Iowa poultry producers are on-guard as more than 73-thousand chickens were destroyed since the weekend outbreak of highly-pathogenic avian influenza at a Tennessee farm. Thirty other farms nearby are quarantined. Kevin Stiles, executive director of the Iowa Poultry and Egg Association, says the Tennessee outbreak is a worry here, as Iowa dealt with a major outbreak in 2015.

“We’re always concerned anytime we hear the words ‘high-path avian influenza’ mentioned,” Stiles says. “We do feel and hope our producers have taken the necessary safeguards to do as good a job as we can from a biosecurity standpoint, but none the less, certainly they would have concern.”

Another bird flu outbreak is reported in a Wisconsin turkey farm but it is -not- the highly-pathogenic variety. Stiles says Iowa’s producers tightened biosecurity following the epidemic here two years ago and are just now recovering lost ground. “We still are working hard to recapture some of those export markets that were lost during 2015,” Stiles says. “We’re starting to see some of those come back and, of course, we’ve most recently seen some export gain from the fact South Korea is experiencing an avian influenza outbreak.”

Stiles says the U-S-D-A and Tennessee agriculture department officials have responded well to the outbreak. “They have quickly gotten their arms around the initial site and are testing a number of birds in flocks around,” Stiles says. “At least until now, those subsequent tests have all come up negative, so that makes me feel good that USDA and the folks in Tennessee are doing a great job in getting on this as soon as possible.”

Tennessee officials have declined to name the breeder and would only say the farm is in the state’s Lincoln County, west of Chattanooga. During the 2015 bird flu outbreak, cases were confirmed at 77 Iowa poultry operations in 18 counties. It resulted in the destruction of more than 31-million birds and an economic loss to the state of $1.2 billion dollars.

(Radio Iowa)

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State regulators heard pitches from six companies Tuesday to do a market survey of the gambling industry and a review of proposals for a casino in Cedar Rapids. Iowa Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorilko says they will review the plans and likely select a firm at next month’s meeting. He says they could select one or more of the companies as they have selected more than one company in the past to get a read on the market.

There are three casino proposals for Cedar Rapids and Ohorilko says they are in the process of setting up times to hear presentations on each one. “I think those will be announced in April,”Ohorilko says, “there still some dates and locations being worked out with respect to meetings dates for the next fiscal year. But I anticipate that the decision will be made in April as to what the process will look like, with the final decision coming late fall.”

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission voted 4-1 to deny a gambling license for a Cedar Rapids casino back in 2014 in part because of concerns about the impact on existing casinos. Ohorilko isn’t sure if a new gambling market study will impact any decision on the latest attempt to bring a casino to the city. “It’s hard to say, it’s up to each of the individual commission members. There are a number of criteria that play into whether or not a decision to approve or deny a gambling license should occur,” he says.

The studies have become commonplace as the I-R-G-C is faced with the decision on adding new casinos to the mix. “Those market studies have played a more significant impact the past few instances where applications have been considered,” Ohorilko says, “but it truly is up to the individual commission members to determine what weight they would play. Not only on that factor — but other factors.”

The commission approved a casino for Greene County in June of 2014 after denying the license to Cedar Rapids. Studies at the time showed the Greene County casino would have the least impact on the other casinos. The firms include several which have done previous studies of Iowa’s gambling industry. All have headquarters out of state, except for one from Cedar Rapids.

(Radio Iowa)

Employers, employees, doctors and lawyers testified last night at a public hearing at the state capitol, quarreling over a bill that would change Iowa’s workers compensation system. Steve Stouffer, president of Tyson Fresh Meats, says the system is “being played” by lawyers. “It’s become more of what I would call a ‘litigious lottery,'” Stouffer told legislators.

Workers’ advocates say the bill G-O-P lawmakers have proposed skews the system so it will “biased” against injured workers. Kelli Harrison is a regional representative for the United Auto Workers union. “These folks are real people. They’re not robots. You can’t just put a little grease in there and they’re o.k.,” she says. “We’re talking about hard-working men and women.”

