This week’s Mystery Photo
Where is this?
Can you tell us where this is located? Drop us a line at mail@sjindy.com.
610 Traver St.
Jan Bensinger writes: “The home shown in this weeks SJ Indy is located at 610 S. Traver St. in St. Johns. It is currently owned by Joe Chamberlain and was previously owned by Norbert and Lucille Mueller. I have forgotten the name of the people that owned it before the Muellers. Our house was the first one on this block, and we watched this home being built.”
A Look Back – Students leave for Study Tour in Europe
Barry Clark Bauer
St. Johns Mayor Charles Coletta presents a large gold key to the city to David Feldpausch to be given to the mayor of a European city during this student group’s governmental study tour of Europe. Left to right are Rick Warren, Bob Cartwright, Cathy Nuser, Doug Barker, Jane Allaby, Dave Feldpausch, Kurt Hildorf, Mrs. Beatrice Barnum (chaperone), and Pete Allaby. Missing for the picture was John Salemi. Nine local students to leave June 19 for a six-week study tour in Europe.
Nine St. Johns High School students and one from Grand Rapids will be leaving June 19 for, a six-week study tour of Europe under auspices of the Foreign Language League Schools, Mrs. Beatrice Barnum, elementary teacher at Swegles School, will be their counselor/chaperone for the second year in a row.
The students are: Cathy Nuser, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Nuser of 902 E. State St., Jane Allaby and Pete Allaby, daughter and son of Mr. and Mrs. A. T. Allaby of 410 E. Baldwin St., Bob Cartwright, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cartwright of 407 E. Higham, Douglas Barker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Barker of 307 S. Mead St., David Feldpausch, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Feldpausch of Sevey Road, Rick Warren, son of Mr. and Mrs. M. E, Warren of 307 E. Clark St., Kurt Hildorf, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hildorf of 405 Meadowview Dr., John Salemi, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dlanda of 207 E. Baldwin St. The Grand Rapids student will be Deborah Cady.
The St. Johns group will join forces with other students from Muskegon and Saginaw June 19, and will fly from Detroit to Philadelphia where other groups from all over the United States will join to make up a charter flight of about 180 people. The purpose of the trip will be to study various governments and compare them. The students will reside on campuses in London, Rome, Florence, Munich, and either Holland or Belgium. Due to the strife in France, the League is in the process of making alternate arrangements for the 12-day stay in Paris.
Many excursions and field trips are planned, including Windsor Castle, Stratford-on-Avon, an opera at Caracalla (ancient baths of Rome, turned into an open-air theater), a visit to Pisa, Salzburg (scene of filming of “Sound of Music”), and a visit to the famous Bavarian castle of Neuschwanstein. The last 10 days will be spent in a picturesque Bavarian village high on a hill above the Inn River Valley with some of the World’s most impressive Alpine scenery serving as a backdrop. The facility is a converted castle which is now a boarding school. The location is only a short distance from Munich, Salzburg, and Oberammergau.
David Feldpausch will represent the St. Johns group on the Foreign Language League Schools student council and will have an opportunity to present a key to the City of St. Johns to a mayor in one of the cities visited.
The students will return to the United States by jet from Munich on July 31 and will fly home from Philadelphia the following day.
Benny and Jessie’s Pet Info – Can the Noroirus be Passed from Dog to Human?
Norovirus—the word alone might be enough to make you a little nauseous. According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), noroviruses (there are many types) are the “leading cause of illness and outbreaks from contaminated food in the United States.” People can also become infected with norovirus through touching contaminated surfaces or by having contact with someone who is infected with norovirus. The CDC estimates that as few as 18 virus particles may be enough to cause illness in people, which explains why norovirus infections (often mistakenly called the “stomach flu”) tend to be highly contagious, rampaging their way through homes, schools, businesses, cruise ships, etc.
The symptoms of norovirus infection in people are downright nasty. Vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache, and body aches are common and tend to last anywhere from one to three days. If you’ve lived with dogs for long enough, you’ve probably observed them having similar symptoms, perhaps even right before, during, or after you’ve been sick. Under these circumstances, it’s reasonable to wonder if dogs can get norovirus and, if so, whether the virus can be passed between people and dogs.
First some clarification is needed. Dogs (and cats) appear to have several of their own species of norovirus that cause gastrointestinal symptoms similar to those described above. The question we’re asking here is whether or not viruses that we’ve assumed can only infect one species (or closely related species) can actually move between dogs, cats, people, etc. Why is this important? If it proves to be true, we would know that when dogs in a household become infected with norovirus, people could be at risk for infection, and vice versa.
A few scientific papers have recently been published that attempt to answer this question.
In 2012, a group of researchers in Helsinki, Finland looked at 92 stool samples from dogs living closely with people who had recently experienced symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. They screened those samples for several different types of human norovirus and found human norovirus in “four faecal samples from pet dogs that had been in direct contact with symptomatic persons…. All NoV [norovirus]-positive dogs lived in households with small children and two dogs showed mild symptoms.”
The study’s authors concluded that human noroviruses “can survive in the canine gastrointestinal tract. Whether these viruses can replicate in dogs remains unresolved, but an association of pet dogs playing a role in transmission of NoVs that infect humans is obvious.”
