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(Update) First case of West Nile confirmed amid soaring mosquito populations

Ag/Outdoor, News

August 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The State Hygienic Lab has confirmed the first case of West Nile Virus this year in a man in Harrison County. Iowa State University entomologist Ryan Smith oversees the state’s mosquito surveillance program. “This year has been somewhat interesting in the fact that as we got into May and early June, we didn’t see a whole lot of mosquito activity,” he says, “and then later in June, especially as when we started seeing some of the heavy rainfall and flooding, really, across the state, and with that, I think we saw a big explosion of our mosquito numbers.”

The rains ended the drought and left the water that is key for mosquito breeding. “Mosquitoes take advantage of standing water. Any kind of flowing or moving water doesn’t allow for the juvenile stages of mosquitoes to survive, and so they really do thrive on that flooded or standing water in many of these locations,” Smith says. “And especially those counties that were impacted the most, especially out in western Iowa. I think we’ve seen really high numbers.”

He experienced the mosquito explosion first hand. “We’ve actually responded to some of the flooding that occurred in Sioux County this year, and you know, we saw really high numbers, and it doesn’t surprise me that we would have that kind of carry on, and many of the other affected areas that we kind of been able to trap in,” Smith says. Smith says there’s been an increase in disease carrying mosquitoes as well as those that are simply a nuisance. “Those are ones that will bite us, you know, and they’re going to be annoying, and, you know, that’s why we call them a nuisance,” He says. “Whereas others can actually kind of do the same. They can bite humans, but they can also transmit disease. And those are the ones that you know, at least from my perspective, that we really do worry about.”

The state Health Department recommends you dump out standing water to help cut the number of mosquitoes. Smith says that does work. “These mosquitoes usually don’t travel very far, and so if you can reduce places where they might breed, then more than likely you’re also going to reduce the impact of where you might find adult mosquitoes,” Smith says.

The Health Department also recommends that you wear mosquito repellent when outdoors to prevent mosquito bites. Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk. The Health Department says those infected with West Nile may not experience any signs or symptoms of the virus. Some people experience minor symptoms like fever and mild headache, while others can develop serious symptoms such as a high fever, headache, disorientation, and muscle weakness. There were 17 confirmed cases of West Nile virus in 2023, and one death.

WEEK OF AUGUST 26, 2024

Trading Post

August 26th, 2024 by Jim Field

FOR SALE:  Nissan Titan pickup with no rust, four-wheel drive, and 4 doors for $16,000.  2000 Chevy four-wheel drive pickup, 3 door, well customized, fancy pickup, and new transmission for $6,000. Grinder/Mixer the price has been reduced to $1000. Call 712-355-1566.

FOR SALE:  Remington 110,000 BTU Kerosene Heater for $150 and Remington 115,000 BTU for multiple fuels at $100. Call 712-254-0837.

FREE: Hostas. Bring a spade to dig them up. Also a Sears water softener in good condition. 510 E 22nd Street in Atlantic. Call 712-249-1439

WANTED: Need a retaining wall built on the North and East side of a building measuring 50 x 50…located at 502 pine street in Atlantic. For more information or to provide an estimate and type of blocks needed for the project, call 712-254-3902.

FOR SALE: Double recliner for sale. $75. In Atlantic.  Call 712-789-9509  SOLD!

FOR SALE:  2006 Kia Spectra hatchback, low mileage 93,000 miles, great car, $3,800 OBO.  402-813-2909, Villisca area.

FOR SALE:  Used landscaping blocks in very good condition for 50 cents each. Call 712-249-3730. SOLD

PHILLIP LEE “Phil” EVANS, 71, of Stanton

Obituaries

August 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

PHILLIP LEE “Phil” EVANS, 71, of Stanton, died Saturday, August 24, 2024, at his home as the result of a fall. A Celebration of Life for PHIL EVANS will be held 2-p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, at the Nelson-Boylan-LeRette Funeral Chapel in Red Oak.

Visitation with the family will be held one hour prior to the service (from 1-until 2-p.m., Friday). A luncheon will follow the service at the Montgomery County History Center.

