(Radio Iowa) — A University of Iowa study finds tiny tree pollen particles can hang in the air for a long time after a rain shower, causing grief for allergy and asthma sufferers. U-I chemistry professor Betsy Stone is the study’s author who led a team into the rainy outdoors of Iowa City on 28 separate days early last year. Rain events ranged from light showers to thunderstorms and even severe weather that spun off a tornado — and all brought down pollen.  “We logged many different rain events in the spring of 2019 and we found that they stuck around two-and-a-half to 11 hours after the rain ended,” Stone says.

The research found the harder the rainfall, the longer the pollen fragments would remain suspended in the air. She notes there’s a difference between pollen and pollen fragments, as the smaller granules can make their way deep into the lungs and worsen a person’s allergic reactions.  “Pollens are relatively large atmospheric particles. They’re 20 to 100 micrometers in size. With that size, they have a little bit more weight and that causes them to settle out of the atmosphere due to gravity,” Stone says. “Pollen fragments are about 100 times smaller than an intact pollen and they can actually stay in the atmosphere much longer.”

A weather phenomenon that’s sometimes seen during thunderstorms can send pollen far up into the sky. “An updraft will take particles from near the surface up into the upper atmosphere where they’re going to be exposed to higher humidity,” Stone says. “Under those very humid conditions, a pollen grain can rupture, releasing hundreds of tiny particle fragments and those fragments can come back down to the earth’s surface when it rains.” People who suffer from allergies or asthma should take note, she says, and do their best to stay indoors when the raindrops are falling — and immediately afterwards. “The highest concentrations of pollen fragments, and the highest potential for human exposure, would be when it’s raining, especially when it’s raining very, very hard,” Stone says. “So, if people are able to avoid the very strong rainfall and the period of time right after the storm, usually an hour or two, the pollen fragment levels drop down considerably.”

The study was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and was published online in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

(Radio Iowa) — Animal rights groups are criticizing the methods used by Iowa pork producers to euthanize the animals that they are not able to take to the packing plant. Coronavirus shutdowns slowed production and Ag Secretary Mike Naig says no producer wants to destroy animals. “As it relates to some of the activist activity in the state, I think it is disgusting,” Naig says. He says hog farmers hate this more than anyone. “I think that our producers are experiencing and unprecedented disruption in their business and their way of life. And we’ve got folks with a clear agenda that are kicking our farmers while they are down,” he says.

Naig says producers follow specific guidelines. “The facts are that producers work with their veterinarians. Veterinarians follow the American Vet Med Association’s guidelines for euthanasia– humane euthanasia, even in constrained situations like we are in today,” according to Naig. “That’s the guidelines, those are the best practices that producers will use. No producer wants to be in this situation.”

Naig says the backup of hogs will reduce as meat processing plants get back up to full production — but it will still take some time to catch up.

Dwayne and Terri Vennerberg, life-long residents of the Stanton area, are bringing a Swedish-American coffee house named “Fika Coffee Hus” to Stanton’s downtown later this year, according to Stanton Community Development Director, Jenna Ramsey. The coffee shop, bakery and pop-up space will be located at 313 Broad Avenue in Stanton. Stanton has always been known for its Swedish traditions including the tradition of inviting people over for a cup of coffee. Ramsey says the tradition is important to continue in the Stanton Community and important to its culture.

Terri Vennerberg says “This certainly is an exciting adventure for us and something we want to make part of the fabric of the community. I’m sure many know this, but for those who don’t, Fika is a Swedish verb which means ‘to meet over coffee’ and that is what we want to bring to our area. We will offer a comfortable place to meet with friends over handcrafted coffees and teas along with tasty bakery treats. We will have Wi-Fi and items from a variety of vendors.”

