(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors met Wednesday morning and acknowledged the receipt of two separate manure management updates, a Urban Renewal Amendment Notice from the City of Stuart, and a withdrawal request for Public Assistance from FEMA. Auditor Mandy Berg explained…

The Board acted on Homestead & Military Disallowances, and heard approved a request from County Treasurer Brenda Wallace with regard to a request for a tax abatement from the City of Greenfield.

In his Annual Report to the Board, Adair County V-A Director Duane Avey said they registered 55 new veterans for VA Benefits and Programs.

VA Commissioner John Schildberg, III, noted also, that President Biden signed a bill recognizing the health affects of Agent Orange on Vietnam-Era Vets, and the burning of toxic waste, with regard to Persian Gulf War Veterans.

The bills expands and extends eligibility for VA health care for Veterans with toxic exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras:

• Adds more than 20 new presumptive conditions for burn pits and other toxic exposures
• Adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation
• Requires VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every Veteran enrolled in VA health care

In other business, Adair County Conservation Director Dominic Johnson provided his Annual Report to the Board. And, the Board passed a Resolution to Award a Contract in the amount of $237,714 to American Pavement Solutions, Inc., for crack filling on Farm-to-Market Roads in Adair County. There were four bids received for the projects. County Engineer Nick Kauffman discussed the project, and provided a weekly report on his department’s maintenance and activities.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is urging Iowans to apply to be poll workers in this fall’s election. Poll workers check in voters on Election Day and hand out ballots. Pate says more than ten-thousand pollworkers are needed across the state for each election. He says while a good number of poll workers have signed up, county auditors tell him they still need more people.  “Some counties perhaps are looking for some more Republicans, some counties are looking for Democrats, because, you know, we require it to be balanced and that’s where people can help us out as well,” Pate says.

Poll workers are paid, but the rate depends on the county. Pate calls poll workers the unsung heroes of our democracy. “They’re your friends and neighbors, they go to the same churches and grocery stores that you do and these are the folks that are really there to make sure you can be comfortable that the election results are accurate and that the process itself is a fair one because that’s what’s so important,” Pate says. “You’ve got to believe in the results of those elections for us to really be able to be successful

Visit pollworker-dot-iowa-dot-gov (www.pollworker.iowa.gov) for more information about signing up to be a poll worker. The General Election on November 8th is 83 days away.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Katarina Sostaric)

(Radio Iowa) – Last month’s drawing for the Mega Millions jackpot that exceeded a billion dollars drew plenty of attention in Iowa, and now crooks are using the occasion to try and scam people via text. Consumer advocate Lara Sutherlin says versions of this con have been around for years but criminals are trying to be timely with their message. “You’ve got a purported winner of the lottery that doesn’t want to keep the money all for themselves and they’re graciously trying to give it away,” Sutherlin says. The scammers may claim to be the winner — or to represent the winner — and all they need you to do is contact them. “So they then ask you to call an agent and they give you a number or they ask you to text them,” Sutherlin says, “and that’s the scam. They’re trying to engage you, steal your identity, steal your money.”

Sutherlin says Iowans need to be savvy and not fall for the trick, especially when it sounds too good to be true. “Absolutely ignore these texts offering to give you part of their lottery winnings,” She says. “Block that number, and you certainly don’t respond, and you certainly don’t call back the number in the text.”

Sutherlin says the scam might change, whether they’re trying to get you to send them gift cards or get access to your banking information. The winner of the July 29th Mega Millions drawing, worth one-point-three billion dollars, has yet to come forward. Iowa Lottery officials say one ticket sold in Illinois matched all six numbers.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Atlantic High School Alumni Smackdown Committee and Atlantic Parks & Recreation, will host “Smackdown After Dark,” this Saturday, August 20th, 2022. Bailey Smith, Executive Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, says “We get asked a lot when we’re going to do another outdoor concert since RAGBRAI 2019. While we can’t offer an experience quite to that scale, we’re really excited to partner with the All Class Reunion and offer an evening activity the whole community can enjoy.”

