Bismarcktribune.com I Bismarck Tribune Saturday, October 4, 2014 I Page 9A A look at reporting with the Ebola threat in Liberia Krista Larson, an Associated Press correspondent based in Dakar, Senegal, arrived in Monrovia on Sept. 25 to join AP staff covering the Ebola epidemic. Here she describes some of her experiences. By KRISTA LARSON Associated Press MONROVIA, Liberia The nurse excitedly grabbed the sheet of paper with 11- year-old Chancey's lab results. "It's negative, it's negative," she shouted above the sound of her boots pounding the gravel as she ran toward the outdoor Ebola ward.
Soon the boy in a neon green -shirt came running to the hole in the orange plastic fencing to greet her. The barrier separates health workers from those sick with one of the world's deadliest diseases. "We're so glad he's going to make it. His little brothers will really need him now their mother just died last night," a nurse told me. Instantly that moment of rare joy amid Liberia's Ebola epidemic turned to sorrow, and I could no longer make eye contact with the beaming boy.
Knowing that he did not yet know his mother was dead and I did was just too much. Here in Liberia, more than 2,000 people have lost their lives to a disease that shows no mercy, and even the stories of survivors are tainted with unspeakable loss. Radio talk shows describe infants trying to breastfeed off dead mothers, orphans whose relatives are so afraid of contagion that they refuse to take in brokenhearted children. For months I had pored over situation reports from the World Health Organization and listened to experts describe the possibility of a disaster beyond measure as the Ebola epidemic gath-, ered speed. Nothing prepares you, though, for the heartbreak and the fear now ravaging Liberia.
Friends and family had begged me not to go. A housekeeper cried as I left for the airport and gave me a crucifix that she told me not to take it off even though I am not a Catholic. Even my assistant at the plastic baggage wrap station in the steamy overcrowded airport at midnight was sure this was all just some horrible mix-up. "Liberia? You mean Nigeria? You know people are dying there!" The dangers of covering this story were brought home Thursday with word that Ashoka Mukpo, an American freelance cameraman who had just taken a job in Liberia with NBC, was diagnosed with Ebola and is scheduled to return to the U.S. for treatment.
After meeting my colleagues in Morocco, we embarked on a flight full of other journalists and aid workers for Liberia on one of the last commercial airlines still servicing the country. We arrived in Monrovia at 3 a.m. in a thunderstorm, and after a sleepless flight, we washed our hands in a mixture of bleach and water for the first time and had our temperatures taken before we picked up the soggy luggage that was not lost by our airline. Rainy season in sub-Saharan Africa is always a sweaty endeavor, and it takes every bit of self-discipline to avoid touching your face to wipe the sweat from your brow. Ebola is spread only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of people showing symptoms of the disease.
That said, people have fallen sick after coming into contact with soiled linens. Vigorous handwashing is the mainstay of Ebola prevention, though at this point it's nearly impossible to know who is sick with Ebola and who might just have malaria or the flu. The Ebola patients I saw lined up outside the clinic my first day of reporting were not bleeding from the eves we're told that actually happens only in a minority of cases. Instead, we found a very weak and tired boy, and I winced at the sight of his mother touching his sweaty face with her bare hands. It might only be a matter of time before she too becomes sick.
It's hard to forget the reason why we are in Monrovia: When you make a call with a local phone number a public service message reminds you "Ebola is real!" before the call goes through. The wailing of ambulance sirens is constant, and men can be seen pushing the sick in wheelbarrows when no such emergency vehicle is available. I'm here as part of a team of AP reporters including photographers Jerome Delay and Abbas Dulleh, video producer Andrew Drake, correspondent Jonathan Paye-Layleh and television contributor Wade Williams, who fearlessly interviews Ebola victims with her warm, commanding voice. "Wear long sleeves and don't touch anyone," she said firmly as I prepared to get out of her car and visit an Ebola clinic for the first time last week. "And leave your bag in the car." I admit I was initially afraid to come to Liberia.
