(Radio Iowa) – Faculty numbers at the three state universities are on the decline and the number of professors being considered for tenure is the lowest its been in five years. The board that governs the three public universities takes the final vote that grants tenure. Iowa State University officials are asking the Board of Regents to approve tenure for 59 faculty members. Tenure is recommended for 45 University of Iowa faculty members and University of Northern Iowa administrators recommend tenure for 17 faculty.

Republican lawmakers this year proposed and advanced bills to end the tenure systems at the state universities. While those proposals failed to clear last week’s procedural deadline, key Republicans say rather a ban on tenure, next year they may propose limitations or new guidelines for tenure.

The number of overall faculty at the University of Northern Iowa has dropped eight percent in the past year. At the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, faculty positions dropped three percent.

(Radio Iowa) – A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Education says a social justice and equity conference for educators has been postponed in response to a bill in the Iowa Legislature. The House bill bans so-called “divisive concepts” in government diversity training and school curriculum — including teaching that the U-S and the state of Iowa are “fundamentally or systemically racist or sexist.” A retired education department official, Tom Rendon, was supposed to give a presentation at the conference.

“What concerned me was that the work we do here in education-and equity, I think is an important part of it, especially in early childhood-is being hindered even before this House File 802 becomes law,” according to Rendon. Simpson College assistant professor, Katrina Cummings was also supposed to speak at the equity conference.  “If teachers aren’t prepared to be responsive to diversity, to differences, because there’s a lack of training, or limited scope of training, I think that could have a great impact on teacher competence, as well as the experience of their students,” Cummings says.

The bill passed out of the House without any Democratic support and was sent to the Senate. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison said during debate he believes that teaching or applying a certain characteristic to a certain group of people based on color is the very definition of racism. Holt said, “the way I was raised, that’s un-American.”

Representative Henry Stone, a Republican from Forest City, is an Asian American who told his colleagues he’s been called every racial slur you could imagine, but Stone said he does not believe there is “systemic racism” in the United States or in Iowa. The Education Department says they’re rescheduling the conference for this fall.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that seeks to equalize workplace benefits for adoptive and biological parents as cleared the House unanimously, but awaits a Senate vote. If the House bill becomes law, Iowa businesses that give parents time off after the birth of a biological child would have to give the same benefit to parents who adopt a child under the age of seven. Representative Brian Lohse of Bondurant and his three siblings were adopted.

“I think it’s very important that we tell parents of adopted children that they are the same in every way and should be treated the same in every way as those who have biological children,” Lohse says “In my mind, there’s no difference between an adopted child and a biological child.”

More than 11-hundred adoptions have been finalized in Iowa over the past 12 months. Representative Bob Kressig (KRESS-ig) of Cedar Falls says more than half of those adopted children were above the age of six.  “The transition of being a foster child and going through the adoption process, which I haven’t experienced, but I’m sure it can be kind of traumatic for the family and for the child,” Kressig says.

While Kressig would like to see time off and other workplace benefits for parents who adopt of child up to the age of 18 be equal to those for the parents of a newborn, he supported the bill when it passed the House. The legislation cleared a Senate committee in mid-February, but has not yet been passed by the full Senate.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans don’t eat right and the latest surveys show the state’s adult obesity rate is among the nation’s worst at 36-percent, while Iowa’s childhood obesity rate is about 15-percent. John Troup, a vice president at the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, says daily dietary supplements — things like vitamins, minerals and fish oils — could help Iowans meet our nutritional needs.

“We have to continue to look for nutrient-dense foods, primarily fruits and vegetables, and if we can’t get those, then it’s important to consider appropriate dietary supplementation,” Troup says. “They can help fill the gaps and provide a transition into a healthier diet and help us make sure we’re meeting the nutrient requirements set by the USDA.”

While it’s recommended we get five servings a day of both fruits and vegetables, most of us don’t even get three. With so many types of supplements on the shelves, Troup says it’s important to pick the right ones. “People should look for a brand they recognize and then buy it from a source they can trust or that they have regular visits to,” Troup says. “Make sure that you look at the label for any quality designations and go online and research what they have on their own websites.”

During the past year of the pandemic, some Iowans have been able to buckle down and focus on their personal health and wellness. For many of us, that means adding a dietary supplement to the daily health regimen. “They support the underlying systems that keep us healthy,” he says, “and those underlying systems play an important role in being able to fight things like infections and to make sure our metabolic processes are working as optimally as they can.”

Surveys find nearly seven in ten Americans use dietary supplements at least once a week. Learn more about supplements at KnowYourOTCs.org.

Atlantic, IA —Cass County Public Health has immediate openings this Thursday, April 8^th for Covid-19 vaccine appointments. These appointments are for adults 18 and older.

Anyone in the area that would like to be vaccinated is encouraged to sign up immediately. To sign up, complete the form at casshealth.org/covidvaccine or call (712) 243-3250 and press 7.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests:

• On April 2nd, 54-year-old Matthew Eric Browning, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in Adair for Driving Under Suspension and Violation of a No Contact Order. Browning pled guilty to the offenses and completed his court-ordered sentence before being released April 4th.
• On April 1st, 53-year old Dharmendra Champakbhai Patel, of Perry, was arrested at around 5:52-p.m. by an Iowa State Patrol Trooper following a single-vehicle accident on I-80 westbound in Adair County, near mile marker 88. An investigation led to Patel being charged with OWI/1st offense. He was released later that night on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.
• And, at around 11-p.m. on March 29th, 30-year-old Dakota Shane Gaulden, of Orient, was arrested on drug charges following the execution of a search warrant at an apartment in Orient. The probable cause warrant was issued because there was an odor of marijuana coming from the residence.  Gaulden was cited for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 2nd offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was issued a summons to appear in court, and released.