(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Public Health, Wednesday, confirmed the first positive case of MonkeyPox in Pottawattamie County. Pottawattamie County Public Health officials say they are working closely with the IDPH to conduct contact tracing. PCPH is also communicating with local health partners to identify anyone who may be at risk due to close contact with the patient while infectious. People who have been confirmed to have had direct close contact are instructed to watch for symptoms of illness, and are offered a vaccine series. The series is used to prevent symptoms from developing or developing severe illness.

According to the press release, the virus known as monkeypox is most commonly spread through skin contact or by way of shared items that have been contaminated by bodily fluids, but it can also make its way from person to person through “prolonged face-to-face contact” or other means of intimate contact. “Although monkeypox is not generally considered a sexually transmitted infection, it can be transmitted during intimate contact and sex by skin-to-skin and other intimate contact, regardless of gender or sexual orientation,” the release states.

The state and local health departments advise anyone who has had contact with a confirmed or suspected case — or has traveled to a country where monkeypox cases have been reported — to be mindful of symptoms, particularly rashes or lesions.

Symptoms of monkeypox can include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Exhaustion
• A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.

The rash goes through different stages before healing completely. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks. Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.

How it Spreads

The virus can spread from person-to-person through:

• direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids
• respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex

Health care providers

• A high index of suspicion for monkeypox is warranted when evaluating people with the characteristic rash, particularly for the following groups:
  • men who report sexual contact with other men and who present with lesions in the genital/perianal area,
  • people reporting a significant travel history in the month before illness onset or
  • people reporting contact with people who have a similar rash or have received a diagnosis of suspected or confirmed monkeypox.

Atlantic, Iowa – The owners of an Atlantic business made a generous donation towards improvements at the Sunnyside Park bandstand.  Doug and Joyce Bierbaum, with Bierbaum Electric said they wanted to “give back” to the city of Atlantic for all the support they have gotten for their business. They donated $5,000 last week for the bandstand improvement project. Atlantic Parks & Recreation Department Director Bryant Rasmussen said the couple approached park staff about their idea, and they discussed different park projects.

“We talked through with them some of our upcoming projects that we have going on throughout all of our parks, and this is one that they felt passionate about donating towards,” Rasmussen said. He said also, leveling the floor of the bandstand would cost approximately $10,000, and the addition of a roof would cost close to $80,000. Bryant said at least two other organizations indicated they would be willing to search for grant funds or collect donations to contribute to the project.

Pictured presenting and accepting a $5,000 donation from Doug and Joyce Bierbaum of Bierbaum Electric to the Atlantic Parks Department are (from left) Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett, Doug Bierbaum, Joyce Bierbaum, Atlantic Parks Director Bryant Rasmussen and Atlantic Assistant Parks Director Jeff Christensen. (photo by Jennifer Nichols, Courtesy of the Atlantic News Telegraph).

Rasmussen said a Jefferson resident who recently performed on the bandstand said he wished Jefferson had a similar structure because it was nice to have a permanent structure with electricity available for bands to use.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – An Omaha, Nebraska woman was sentenced on a drug charge Wednesday (Aug. 3rd) in Council Bluffs District Court. A judge ordered 33-year-old Anisha Ilene Luna to serve eight-years in prison, following her plea to a charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

In March 2021, the Mills County Sheriff’s Department received information that Luna and her co-defendant, Ronald Wayne Reed II, were planning to deliver an ounce of methamphetamine to a confidential source at a McDonald’s parking lot in Glenwood, Iowa. Deputies surveilled the McDonald’s and saw Luna and Reed arrive in a car. After a probable cause search, deputies found over five grams of methamphetamine in possession of Luna and Reed, which they intended to distribute. Investigation showed that Luna and Reed had distributed over a pound of methamphetamine.