Unlike the wars and coups I have covered, you cannot see or avoid Ebola as you can a fighter. If you are shot, you know to seek medical attention immediately. Ebola's incubation period, by contrast, is up to 21 days. Every sore throat, every achy muscle can set off anxiety. And yet the world needs to know what is happening here: Ebola is obliterating entire neighborhoods, leaving orphaned children with no one to lean on but a tree.
More and more international journalists are starting to come. Several dozen working for outlets ranging from American newspapers to European radio are now taking Liberia's story to an widening audience. ever Aid in West Africa say they need more than just gloves and supplies. They need more people willing to come here despite the personal risks. Navajo candidate in Ariz.
faces a decision on language fluency By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. Voters on the country's largest Indian reservation are scheduled to choose a new president in a month, but they're still not sure who will be on the ballot because of a battle over one candidate's ability to speak Navajo. The dispute involving Chris Deschene is playing out in the tribal court system and threatening to push the Nov. 4 general election into next year. It stems from a Navajo Nation law that requires candidates for the tribe's top elected office to be fluent in the language.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more people speak Navajo than any other single American Indian language. Some say Deschene one of two candidates to advance in the August primary fails to meet the criteria. Two of his primary challengers filed grievances against him that now are before the Navajo Office of Hearings and Appeals. On Friday, Deschene stood firm on a decision not to take a fluency test, saying it's unfair and discriminatory for him to be singled out.
He instead will submit to a deposition Monday where he'll be questioned in Navajo to determine whether he meets a standard set by the tribe's Supreme Court. "What I'm learning is nobody wants to make a decision," Deschene told The Associated Press after Friday's hearing before the Office of Hearings and Appeals. "What I've said about the whole process is that we're not trying to skirt the fluency issue. What I'm saying is I'm sufficient." The high court sent the case back to chief hearing officer Richie Nez last week after ruling the Navajo language is sacred and cannot be disregarded as a qualification for the presidency. Nez earlier dismissed the Did You 1 We are the lowest cost funeral provider in the area Prefunded funeral plans can be transferred to another funeral home Everyone should preplan, but prefunding is "DaWise" choice 4 We serve all denominations 3 Cremation is an option, but your authorization should be in place 6 We are here to answer any questions you may have FUNERAL SERVICE PACKAGE COMPLETE TRADITIONAL DaWisetPerry Funeral Services $5,500 4614 Memorial Highway dawiseaffordablefuneral.com Mandan Cash third party expenses not included Michael Lelm Michael Lelm, 62, Fort Mohave, died Sept.
27, 2014, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Lidgerwood. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, Lidgerwood.
Michael Lelm Michael Lee Lelm was born March 9, 1952, to Reuben and Emily (Pokorny) Lelm in Breckenridge, Minn. He grew up in rural Wyndmere, graduating from Wyndmere High School in 1971. He married Betty Gyldenvand on April 6, 1974, and they were married for 29 years. They settled in Bismarck, where they raised their family from 1974-97. Michael worked for many years in manufacturing at Melroe in and Case IH in Fargo.
He loved his job, and told many stories about lessons that he learned over the years. Michael moved to Fargo, where he lived until early 2012 when he retired and followed his dream to live in a warmer climate in Fort Mohave, Ariz. He enjoyed meeting new people and loved to visit with family, friends, and especially his grandchildren. He had the gift of gab and spent many hours making plans for the future. He always had a new project or dream that he was working on.
Michael is survived by his son, Chris (Naomi) Lelm, Grand Forks; his daughter, Sarah (Jamie) Lloyd, Fargo; brothers, Ronald (Judi) Lelm, Lidgerwood, and Richard Lelm, Lidgerwood; and grandchildren, Grant and Rylie He was preceded in death by his parents; and daughter, Lindsey. Please feel free to share memories and condolences at www.hansonrunsvold. com. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday with a prayer service at 7 p.m.
at Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home, Fargo. Darrell Potter DICKINSON Darrell R. Potter, 47, Dickinson, died Sept. 30, 2014, at his home. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m.
MDT Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Break Forth Bible Church, Dickinson. He is survived by two daughters, Desirae Kogo and Amberlee Potter, both of Dickinson; one granddaughter; his mother, Margaret, Iowa; and three siblings, Matt, Cathy and Sheena. (Ladbury Funeral Service, Dickinson) Ilene Nelson CARRINGTON Nelson, 78, Carrington, Oct. 2, 2014.
