(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne is cosponsoring a bill she says will help people facing challenges in caring for older people. Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, says the Americans Giving Care to Elders or AGE Act would provide tax credits of up to 12-hundred dollars to taxpayers earning under 200-thousand dollars a year to offset elder care expenses.  “This will help our caregivers to be able to buy medications, help with medical tasks, daily living assistance — all of that stuff,” said Axne. “So, this will help provide some of the support our families need, take out some of the cost, give those caregivers some reprieve. They can hire a babysitter and use that money to give them a couple of hours to go to the grocery store and have maybe an hour’s peace to take a walk.”

Axne met with caregivers in a roundtable discussion at Des Moines Area Community College earlier this week on issues facing caregivers. In many cases, she says the caregivers are adults who must take care of their parents. “We have people who are in their 50s and 60s who are in the prime of their earning years and they’re also taking care of their own children,” she said. “They’re then needing to step up and take care of their parents. It’s very expensive, and in many cases, it requires somebody to leave the workplace, which puts a huge impact on those families. It also puts a lot of stress on them.”

Axne introduced the bill along with Republican Congressman David McKinley of West Virginia and Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois. In addition to bipartisan support, she says the measure is also backed by a number of organizations. “We’ve got support from the American Heart Association, the Longterm Care Community Coalition, the American Seniors Association — on and on — about how important this is,” said Axne. “So, I know that across the board, people bipartisanly agree that we’ve got to support our caregivers, because sometimes, it’s just too much for people to handle.”

The bill is under consideration in the House Ways and Means Committee.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors visited Akin Building Center on Thursday, June 10th, 2021. The Ambassadors visited with new manager, Rick Mericle, who discussed his new position and some of the struggles they have been through the past year. Despite the struggles, Rick and his team of 15 employees have managed to persevere by working together as a team.

Rick moved to Atlantic six years ago from Washington D.C where he worked in loss prevention. Rick would visit Atlantic quarterly to prep centers for inventory, so he was already familiar with the area. Rick would later move to Atlantic to work his way up at the Akin Building Center before taking the manager position in January. In Rick’s first quarter as manager, the Akin Building Center won Yard of the Quarter for 1st Quarter of 2021. This award is won by having the overall best store for the quarter in various areas such as cleanliness, organization, management, teamwork, store appearance, efficiency, and dedication.

Ambassadors Left to Right: John McDermott, Rick Mericle, Ethan Nachtman, Hector Vela, Pat McCurdy, Dianne McCurdy-Gipple, Jacob Haupert, Kathie Hockenberry, Jennifer McEntaffer, Connie Waies, Dr. Keith Leonard, Anne Quist, Dustin Dreager, Donnie Bergmann, Rich Perry, Ashley Skow, Nedra Perry, Dawn Marnin, Ashley Hamilton, Krysta Hanson, Carol Schuler, Victoria Gibson, Janet Cappel, Shelby Roberts, Marcus Daugherty

Akin Building Center has added many new in store items, and still offers any building supplies that you may need. Despite nationwide price increases in items such as lumber and copper wire, Akin’s prices remain competitive with any competitors. Akin is currently accepting applications for three full-time positions and is looking for more hardworking employees.

For more information about Akin Building Center call (712) 243-4385 or visit their Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticAkinBuildingCenter.

WATERLOO– The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 45-year-old Kevin Reddout, who was convicted of Domestic Abuse Assault-3rd or Subsequent Offense and other charges in Black Hawk County, failed to report to work from the Waterloo Residential Correctional Facility as required Thursday night.  Reddout is a white male, height 6′ 0″, and weighs 216 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on May 13, 2021.

Persons with information on Reddout’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Kevin Reddout

The Iowa Department of Public Health in their latest COVID-19 update, Friday (today) reports 107 additional, positive cases of COVID-19 from over the previous 24-hours, for a pandemic total of 402,929. The Coronavirus dashboard also shows 11 additional deaths, for a total of 6,095. Deaths at Iowa’s Long-Term Care facilities since the start of the pandemic, amount to 2,370.

There remain four LTC outbreaks in Iowa, with 30 positive cases among patients and staff, and four persons who have recovered. Iowa’s 14-day and seven-day positivity rates are both down slightly, to 1.8%.

Iowa’s hospitalization data show: 73 people are hospitalized with COVID-19; 18 patients are in an ICU; 12 COVID patients were admitted to a hospital, and six patients are on a ventilator. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western & southwest Iowa), there are two people hospitalized with COVID-19. No one was in an ICU, no one was admitted over the previous 24-hours, and no one was on a ventilator.

In the immediate KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County (since the beginning of the pandemic) and the total number of deaths (Since the beginning of the pandemic) in each county to date:
Cass, 1,477 cases; 54 deaths
Adair, 993; 32
Adams, 355; 4
Audubon, 546; 10
Guthrie, 1,313; 32
Harrison County, 1,935; 73
Madison County, 1,787 19
Mills County, 1,797; 24
Montgomery, 1,115; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,340;173
Shelby County, 1,375; 37
Union County, 1,381; 35

Two people were arrested this week in Cass County. The Sheriff’s Department reports 21-year-old Gavin Brett Fell-Nichols, of Atlantic, was arrested Thursday, on a Cass County warrant for reckless driving.  Fell-Nichols was transported to Cass County Jail and is currently being held on bond. And, on Tuesday, Cass County Deputies arrested 40-year-old David Dewayne Thomas, of Atlantic.  Thomas was charged with operating without a valid driver’s license.   He was transported to Cass County Jail and was later released on his own recognizance.