Ronald Reed is scheduled to be sentenced October 5, 2022 in Council Bluffs.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Mills County Sheriff’s Department, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(Ottumwa, Iowa) – An SUV that authorities say was traveling at an excessive rate of speed, went out of control and rolled through an intersection in Ottumwa before it came to rest in a house at 601 E. Williams Street. The Iowa State Patrol reports the driver of the BMW X3, 44-year-old Jason Tobek, of Ottumwa, died at the scene. He was wearing a seat belt. A passenger in the vehicle,  21-year-old Brianna McConnell, of Ottumwa, was injured in the crash and transported by ambulance to the local hospital.

According to police, there were two people inside the home at the time of the crash, but they were not hurt. The accident happened a little before 10-a.m. today (Wednesday), at the intersection of Williams and Weller Streets. The crash remains under investigation.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Ottumwa Police and Fire Departments, along with the Ottumwa Ambulance Service.

Atlantic, Iowa – Produce in the Park Manager Brigham Hoege reports food trucks Zipp’s Pizzeria and Zemog’s Cocina will be at Produce in the Park this Thursday, August 4th. Zemog’s jalapeno ranch sauce is quickly becoming a customer favorite at the park. Those who like jalapenos will find fresh jalapenos at the park this week.

Hoege says August is a great time of year for fresh, local produce in Iowa, and vendors will be selling jalapenos, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, sweet corn, onions, garlic, eggplant, peppers, and more. This week, free taste tests of cherry tomatoes will be handed out by Produce in the Park Board Member Vicki Nordskog. Cherry tomatoes are a simple, delicious, healthy snack that come in a variety of colors. Tasting different colors is a great way to introduce kids to produce. 

Sue Irvin of Sue’s Country Garden does an excellent job of introducing people to produce. For example, she’s been known to sneak zucchini and eggplant into brownies. A few years ago, after repeatedly offering her young grandson tomatoes, Sue brought him to Produce in the Park. Up to that point, the boy had insisted to his grandma that he didn’t like tomatoes, but to her surprise he changed his mind that day at the park when he tried orange and yellow tomatoes. Stories like this one demonstrate the special magic of farmers markets. Stop by the market this week to discover produce you never knew you loved.

Produce in the Park is held every Thursday through Oct. 13th.

Details on the August 4th event are as follows:

Produce in the Park August 4
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Location: Atlantic City Park (10 W. 7th Street, Atlantic, IA 50022)
Food Trucks: Zipp’s Pizza and Zemog’s Cocina Taco Truck
Fresh Produce: Tomatoes, sweet corn, zucchini, cucumbers, onions, and more
Local Meat: beef, pork, lamb, and chicken
Farm favorites: fresh-cut flowers, farm-fresh eggs, honey
Treats and Sweets: fresh-squeezed lemonade, popcorn, kringle, pastries, and fruit crisps
Crafts and more: jewelry, art prints, greeting cards, soaps, candles, lotions, plants, and lawn decorations
Fun: Live music, games, and more!
Free Taste Tests: Cherry tomatoes
Visiting organizations: Atlantic Public Library and Atlantic Parks and Recreation
Free drawing for a dozen eggs sponsored by the Cass County Local Food Policy Council.
(Anyone age 18+ can enter for free. Winner will be drawn after the market and receive eggs the
following week.
Payment methods accepted: All vendors accept cash. Many accept credit cards, Venmo, and Farmers
Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Senior and WIC checks. All qualifying food vendors accept SNAP/EBT
(also known as food stamps). All fresh produce vendors both accept and distribute Double Up Food
Bucks (coupons given for SNAP/EBT purchases of fresh produce).

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Extension office will host their annual Farmland Leasing information meeting on Thursday, August 11, beginning at 1:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the Cass County Community Center on the fairgrounds; 805 West 10th Street in Atlantic. Tim Christensen, farm and agriculture business management specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will lead the meeting, which will last about 2 ½ hours.

The discussion will focus on various methods to determine a fair 2023 cash rental rate and the importance of good tenant/landlord communications. Emphasis will be placed on recent returns to Iowa Cash Rented Land and the 2022 Iowa Cash Rental Rate Survey.

Pre-registration is required prior to the meeting and a $20 fee per individual is payable at the door. Participants will receive a 100-page booklet and meeting handouts designed to assist landowners, tenants and other agri-business professionals with issues related to farmland ownership, management, and leasing arrangements.

