IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Tyson Foods has suspended top officials at its largest pork plant and launched an investigation into allegations that they bet on how many workers would get infected during a widespread coronavirus outbreak. Tyson Foods President and CEO Dean Banks said Thursday that he was “extremely upset” about the allegations against managers at its plant in Waterloo, Iowa, saying they do not represent the company’s values.

He says the Arkansas-based company has retained the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP to conduct an investigation, which will be led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. He says if the claims are confirmed, “we’ll take all measures necessary to root out and remove this disturbing behavior from our company.”

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Public Health announced Thursday (today), that 108 water systems in Iowa have been awarded Water Fluoridation Quality Awards from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition, five communities (including the Manilla Municipal Service Department) have been awarded the 50 Year Award for maintaining continuous community water fluoridation from 1969-2019. For 2019, a total of 1,523 public water systems in 29 states received these awards.

Fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride in drinking water to a level that is effective for preventing tooth decay. The award recognizes those communities that achieved excellence in community water fluoridation by maintaining a consistent level of fluoride in drinking water throughout 2019.

Community water fluoridation has been recognized by CDC as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th Century. CDC recommends water fluoridation as one of the most practical, cost-effective, equitable, and safe measures a community can take to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health.

It is supported by the American Cancer Society, American Dental Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Water Works Association and over 100 national and international organizations as a safe, effective and inexpensive method of preventing tooth decay. Both Healthy People 2030 and Healthy Iowans 2021 have set goals to increase the number of people receiving optimally fluoridated water.

IDPH supports CDC approved fluoridation programs. The IDPH Bureau of Oral and Health Delivery Systems monitors the fluoride levels of Iowa communities and provides information and assistance to water supply professionals, healthcare professionals, and the public.

To see the fluoridation status of Iowa counties and towns, visit the My Water’s Fluoride website at https://nccd.cdc.gov/DOH_MWF.

Atlantic Municipal Utilities General Manager Steve Tjepkes, Thursday, said the American Public Power Association has its latest report on electric rates charged by all the electric utilities throughout the U.S.

Based on the report:

· There are 181 electric utilities operating in the state of Iowa
· Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) ranks as the 2nd lowest average electric rate charged to customers in the state
· The overall average rate comparison includes AMU’s Residential, Commercial and Industrial Rates

Tjepkes said “We were very pleased to see the results of the latest rate comparisons among electric utilities. While keeping rates low is important to everyone in our community, we believe it is the customer service our employees provide every day that we are most proud of and strive to maintain at AMU.”

AMU’s power supply consists of:
1. Co-ownership in the coal-fired Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center Unit 3 plant in Council Bluffs
2. Hydro-generated electricity from dams along the Missouri River basin
3. Power purchased from Missouri River Energy Services, located in Sioux Falls, SD.
4. Atlantic’s local generation includes a 10 MW natural gas generator used primarily to meet capacity and energy reserve requirements and emergency back-up power

AMU provides electrical service to 3,984 residential and commercial consumers within the city of Atlantic and another 675 residential and commercial consumers in the surrounding rural area.

The American Public Power Association (APPA), based in Washington, D.C., is a national service organization representing the unified interests of the nation’s more than 2,000 community-owned municipal electric utilities. Collectively, municipal utilities serve more than 48 million Americans.

Atlantic, IA — Cass County Public Health has a limited supply of influenza vaccine as part of an initiative to immunize adults with no insurance, who are under-insured,or who have limited access to influenza vaccine. Appointments are required and can be made by calling Cass County Public Health at 712-250-8008.

The vaccine will be administered in their office at 1408 East 10thStreet. Weekend appointments may also be available; if needed, please ask when you call to schedule.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided adult influenza vaccines to states to increase influenza vaccine coverage in the United States as a critical part of COVID-19 response work. Increasing adult influenza coverage will result in a decreased strain on the nation’s health care system.

This one-time initiative for the 2000-21 influenza season allowed states to order adult influenza vaccine and provide it to those who are uninsured, under-insured, or live in areas where they may have limited access to receive the vaccine