(DNR) The Iowa DNR is bringing back the Iowa State Park Passport in 2022 with new prizes and opportunities to enjoy state parks.

Park visitors are encouraged to sign up for the 2022 Iowa State Park Passport and make it a family-friendly challenge to visit and track visits to more than 60 parks and forests featured on the pass.

From July 1 – October 31 2022, visitors can check in for a chance at prizes:

• First 500 people to 5 check-ins earn $5 off a camping night in a state park or forest!
• First 75 people to 10 check-ins get a free t-shirt (limited sizes available)
• Grand prize drawing of a three-night cabin stay at Pine Lake State Park!
• Monthly drawings (for the months of July, August, September and October) for:
• 5 prizes of one-year Iowa Outdoors magazine subscriptions per month!
• 1 gift basket of outdoor goodies and gear from the Iowa DNR, valued at $25 each month

For passport holders who participated in 2021, last year’s passport will expire. The 2022 passport offers the opportunity to start over with all new check-ins between July 1 – October 31, 2022 for prize opportunities. Learn more and sign up at: https://explore.traveliowa.com/checkout/311/travel-iowa/1619/iowa-state-park-passport

(Radio Iowa) About one in ten Iowans has asthma, a rate that’s a little higher than in most other states. Dr. Michelle Freemer, director of the Asthma Program in the Division of Lung Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, says asthma is a chronic airway disease that’s characterized by occasional worsening of inflammation which makes it harder to breathe.

It’s important to learn about advances in preventing, understanding, treating and managing asthma, as Freemer notes, it’s one of the country’s most common and most expensive diseases.

Anyone at any age can develop asthma, but research has found that boys tend to have asthma more often than girls, while women are more likely to have asthma than men.

While there’s no cure for asthma, it is manageable. During the pandemic, asthma attacks dropped significantly in a large study group of children and teens. Researchers believe a better understanding of the factors that contributed to these improved outcomes could lead to better asthma control. For more information, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/breathebetter.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce sent out a notice on Tuesday morning that counterfeit 100-dollar bills have been distributed around town. If your business receives one, please contact the Atlantic Police Department at 712-243-3512.

Shelby County Auditor and Election Commissioner Mark Maxwell announced that absentee ballot requests for the September 13th Harlan Community Schools Bond Measure are available starting today (July 5, 2022). There are a number of ways to obtain a request form. You may call 712-755-3831, Ext. 6., only one request per person per call is allowed. You can also obtain a request in the Auditor’s office which is open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. weekdays. You may also email mmaxwell@shco.org to receive a request form that may be printed at home. Producing copies of a blank absentee ballot request from is allowed.

Absentee voting will be available in person at the Auditor’s office beginning on August 29th and will run through September 12th. Absentee ballots will not be sent out after August 29th. Completed absentee ballots must be received in the Auditor’s office by 8:00 p.m. on September 13, 2022.

Auditor Maxwell suggests that voters that intend on voting absentee by mail to get their voted ballots to the Auditor’s office as soon as possible after receiving a ballot in the mail.  If you have changed residence since the last time you voted, get your new address updated now to make your voting process more efficient on election day.

The Creston Police Department released details on four different arrests or citations.

On July 1st Creston Police arrested 24-year-old Taylor Duane Giles of Creston at 8:30 p.m. at Elm and Montgomery Streets. Giles was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Giles was later released on promise to appear.

Also on July 1st Creston Police cited and released 21-year-old Miranda Fargo for an Animal at Large.

On July 3rd at 12:09 p.m. Officers arrested 36-year-old Jackie Lee Marler of Creston at 1103 W Adair Street. Marler was charged with a Union County Warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order. He was later released on his own recognizance.

On July 4th at 10:50 p.m. Officers arrested 58-year-old Ricky Lee Kimball of Creston at 405 S. Sumner Street in Creston. Kimball was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, cited and released from the scene.

Cass County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, Sara Harris, has announced that the filing period for candidates for Nonparty political organization (NPPO) and Non-Affiliated persons for the upcoming General Election, held on November 8, 2022, has changed.

Anyone interested in running as an NPPO or Non-Affiliated candidate in the General Election may pick up Nomination Papers and Affidavits of Candidacy in the Auditor’s Office, located at 5 W 7th Street, in Atlantic, from 8:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/general/index.html

The first day for Non-Party candidates and Township Trustees to file for the General Election is Monday, August 8th, with a filing deadline of 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31st. As a reminder, the last day to file for Soil & Water Commissioners and Ag-Extension is also 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31st. If you have already filed papers to be on the General Election ballot, you do not need to refile.

County positions open are: Board Of Supervisors District 2 and District 3, County Treasurer, Recorder, Attorney, Auditor, Township Trustees, Soil & Water Commissioners (2), Hospital Board of Trustees (4) and Ag-Extension (5) candidates.

For more information and for the number of signatures required for each office, please contact the Auditor’s office at 712-243-4570.

The Red Oak Police Department has released details on two recent arrests.

On Monday evening at 8:25 p.m. Officers arrested 47-year-old Ian Joseph Haas of Red Oak following a traffic stop at the intersection of N 8th Street and Ratliff Road. Haas was arrested for Driving while License Revoked by the State of Iowa. Haas was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

On Saturday, July 2nd Red Oak Police arrested 21-year-old Bailey Ann Poe at 6:25 p.m. for Domestic Abuse Assault- 1st Offense. Poe was booked in to the Montgomery County Jail and held on no bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council is set to meet 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, in their chambers at City Hall. Under their Consent Agenda, the Council is expected to approve street closure permits for: the Christian Motorcyclist Association’s “Chariots of Faith #301 Bike Night.” The event is planned for the second Thursday of each month, through October, beginning July 14th, in conjunction with Produce in the Park, on the east side of the downtown City Park. They propose naming the event “Thunder N2 (into) Atlantic,” and closing Chestnut from 7th Street to 6th Street during the hours of 4:30-to 6:30-p.m. (The same hours as Produce in the Park).