The event will take place at Sunnyside Park with a beer garden, organized by the Atlantic Fire Department, and food vendors beginning at 5 PM. The Classic Rock band “Oreo Meatwagon” will play from 7 PM – 10 PM on the Band Shell. Beer will be one for $5 or 6 for $20. Individuals will purchase tickets when entering the event, cash/check only. Checking IDs will be required, and a wristband will be worn to identify legal age once at the beer tent. No outside alcohol is permitted. 

The event is free admission and is open to everyone of all ages, not just alumni of Atlantic. Smith said “It’s important to stress that you don’t have to be a graduate of Atlantic High School to come to the concert. We want this to be a community experience while also giving alumni in town for the weekend a chance to catch up with old friends.” A 50/50 raffle will also be taking place to benefit the Atlantic Parks & Recreation Department. The Department is looking to construct a roof on the Band Shell, making the space a more usable outdoor event venue. Tickets will be one for $5 or 6 for $20 and can be purchased throughout the duration of the event.

The 8th Annual AHS Alumni Smackdown Tournament will be held the morning of August 20th. The event will take place at both Nishna Hills Golf Course and Atlantic Golf & Country Club. More than 60 teams are registered to play.

Stay up to date on the latest information regarding Smackdown After Dark by ‘liking’ the event page on Facebook or visiting the Community Calendar on www.atlanticiowa.com. Smackdown After Dark is sponsored by Atlantic Parks & Recreation, Atlantic Volunteer Fire Department, Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce and the Atlantic Community Promotion Commission.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports a man from Henderson, 35-year-old Myles Longcor, was arrested Tuesday on Assault and other charges. Longcor was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail, until seen by a magistrate judge. He faces charges that include: Domestic Abuse Assault; Interference with Officials Acts, and Violation of a No Contact Order.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports two men were arrested Tuesday, on separate charges. At around 11-a.m., Officers arrested 38-year-old Jason Dames, of Creston, at the Creston News Advertiser. Dames was charged with Disorderly Conduct. He was transported to the Union County Jail where he was later released on his own recognizance. And, at around 5-p.m., Tuesday, 31-year-old Kevin Jungers, of Lenox, was arrested at Greater Regional Medical Center, in Creston. He was charged with violation of a court order. Jungers was taken to the Union County Jail where he was waiting to be seen by magistrate.

(Albia, Iowa) – A pedestrian in southern Iowa’s Monroe County died Tuesday afternoon, after being struck by an SUV. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2011 Chevy Traverse driven by 33-year-old Michael Lee Cox, of Albia, was traveling south on Clinton Street at around 1:10-p.m., and proceeded through the intersection of S. Clinton and E. Washington Streets, as 56-year-old Timothy Allen Olson, of Polk City, was crossing S. Clinton in a crosswalk from the west, which was to the right of the SUV.

When Cox failed to see Olson, his vehicle struck the man, who died at the Monroe County Hospital from his injuries. The accident was under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa school districts are about to resume classes without having the funding to provide free lunches for all students. Two years of pandemic aid ended in June, leaving districts scrambling to get qualified families to re-submit applications for free or reduced-price lunch. Shenandoah Schools superintendent Kerri Nelson says the district is keeping lunches free through the Community Eligibility Provision. Nelson says the program will be a cost to the district, but it’s needed.  “To help provide a little bit of a buffer and a transition for our families,” Nelson says, “and we’ve let families know that this is a temporary intervention, we’ll do it as long as we’re able to.”

She says their cash reserves will get them through at least one semester. Des Moines will be providing free lunch to all students through the same program. Dan Barkel, superintendent at Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn-Remsen-Union, says he’s disappointed the federal aid wasn’t extended. “For some families, this might be a bit of a stretch just because obviously, they’ve gotten used to not having to pay,” Barkel says, “and of course, with inflation hitting the pocketbooks of a lot of folks, I have a feeling that it’ll be a bit of a shock.”

