(Radio Iowa) – Long-time Minden mayor Kevin Zimmerman says clean-up has progressed after losing around 50 homes and many businesses one month ago in a tornado.  “We’re getting a lot of the big piles hauled away. And we’re tearing the concrete foundations out and stuff and getting ready to either rebuild or leave empty lots,” Zimmerman says. Zimmerman says some older residents with destroyed homes have decided not to stay, while others wait for their insurance claims to kick in. He says many were under-insured, including himself.

“Check your insurance to make sure you have enough insurance on your property. You know, make sure you got enough coverage. You know, so you because you never know,” he says. Zimmerman says it was hard to see the devastation in Greenfield form another twister that hit last Tuesday, leveling homes and killing four people. He says both storms have left him shell-shocked. “I’ve had several sleepless nights just thinking about it, you know, what we’ve gone through and what you wish you could just jump in the truck and go there and help them guys right away. That was a big part of what helped us,” Zimmerman says.

The tornado also destroyed Minden’s water treatment plant, and it could take years for a new one to take its place. Residents are relying on a temporary system to get by.

(Radio Iowa) – Women’s sports are reaching new heights in popularity and revenue. An Iowa State University researcher credits Title Nine, the 1972 federal law that bans discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities, for not only increasing interest in women’s sports, but for changing career choices for women. Karen Kedrowski is director of I-S-U’s Center for Women and Politics.

“Women’s sports are enjoying much more support. There are many more opportunities for women and girls to participate in sports,” Kedrowski says. “There are many more opportunities for women to receive college scholarships in order to play sports and, of course we have seen this even penetrate as far as the Olympics level where you know women for the last couple of summer Olympics have actually been a majority of the American team.” But Kedrowski says Title Nine has had enormous impact in other ways.

“It has opened up fields of study to women,” Kedrowski says. “It has opened up scholarship opportunities aside from athletic scholarships to women. It has ensured there are no gender quotas used to keep the number of women low in certain professions.” Fifty-two years after the passage of Title Nine, women now earn a majority of all high school diplomas and a majority of all college degrees, including PhD’s.

“We also know that women are a majority of those or have reached parity in medical and law schools and are very close to reaching parity in dental schools,” Kedrowski says, “so in terms of opening up professions to women and really changing the nature of college campuses it has had a huge impact.” Nationally, 58 percent of college students are women. Kedrowski says the rising rate of women earning a college degree is having an impact in politics, too.

“It has certainly helped think about women run for public office or becoming involved in local government because they no longer lack the official credentials that we see of how people run for office,” Kedrowski says, “where we expect them overwhelmingly to have college degrees.”

All six members of Iowa’s congressional delegation have college degrees. According to the Pew Research Center, 94 percent of all U-S House members and all but one U-S Senator have a four-year college degree.

(Radio Iowa) – Manufacturers say it’s becoming difficult to find the components for smokeless gunpowder and Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says the Biden Administration should conduct an inventory of the gunpowder supply.  “Supply chain is always a concern, especially in the munitions area,” Ernst says. “There are a number of components that go into the munitions that are used, whether it’s to defend our own country, whether it is in Ukraine, Israel of Taiwan.”

So-called smokeless gunpowder is more efficient and produces less smoke that black gunpowder. The Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas Wars have increased demand and depleted supplies of smokeless gunpowder, which is the propellant used to hurl artillery shells. Ernst says President Biden should exercise his full authority to secure the supply chain and ensure our military and U-S allies have what they need.

“I do think that we can look at the Defense Production Act which has been used at various times in the past,” Ernst says, “…making sure we secure all the necessary components.” A key ingredient in smokeless gunpowder is a certain type of cotton, which comes from China. This spring, the European Union offered grants to companies that develop a substitute ingredient.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department say eight people were arrested on separate charges, from Friday through early this (Monday) morning. Three people were arrested today (Monday):

• At around 2:05-a.m., 49-year-old Mary Baxter, Missouri, was arrested at the intersection of Irving and Chestnut. Baxter was charged with OWI 1st Offense and False Claim of Emergency. Sher was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on $1300 cash or surety bond
• At around 3:35-a.m., 37-year-old April Marie Roberts, of Creston, was arrested at the intersection of Wyoming and Highway 34. Roberts was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Driving while Suspended. She was cited and released from the scene.
• And, at around 5:50-a.m., Police in Creston arrested 75-year-old Emmitt Cecil Johnston, of Bedford, at 1700 W. Townline Rd. Johnston was taken into custody on a Page County Warrant for FTA on a charge of Driving while License Denied or Revoked. He was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on $1,000 cash only bond.

