(Iowa News Service) – The U.S. Office for Civil Rights has issued a ruling ensuring that an Iowa man with disabilities is able to live in his home and receive round-the-clock medical care. Advocates for people with disabilities hope the move sets precedent for other people in Iowa and around the country.

When he was about five, Cedar Rapids resident Garret Frey suffered the same spinal cord injury that Superman star Christopher Reeve did in an equestrian accident.  Reeve lived for about a decade after his accident. Frey is closing on 40 years, and sued the state, claiming it violated his rights by failing to provide the 24-hour home-based support and services he needs to live at home, where he said people with disabilities want to be. “It is truly where most of us are happy, healthy,” said Frey, “and it’s most cost-effective.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agreed to raise the provider reimbursement rate for in-home caregivers, allow for respite services, expand the health-care provider base – and help secure overnight, in-home nursing care for Frey. HHS will monitor Iowa’s progress for a year. Frey said he wants this ruling to set precedent for other people with disabilities in Iowa and across the country.

Garrett Fry was honored with the Lifetime Advocacy Award from the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council in 2023 (Photo courtesy IDDC)

“It’s one baby step in the right direction,” said Frey, “because there are many other disability-related concerns and issues that are ongoing.”

The ruling requires Iowa Health and Human Services to work with federal officials to ensure Frey’s needs are met during that year, and report on their progress monthly.

(Radio Iowa) – State Climatologist Justin Glisan says most infrastructure — like levies and storm sewers — is not built for the type of torrential rain and flooding that’s occurring. “You look at 2019 with the ‘bomb cyclone’ and then the epic flooding along the Missouri River basin, all the Corps levies south of Council Bluffs were damaged or destroyed,” Glisan says. “Those have since been rebuilt.” And Glisan says urban infrastructure can’t keep up with high intensity rainfall.

“Instead of getting these historic quarter inch, half an inch over 24-48 hours, you’re getting an inch to three inches,” Glisan says. “Our systems can’t keep up with that type of behavior and we’re only seeing that behavior increase into the future.” Forecasts indicate there will be a 10 to 15 percent increase in precipitation in Iowa over the next 10 to 15 years — and Glisan says that will sadly lead to more flooding. As for the other severe weather that’s hit the state this spring, Glisan says mobile radars deployed during the Greenfield tornado may help improve forecasting tornadoes.

“The science that we’re going to get out of it I really think is going to move us forward in terms of advanced lead times,” Glisan says. “and even predicting these types of tornadoes further out.” As Radio Iowa reported last month, the preliminary data from the Greenfield tornado includes a measurement that wind speeds were 318 miles per hour at 160 feet above the ground. That means the Greenfield tornado was the second strongest tornado ever recorded. “It’s hard to fathom,” Glisan says.

Glisan made his comments during a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The state of Iowa says it will not necessarily disclose to the public the rationale for disciplinary charges against licensed professionals such as physicians, nurses, therapists and nursing home administrators. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the determining factor appears to be whether the state’s licensing boards choose to include the allegations within the text of a final order in a disciplinary case. If a board opts to omit those allegations from the final order, the public may never know what gave rise to the charges. The result is that Iowa’s licensing boards are now, in some cases, keeping secret the alleged misconduct that is tied to charges of professional incompetence, ethical violations, patient abuse and even criminal convictions.

Over the past three years, public access to information from Iowa’s licensing boards has been greatly restricted. Prior to October 2021, all state licensing boards publicly disclosed charges against practitioners at the time they were filed or at the time the practitioners were notified of the charges. That disclosure included not just the charges themselves — which are often vague, such “professional incompetence” or “unethical conduct” — but also the specific underlying conduct that gave rise to the charges, such as a botched surgery or the theft of patient medications.

In October 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the basic facts and circumstances surrounding disciplinary action against licensed professionals must be kept confidential at least until the licensing boards issue their final rulings in the matter – a process that sometimes takes years. The court’s decision was based on a statute that says “investigative information” gathered as part of a complaint against a licensee must be kept confidential at least until the board issues its final decision. The court concluded that the basic facts and circumstances surrounding a case are “investigative” in nature.

In the aftermath of the court’s decision, most of Iowa’s licensing boards began issuing redacted statements of charges to keep secret the facts and circumstances of the cases until the cases were closed. Last fall, however, some boards took the position that the basic facts and circumstances that triggered the charges should remain sealed from public view even after a case was finalized.

For example, the Iowa Board of Nursing repeatedly refused a request from Iowa Capital Dispatch for an unredacted copy of the written statement of charges against a nurse whose license has been revoked. The redacted portion of that document outlines the specific conduct that led to the charges against the nurse. In a Board of Chiropractic case involving Bruce Lindberg, the board resolved the case with a settlement calling for Lindberg to surrender his license. The basic facts and circumstances in that case remained sealed until an Open Records Law request was filed by the Iowa Capital Dispatch. That request led to the unredacted version of the statement of charges being published on the website of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing, which oversees many of the state’s licensing boards.

Last fall, DIAL attributed widespread inconsistency on public disclosure by the various licensing boards to the agency having taken over their administration just a few months before in July 2023. Prior to that, the boards were overseen by four different state agencies. “The goal of DIAL has been to standardize, modernize and simplify its processes in order to promote best practices across the entire department and provide Iowans great service,” a DIAL spokesperson said last fall. “The department is working closely with the attorney general’s office to ensure all information is timely and accurately provided to the public in accordance with Iowa law.”