Barkel says he thinks the last two years have broken down some of the stigma to being on free or reduced-price lunch. He just hopes the schools don’t see an increase in negative balances, as the costs return to parents.

(reporting by Kendall Crawford, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – The state director of A-A-R-P says the F-D-A’s approval of new rules allowing the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids will have a big impact on Iowans. Brad Anderson says this is something A-A-R-P has pushed for the last five years. “It is a game changer for roughly 40 million older adults currently experiencing hearing loss. And we anticipate the new rule and the new devices that are in the pipeline, will quickly transform the market,” Anderson says. The rules announced Tuesday are for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Anderson says the devices can help prevent bigger issues brought on by hearing loss. “It can lead to risk of isolation, depression, and even dementia,” Anderson says. “The current market however, because hearing aids cost thousands of dollars, and they require a prescription and a fitting, many Americans experiencing mild or moderate hearing loss, simply let it ride and they don’t do anything about it,” he says.

Anderson says they expect the market to bring hearing aid costs down.  “They cost around 23-hundred to as much as six-thousand dollars. What we’re experts believe that these new over the counter hearing aids will cost between 250 and one thousand dollars per pair,” according to Anderson. He says they are still expensive –but that is a big cut in the expense. Anderson says A-A-R-P fought for the change through a bipartisan law, written by Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and Democrat Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. He says part of the lengthy process was the time it took for the F-D-A figure out all the rules for the over-the-counter devices. “Everything from…what will be allowed in the hearing devices, …what will be allowed within the marketplace, where the new devices will be sold. How do people return the devices if they don’t work? So there are a lot of things that go into these rules,” he says.

Medicare will NOT cover the cost of the new hearing aids — but Anderson hopes that comes in the future. “A-A-R-P has long supported Medicare coverage of hearing aids, but one step at a time. So they will still be required to be paid for out of pocket,” Anderson says, “but, again, the cost savings, the F-D-A estimates that the average consumer will save around 28-hundred dollars per pair, given the new rule.”

People with severe to profound hearing loss are still advised to get prescription devices which can be more accurately tuned to the individual’s needs by a professional.

(Radio Iowa) – The Democratic Party’s nominee for state ag secretary says the Iowa Department of Agriculture needs to represent both producers and consumers. “We have to have an eye on the world and where the world is going and maybe think about the secretary of agriculture as the secretary of food, land and water.” John Norwood is a business consultant and currently serving as a Soil and Water Commissioner in Polk County.

Norwood says Iowa’s ag industry is tremendously productive, but there’s an imbalance and the state’s voluntary approach to reducing farm chemical run-off isn’t working. “We send a billion pounds of nitrates down our Mississippi and Missouri River systems and into our reservoirs like Saylorville Lake here and that creates major drinking water issues, water recreation issues, access to water issues,” Norwood says. “Over half of our state waters are impaired.”

Norwood’s first job out of college was at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority which handled drinking water and wastewater. Norwood has not proposed specific limits on nitrogen and phosphorus application on cropland. He says innovative thinking is needed to improve Iowa’s water quality AND reduce top soil loss. “We have among the richest soils in the world here in Iowa and in some cases we’ve lost a third of the top soil, ten times the rate of loss that we make in any particular year,” Norwood says. “That’s unsustainable.”

Norwood says if Iowa is to weather more frequent floods and droughts, it needs healthy soil — and more acres planted with cover crops like oats, barley, rye and hay. “That might mean bringing more livestock, outdoor livestock which are important to soil health,” Norwood says. Norwood says Iowa needs to dedicate more ag land to crops that aren’t corn and soybeans. “We should be thinking about how do we feed 3.2 million Iowans and the 80 million people who live within a day’s drive Iowa,” Norwood says, “because places like California, which supply more than half of our fruits and vegetables is facing…drought.”

Norwood worked with cattle ranchers, nut growers and other farmers in California before settling in Iowa in 2002. Norwood made his comments on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. Current Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig (NEGG, rhymes with “egg”), a Republican, has been in office since the spring of 2018 and in this year’s election he’s seeking a second full term.