Sunday night, 34-year-old Christopher Roland Bird, of Creston, was arrested at the Intersection of Prairie and Spruce. Bird was charged with OWI/2nd Offense and 2 counts of Child Endangerment. He was later released on a $6,000 cash or surety bond.

At around 3:50-a.m., Saturday, Creston Police arrested 32-year-old Christopher Cerda-Romo, of Lenox, for Driving on Revoked, OWI 2nd, Provide False Identification Information. Cerda-Romo was taken to the Union County Jail later released on a $3,300 cash or surety bond. 55-year-old Roger Allen Mains, of Villisca, was arrested in Creston at around 9:45-p.m., Saturday, at the Creston Union County LEC. Mains was charged on a Union County Warrant with 9 counts in the Theft 5th Degree/other means under $300. Mains was later released on a $2,700 cash or surety bond.

And, at around 5:35-p.m., Friday, Creston Police took two people into custody at a residence on W. Adams Street: 35-year-old Jessica Lynn Wilker, and 30-year-old Darren McCay Wilker, both of Creston, were each charged with Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness No Intent. Both subjects were each later released on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

(Radio Iowa) – If you are looking for a place to rent for your upcoming summer vacation a consumer protection expert Michelle Reinen advises you to do your homework first. She says the listing may look beautiful and gives you lots of accessories and things are not that good when you show up.

Reinen says scammers are making fake listings with bogus reviews to entice people. Reinen says you should be sure to make your payment through whatever program you’re using to find your rental, not a third party, and use a credit card so you’ll have recourse if there’s an issue.

(Radio Iowa) – A decorated Vietnam Veteran from a small town in Iowa wrote a book about his experiences there and is urges veterans to seek help in dealing with their issues. Keith Luchtel  says one of the worst experiences was a bombing mission he opted out of so he could get married.”Nine of my friends were killed that night before they even got to the place where they were dropping bombs,” He says. “And so that’s another thing that’s always stuck with me because because of what they want through.” Luchtel recently spoke at the 40th anniversary ceremony for the Iowa Vietnam Memorial Wall. He says things started coming out as he wrote the book “The Milford Male.”

“I wrote the book and while I’m writing it for some unknown reason to me, I got the problem of P-T-S-D,” he says. Luchtel says he was eventually talked into seeking help at the V-A Hospital. “When I went to the first time I felt like a real goofball because everybody else around around was 20 years younger than me and I was thinking I probably wouldn’t benefit too well by doing this,” Luchtel says. He says too many veterans don’t address the things they faced in war, and often they take their own lives. Luchtel says it took him awhile to see he needed help.

“I mean I fought it a long time I thought it’s pretty tough and a lot of good stuff but so I wanted to use today’s time to to encourage anybody that suffers those things to address them,” Luchtel says. Lucthel says there are good services available through the V-A and he encourages veterans to seek help. Luchtel’s book is available online at major book retailers.

(Radio Iowa) – Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and an expert says Iowans who’ve been spending any time enjoying the outdoors need to be on-guard for ticks. Dr. Greg DeMuri, an infectious disease physician, says you can cut your chances of catching Lyme disease by taking a few simple precautions anytime you’re heading into the woods for a hike. “Looks a little nerdy, but if you put a rubber band at the base of your pant legs to keep the ticks from crawling up, that’s number one,” DeMuri says. “Number two, doing tick checks after you’re done.” There is also a wide variety of tick repellents on the market which can be highly effective at keeping the pests away.

“Ticks are out with a vengeance. Some of the immature forms of the tick, the nymphs, are out and the ticks are reproducing right now,” DeMuri says. “Those forms of tick can highly transmit Lyme disease, they’re smaller and more difficult to see. So this is, unfortunately, a very high risk time for acquiring Lyme disease.” If you find and remove a tick from yourself or someone else, pay attention to its coloring before you dispose of it. A deer tick’s lower back is red in color, while a wood tick has a black lower back section. “If you can identify whether it’s a deer tick versus a wood tick, it’s important to distinguish the two,” DeMuri says. “If you have a wood tick, there’s no risk of Lyme disease. If it’s a deer tick and it’s been attached for 72 hours or more, then you should contact your doctor. You might want to take a preventative antibiotic.”

Asian longhorn tick (ISU Extension photo)

Scientists say our planet is gradually warming and DeMuri says climate change may be contributing to the number ticks in Iowa and across the region. “When we don’t get those really, really deep freezes, that are below 20-below, the ticks can survive more,” he says, “but more importantly, their hosts can survive.” If you do get infected, Lyme disease can typically be cured with a course of antibiotics that runs two to four weeks, though some patients may have symptoms six months later. Those symptoms can include things like pain, fatigue and difficulty concentrating.

