United Group Insurance

Sand says governor should release more about data behind COVID-19 decision

News

April 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — State Auditor Rob Sand is asking Governor Kim Reynolds to provide the public more information about the 12-point scale she’s using to monitor the spread of COVID-19 — and decide if, when and where she might order a shelter-in-place order. “This tool is being used to guide life and death decisions,” Sand said. “Life and death decisions deserve answers — good ones.”

Last week, Reynolds and the deputy director of the Iowa Department of Public Health said after 9/11, state officials began developing plans for responding to a variety of disasters — and the state epidemiologist has tailored the tool for this pandemic using Centers for Disease Control guidance. Reynolds yesterday told reporters Iowa isn’t like New York or New Jersey and it would be irresponsible to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order. “We’re doing it on a community, county, region basis,” Reynolds says. “…By using these metrics, then, we will be able to, if we hit a certain point where we think we have to take additional actions or additional steps, we can do that.”

Sand, a Democrat, says giving Iowans more information will help them make better informed decisions about their actions during the pandemic. Reynolds, a Republican, has said every Iowan needs to take responsibility for their health and the health of others and stay home.

Posted in News |

Dairy industry trying to adapt to changes brought on by virus

Ag/Outdoor

April 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Dairy farmers in Iowa and across the country including those are adjusting to a new marketplace. Farmer relations manager for Midwest Dairy, Mitch Schulte says that’s because demand from the foodservice industry and from schools has dwindled after they were shut down by the coronavirus outbreak. But on the other hand, Schulte says retail customers are purchasing more milk. “I think we’ve seen a pretty big surge in buying of dairy products in the beginning and as people stock up, that surge is slowly going down,” according to Schulte, “just know that our dairy farmers work 24 hours a day, seven days a week and they continue to produce milk every day. We do have a readily available supply of dairy products.”

Schulte says the challenge the industry is facing is oversupply — and that has producers looking for a home for their products. “These processors and co-ops are evaluating on a case by case scenario. As they deal with the disruption in the supply chain, they’ll make the decision on whether they may have periodically dispose of milk to adjust that supply or not,” Schulte says.

Schulte says on the positive side, retail demand for milk, cheese, butter and ice cream is up. Industry estimates say sales are as much as 60 percent higher than this same period last year.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor |

Cass County Extension Report 4-8-2020

Ag/Outdoor, Podcasts

April 8th, 2020 by Jim Field

w/Kate Olson.

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, Podcasts |

(UPDATE) Police: Clinton man shot & killed by a police officer during chase

News

April 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

CLINTON, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a suspect has been shot and killed by an officer during a police chase in eastern Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Safety said late this (Wednesday) morning, the individual who was shot by an officer with the Clinton Police Department has been identified as 38-year old Jacob Matthew Dau, of Clinton, Iowa. Dau was shot at around 10:45-p.m. Tuesday, after the officer tried to stop a fleeing vehicle.

Clinton Police Chief Kevin Gyrion the vehicle was chased into nearby Camanche and back to Clinton when a pursuing officer fired his service weapon at the vehicle, hitting the suspect. Dau was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. The officer was not injured. Per departmental policy, the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave. Authorities will not release the police officer’s name until the officer has been interviewed.

Posted in News |

Area COVID-19 case information (4/8/20)

News

April 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

A couple of area health departments updated their number of COVID-19 cases Tuesday afternoon. The numbers haven’t changed all that much from the mid-day IDPH report.

Harrison County: 11 positive COVID-19 cases; 1 person is isolating at home; 1 is hospitalized; 9 are no longer being monitored because they have exhibited marked improvement.

Pottawattamie County: 9 COVID cases (2 new cases: a Minden man age 41-60 and a Council Bluffs man 41-60. Both have been in self-quarantine since late March)

Shelby County: 7 positive COVID-19 cases; 48 negative test results; 8 pending test results.

Page County: 3 COVID-19 cases.

Adair, Audubon, Dallas, Guthrie, Mills, Montgomery and Taylor Counties all have 1 case each.

Posted in News |

Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell supports salary cuts

Sports

April 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell supports athletic director Jamie Pollard’s decision to cut coaches salaries and eliminate bonuses in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Pollard announced the plan last week to make up for a five million dollar loss following the cancellation of the Big 12 and NCAA basketball tournaments.

Campbell says it was a move to benefit the entire department.

Campbell says he met with his staff to discuss the plan.

Campbell says he has been going over different possibilities for what the preseason might look like but has not even thought about the possibility of not having a season.