The building is owned by Farmers Mutual Telephone Company (FMTC) which will rent the space to the Vennerberg’s for the coffee adventure after construction/remodeling in the building is complete in late summer or early fall. The Fika Coffee Hus will offer many opportunities including, specialty coffees including Stanton’s “own” coffee, baked goods, cooking classes, and items by area vendors. The goal is to have a variety of items for purchase but to also provide pop-up space to area vendors to promote local entrepreneurs.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says three-and-a-half MILLION dollars of the state’s federal pandemic response money will be used to support food banks and other efforts to feed needy Iowans. “Covid-19 has been one of those times when we’ve seen food insecurity skyrocket,” Reynolds says. “More Iowans than ever have required food assistance.” One MILLION dollars will be used to buy shelf-stable food like rice, oatmeal and pasta in bulk. AmeriCorps volunteers will break it down into consumer-sized packages. Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg says “That allows us to purchase the product at bulk prices in large quantifies, outside the normal supply chains, and hedge against future disruptions.”

Gregg has been leading the state’s Feeding Iowa task force. He says another one MILLION will go to directly to Iowa food banks “…to assist with the increased costs and challenges they’re facing with food acquisition during this time and also to cover increased supply costs. For example, the shift to pre-boxing the food has created significant additional costs, along with increased sanitation costs during the pandemic.” Another MILLION dollars will be used to help needy Iowans buy fresh produce. The “double up food bucks” program is for Iowans who qualify for food stamps — for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets or grocery stores. “We feel this is a particularly good investment because it both helps Iowans in need,” Gregg says, “and it also helps our specialty crop farmers who tend to sell at farmers’ markets and have experienced disruptions in their businesses as well.”

Half a million dollars is set aside to support the slaughter and processing of donated pigs and cattle that would otherwise be euthanized. The “pass the pork” program set up in early May is providing fresh meat to Iowa food banks and food pantries. Local meat lockers are processing the meat and the lieutenant governor says the Iowa State University meat lab is working on the project, too. “We’re also working on solutions to support donations from turkey, egg and dairy producers,” Gregg says.

Gregg says all of these “mini-supply chains” will boost the amount of food that’s available for hungry Iowans. According to the Feeding America organization, there’s been a 63 percent increase in demand at U.S. food banks and food pantries as millions of Americans became unemployed or were furloughed because of the pandemic.

(Radio Iowa) – Tyson Foods has decided to temporarily halt operations at its pork processing plant in Storm Lake. The company indicated the closure is due, in part, to a delay in COVID-19 testing results and team member absences related to quarantine and other factors. Tyson will idle harvesting animals and finish processing over the next two days. Additional deep cleaning and sanitizing of the entire facility will be conducted before resuming operations later next week.

State officials confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak was confirmed at the Storm Lake Tyson pork plant on Thursday.

Officials with the Cass County Health System (CCHS), Thursday afternoon, reported the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the County was holding steady at 11. Of those, eight patients have recovered from the virus.

A total of 377 residents of the County have been tested to date. The result was 354 negative tests returned, and 12 tests that were pending analysis and return data. None of the aforementioned results had changed as of early this morning.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A construction worker who was electrocuted and fell from a building is suing the city of Sibley, Iowa. Victor Maldonado, of Worthington, Minnesota, and his wife contend the city knew a high-voltage power line did not meet safety codes and was a danger to those working near it. The couple is seeking more than $75,000 in damages. Worthington was working on the roof of the building in September 2018 when the power line sent a current through his body, causing him to fall 20 feet to an alley below. He suffered severe electrical burns, fractures, a brain injury, and blindness in one eye.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Health officials are confirming another coronavirus outbreak in an Iowa meatpacking plant on the same day that the number of residents who have died from the virus topped 500. Of more than 2,500 employees tested at the Tyson pork processing plant in Storm Lake, 555 have tested positive. Department of Public Health Deputy Director Sarah Reisetter said Thursday that businesses in Iowa are not required to report outbreaks, and state law only requires disclosure of a business name when it’s necessary to protect the public.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new reports shows Iowa saw a jump in the number of people filing for unemployment last week compared to the week prior as the country deals with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. A report released Thursday the by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 14,586 new claims filed between May 17 and May 23. That was an increase from the previous week, when 13,040 people filed unemployment claims in Iowa. The release says more than $661 million in benefits has been paid out since April 4. Those industries with the most claims last week included manufacturing, which saw more than 3,800 claims, health care and social assistance, with right at 1,400 claims and retail, with more than 900 claims.