Services held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, at Evans Funeral Home, rington. Further ments are pending. Okra mistaken for marijuana during pot search CARTERSVILLE, Ga. (AP) A Georgia man says drug suppression officers mistook his okra plants for marijuana.
Dwayne Perry of Cartersville said he was awakened by a helicopter flying low over his house Wednesday and then some heavily-armed deputies and a K-9 unit showed up at his door. They were from the Governor's Task Force for drug suppression and they were out looking for marijuana plants. What they had seen, apparently, were Perry's okra plants and a shrub at the end of his house. Perry said the officers ended up apologizing to him. Patrol Capt.
Kermit Stokes said the plants did have characteristics similar to marijuana. Leona Leftwich Leona M. Leftwich, 89, Bismarck, passed away Oct. 2, 2014, at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center, Bismarck. Services will be held at 2 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 6, at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center Chapel with the Rev. Rebecca Aardahl officiating. Burial will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.
Leona Leftwich Visitation is scheduled for 45 minutes prior to the service at the care center. Leona was born June 30, 1925, to Edward and Elda (Tuenge) Lentz in Hansboro, where she was raised and educated in country schools. On April 4, 1947, she married Calvin Leftwich. Leona worked on the family farm while raising was their two children. She a member the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church.
She enjoyed crafting, baking and spending time with friends and family. She is survived by her husband, Calvin, Bismarck; one daughter, Linda (Jim) Willis, Souris; one son, Dave (Jackie) Leftwich, Bismarck; three grandchildren, Brian Leftwich, Kyle (Andrea) Leftwich, and Kari (Chase) Fillingham; four great-grandchildren, Anja, 'Micha, and Emelia Leftwich, and Hunter and soon to be baby Fillingham; four sisters, Laverna Gores, Agnes (Ron) Skime, Adeline Guderjohn, and Helen McCarthney; three brothers, Walter, Gene, and Vernie Lentz; two sisters-inlaw, Judy Lentz and Phyllis Lentz; and numerous nieces and nephews. Leona was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers, Edward, Clarence and Marlyn; and one sister, Rose Thue. The family would like to thank the staff at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center for the wonderful care they provided Leona these past few years. Please sign Leona's guest book and share memories at www.dawiseperry.com.
(DaWise-Perry Funeral Service, Mandan) Barbara Kubischta DICKINSON Barbara (Roth) Kubischta, 81, Dickinson, died Oct. 1, 2014, at Sanford Health, Bismarck. Services will be held at 11 a.m. MDT Monday, Oct. 6, at Hillside Baptist Church, Dickinson.
Interment will follow at Dickinson Cemetery. She is survived by her husband, Edward; three children, Doris Unruh, Myron Roth, and Sandy Osborn; two step-children, Jolene Williams and Jonathon Kubischta; two sisters, Rose Opp and Delora Schroeder; one brother, Albert Luithle; six grandchildren; one stepgrandchild; and six greatgrandchildren. (Ladbury Funeral Service, Dickinson) Dean Schoenhard Dean R. Schoenhard, 83, died Sept. 30, 2014, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Steele, with the Rev. Jacob DeBoer officiating. Burial will be at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Further arrangements are pending with Eastgate Funeral Service, Bismarck. Marlys Hartsoch TIOGA Marlys I. Hartsoch, 88, Tioga, died Oct. 3, 2014, at the Tioga Long Term Care Center. Services will be held at 11 a.m.
Monday, Oct. 6, at Zion Lutheran Church, Tioga. Further arrangements are pending with Fulkerson Funeral Home, Tioga. Carl Reikow Carl Arden Paul Reikow 86, Bismarck, died Oct. 1, 2014, at Sanford Hospital, Bismarck.
A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6, at First Presbyterian Church, Mandan, with the Rev. Larry Giese of Lord of Life Church, Bismarck, officiating. Burial will be held at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at 2 p.m.
