(Radio Iowa) – There’ll be lots of parties this weekend for the big game and there will also be plenty of patrol cars on the road looking for drunk and impaired drivers. Sergeant Paul Gardner of the Iowa State Patrol says an extra enforcement effort is planned to try and get everyone home safely. “In 2022 there was a spike in deaths across the country with 244 people killed in traffic deaths and the 12-hour period during and after the Superbowl game,” Gardner says. He says a study of the similar period one weekend later showed 187 deaths. Gardner says the increase in Superbowl Sunday deaths was also linked to drunk driving.

He says 46 percent of those during the Superbowl Sunday night who were killed in traffic crashes, alcohol was a contributing factor. Gardner says they don’t want to see the weekend end on a bad note. “Our plan is to have everyone make it to the end zone– which is home safely — and your M-V-P, your most valuable player in this case is going to be a sober designated driver to get home safely,” Gardner says.

Gardner says if you are hosting a party, make sure all your guests have a way to get home if they have been drinking.

(Radio Iowa) -The remains of a Monticello seaman who died in in World War Two are coming back to Iowa for burial.The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Navy Seaman First Class Donald A. Stott was assigned to the battleship U-S-S Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on December 7th, 1941.

Navy Seaman 1st Class Donald A, Stott ((DPAA photo)

The Oklahoma quickly capsized, and Stott was among 429 crewmen who died. His remains were buried along with other unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. New methods that include D-N-A were later used to identify his remains, and they will be buried in Monticello on March 25th.

(Radio Iowa) – Most Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate have voted to set limits on pain and suffering damages from medical malpractice lawsuits. The move has been one of the governor’s priorities. Under the new guidelines, those non-economic damages for medical malpractice claims against hospitals would be limited to a maximum of two million dollars. For clinics, nursing homes and individual physicians the cap would be one million. Representative Ann Meyer, a Republican from Fort Dodge who’s a nurse, says the cost of liability insurance is hurting recruitment and retention of doctors, particularly in rural areas.

“Iowa has a target on its back for out of state, predatory lawyers,” Meyer says. “We are seeing them coming in and trying these cases and getting large verdicts.” The bill faced opposition from Democrats and 16 Republicans voted against it. Republican Representative Mark Cisneros of Muscatine says these aren’t frivolous lawsuits and more than 20 other states have similar caps that aren’t reducing medical malpractice insurance rates.

“What’s next on the priority list of corporate protection? Trucking companies? Carbon pipelines?” Cisneros asked. “Right now the corporate lobby is salivating at the prospect of passing this bill.” Senator Jeff Reichman is among the majority of Republicans who voted for the bill. He’s from Montrose, a 15 minute drive from the hospital that closed in Keokuk last fall.

“I’m not naïve enough to think this is going to be the 100% fix,” Reichman said, “but what we need to decide today is are we going to have lottery sized settlements or when our constituents arrive and need that hospital is there going to be one there for them?” Representative Megan Jones, a Republican from Sioux Rapids, says lawmakers are forgetting that medical malpractice verdicts for pain and suffering are for pain and suffering.

“These are people,” Jones said. “These are our friends, our neighbors and our loved ones. These are our babies and we’re not protecting them.” Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, says guardrails in the bill are necessary to prevent verdicts that can cause closures or bankruptcies for health care facilities.  “A civil action isn’t supposed to be a lottery for anybody. It’s compensation for a loss,” Schultz said. “It’s not to produce a windfall of unearned wealth.”

Senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat from Des Moines who’s an attorney, says victims of medical malpractice who win verdicts have suffered horrifically. “Call up any of these families that got a nuclear award. I think you’re going to hear about nuclear damages,” Boulton said.”And, no, they don’t feel like lottery winners.”

Governor Reynolds says the bill is reasonable medical malpractice reform that will help Iowa’s health care system be more reasonable and accessible. Under the bill, economic losses and punitive damages for medical malpractice victims would remain unlimited. It also calls for creation of a task force to study medical errors.

DES MOINES – Today (Wednesday), Governor Reynolds issued the following statement after medical malpractice tort reform passed the Iowa legislature:

“I’m grateful to the legislature for passing reasonable medical malpractice reform, allowing Iowa’s health care industry to become stronger and more accessible. To the OBGYNs and physicians who have been worried about practicing in Iowa, we are ready for you! These reforms balance the needs of injured patients with the needs of all Iowans to have a robust health care system. As I said in my Condition of the State, these reforms could not wait another year.”

