(Red Oak, Iowa) – The operator of a motorcycle was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Nebraska, following an accident Friday night, in Red Oak.

According to Red Oak Police Department, the accident happened at the intersection of North 5th and East Elm streets around 10-p.m.  Authorities say 30-year-old Nathan Allen Aldrich, of Red Oak, was driving a friend’s 2021 Harley Davidson motorcycle northbound on North 5th Street when he lost control of the bike.

The machine skidded on its right side until it gouged into the road and flipped to its left side. Aldrich was ejected. He and the cycle came to rest under a parked 2008 Dodge minivan registered to John Marsh. Aldrich was transported by Red Oak Rescue to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital and later taken by LifeNet 1-1 to the UNMC in Omaha, where he was reported to be in critical condition as of the last report.

Police said speed and alcohol were believed to be contributing factors to the wreck, which remains under investigation. Authorities said also, motorcycle was being operated in a reckless, erratic or careless, negligent manner, sustained $10,000 damage. Damage to the van was estimated at $2,000.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with Hy-Vee announced on Friday, their immediate, voluntary withdrawal of all potato salad varieties from their stores. They made the announcement based on a presumptive positive microbial test result. Although they don’t expect final test results for roughly 7-10 days, the withdrawal was announced out of an abundance of caution for the upcoming holiday weekend.

The voluntary withdrawal includes all varieties and all sizes of Hy-Vee Potato Salad and Mealtime Potato Salad available from grab-and-go refrigerated cases and/or deli service cases in all Hy-Vee, Hy-Vee Drugstore and Dollar Fresh Market locations – as we well as Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh convenience stores – across the company’s eight-state region of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The expiration dates are between July 31, 2022, and Aug. 4, 2022. 

The list below outlines the products that have been withdrawn. No other Hy-Vee or Mealtime branded salads are impacted. To date, there have been no reports of illness or complaints involving the products addressed in this withdrawal.

• HY-VEE OLD FASHIONED POTATO SALAD
• HY-VEE COUNTRY STYLE POTATO SALAD
• HY-VEE DIJON MUSTARD POTATO SALAD
• HY-VEE GREEN ONION & EGG POTATO SALAD
• HY-VEE CHIPOTLE RANCH POTATO SALAD
• HY-VEE DICED RED SKIN POTATO SALAD
• HY-VEE LOADED BAKED POTATO SALAD
• MEALTIME OLD FASHIONED POTATO SALAD
• MEALTIME COUNTRY STYLE POTATO SALAD
• MEALTIME DIJON MUSTARD POTATO SALAD

Customers who have purchased any of these products are urged not to consume the product and dispose of it or return it to their local Hy-Vee for a full refund.  Consumers with questions may contact Hy-Vee Customer Care at customercare@hy-vee.com.

(Pacific Junction, Iowa) – A single-vehicle accident last Friday night or early Saturday morning southeast of Pacific Junction resulted in the death of the driver and injuries to his passenger. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2002 BMW 325 driven by 28-year-old Dane W. Carlson, of Plattsmouth, NE, was traveling east on 221st Street just west of 210th, when the vehicle failed to negotiate a curve.

The car continued in a straight line, off the road to the right, and into a ditch, where it rolled several times. The car was observed in the ditch by a passing motorist a little after 6-a.m., Saturday. The Patrol says the accident happened sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Dane Carlson died in the crash. His passenger, 33-year-old Steven S. Elliott, of Plattsmouth, was injured and transported by LifeNet 1-1 to Bergen Mercy Hospital in Nebraska. Both men were wearing their seat belts. The accident remains under investigation. The Mills County Sheriff’s Department and Glenwood Fire Department assisted at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – State, federal, and local law enforcement are combining efforts this weekend to focus on people who are driving their boats while intoxicated. Iowa D-N-R boating law administrator, Susan Stocker, says it’s part of national Operation Dry Water to highlight the hazards of boating under the influence. Stocker says officers will also be looking for other violations, including boaters who aren’t wearing life jackets. She says a life jacket is just as important as wearing a seat belt in a car. “If you’re in an accident or a car, you potentially and most likely will land on a hard surface but in the water, you’re going to land in the water, and then you’re not going to float,” she says.

There are multiple types of life jackets available and she says the biggest thing is to find one you are comfortable in. “The best life jacket is the one you’re going to wear,” Stocker says. “So there are a lot of comfortable life jackets inflatables, which are allowed for people that are 16 years and older. So they are lightweight and they’re comfortable to wear. We have a lot of what you would call type threes or ski vests which are more comfortable versus the orange horse collar that we all know and very, very uncomfortable that you know we wore as young people.”

She says kids that are 12 years and younger have to wear a life jacket when the boat is underway. Stocker says kids can operate a boat with proper supervision. “With an adult present, you can have your young person drive and operate a boat. If they are going to operate a boat by themselves. Without an adult, they certainly need to have a boater education certificate in order to do that,” she says. Stocker says the best thing is that if you’re going to teach your young person how to operate a boat is to be with them and be right next to them. And she says make sure you have the engine cut off switch on your arm — so if something does happen, then the engine the motor will stop automatically. Stocker says the lakes and rivers will be busy and she advises you to be courteous.

“Fourth of July weekend just like Memorial weekend everybody wants to get out there are a lot more boats that people have purchased we’ve got more on the water so be patient and obey the buoys out there because they are the speed limit,” she says.

