Kimberly-Clark acquires safety products company

IRVING, TEXAS — Kimberly-Clark Corporation has acquired Jackson Products Inc., according to a press release.

Jackson Products is a safety products and personal protective equipment (PPE) company based in Fenton, MO, the release stated.

Jan Spencer, president of Kimberly-Clark Professional, said: "The acquisition of Jackson Safety is consistent with our global business plan strategy to accelerate growth of high-margin workplace solutions. Jackson Safety brings a wealth of strengths to Kimberly-Clark's professional business, including an outstanding product portfolio and a highly experienced sales force. It enables us to focus resources more effectively by increasing sales and marketing manpower to support growth in safety while at the same time dedicating other teams that will help us sustain our leadership position and grow our traditional washroom and wiper businesses."

Jackson Products employs 400 people, all of which will remain employed with the company, but now under the Kimberly-Clark banner, the release noted.

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W.W. Grainger posts first-quarter loss

LAKE FOREST, IL — JanSan distributor W.W. Grainger posted a first-quarter net income decline of 16 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Net income for the quarter was $96.4 million, down from $114.2 million in the year-ago quarter, the story stated.

W.W. Grainger President and Chief Executive Jim Ryan said: "We do not believe that we've seen the bottom to the sales decline and expect increased pricing pressure throughout the remainder of the year."

Total quarterly revenue fell 11 percent to $1.47 billion, narrowly missing analysts' expectations of $1.49 billion, the story noted.

Weber County gets a LEED-Gold library

WASHINGTON TERRACE, UT — Weber County's Pleasant Valley library has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to WARN-TV.

The 38,000-square-foot building was built with recycled steel and has a price tag of $9 million, the story stated.

The building, which will officially open April 23, is designed to be more energy efficient than a comparable non-LEED building of its size by using renewable energy sources to generate at least 35 percent of its power, the story noted.

A unique sustainable aspect of the building is the preferred parking for alternative fuel vehicles and the charging stations for electric vehicles, the story added.

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LEED-Platinum cheese factory

PICTON, ON, Canada — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification has been achieved by the Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company factory and retail outlet, according to the Journal of Commerce.

Lapointe Architects was responsible for the design of the facility, while Enermodal Engineering served as the energy efficiency consultant for the project that was built by K. Knudsen Construction Ltd. for $2 million, the story stated.

The key to the facility's 15 percent energy savings over a comparable non-LEED building is the water-to-water-to-ground heat pump system, the story noted.

According to the story, additional energy savings are achieved through the use of a 1.8 kilowatt wind turbine and 9.4 square meters of photovoltaic panels.

A rainwater collection system that powers the flush of each low-flow toilet and abundant natural lighting, as well as subterranean cheese-aging cave facilities that reduce cooling costs, are some of the many sustainable aspects of the building that reduce water and energy usage, the story added.

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Woman donates kidney to her cleaner

HAYDEN, ID — After losing her husband to kidney disease, Chris Breazeal made a selfless choice to end the suffering of her cleaning lady: She donated her kidney, according to an Associated Press story hosted by FOXNews.com.

After completing a series of compatibility tests, Breazeal discovered that she was a near perfect match for Karine Nelson, her cleaning lady of four years, the story stated.

Breazeal said: "I just never felt like it was my choice to be pulling out. If I matched and I was a good candidate, that's what God wanted me to do."

Six months after a phone conversation where Nelson proclaimed to Breazeal that she was having health challenges and needed a kidney transplant, the two women underwent surgery, the story noted.

The transplant was successful and the women hope their experience encourages others to consider a lifesaving kidney donation, the story added.

Nelson said: "I keep telling her 'Thank you' and thank you doesn't cut it. It's beyond thank you."

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School board sued over mold problem

CROSS LANES, WV — The Kanawha County Board of Education is being sued by a student's mother and a teacher for an illness the two claim is due to mold problems at Andrew Jackson Middle School, according to the West Virginia Record.

Pamela Lawson and the unnamed youth's mother allege that the mold problem began when the air conditioning systems at the school malfunctioned and broke down prior to the start of the 2008-2009 school year, and though the school was aware of the problem, they failed to address the issue, the story stated.

After falling ill with flu-like symptoms and seeking medical attention, the principal allegedly told Lawson to "make sure you tell the doctor that you have been exposed to mold," the story noted.

According to the story, the severity of Lawson's illness caused her breathing problems that now require her to be on oxygen, while the unnamed student chose to transfer to another school.

In addition to compensatory and punitive damages, the plaintiffs are asking the judge to order school officials to have each school tested for mold by an independent contractor, the story added.

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Law proposed to mandate MRSA screenings

SEATTLE — Under a proposed law that unanimously passed the Washington State Senate on Monday and now awaits the governor's signature, all hospitals in the state must screen high-risk patients for the potentially fatal infection Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to the Seattle Times.

According to the story, the bill, ESHB 1123, passed the House 97-0 on March 9, and was approved by the Senate 45-0.

Representative Thomas Campbell said: "People are dying, and we have to take action. I think that's why you're seeing unanimous votes in the House and the Senate."

Screening is quick, painless and inexpensive; the nasal swab test costs about $20, the story stated.

The proposed law would require hospitals to adopt a MRSA screening policy by January 1, 2010, and would require hospitals to notify patients of a MRSA diagnosis and provide education on treatment and prevention, the story noted.

Washington hopes to become one of only five states that mandate MRSA screenings; California, Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have already adopted mandated screenings, the story added.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MRSA infections have become epidemic and kill at least 18,000 people a year, more than acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

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