Carl was born on Aug. 26, 1928, in Holland, to Carl and Hazel (Whitaker) Reikow. Carl was a proud veteran, having served in the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force.
Carl is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mavis; his daughter, Karen (Arlyn) Fredrick, Mandan; his son, Robert (Deanna) Reikow, Bismarck; four grandchildren, Colin (Tara) Fredrick, Mandan, Kirsten Fredrick, Mandan, and Blake and Marshall Reikow, Bismarck; and one great-granddaughter, Hadley Fredrick, Mandan. Go to www.bismarckfuneralhome.com to sign the online guest book or to send a message of condolence to the family. (Bismarck Funeral Home) Marguerite Hagan WILLISTON Mar- guerite G. "Gen" Hagan, 94, Williston, died Oct. 2, 2014, at Bethel Lutheran Nursing Home, Williston.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church, Williston. Further arrangements are pending with Everson-Coughlin Funeral Home, Williston. Janice DeTarr DICKINSON Janice DeTarr, 72, Dickinson, died Oct.
2, 2014, at her home. Services will be held at 2 p.m. MDT Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson. Further arrangements are pending.
FUNERALS TODAY grievances filed by Dale Tsosie and Hank Whitethorne as untimely. The men contend Deschene lied in his candidate application and shouldn't appear on the general election ballot. For most Navajos, the language issue goes beyond the election. It centers on how to preserve what the federal government once tried to eradicate. The Navajo language is a defining part of the tribe's culture, said to have been handed down by deities.
It's woven into creation stories and ceremonies, and spoken during legislative sessions, in dinner conversations and during Miss Navajo pageants. Of the Navajo Nation's more than 300,000 members, about 169,000 speak the language, according to Census data. "Yes, it's part of the election, but it's an overall big picture of us as a nation, whether we honor our clans, our language, how to incorporate that," said tribal member Jaynie Parrish, 35. "This is a very big turning point for our community." No previous presidential candidates have been challenged on the language requirement, which was approved by the Tribal Council in the early 1990s. Nez said he asked the tribe's Department of Dine Education for help devising a test that would adhere to the high court's ruling, which said candidates must smoothly and skillfully speak the language and be able to understand Navajo speakers and meaningfully engage in conversation.
Deschene declined to take it. Edward Barnhart, 71, Lemmon, S.D., 2 p.m. MDT, Prince of Peace Chapel of Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home, Lemmon. Kim Brandner, 48, Mandan, 1:30 p.m., Cornerstone Community Church, Bismarck. (Bismarck Funeral Home) Rose Cermak, 94, Mandan, 10 a.m., Christ the King Catholic Church, Mandan.
(Buehler-Larson Funeral Home, Mandan) Edith Dienert, 76, Rapid City, S.D., 2 p.m., Pollock Lutheran Church. (Myers Funeral Home, Linton) Margene Filler, 84, Harvey, 10:30 a.m., First Lutheran Church, Harvey. (Hertz Funeral Home, Harvey) Charlotte Hansen, 92, Jamestown, 1:30 p.m., First United Methodist Church, Jamestown. (Eddy Funeral Home, Jamestown) Joel Lenoir 29, Fort Totten, 10 a.m., St. Michael's Catholic Church, St.
Michael. (Evans Funeral Home, New Rockford) Esther Miller, 100, Bismarck, 10 a.m., Goetz Funeral Home, Washburn. Anita Schindler, 69, Fessenden, 10:30 a.m., First Lutheran Church, Fessenden. (Nelson Funeral Home, Fessenden) Elmer Starr, 58, Chicago, 11 a.m., Ralph Wells Jr. Memorial Complex, White Shield.
(Thompson Funeral Home, Garrison) Calvin Twinn, 50, Fort Yates, 7 p.m., A.J. Agard Building, Fort Yates. (Stout Family Funeral Home, Mobridge, S.D.) Ilene died will be Oct. 7, Cararrange- STATE DEATHS CAVALIER Ella Puppe, 100. FARGO Adrian Cihak, 87; Ralph Lombardi, 70.
MINOT Eugene Batsch, 69. RUGBY Gladys Sveund, 91. ST. THOMAS Betty Born, 82..