The Council will also act on approving a request for a street closure in advance of the Nishna Valley Family YMCA’s Food Truck Battle & Community Appreciation event, which takes place on September 10th, from 10-a.m. until 6-p.m., on 6th Street.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on passing a Resolution approving the transfer of funds for the 4th Quarter of Fiscal Year 2021-22, that allows for two new, capital project funds that were not outlined in the FY2022 or FY 2023 budget: the Splash Pad Project Fund and Inclusive Playground Project Fund. City Administrator John Lund says he created the two new funds to allow for the reasonable transfer of resources to capital project funds from the General Fund, without resulting in a noticeable dip in that collective fund balance.

The Council will also act on a resolution clarifying which meetings Council members will be paid to attend. Lund’s recommendation is for the City Council to move to a salaried system, as is done for the Mayor and City Department Heads, State Legislators, members of Congress, and the President. They will also act on approving the third and final reading of an Ordinance adopting the proposed amendments to the City’s Zoning Code, 2018. It is with regard to signage for a local church in a residential zone.

The Planning & Zoning Commission has recommended permitting “Two identification signs, per each street frontage, not to exceed 24-square feet in surface area, displaying information of churches, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, clubs, offices, libraries, similar uses, or conditional uses. Such signs may be illuminated.”

And, in his report to the Council, City Administrator John Lund will discuss matters pertaining to the Community Protection Committee, a Liability Insurance Increase, changes to LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) payments, and Council Work Session(s).

(Radio Iowa) – Large areas of Iowa remain abnormally dry or in moderate-to-severe drought, and Estherville Fire Chief Richard Beaver is urging Iowans to use extreme caution when it comes tonight’s (Monday) fireworks shows in backyards and driveways. “It’s still dangerous,” Beaver says. “The best thing I can say is if you’re going to light them, be very, very, very careful. Have a water hose handy and watch what’s going on.” For Iowans who intend to shoot off some bottle rockets and anything bigger, Beaver’s advice is to do so in an open area where you can see where they land.

“If you can’t see where they’re coming down at, they can land in the grass and lay there and smoke for a long time and then all of a sudden, you’ve got a fire after you’ve went to bed,” Beaver says. July 4th isn’t just the busiest day of the year in Iowa for fireworks, it’s also the busiest day of the year for fires. About 40-percent of Independence Day structure fires are the result of fireworks, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Fire prevention specialist Nick Hutchinson says safety concerns continue -after- the fireworks are used.

“Be cautious of disposal of them,” Hutchinson says. “That’s probably our biggest issue, putting hot fireworks into a garbage can and then the garbage can catches fire, which catches the garage on fire, the house on fire, that kind of thing.” Sparklers are considered to be safer than things that shoot off and go boom, but Hutchinson says sparklers can be dangerous, too, because they get very hot and stay that way long after the sparkle goes away.

“A lot of times, we just tell people just make a pile, cool them off with some water,” he says, “and then after they’ve cooled off for a while, then you can throw them throw them in the trash can and be okay.” According to the National Fire Protection Association, sparklers account for more than 25-percent of emergency room visits for fireworks injuries, as they can quickly ignite clothing and cause severe burns.

(Radio Iowa) – Well over half of the purchases for food, beverages and other items at last year’s Iowa State Fair were done electronically — and Gary Slater, the General Manager and C-E-O of the fair, says expects that to increase for this year’s event. “It was last year that we went to a system for every vendor to have a cash register to at least took credit cards,” Slater says. “because not every vendor took credit cards up until last year and so you have the option of paying cash or credit card or debit card.”

In 2014, there was significant push-back when the Iowa State Fair announced a cashless system for buying food during that year’s Iowa State Fair and the plan was abandoned eight years ago. Various surveys indicate at least 80 percent of Americans make cashless purchases today. And, according to Pew Research, a third of people under the age of 50 make no purchases with cash in a typical week. Slater says the pandemic accelerated that trend.

“We’re doing so much more online,” Slater says. “We’re buying our groceries online. All that’s with credit cards now.” People who’ve purchased tickets for shows during the 2022 Iowa State Fair have the option to show a Q-R code from their smart phone at the Grandstand entrance. The State Fair starts August 11th. COUNTY fair season is well underway. Tom Barnes is executive secretary of the Mighty Howard County Fair, which was held in June. He’s also executive director of the Association of Iowa Fairs.

“We’re seeing especially with the younger generations that we draw want some sort of credit card payment,” Barnes says. “The problem that we have with our county fairs is the infrastructure isn’t in place in many areas.” That lack of high-speed WiFi prevents vendors at many county fairs from processing electronic transactions. According to Pew Research, a third of people under the age of 50 make no purchases with cash in a typical week.

“But you look at the demographics that the county fairs pull…you’ve got grandma and grandpa in their 80s and their great grandkids in their teens and that’s quite a wide range of what these people expect and how they’re going to pay for their goods,” Barnes says. “Cash is still king at the county fairs.” Barnes and Slater made their comments during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.