WARSAW, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri State Highway Patrol says three people from Iowa died in a crash in eastern Missouri. The victims of the crash Wednesday in Benton County were all from Fort Dodge, Iowa. The patrol says 20-year-old Richard Davis lost control of his car on a curve on Missouri 7 and went off the left side of the road and hit a tree. Davis, 18-year-old Matayah McLouglin and a 14-year-old male whose name was not released all died in the crash. They were not wearing seat belts.

Pottawattamie County Public Health (PCPH) officials said Thursday, there were eight more positive cases of COVID-19 to report. Seven of the cases are residents of Council Bluffs, and one is from Crescent. One of the patients is under the age of 17. Two are 18-to 40 years of age. Four range in age from 41-to 60, and one is 81 years of age or over. Those persons were tested between May 19th and 25th.

Health officials said also, so far, 2,898 Pott. County residents have been tested for COVID-19, and a total of 260 have tested positive (as of today). Seven persons are hospitalized from the virus, 91 are self-isolating. Based on PCPH contact tracing investigations, a total of 76 Pott. County COVID-19 cases are the result of community spread.

Across the State of Iowa (as of 6:15-a.m. today, Friday):

• 145, 108 Iowans had been tested for the virus
• 18,689 tested positive for COVID-19
• 125, 989 have tested negative
• 10,563 have recovered
• 519 have died.
• 376 people were being treated for the virus in a hospital
• 117 patients were in an ICU
• 38 had been admitted over the past 24-hours
• 78 patients were on ventilators.
• The number of LTC facility outbreaks is stable, at 37; 1,480 LTC patients/staff have tested positive; 652 have recovered, and 234 have died.

In western/southwest Iowa,RMCC data show 9 hospitalized, 9 in an ICU, 2 were admitted to a hospital, and 5 people were on ventilators.  Here are the latest County COVID-19 numbers from the IDPH COVID-19 dashboard (# of cases/# of persons recovered):

• Cass County – 11/8
• Adair – 8/5
• Adams – 7/2
• Audubon – 12/8
• Guthrie – 46/29
• Montgomery – 6/5
• Pottawattamie – 234/145
• Shelby – 34/26.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A construction worker who was electrocuted and fell from a building is suing the city of Sibley, Iowa. Victor Maldonado, of Worthington, Minnesota, and his wife contend the city knew a high-voltage power line did not meet safety codes and was a danger to those working near it. The couple is seeking more than $75,000 in damages.

Worthington was working on the roof of the building in September 2018 when the power line sent a current through his body, causing him to fall 20 feet to an alley below. He suffered severe electrical burns, fractures, a brain injury, and blindness in one eye.

(Radio Iowa) — More Iowans are buying food directly from farmers during the pandemic, with Facebook groups and other social media connecting producers and customers. Jenna Anthofer, of Breda, started the group I-A Farm 2 Table on Facebook May 10th and now has more than two-thousand people signed on from Iowa and neighboring states. She says the group is strictly for direct-to-consumer sales of farm products and is her reaction to the challenges COVID-19 has thrown at farmers.

“I really just wanted to help offset that, if possible, by hooking up farmers and producers with consumers,” Anthofer says. “I’m actually in a larger nationwide farm-to-table group and they had suggested that each state have their own sort of offshoot branch.” Anthofer says it’s easy enough to find buyers for vegetables, eggs, honey and processed meat, while she says many people are newly-interested in buying meat directly from farmers.

“Not everybody feels confident buying a whole pig and then having to process it themselves,” she says, “although I’ve tried to put some resources in the group for people. It’s not that hard to break down a hog, here’s a video to show you how to do it.”

Across the Midwest, people are using websites, Reddit, op-ed pieces and other tools to spread the word about buying food directly from farmers. Reddit users compiled a list of “farms that are delivering” and launched a U-R-L with that name.

(By Amy Mayer, Iowa Public Radio)