(Radio Iowa) – While an active La Nina pattern continues to form over the Pacific Ocean, questions remain about what impact it will have in Iowa. Past La Ninas have led to colder winters here with some increase in snowfall. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says it appears November will be more mild than cold. “It looks like, after this cold stretch, we may be getting into a bit warmer period again for a decent part of November,” Todey says. “Are we done with La Nina and what it’s going to do for the overall winter? No, I don’t think so. I think we’re still going to see some cold coming in and more of that may be occurring later in the winter.”

Some longer-range climate maps indicate warmer-than-normal temperatures early next year, but Todey says nothing’s certain. “We’re not locked into what we are at this point and if you look at the outlooks, they are still shifting as the winter goes on,” Todey says. “The cold may be coming in and it may be the warmth of the central plains, so let’s keep an eye on this.” While we can study what’s happened during past La Ninas, there’s no guarantee this latest one will follow the playbook. “While there are some averages we can look at in the way of La Ninas, and those have been reflected in the outlooks, there are some of these big events that have not looked quite the same and have taken on a different view,” Todey says.

“That may be what we’re seeing here, at least for the first part. There’s plenty of winter to come. I don’t think the story is written about this La Nina yet this winter.”  A La Nina occurs when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean cool below long-term normal trends.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, revisited the question of whether or not masks should be mandated in the County. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Tuesday, implored Iowans to use a mask, due to the daily increases in positive COVID-19 test results and hospitalizations. The Board has received at least two of e-mails on the matter. Board Chair Steve Baier said there’s more each person needs to do to quell the spread of the virus, aside from wearing a mask or face shield.

In fact, Governor Reynolds, as we’ve mentioned, issued a new proclamation Tuesday, asking Iowans to do more to decrease the spread, including wearing masks, but she did NOT issue a mandate. Nor have the Cass County Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Steve Green…

Green said the County’s coffers are small enough, and he didn’t want to spend the amount of money it would take to fight people who might sue over their Constitutional rights being violated. Supervisor John Hartkopf said it’s been brought to the Board’s attention that two counties in Iowa have taken some measures to implement some form of a mandate which Supervisor Green said was “cherry-picked” from Iowa Code to form a Resolution.

The interpretation comes from a gray area in the Code. Auditor Dale Sunderman…

The Board did not take action on approving a mask mandate for the County, but strongly encourage residents do whatever they can to reduce the spread of the virus. In other business, the Board also voted 5-to 2 to set a rate of $40 per month per employee, for the use of certain County employee’s personal cell phones, when conducting County business. Auditor Dale Sunderman says the policy states…

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska continues to set records with the number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus and health care providers expect that to continue because of the recent surge of cases in the state. CHI Health CEO Cliff Robertson says his group of 14 hospitals in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa is preparing for COVID-19 cases to keep increasing over the next three to four weeks.

Several new virus restrictions took effect in Nebraska on Wednesday. The state says the number of virus hospitalizations jumped to 860 on Tuesday and it reported its second-highest one-day total of new cases at 2,182.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Officials with the Creston Police Department say three Creston residents were arrested, Tuesday.

• 32-year-old Corry Johnston was arrested for Driving While Barred. He was released from the Union County Jail on a $2000 bond.
• 31-year-old Chelsey Kile, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a Union County Warrant for Failure to Appear on the original charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She was released from the Union County Jail on a $300 bond.
• And, 36-year-old Amanda Jones was arrested at the Union County LEC on a Union County Warrant for the charge of Violation of a Protection Order. She was being held in the Adams County Jail awaiting bond hearing.

Creston Police say also, a man residing in the 400 block of S. Maple Street reported Tuesday evening, that sometime between 5:20 pm – 5:40 pm Tuesday,the windshield on his vehicle was cracked while parked in the parking lot at 600 Sheldon St. Estimated damage of $200.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will meet tonight at 6 in the High School Media Room. During their session, the Oath of Office will be administered to the Board Members (there were no newly elected members), and an election held to determine the Board President and Vice President for 2020-21. The Board Secretary and Treasurer will also be appointed, the regular date, time and place of Board meetings set for the coming term, and other administrative matters will be conducted.