Atlantic, Iowa – Annie’s Project, a six-week course designed especially to help farm women develop their management and decision-making skills, is being offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Cass County. Online registration is available at www.extension.iastate.edu/womeninag or at the Cass Extension office. Classes will be held at Cass County Community Center at 805 W. 10th St. in Atlantic on Thursdays beginning Feb. 23.

Classes will continue March 2, March 9, March 16, March 23, and March 30. Classes will be held from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00p.m., with a light meal served at 5:30 p.m.  The cost is $75.00. Pre-registration will close a week in advance of the class, or if the class fills up, so organizers encourage those interested to register early!

Farm women participating in Annie’s Project courses become better business partners and owners by learning to manage and organize critical information for their own farms, while establishing networks with other farm women and agriculture business professionals.

According to ISU Extension and Outreach farm specialist, Tim Christensen, Annie’s Project covers five areas of agricultural risk management: financial, human resources, legal, marketing and production. “Our goal is to provide a program that is of great interest and value. Each session includes presentations, discussions and hands-on activities,” Christensen said. “In addition, guest speakers share their personal experiences and knowledge to help women become better business partners and owners,” added Christensen.

According to a 2012 survey conducted by Iowa State Extension and Outreach, 47 percent of Iowa’s farmland is owned by women. Annie’s Project supports these women by providing an agricultural business education program that empowers farm women who want to be more knowledgeable about their agricultural enterprises.

“Offering a quality program such as Annie’s Project benefits our community and we are excited to be able to offer this class, as we’ve had a great response from previous sessions,” said Kate Olson, Cass County Extension Director.

“We’re excited to host this class in Cass County again and look forward to sharing valuable educational tools and important resources with women in southwest Iowa, as well as helping then create a local network of support in their local area,” Olson added.

“Annie’s Project empowers women by offering a valuable set of business-based workshops. The program helps participants learn ways to make better financial and risk management decisions,” according to Madeline Schultz, ISU Extension and Outreach Women in Agriculture Program Manager.

More than 33 states have implemented Annie’s Project sites since its inception in 2002. According to post-program surveys, participants have reported that the program encouraged learning and that the nurturing environment has facilitated ongoing conversation with local speakers. In addition, respondents were able to network with other professionals and stated that they felt comfortable interacting with others for additional information and assistance. Overall, participants remarked that the courses were beneficial in understanding the factors in farming that pertain to women, their families, and the land.

For more information, contact Kate Olson at 712-243-1132, or e-mail keolson@iastate.edu. Register online at www.extension.iastate.edu/womeninag or find additional program details at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.

(Atlantic, Iowa) [updated w/audio comments] – Citing a lack of participants in the program, Atlantic School District Athletic Director Andy Mitchell recommended to the School Board, Wednesday evening, that the girls swimming be removed from the list of extra curricular activities in the 2023-24 School Year. The boys program would remain intact, barring any loss of participants.

Mitchell said as right now, they’re not expecting any new girls swimmers for Atlantic next year, they need at least two more, but even if there were three girls, it’s not a swim program. “You can’t offer relays…It just doesn’t help us out.” If the numbers for girls swimming increase, the program could be brought back at a later date. The boys swim program is faring better, Mitchell says.

The boys program will remain intact, barring any loss of participants. In his report also, Andy Mitchell suggested that the District add a Middle School (7th & 8th Grade) Girls Softball Program as an extracurricular activity. The program would be a partnership between the Little League and Atlantic School.

Mitchell said he has not worked on a schedule, yet, because he wants to work with other H-10 districts to begin the process of coordinating trips, etc.

He said right now, they’re looking at the possibility of 20 girls per team.

The Board approved the changes to extracurricular activities, as recommended. In other news, the Atlantic School Board approved an Out-of-State High School Track trip to Northwest Missouri State University, for participation in an indoor track meet.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans on a House subcommittee have advanced a bill that would let the state suspend or revoke business licenses from employers who knowingly hire people who aren’t eligible to work in the U.S.

It would require that businesses use the federal government’s E-Verify system to check the immigration status of job applicants. Critics say the E-Verify system is sometimes inaccurate and the bill would unfairly penalized businesses for hiring someone the system indicated could be employed.

“We have a worker shortage and this bill kind of makes us become the immigration police for the state of Iowa,” said Larry Blixt, a lobbyist for a Red Oak based association that represents Iowa greenhouses.

