Mercy Medical Center-West Lake hospital in West Des Moines was open for emergency cases only this morning, as administrators try to sort out the cause of an equipment failure early yesterday that flooded the hospital’s upper floors. “Right now they’re working on the facility to reopen it for admissions; we are still not admitting patients,” said Gregg Lagan, a Mercy spokesman. The hospital’s emergency department is open to handle patients and all services that would support emergency cases, such as X-ray, critical care and obstetrical personnel, remain available for emergencies, he said. Mercy yesterday transferred 22 patients from West Lakes, which opened in September, to its main hospital, and overnight transferred one emergency patient who required admission. Lagan said that air conditioning has been restored to the hospital’s first and second floors. Pipes used in the hospital’s air conditioning system broke yesterday, which officials said caused the flooding. The reason for the failure and extent of the damage have not yet been determined, Lagan said.

Wednesday is the last day to apply for the West Des Moines Leadership Academy. The academy’s next session begins in September and focuses on educating future and existing leaders about West Des Moines and leadership skills. For more information, click here.

Rod Ausich, former president of Kemin Industries Inc, has died after battling cancer. Ausich was Kemin’s president until 2009. “Rod was a true pioneer in the fight against blindness caused by AMD,” said Chris Nelson, current president and CEO, in a statement. “A founding father of Kemin Health, his leadership and guidance led Kemin Health to become a preeminent supplier of lutein worldwide. Millions of people have benefited from his work and his legacy will be remembered by many.” Read more.

Alianza, a new organization created to serve as Greater Des Moines’ Hispanic chamber of commerce, will host an open house event to introduce its board of directors and celebrate its status as a 501(c)(6) chamber of commerce organization. To read a Business Record story on the group, click here.

Oprah Winfrey climbed to the top of Forbes’ list of most powerful celebrities, followed by pop star Beyonce Knowles and filmmaker James Cameron. Forbes estimated the incomes of celebrities and their cultural clout to develop the list. Read more.

Google Inc. announced Monday that it will stop redirecting Chinese users to a search site not censored by the Chinese government. For the past three months, Google has been redirecting users. The Chinese government has warned that it will stop allowing Google to operate in the country if it continues. Read more.