Stocker says there are approximately 235-thousand boats registered in Iowa. She says there could be thousands more kayak and canoes, as they only have to be registered if they are 13 feet or longer.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report a man from Des Moines, 22-year-old Jonah Lee Kirsch, was arrested a little before 10-p.m. Friday, on a simple misdemeanor charge of Public Intoxication. Kirsch was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Friday, reported a probable case of monkeypox virus infection in an adult in North Central Iowa. Testing was conducted by the State Hygienic Lab in Coralville.

The patient was likely infected during international travels and is isolating, receiving outpatient care and in regular communication with health department staff. HHS staff and local public health are conducting contact tracing with local health partners to identify anyone who may be at risk due to direct close contact with the patient while infectious. People with direct close contact are directed to watch for symptoms of illness and are offered a vaccine series that can prevent symptoms from developing or developing severe illness. The CDC does not recommend broader use of the vaccine at this time; however, their evaluation of vaccine guidance is ongoing.

Monkeypox does not spread easily between people without close contact, like:

• 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.

Risk to the general public is low, but anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their healthcare provider, even if they don’t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox.

People who may be at higher risk might include but are not limited to those who:

1. Had contact with someone who had a rash that looks like monkeypox or someone who was diagnosed with confirmed or probable monkeypox.
2. Had skin-to-skin contact with someone in a social network experiencing monkeypox activity, this includes men who have sex with men who meet partners through an online website, digital application (“app”), or social event (e.g., a bar or party).
3. Traveled outside the US to a country with confirmed cases of monkeypox or where monkeypox activity has been ongoing.

If possible, call ahead before going to a healthcare facility. If you are not able to call ahead, tell a staff member as soon as you arrive that you are concerned about monkeypox.

Over 5,700 cases have been reported internationally. In the U.S., 460 cases have been reported across 32 states. Over the last month, HHS staff have been working with health care providers and community partners to promote awareness of monkeypox, including what symptoms to look for, how to test for it, and ways to help prevent transmission. More information about the virus and how to limit infection risk can be found on the monkeypox page on the CDC website.

(Radio Iowa) – One of the new laws that took effect today (July 1) will allow police to search through a person’s garbage for criminal evidence without a warrant. But the new law is at odds with an Iowa Supreme Court decision last year that said the search of a Clear Lake man’s trash without a warrant was an invasion of his privacy. Drake University law professor Bob Rigg says that decision stands despite the new law.

“Essentially the Iowa legislature cannot overrule the Iowa Supreme Court in interpreting what the Iowa Constitution is,” Rigg says. Rigg says the issue is likely to end up back before the Iowa Supreme Court, which will soon have a new member. Rigg says a new justice could change the court’s perspective on illegal search and seizure.

“We don’t know, that can shift to a 4-3 the other direction, but right now State v Wright is the law regarding search and seizure in Iowa of trash,” he says. A new Supreme Court Justice will replace retiring Justice Brent Appel who was part of the majority in the previous case. That new member could make a difference in the garbage searching decision.

(Radio Iowa) – The president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids applauds the recent F-D-A ruling that banned Juul (JEWEL) vaping products from the U-S, but he says the damage is already done in states like Iowa. Matt Myers says in almost every category, Iowa’s youth smoking rates are well above the national average and it’s going to take serious work to reduce what he’s calling an epidemic. “Iowa’s number of kids who smoke cigarettes is almost seven-percent, which is about two to three points higher than the national average, but it’s particularly concerning with regard to e-cigarettes,” Myers says. “One in five kids in Iowa use these e-cigarettes and about 40% of them are seriously addicted to the product. That’s far higher than the national average.”

Juul’s role in driving the youth e-cigarette craze is clear, according to Myers. He says the company introduced a sleek, easy-to-hide product that was sold in appealing flavors which delivered massive doses of nicotine that can quickly addict kids.  “Juul has fought regulation every step of the way in order to continue to market to kids and they’re doing so now,” Myers says. “The FDA’s findings should concern everybody, but Juul won’t give up.” With slick marketing campaigns that focused on teens, Myers says Juul is largely to blame for e-cigarette use among high school students rocketing between 2017 to 2019.

“While the e-cigarette companies touted the product as a way to help smokers quit, they marketed the products to youth,” Myers says. “So what we found was the percentage of kids who use e-cigarettes almost doubled during the three years after Juul was introduced, even during a period of time when we saw no increase in adults using these products.” While the F-D-A order specifically named Juul, Myers remains hopeful it will serve as a warning to other vaping product makers.

“What’s really our long-term concern is that many of the kids who use these products have become addicted,” Myers says. “Kids who start using e-cigarettes are three times as likely to become cigarette smokers, and the threat that e-cigarettes pose to the long-term progress we’ve made in Iowa and elsewhere is real.” The youth e-cigarette epidemic is a public health crisis which Myers says Juul, more than any other product or company, is responsible for creating. He says removing these products from the market is “absolutely critical” to reversing the trend.

https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/

(Radio Iowa) – Fireworks aren’t the only things that are sky high this Fourth of July weekend. Iowans who are grilling out should be prepared to pay much higher prices. An American Farm Bureau Federation survey found consumers will pay an average of $69.68 for standard July Fourth cookout fare, including more costly burgers, buns, potato salad, chips, lemonade, and ice cream. The item that rose in cost the most, ground beef, was up a whopping 36% from last year. It all breaks down to about $7 a person per 10 cookout attendees. Cookout costs are up $10 from last year or 17%, which the federation says is the largest increase since they started tracking data a decade ago.

The survey found prices are rising based on the ongoing war in Ukraine, inflation across the consumer landscape, supply chain disruptions and “shrinkflation” due to the pandemic, among other factors.