out in the deep Birnbaum replies: “That tells me necessary. The organizations are overhaul the school’s running end of the pool with her classmates during the school’s annual year-end trip to you haven’t looked.’’ crafting fundraising plans for the track. Nat Soo Pah Hot Springs near Hollister. Due to state budget cuts to school trans- Of the many ways Americans are coming school year with an eye Resurfacing the track, which has portation budgets, the Kimberly Booster Club plans to raise funding to cover the overtested and overtreated, imag- toward preserving the quality of sustained water-related damages costs of trips for district schools. ing is one of the most common and education and ensuring that and cracks, will likely cost as much insidious. CT scans — “super X- schoolchildren’s educational expe- as $250,000,though the final figure through an application process. more orchestra fundraising in the rays’’ that give fast, extremely riences still include field trips, isn’t known yet. “We work very closely with the coming school year. detailed images — have soared in use music and drama activities, and “I think in better days you have schools, and our board is really Salena Mink, a parent with chil- over the last decade, often replacing textbooks. the district do that,”Scholes said of committed to doing what we can,” dren in the orchestra, said music is tests that don’t require radiation, “I think the attitude should be: the effort. “I think we have felt that said Linda Watkins, executive a crucial part of their education and such as ultrasound and MRI, or This is my child’s school,” Anna if we wait,it will be a long time until director of the foundation, stress- teaches them skills that are closely magnetic resonance imaging. Scholes, a member of the Vera C. the district has money to spend on ing that the annual event will be a related to other subjects like math. Radiation is a hidden danger — O’Leary Middle School parent- the track.” way to bring out community sup- Parents have also pitched in you don’t feel it when you get it, teacher organization, said of the The nonprofit Twin Falls port for schools. through other ways at the school. and any damage usually doesn’t role parents should take in ensuring School District Education Charter schools are also in the They’ve donated time and painted show up for years. Taken individu- their children receive an adequate- Foundation is planning a mix as state-funded public the school’s walls. And they’ve ally, tests that use radiation pose ly funded education. fundraiser for this fall that will schools. At North Valley Academy also provided props and costumes little risk. Over time, though, the At the Twin Falls school, for raise money for innovative class- in Gooding, parents have pitched in for school plays. dose accumulates. example, parents have volunteered room teaching efforts, with recip- to provide instruments for the this year to monitor students as ients within the district selected school’s orchestra,and there will be See PARENTS, Main 3 See RADIATION, Main 6 Adoptions give equines a life off the range Ex-GIs remember By Blair Koch Times-News correspondent their ‘forgotten’ war FILER — When Jennifer Williams first arrived at the Korean War began 60 years ago Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Saturday at the By Charles J. Hanley “I don’t want to remember. Twin Falls County Associated Press correspondent Too many memories.’’ Fairgrounds, she was drawn The war that began in to a bay filly, impressed WAEGWAN, South Korea Korea 60 years ago, on June with its flaxen mane. — The old soldier stood erect 25, 1950, a ghastly conflict The horse was already on the riverbank, his cane at that killed millions and left spoken for, however, so his side, a baseball cap the peninsula in ruins, Williams considered the emblazoned “2nd Infantry became “The Forgotten War’’ other animals in the pen. A Division’’ square above his in many American minds. white-faced gelding in Pen brow. He looked out, then To a shrinking corps of No. 4 caught her eye. She turned away from the slow, aging men, however, the sol- watched how it interacted DREW GODLESKI/For the Times-News silty Naktong. diers of Korea 1950-53, it can with the other animals. Mario Johnson, a horse trainer from Georgetown, Idaho, works with wild horses during the Wild Horse “I’ve seen this river before,’’Carroll Garland said. See KOREA, Main 4 See HORSES, Main 2 and Burro Adoption event at the Twin Falls County Fairgrounds on Saturday in Filer. Bridge ..............Classifieds 9 Kids Only ........Family Life 6 Obituaries ......Business 5-6 Crossword ......Classifeids 4 Jumble ............Classifieds 2 Sudoku ............Classifieds 7 OIL SPILL DISPUTE ESCALATES Dear Abby........Classifieds 2 Movies ....................Nation 7 Your Business ....Business 2 Coast Guard gives deadline to BP > Nation/World 1 MORNINGMORNINGMain 2 Sunday, June 13, 2010 BRIEFINGBRIEF- Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho Pat’s Picks TODAY’S HAPPENINGS Three things to do today ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Pat Marcantonio Sixth annual Buhl Bunch Car Club’s Show and Shine and Burnout, 8 a.m., Jean’s Park, FIND MORE ONLINE • The Jerome County first trading post in the Magic Castleford, no cost, 543-5466 or 731-5290. Check out our online calendar where you Fairgrounds host horse rac- Valley.Admission is free. Fair Circuit Horse Racing, 1 p.m., First Post, ing at 1 p.m. Admission is • And Country Classics Jerome County Fairgrounds, $5 entry fee, can submit events and search by category $5. There will be betting and plays for a dance from 2 to 324-7209. for specific events and dates. food. I’m totally there. 5:30 p.m. at The Landmark, www.magicvalley.com/app/calendar/events/ • Take a guided tour of 325 Main St., Hazelton. Rock Creek Station and Cover is $5 to $9. BENEFITS AND FUNDRAISERS Stricker home site from 1 to MUSEUMS name of the event, a brief description, 4 p.m. today at 3715 E.