No one spoke in favor of the bill during a statehouse hearing today. The two Republicans who voted to keep it eligible for further debate have major concerns about how the bill would affect businesses, but decided to keep it alive to continue the conversation. Republican Representative Phil Thompson of Jefferson said almost every section of the bill has flaws that would have to be changed before he’d support it.

“Appreciate the sentiment of the bill,” Thompson says, “but in practice I think it puts a lot of the (enforcement) burden on businesses and that’s just not something I’m really comfortable doing.”

The chairman of the House committee that would consider the bill says the federal government’s E-Verify system isn’t foolproof and Republicans will have “a good conversation” about those failings before they’d ever bring the bill up for a vote. Backers of the proposal have been trying since 2012 to require that Iowa businesses use the E-Verify system to confirm all employees are in the country legally.

ATLANTIC, IA (February 8, 2023) – This Saturday’s Sweetheart Market at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA (1100 Maple Street in Atlantic) will feature Pim’s Thai Food Truck, a free bounce house for kids, and over 20 food and craft vendors. The afternoon market will be held from noon to 3 PM. During the market, Pim’s Thai Food Truck will be selling food in the parking lot closest to 10th Street, and the weather forecast suggests it won’t be too cold to order food from one of Produce in the Park’s most popular food trucks.

There is no cost to enter Sweetheart Market, and the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, host of the market, is offering a giant free indoor bounce house for kids. One YMCA gym will host the bounce house and kids’ activities, and the other gym will host the over 20 market vendors.

Sweetheart Market is held the Saturday before Valentine’s Day, so shoppers can pick up Valentine’s Day baked goods, sweets, and gifts, in addition to farmers market favorites produce, meats, farm-fresh eggs, local honey, candles, crafts, art, jewelry, and bath and body products.

Sweetheart Market vendors confirmed as of February 8 include Smudge, Bridgewater Farm, Brun Ko Farm, Miss NiNi’s Fine Desserts (preorder only), Noble Provisions, The Kringle Man, DezaRae Farm Soaps, Ter-Bear Honey, Johnna Joy Designs, Midwest Candles by Brit, Wud Bi Tek, Creekside Crystals and Crafts, Frosting Inc., Spirits of the Faire, Sweet Sisters Vegan, Donna’s Jewelry, Unicorn Clouds, Studio Samantha, Sugar Mama Cookie Co., Imagine at Zellmer Century Farm, Silver Valley Craft Corner, Rolling Acres Farm, and Pim’s Thai Food Truck.

Shoppers at Saturday’s market should plan to enter the YMCA through the main front entrance. However, customers with preorders can either come into the market to pick up their preorders or utilize drive-through pickup. Drive-through pickup will be available in the back parking lot behind the YMCA. The back parking lot is accessible from Maple Street between 11th and 12th Street. Market volunteers will be at both front and back entrances of the YMCA to answer questions.

Sweetheart Market is sponsored by the Atlantic Community Promotion Commission, Cass County Tourism, First Whitney Bank and Trust, Cass Health, Gregg Young Automotive of Atlantic, and the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. For the latest information on Sweetheart Market, follow Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/) or sign up for the Produce in the Park newsletter at www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com.

(Des Moines, Iowa) –  The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes, and address other topics as requested. “We want people to come out to these meetings, listen to the seasons reviews, ask questions and hear directly from our staff,” said Todd Bishop, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Wildlife Bureau. “Part of the meeting will be devoted to discussing potential rule changes and collecting feedback as we work through the rules process.”

The meetings are open to the public. Comments collected from these public meetings will be considered along with other related comments received by the Iowa DNR prior to proposing changes to hunting rules and regulations. Proposed rules will be presented to the Natural Resource Commission during a regular public meeting for consideration and additional public comment.

Meeting date, time and location (Locally):

• Creston, Feb. 21, 6 p.m., Multi-Purpose Room, Southern Prairie YMCA, 1201 West Townline Street
• Onawa, Feb. 22, 6 p.m., Lewis and Clark State Park visitor center, 21914 Park Loop
• Council Bluffs, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m., Council Bluffs Fish and Game Club, 531 Comanche St.

Any person attending the public meeting that has special requirements, such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments, should contact the Iowa DNR or ADA Coordinator at 515-725-8200, Relay Iowa TTY Service 800-735-7942, or Webmaster@dnr.iowa.gov, and advise of specific needs.