Contact the Cass County Extension office at (712) 243-1132 with your questions or to pre-register on or before Wednesday, August 10.

For a list of meetings statewide, check the ISU Extension calendar for a meeting near you.

www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/info/meetings.html

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol has issued an alert for people to be on the lookout for a man wanted for murder in Adair County, MISSOURI. Jesse Rongey is #WANTED  is considered Armed & Dangerous. If you have any information, please contact Adair County (Missouri) Sheriff’s Office at 660-665-5621 or the U.S. Marshal’s Office at 877-926-8332 or usmarshals.gov/tips. (click on the image to enlarge)

(Ute, Iowa) – The Monona County Sheriff’s Office today (Wednesday) identified the pilot of a crop dusting airplane who died Saturday afternoon, when the aircraft struck electrical lines and crashed onto a road. Responding agencies found a commercial sprayplane on the roadway, and on fire. Authorities say 45-year-old Brady Neil Penner, of Weatherford, OK., died from his injuries at the scene of the accident near Ute.

Monona County Communications was made aware of the accident at around 1:09-p.m. Saturday. The accident occurred near 230th and Teak Avenue, near Ute.The FAA and NTSB conducted their investigation into the accident, but officials said it may take several months for a report to be filed on their findings.

The Monona County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Ute Fire and Ambulance, Western Iowa Power, Monona County Secondary Roads, and St. Lukes Pathology.

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa law professor says there are practical guidelines in a bill to update how the Electoral College count for president is conducted. Derek Muller advised the bipartisan group of senators who developed the bill. “The risks of failing to enact the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 are significant. Some have attempted to exploit ambiguities over the years, most significantly in 2024,” Muller says. “To leave those in place ahead of the 2024 election is to invite serious mischief.”

The bill would make clear the vice president’s role as congress counts the votes of state electors is merely ceremonial. Also, under current law, one senator and one representative are able to lead an objection to a state’s electoral count. The bill raises the objection threshold to one-fifth of the members of the House AND the Senate. “At every turn, the bill offers more clarity, more precision and more stability,” Muller says.

Muller testified during a U.S. Senate committee hearing today (Wednesday). Making changes in the 135-year-old Electoral Count Act is a priority for congressional leaders of both political parties. “Congress must develop neutral, sensible rules well before any dispute arises in a contested election,” Muller says. “…A series of significant problems in the election of 1872 left unanswered questions and they remained unanswered ahead of the contested election of 1876, which threw the United States into a catastrophic election crisis. Even after that, congress could not find consensus until 1887.”

A bipartisan group of 15 U.S. Senators recently introduced their proposed update. “This bill has seven important components which are reasonable and practical ways of handling future disputes,” Muller said. Muller teaches classes in election law and federal courts in the University of Iowa College of Law.

Atlantic, IA — Officials with Cass Health say the hospital is excited to welcome three new rheumatologists to Atlantic Medical Center, RHC. Dr. Thomas Schmidt, Dr. Gino Chesini, and Dr. Stephen Slade will provide rheumatology care to patients beginning this fall. The three new providers will replace Dr. Kimberly Hendricks, who announced earlier this year that she is moving to Ohio to be closer to her family.

Dr. Thomas Schmidt

Dr. Gino Chesini

Dr. Stephen Slade

Tammy Bireline, Chief Clinic Administrator, says “We loved having her on staff, and while we will miss Dr. Hendricks, we certainly understand her decision and wish her the best. Over the last two years, we’ve seen the difference it makes for our patients to have rheumatology care closer to home. It was a priority for us to continue offering that access to care, and we’re excited to work with these new physicians.”

Dr. Schmidt, an Atlantic native, will begin seeing patients in September, with Drs. Chesini and Slade following shortly after. All three treat patients with osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, scleroderma, psoriatic arthritis, and vasculitis among other systemic rheumatology conditions.

All new rheumatology patients will need a referral from their primary care provider; existing patients of Dr. Hendricks will not need a referral.