(Radio Iowa) – Dozens of community and municipal bands in Iowa have already kicked off the outdoor season — and one of the state’s most famous city bands is performing today (Monday). Dale Schoening is a trombonist with experience. “Currently I play in the Boone Municipal Band. I’ve been in that band since 1998,” he says. “Played in the Pella Municipal Band for a while. I played in the Ballard Community Band for a time. I played one year in the Oskaloosa City Band several years ago. I’ve played in the Perry Municipal Band and later Perry Area Community Band for a while.”

The camaraderie in a band is the draw for Schoening.  “For me at least, it’s simply the joy of making music together with other people who are also enjoying doing that as well,” he says. Schoening is chairman of the committee that organizes the annual Iowa Municipal Band Festival in Boone — and there are at least 100 community bands on his mailing list. “For many communities it’s a source of real pride for them that their community has a band,” Schoening says.

“…Many of these community bands have a history that goes back into even the 1880s in some cases, so it’s a real legacy for Iowa.” In the last century, the Fort Dodge Municipal Band was led by a bandmaster who had worked for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and the Barnum and Bailey Circus. “The most famous march composer, probably second only to John Phillips Sousa, was Karl L. King,” Schoening says, “who composed a lot of marches and was director of the Fort Dodge Municipal Band for many, many years.”

King — who wrote over 200 marches in his lifetime — successfully lobbied the Iowa legislature to pass the Iowa Band Law in 1922. It lets cities levy a tax to support a municipal band. King’s Band — as it’s now called — will perform a concert at 10 a.m. today (Monday) at Veterans Memorial Park in Fort Dodge, but if there’s rain, it will be moved to the auditorium at Fort Dodge St. Edmond High School. This year’s Iowa Municipal Band Festival is set for July 13th in Boone, with nine bands and four small groups on the schedule.

This is the Ames Municipal Band performing the Liberty Bell March at least year’s festival in Boone. Here’s a clip of their performance:

In 1991, the Karl King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge staged a concert to mark the 100th anniversary of King’s birth and it was broadcast on Iowa P-B-S:

(Radio Iowa) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened a Disaster Recovery Center in Greenfield, where at least 150 homes were heavily damaged or destroyed in last week’s tornado. FEMA spokesman John Mills spoke with Radio Iowa from the center, which is located in Greenfield’s City Hall.

“It opened at 1 p.m. on Sunday and people were waiting in the lobby,” Mills says. “We’ve had a steady stream of people coming in. They’re sitting down with FEMA and going through the application process for federal assistance.” Mills visited with some of the people who were at the site Sunday.

“Many of them are covered by insurance. I did meet some folks who did not have any insurance at all,” Mills said. “We’re going to work with people on a case by case basis, to help them get some assistance.” Tuesday’s tornado cut a mile long path through Greenfield, plus a spin-off tornado struck other areas of Adair County. Mills says 14 FEMA staffers are going door to door, canvasing neighborhoods in Greenfield and going to other locations where storm victims are getting help.

“For example, FEMA has a team set up at the St. John’s Catholic Church in Greenfield, which is being used by a variety of non-profit organizations to provide free hot meals,” Mills says. “FEMA was invited by local emergency management to set up a table in the parking lot, so we’re also meeting survivors there and helping them register for assistance at that location.” Mills says FEMA is part of a large team of organizations working to provide help to Greenfield residents who need it.

FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Center in Greenfield will be open every day of the week, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice. That includes today — Memorial Day. FEMA opened two Disaster Recovery Centers in Minden and Harlan LAST week to help residents affected by the severe weather that struck April 26th. Those FEMA sites in Pottawattamie and Shelby Counties will be closed today (Monday) but will reopen tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

(Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa News Service] – Memorial Day commemorates Americans who lost their lives while serving in the military. But the Iowa Federation of Labor takes the opportunity to also honor people who died on the job in the last year.

The Iowa Division of Labor says the 57 workers who died on the job lived in all corners of the state – from Muscatine and Liberty, to Storm Lake, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. They were truck drivers, software engineers, county court workers and grain elevator operators. Iowa Federation President Charlie Wishman says workers died in car accidents and from chemical exposure. Some lost their lives falling from high ladders or other on-the-job accidents that turned out to be fatal.

There are various Memorial Day gatherings around Iowa today, honoring all Americans who were killed in the line of military duty.

There are more than 1-point-6 million Iowans in the workforce. The industry with the most workers in the state – almost 226-thousand people – is manufacturing.