In recent months, some of the boards under DIAL’s control have taken to not only keeping secret the facts and circumstances in their statements of charges, but also the terms of board agreements to reinstate licenses. Historically, Iowa’s licensing boards have tended to disclose far less information on licensees’ alleged wrongdoing than is common practice in other states.

(Cedar County, Iowa) – A collision between an SUV and a UTV Saturday evening on the southwest side of Tipton left one person dead and two others injured. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened at around 7:45-p.m. at the intersection of Cedar Valley Road and Sand Trap Circle, when a 2022 Polaris off-road vehicle crossed Cedar Valley Road and was struck by a 2009 Mazda CX-9 that crossed the center line of the road. The UTV was traveling northbound and the SUV was southbound when the collision occurred.

One person died at the scene. Two others were transported by Stanwood and Tipton ambulance crews to the the University of Iowa Hospital. The victims’ names were not immediately released. The crash remains under investigation. Tipton Police and the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene.

(Spirit Lake, Iowa) – One person died and another was injured, during a single-vehicle crash Saturday night in northwest Iowa’s Dickinson County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2019 KIA Stinger driven by 18-year-old Teagan Vos, of Sheldon, was traveling north on 130th Avenue at around 10:15-p.m., when Vos failed to negotiate a curve in the road to the northeast. The car crossed the center line and entered the northwest ditch before going out of control.

The vehicle rolled over and crossed 131st Avenue before coming to rest in the north ditch. Vos – who was wearing a seat belt – was critically injured, and transported by Spirit Lake Ambulance to the local hospital. A passenger in the car, 19-year-old Edith Lupercio-Lopez, of Sioux Center, died at the scene. She was not wearing a seat belt.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – An attempted traffic stop at around 7:10-p.m. Saturday in Montgomery County resulted in a pursuit, and an arrest. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports Deputies initiated the traffic stop on a vehicle driven by 18-year-old Michael David Johnson, of Red Oak, near S. 8th Street and Park Avenue. Johnson failed to yield to law enforcement and led Deputies on a chase through Red Oak.

He was taken into custody in the 600 block of Sunset Avenue and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. Johnson was charged with Driving While Barred, Felony Eluding, and Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense. Bond was set at $5,000.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted by the Red Oak Police Department and Montgomery County Dispatch.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report a man from Council Bluffs was arrested at around 7:45-p.m., Saturday, at Highway 34 and 310th Street in Mills County. 33-year-old David Scott Horvath was arrested for 2nd Degree/Theft of a Motor Vehicle. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and booked-in. Red Oak Police were assisted by Mills County Sheriff’s Deputies in conducting the arrest.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Fair takes place now through July 15th, in Harlan. You can find a full schedule of events HERE. Some of the highlights this week, include:

• Remembering Our Fallen exhibit/memorial to remember all of the brave Iowa soldiers who have passed from their service in the military. The exhibit will be in Floral Hall at the Shelby County Fair from Thursday, July 11 to Saturday, July 13.
• Open class entries and exhibits for youth and adults in many categories, including: Oven products; Agriculture; Needlework; Hobbycraft; Sewing; Homemade wine and craft beer; Canning; Photography; Genealogy; Floriculture, and Art.
• A baby contest, and,
• Cookout contest

The events conclude July 15th with the Livestock Auction on the Shelby County Fairgrounds.

DYERSVILLE, Iowa (KCRG & WHO-TV) – For 35 people, their official entrance into U.S. citizenship took place a couple feet away from first base. Saturday, the Field of Dreams Movie Site hosted a naturalization ceremony before the 36th annual Ghost Players game.

People from 15 countries took the Oath of Allegiance, and all of them had different reasons for coming to the U.S.
The Field of Dreams Movie Site has hosted naturalization ceremonies in the past.

The ceremonies often take place in museums, schools, or other community spaces. On Independence Day, 29 immigrants from 19 countries had their naturalization ceremony at Principal Park in Des Moines, before the Iowa Cubs played.

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is expanding a partnership with Hy-Vee stores to offer online ordering and pick-up for participants.

“This is yet another incredible example of a public-private partnership that will greatly benefit individuals receiving WIC benefits in our state,” said Kelly Garcia, HHS director. “The goal of this program is to provide easier access and convenience—and every parent of young children wants the convenience while balancing work and life.”

Qualifying individuals can use their eWIC card during the online checkout process and easily pickup their items at their nearest participating Hy-Vee store.

In February 2024, the pilot began with one store in Des Moines and in early June expanded across Iowa and into Minnesota and Nebraska, through a grant from the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact.

The WIC program was established nationwide in 1974, with the first Iowa clinic opening in Davenport, Iowa in March 1974. WIC provides supplemental nutritious foods, health care referrals, breastfeeding support and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk. In 2024, WIC celebrates 50 years of providing support to the mothers, children and families in Iowa to assist them in leading healthier lives. WIC is a program of the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. To learn more about Iowa WIC, visit: https://hhs.iowa.gov/programs/food-assistance/wic-Iowa