Another interesting paper appeared in 2015 and was titled “Evidence for Human Norovirus Infection of Dogs in the United Kingdom.” The research showed that human norovirus could indeed bind to canine gastrointestinal tissues and that 13% of the dogs in the study had antibodies against human norovirus in their bloodstream, an indication that they had been previously infected. Interestingly, the types of human noroviruses that the dogs had been infected with closely mirrored the types of noroviruses that had been circulating in people in their communities.
While the scientists did not find evidence that human norovirus could be transmitted through dog feces, this study does show that it is at least theoretically possible for dogs to act as a reservoir for human norovirus.
Since then, there have been no further reports of human norovirus infections in dogs (or cats), but this certainly is a topic that deserves more attention. And until we know for sure whether noroviruses have the ability to move between species, it only makes sense to practice meticulous hygiene if anyone in the family develops vomiting or diarrhea.
Letters – His Cup Runneth Over thanks community
His Cup Runneth Over, a mobile soup kitchen, just completed it’s 2nd season. They had 90 stops this year from April-October at 6 different locations. We would like to thank Carson City United Methodist Church, Pompeii United Methodist Church, Middleton Community Church, First Baptist Church/Beacon of Hope St. Johns, First Congregational Church of St. Johns, and Suntree Apartments St. Johns for being our host locations.
3,772 meals were served during the season. We ‘d like to thank some very generous donors for their donations of food used in preparing the meals: Salvation Army, Wilson Farm Fresh Meats, Gary Zehr, Postal Carriers food drive, Michele Welch cardio drumming group, Smile FM Hometown tour stop, and girl scout troop.
We had many generous supporters this year also and would like to thank the following: First Congregational Church St. Johns, First Church of God St. Johns, Maple Rapids Congregational Christian Church, Maple Rapids United Methodist Church, Two or More Christian Church St. Johns, Middleton Community Church and Ithaca Church of God.
Thank you to the numerous individuals who served at soup days by baking, cutting bread, bagging dessert, dishing up fruit, serving meals, setting up and tearing down, and hauling the trailer.
We have been blessed by all the support and donations and thank everyone for their generosity.
2017 soup season will start up again in April 2017, so watch for details as the time gets closer.
Kris and Jenny
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – Alternatives to Declawing Your Cat
Declawing is a misnomer. Yes, a correctly performed declaw surgery does remove a cat’s claws, but it doesn’t stop there. To prevent the claws from regrowing, the bony top of each digit (finger or toe) must also be amputated. It’s not too surprising then that declawing has fallen out of favor with many pet parents.
But that doesn’t mean problems associated with cat claws have disappeared. Thankfully there are far better ways to deal with cat scratching than declawing.
The first thing we have to accept is that cats are going to scratch at things. It is a perfectly normal feline behavior. Our goal is not to stop the scratching but to direct it toward appropriate surfaces and to reduce the damage that might occur if a cat strays from those surfaces. Here are five alternatives to declawing that actually work.
1. Invest in Scratching Posts . . . Lots of Scratching Posts
Cats need to scratch, but they can be rather finicky about what they deem worthy of their attention. Some cats prefer scratching on carpet, others like the feel of corrugated cardboard, wood, or rope. Some cats want to scratch vertically and others favor horizontal surfaces. Buy several different types of scratching posts and scatter them around your home near the areas where your cat spends the most time scratching. As you get a feel for your cat’s preferences, you can switch entirely to the types of posts that are getting the most use.
Also, your cat should never have to make much of an effort to reach an appropriate surface on which to scratch. Keep a scratching post in every room where your cat spends significant amounts of time.
2. Keep Your Cat Away from the Old Favorites
Prevent access to the areas where your cat has been scratching inappropriately. Keep doors shut to these rooms whenever possible. Two baby gates stacked on top of each other can do the trick in a pinch. Electronic pads that deliver a harmless zap when stepped on (e.g., ScatMat) are another good option. Place the pad directly in front of the problem area so your cat can no longer stand or sit where he usually does to scratch. You can also make the old scratching surfaces unattractive to your cat. For example, cover the corner of your sofa with double sided tape or aluminum foil.
3. Trim Your Cat’s Nails
Learn how to trim your cat’s nails, and do so at least once a week. Using a nail trimmer with sharp blades will make the process more comfortable for your cat. Make sure you praise and reward her when she cooperates. When you bring home a new kitten, start trimming nails immediately so the process becomes routine.
4. Use Nail Covers
Rubbery nail covers (e.g., Soft Paws) can be a good option for some cats. You can either learn how to apply them yourself (you do have to trim the cat’s nails before every application) or make an appointment with your veterinarian. Nail covers generally last between four and six weeks before they have to be replaced.
5. Train Your Cat
If you catch your cat in the act of scratching somewhere he shouldn’t, you can loudly tell him “no” or make another startling sound to stop the behavior, but do not physically reprimand him in any way. Positive reinforcement is always better than punishment, so when you observe your cat scratching on his post, don’t miss the opportunity to praise him or give him a little treat for doing the right thing.