Interment of the cremated remains will be held at the Lincoln Center Cemetery, in rural Adams County, later that afternoon.

PHILLIP LEE “Phil” EVANS is survived by:

Karen Evans

His sister – Arlene (Donnie) Drennan.

and other relatives.

Iowa transportation program aims to reduce missed health appointments

News

August 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa News Service) – County health officials in rural Iowa are using a new app to connect people to their doctors and cut down on missed appointments. The Health Connector program provides transportation to and from medical appointments in Dallas County – and is geared toward people over 60, those with a disability, people who speak English as a second language, and veterans.

County Community Health Administrator Abigail Chihak said it will help reduce the number of missed appointments, that happen because people don’t have a way to get to the doctor’s office. “It’s an app that allows riders to schedule both their medical appointment and their transportation appointment at the same time,” said Chihak. “So, while they are at the doctor’s office scheduling a follow-up appointment, they can get that transportation for their follow up appointment set up before they even leave.” A one-way Health Connector trip countywide is $5, within the city limits it’s $2.50.

The pilot project is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and could be expanded to other parts of the country if it’s successful. Chihak said using the Health Connector app is helpful to the patients who need to schedule their doctor’s appointments and a ride to get there, but it will also help reduce costs and improve efficiencies for health care providers. “This also helps our healthcare teams to know if their patients are on the way, and help them to assure that their patients are going to be able to get to their appointments,” said Chihak, “to alleviate the number of no-shows that they have.”

The app also has options for vision impaired users who can get GPS style directions from the bus all the way to the front door of their doctor’s office, even if it’s deep inside a complex medical suite.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area: Monday, 8/26/24

Weather

August 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Sunny and hot. High near 98. HEAT ADVISORY from 1-until 8-p.m. Heat index values as high as 110. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 72. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. West southwest wind  5 to 10 mph.
Tue. Night: Partly cloudy w/a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low around 67.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Wed. Night: Partly cloudy w/a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms late. Low around 69.
Thursday: A 40% chance of showers & thunderstorms, otherwise mostly sunny, with a high near 87.

Sunday’s high was 95 degrees. Our low this morning, 69. Last year on this date the high was 83 and the low was 55. The record high for August 26th in Atlantic is 100 degrees, set in 1936, and the record low is 39, set in 1904. Sunrise today: 6:38. Sunset is at 8:03.

(UPDATE) Structure fire in Anita Monday morning

News

August 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Anita, Iowa) – (Updated 6:12-a.m.) No injuries were reported following a residential structure fire early this (Monday) morning, in Anita. Anita and Wiota Fire crews were dispatched at around 2:19-a.m. to a home at 206 Cherry Street, where smoke was seen coming from the structure. Anita Fire arrived on the scene a few minutes later, and reported flames coming from the home.

In a statement to KJAN News, Anita Fire Chief Eric Steffensen said “When we arrived on the scene, there was a young man stating everyone was out of the house, except two dogs [that were] upstairs.” Steffensen said “We had crews knocking down the fire and a crew rescuing the dogs. [We] got the fire knocked down fast, and the dogs rescued safe!

The home sustained heavy smoke damage. The living room sustained heavy fire damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.  Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted at the scene.

Governor exploring ways to boost energy water infrastructure

News

August 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says it’s critical to ensure Iowa has enough electricity and upgraded water treatment plants, to support business expansion. “Especially for rural Iowa, we need to figure that out,” Reynolds says. “We’ve got a lot of capacity in rural Iowa, but if you don’t have the load capacity or you don’t have the water treatment capacity, it’s hard for those existing businesses to expand or think about locating there.”

Water treatment plants are expensive. For larger communities, it can cost 12 million dollars for a plant that can handle an average of 10 million gallons per day. Reynolds says the cost for smaller communities, while less, cannot be easily borne by residents who’d pay higher utility bills to pay for it.  “The populations aren’t where they need to be to sustain it,” Reynolds says. The State Revolving Fund provides communities with low interest loans to finance drinking water systems, water treatment facilities and sewers, but Reynolds says she’s asked the director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority to review the range of state incentives that are available — and could be proposed for the future.