The Atlantic School Board is set to hear a Special Presentation with regard to Cross County and Football, and act on approving resignations, to include: Olivia Newberg, Central Office Secretary; Beverly Jones and Christina Simonton, Paraeducators, and Kim Meurer, Food Service. They’ll also act to approve contract recommendations for: Pam Klar, Substitute Special Education Car Driver, and, Alyssa Dovenspike, Interim Assistant Girls Soccer Coach.

In other business, the Board will discuss: improvements to the west high school parking lot, which is estimated to cost $746,900, and the Board’s Strategic Plan. They will also receive a Facility Project Update. Additional action items on their agenda include:

• An overnight student trip for the Spanish Class to Costa Rica in the Summer of 2022, the cost of which will be paid for by each individual who travels. The trip is similar to one they are taking in 2021, which was supposed to have taken place this past Summer. Atlantic Activities Director Andy Mitchell says by going again in 2022, they keep the rotation of every other year with the band trip.
• The purchase of a Suburban from Deter Motor Company in the amount of $43,506. The purchase is part of the District’s Transporation Plan. School officials say with the purchase, there should be no need to add new vehicles to the fleet in FY22.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – As Iowa farmers await passage of the next Farm Bill, they’re also waiting to see who will lead the debate in congress. Iowa Farm Bureau president Craig Hill says the Minnesota Democrat who was the long-time chair of the U.S. House Ag Committee lost his bid for re-election.  “Colin Petersen did a great job of training folks and leading the committee,” Hill says. “He will be missed.”

Iowa Congressman-elect Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, is hoping to be appointed to the ag committee, but Democrats have a majority of seats in the House — so it’ll be a Democrat with seniority who chairs the panel. Veteran congressmen from California and Georgia are competing to head the committee in 2021.  “Most Farm Bills begin in the House,” Hill says. “The House Ag Committee leads in that. Of course, the Senate Ag Committee has a lot of influence.”

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley has been a member of the Senate Ag Committee for most of the past 30 years. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has served on the Senate Ag Committee since taking office in 2015.  “I think she’ll continue to fight for ethanol and trade and all those issues that are important,” Hill says.

Congress is to produce a new Farm Bill every five years and the next one is to be passed in 2022. Work on the massive bill will start next year.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa remains the nation’s top pork producer and 2020 will go down as a record year for pork exports, according to new report from the U-S Meat Export Federation. Pork exports during September bounced ten-percent from a year ago, while the volume rose six-percent. Federation president and C-E-O Dan Halstrom says exports exceeded 563-million dollars, thanks to growth in multiple markets. “Japan, one of our larger value markets, had tremendous growth at about 11-percent,” Halstrom says. “We also had Canada with a record month and then you look at Southeast Asia, you’ve got the Philippines and Vietnam which had tremendous growth. China was up as well, but in terms of the total gain for global exports in the month of September, it was broad-based.”

African Swine Fever, or A-S-F, caused a shake-up this year, and Halstrom says we may see a slight drop in demand for American pork in China in 2021. “We’re going to have a record year in 2020 with China,” Halstrom says. “A lot of that’s from the China situation on ASF, but we’re still forecasting the second-largest year ever in 2021 with about 10- or 15-percent decrease there. The key is expanding the reach of pork globally and remain diversified.”

Closer to home, Halstrom says the United States’ neighbors to the south are also vital to continued growth in pork exports.  “Keep in mind that Mexico and Central and South America, Latin America in general went into the COVID-19 lockdowns after the U.S.,” he says. “It was really late May when that all happened. So, they were late to go in and they’re probably a little late coming out, but they will come out and we’re starting to see those signs already.”

Almost one-third of the nation’s hogs are raised in Iowa on some 54-hundred farms. Last year, more than 147-thousand jobs were associated with the Iowa pork industry.