Funds raised through the Cass County Salvation Army’s Bell Ringing Campaign this year came in a little less than last year, but not by much. Bell Ringing Campaign Chair Duane McFadden provided the near final tally during the Board of Supervisor’s meeting Monday morning, in Atlantic. McFadden said volunteers received a total of $10, 608.70. in their kettles.

Last year at this time, donations amounted to $11,176, which was nearly double the amount raised in 2010. New this year was an on-line credit card donation feature which allowed contributions to be directed to specific units, such as the one in Cass County. It’s unclear how much those donations amounted to, though.

All proceeds from the donations stay in Cass County, for various Salvation Army-related programs.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Monday), approved a three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Union representing the County’s Secondary Roads Department. County Engineer Charles Marker presented the agreement in front of the Supervisors for their approval and signature. Marker said the Union and Board reached the final agreement during a meeting held December 18^th. The Secondary Road Department’s employees ratified the agreement on Dec. 22^nd.

Supervisor Chuck Rieken, who along with Supervisors Gaylord Schelling, represented the County during the negotiations, said he thought the agreement was amicable. He said there were some minor changes in the final form of the agreement as far as language was concerned, but otherwise everything went well.

The agreement calls for three-percent increases per year in wages, effective July 1^st, 2013, and running through June 30^th, 2016. In it’s initial proposal to the County back in October, the Union had requested a seven-percent rate increase for the first-year of the contract, a 4-percent increase across the board the second-year of the contract, and a 3-percent increase for the third-year, effective July, 2013.

The final agreement also says all Secondary Roads Employees who have County Health Insurance, will contribute additional monthly dollars to the health plan through direct payroll deductions. The agreement calls for zero dollars increase the first year, 20-dollars per month the second-year, and 40-dollars per month for the third-year of the contract.

The Atlantic Police Department reports two arrests over the past few days. This morning (Monday), 19-year old Jesse Boken, of Atlantic, was taken into custody on an OWI charge. And, on Saturday, 27-year old Albert Johnson, of Atlantic, was arrested for Driving While his License was Suspended. Both men were booked into the Cass County Jail and held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

One of the most common New Year’s resolutions Iowans make is to get in better shape. Dr. Kurt Van Veldhuizen, a certified sports medicine chiropractor in Johnston, says he’s a big fan of realistic resolutions that get people exercising. “They’re excellent,” Van Veldhuizen says. “The more movement we have, the more people are being responsible for their own health, the less we have to hear about it in the media. I always encourage people to get up and be as active as they can.” He says the road to good health involves physical fitness and nutrition, but don’t try to take on too much at once.

“A routine is the key here,” Dr. Van Veldhuizen says. “You have to start off real slow by doing something at the same time every day. It doesn’t have to be at 5 o’clock every day but the same time slot during that day’s period of time so you know you can fit it in.” He says the phrase of “no pain, no gain” doesn’t need to apply. If you take on hard-core exercises when you’re not ready for them, you’ll likely be hurting afterwards and that can derail the whole process. He says to build up your endurance gradually.

“Start with proper nutrition and hydration,” Van Veldhuizen says. “The big thing is remembering this is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. If we go into this 100%, we’re going to burn ourselves out within a couple of weeks. It’s going to hurt and we’re going to hate every second of it. If we go a little bit slower, take our time, start with stability, then get some aerobic conditioning in and from there, start to build the strength.”

He suggests halves when drinking water — if you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces of water per day. When it comes to food, eat lean meats, fresh vegetables, limited fruits, little starch, nuts, seeds and no sugar. Caloric intake should be enough to support exercise levels, but not enough to encourage body fat. Also, he says spread your meals out, eat 5 to 6 times per day if you’re exercising.

(Radio Iowa)

One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to quit smoking. Now, smokers from western Iowa and eastern Nebraska are taking part in a study to determine how genetics may impact their ability to quit smoking. Dr. Julia Houfek (HOE-feck) is lead researcher for the study at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Dr. Houfek says they hope to learn why some smokers can quit and others can’t.  “We’re studying a certain genetic characteristic that’s related to nicotine dependence,” Houfek says. “This information may help smokers, especially those who have tried to quit and have difficulty quitting decide the best way to quit for them. We’re also interested in knowing how smokers understand this information and then use it in their smoking behaviors.”

Recent studies have found perhaps 70-percent of the reasons a person can’t quit smoking may be genetic. “This is very new information, the research is ongoing right now,” Houfek says. “We’re learning more and more about this every day. There’s a real interest among researchers to understand if we give people this type of information about their genetic predisposition to smoking or nicotine dependence, what impact that might make on their smoking behaviors.”

After extensive testing, volunteers are being given the information about their genetics and then tracked to see if they seek out the best ways to quit smoking based on that genetic makeup.  “They do not have to stop smoking as part of this study,” Houfek says. “We’re just interested in knowing how they understand the information and if they use it in any way in their smoking cessation. We need a control group though, to follow along, for comparison purposes.”

Of the 90 people being enrolled in the study, half are receiving information about their genetic profile, while the others won’t receive the information until after the study is over. The UNMC College of Nursing received a 40-thousand dollar grant to conduct the study which may help smokers determine their best path to quit.

(Radio Iowa)