“We’ve just kind of delving into that right now and taking a look at how do we then project that for the next 10 to 20 years,” Reynolds says, “and how do I get in front of that and make us competitive when businesses are looking at locating and expanding in Iowa.” The E-P-A recently announced a dozen drinking water systems in Iowa need upgrades to remove so-called “forever chemicals” that are linked to sites where firefighters have used foam to quickly put out fires.

(The following drinking water systems are cited: Buffalo, Burlington, Camanche, Davenport, Dubuque, Muscatine, Osage, Sioux City and Tama as well as Bayer Crop Science near Muscatine, a mobile home park in Muscatine and the Peteschs campground near Bellevue.)

(Update) Names released in fatal Muscatine County crash

News

August 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Muscatine County, Iowa) – A collision Friday evening in eastern Iowa resulted in the death of one person and two others injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Nissan Rogue SUV driven by 53-year-old Marion Edwards, of Muscatine, was traveling south on Taylor Avenue in Muscatine at around 5:55-p.m., when the Edwards failed to stop at the stop sign with Highway 61. The SUV was struck by a Dodge Surango SUV driven by 26-year-old Allison Pierce, of Muscatine, as she was traveling south on Highway 61.

A passenger in one of the vehicles, 48-year-old Darrell Allchin, of Muscatine, died from his injuries at Trinity Hospital in Muscatine. Pierce was transported to the same hospital, by private vehicle. Edwards was flown by helicopter to UIHC in Iowa City. All of the accident victims were wearing their seat belts.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office, Muscatine EMS/Fire, Muscatine Police and Aircare.

Fatal crash in Greene County Saturday night

News

August 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Rural Greene County, Iowa) – One person died and another was injured during a single-vehicle, rollover accident Saturday night, west of Paton, in rural Greene County. The Iowa State Patrol reports the driver of a pickup truck, 31-year-old Kyle Shank, of Paton, died at the scene. His passenger, 30-year-old Sydney Shank, also of Paton, was injured and transported by ambulance to the Greene County Hospital. The crash happened a little after 10-p.m.

According to the report, the 2017 Chevy Silverado pickup was traveling east on 130th Street, when Kyle Shank attempted to pass another vehicle also traveling eastbound, at a high rate of speed. The pickup’s tires dropped-off the north shoulder of the road, causing the vehicle to go out of control. It entered the north ditch, hit a field drive, and became airborne before rolling several times end-over-end and coming to rest in a corn field.

Kyle Shank was not wearing a seat belt. He was ejected from the pickup and came to rest east of the vehicle. Sydney Shank was wearing a seat belt. A report on her condition was not available.

CHARLES “CHUCK” WESTPHALEN, 86, of Atlantic (Visitation 8/29 & 8/30/24)

Obituaries

August 25th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

CHARLES “CHUCK” WESTPHALEN, 86, of Atlantic, died Sunday, August 25, 2024 at Atlantic Specialty Care (in Atlantic, Iowa). An open visitation for CHUCK WESTPHALEN (without the family present) will be held on Thursday, Aug. 29th, from 1-until 5-p.m., and on Friday, Aug. 30th, from 9-a.m. until 4-p.m., at Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic.  Visitation WITH the family present will be held at the funeral home, from 4-until 7-p.m., Friday.

A prayer service, officiated by Pastor Lauri Boysen of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, will be held at the conclusion of visitation starting at 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

 The family has requested casual attire at all gatherings.

 A private family burial will be held in the Atlantic Cemetery.

Memorials are suggested to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in memory of Chuck and can be mailed to Roland Funeral Service, PO Box 129, Atlantic, Iowa 50022

CHARLES “CHUCK” WESTPHALEN is survived by:

His wife – Marcia Westphalen.

His son – Brian Westphalen.

His brother – Ron Westphalen.

2 grandchildren, and his daughter-in-law, Tammy Westphalen.

Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.