Posted in Sports |

POET to idle 3 bioprocessing plants, including in Coon Rapids

Ag/Outdoor, News

April 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Officials with POET biorefineries announced Tuesday the company will idle production at its bioprocessing facilities in Chancellor, S.D., Ashton, Iowa, and Coon Rapids, Iowa, and delay the start-up of its new plant in Shelbyville, Ind.  Company officials say the move comes as producers across the United States continue to grapple with the economic fallout of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On an annualized basis, these operational changes are expected to reduce corn demand by 110 million bushels, freezing 330 million gallons of ethanol production across the four facilities. POET has also significantly slowed production at other facilities, further decreasing corn demand.

POET Founder and CEO Jeff Broin said in a Press Release, “Across the board, biofuel producers and our partners in the farm community face an unprecedented challenge. From day one of this crisis, we have placed the highest priority on protecting the health and welfare of our workers, partners and farm suppliers. Unfortunately, plummeting fuel demand amid the coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed markets already suffering from continued trade barriers, a foreign price war over oil and regulatory uncertainty here at home. In South Dakota, the crisis has been compounded by one of the worst growing seasons in memory.”

Ethanol producers across the country are slashing production amid the ongoing crisis. Nationally, experts predict a decline in fuel demand of up to 55 percent. If these conditions persist, it will result in an annualized drop in ethanol demand of up to eight billion gallons or 2.7 billion bushels of corn. POET President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Lautt said “As always, we will continue monitoring the situation closely and working with team members at each plant to stay ahead of market changes as the situation continues to evolve day by day. We remain optimistic that elected leaders will move ahead swiftly on efforts to shore up the rural economy and deliver relief for struggling families. We are fully committed to protecting the strong, stable biofuel markets that America’s farmers need now more than ever, and we look forward to rebuilding and growing America’s agricultural markets.”

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

ISU study: Outbreak of African swine fever in the US could cost $50B

Ag/Outdoor

April 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – While much of the world is caught up with coronavirus, an Iowa State University study estimates the pork industry could lose 50-billion dollars if there’s an outbreak of African swine fever in the United States. Study author Dermot Hayes, an I-S-U economist, says tracking the spread of that virus in hogs would look very much like understanding how COVID-19 has infected people.  “The circumstances are almost identical,” Hayes says. “We have pigs out there that may be infecting other pigs, but we don’t know it. But once the infection becomes clearer, we would like to be able to trace that pig’s movement to find all the other pigs they were in contact with.”

Hayes advocates creating electronic movement records for all pigs, trucks and people in the pork industry. He says reducing imports of products that could harbor the virus are also necessary. Hayes says the 50-billion dollar figure looks out ten years after the virus arrives and includes a complete shut-down of U-S pork exports.  “If we can get rid of the disease before we force the industry to downsize, then the impact is still huge. It’s about $14-15 billion,” he says. “In either case, the take home for me is, we need to keep this disease out of the country and it’s worth spending a lot of money to do that.”

Many pork producers have already adopted strict biosecurity measures on their farms. Hayes says a 2011 study of a hypothetical foreign animal disease outbreak led to tighter customs security for meat coming into the country. He says now may be the time to stop importing things like pet food and organic soybean meal that might inadvertently give the virus a free ride into the U-S.

(Reporting by Amy Mayer, Iowa Public Radio)

Posted in Ag/Outdoor |

Ben Rogers, longtime Boy Scout volunteer, dead from COVID-19

News

April 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

MOLINE, Ill. (AP) — Ben Rogers, a long-time activist with the Boy Scouts of America in Illinois and Iowa, has died from complications resulting from COVID-19. Austin Mitchell of the Boy Scouts said the 67-year-old Rogers of Moline, Illinois died Tuesday at a Rock Island hospital after battling coronavirus for more than a month. An obituary posted by a Moline funeral home noted Rogers was active for 40 years in all levels of scouting, including as the head cook at Loud Thunder Scout Reservation in western Illinois. Rogers is survived by his wife and several children.

Posted in News |

Union says Iowa Veterans Home workers at risk of infection

News

April 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — A union leader is complaining that a large Iowa nursing home for veterans is forcing some employees to work after they were exposed to a colleague who tested positive for coronavirus. AFSCME Council 61 President Danny Homan said the situation at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown is potentially putting employees and its 550 residents at risk of infection.

Pat Garrett, a spokesman for Gov. Kim Reynolds, said that three employees at the home tested positive in late March, were sent home and are recovering. The home says it has tested 24 residents for COVID-19 so far and all have been negative.

Posted in News |