Paul Gregoire of Emerson-Fisher Controls in Marshalltown says the workers comp system is “out of balance” and becoming a drag on Iowa’s economy. “What we’re doing is we’re pushing companies either away from the state who might locate here or getting companies to not expand like we like to up in Marshalltown for those kinds of reasons,” Gregoire says.

John Kuhnlein, a doctor from Ankeny who is an occupational specialist, suggests the bill is “inherently unfair” and will shift costs from the employer to taxpayers who’ll have to pick up the tab. “These injuries will not go away,” he says. “When a claim is denied, as these bills make it easier to do and with little penalty for being wrong, these individual will still need medical care.”

Scott Folkers, the vice president and general counsel for Winnebago Industries, says workers comp in Iowa has become an “out of control locomotive.” “That has led to progressively larger indemnity awards for injured workers,” Folkers says. “That puts more money in the system, which attracts more attorneys.”

Dr. Mark Taylor, an occupational specialist, says the bill will create “instability” for workers. “Iowa’s work comp system should not be at the mercy of the ever-changing political winds,” Taylor says. The bill IS a priority for Governor Branstad and Republican who now control the debate agenda in the Iowa House and Senate. Branstad says recent court rulings and regulations have thrown the workers comp system out of whack.

(Radio Iowa)

The Creston Police Department reports the arrest Tuesday morning of 19-year old Seth White, of Orient. White was arrested on a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance – 1st Offense. He was later released from the Union County Jail on a $300 bond.

And, two men were arrested in Creston Tuesday, on warrants for Violation of Probation. 28-year old Christopher Schell was arrested at his home on a Taylor County Warrant for the charge of Violation of Probation on the original charge of Intent to Deliver Marijuana and OWI. Schell was released to the custody of Taylor County. 22-year old Danny Guzman, of Des Moines, was arrested on a Union
County Warrant for the charge of Probation Violation on the original charge of
Accessory to a Felony. He was later released from the Union County Jail on a $2000
bond.

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(Updated 8:50-a.m. 3/8) —

About 100 people attended a meeting Tuesday night of the Griswold School Board, to hear the latest developments concerning the future of the district’s facilities. Superintendent Dave Henrichs told KJAN News the Facilities Committee has been exploring three options.

One was to consolidate the District’s building into one campus to be located at Griswold. Another was to eliminate one of the two Elementary buildings. The third option was to reconfigure the current facilities. Their recommendation to the Board was Option A – to consolidate all operations into one facility at the Griswold campus.

The Griswold School Board, he said, unanimously approved continuing down that path. The Facilities Committee will continue meeting with the KPE Architectural firm hired by the District, with a further goal of gathering more input from staff members and the community. From the input, they will start designing the plans for the new building along with a cost estimate.

The next Facilities’ Committee meetings will be held March 22^nd and April 4^th. At each meeting, the architects will update the group, ask for more input and add to the plan until it’s solidified. Afterward, there will be a series of community outreach meetings to inform the public about the plan and costs. At some point a final plan will be brought to the Board for approval, and the date for a bond vote will be set.

Henrichs said at the end of Tuesday night’s meeting, which he said was “very well attended,” surveys were handed out. They could be filled-out and turned back in, or taken home and returned later. From those that were turned in, Henrichs says there were a couple of suggestions with regard to specific planning issues, the rest were generally positive with the way the plans are progressing.

Dave Henrichs said he wants to thank the Facilities Committee for their hard work and due diligence in exploring the District’s options thoroughly and thoughtfully. He commended them and said they have spent a lot of time looking at the right information and did not come in with preconceived ideas and thoughts. They looked at the facts and figures to get to where they are now. He said also “Their job is not done yet, but I have faith they’ll do a great job.”

The key supporter of a bill that expands Iowa’s gun laws is calling the legislation a “big league” step toward undoing restrictions on Second Amendment rights. African American lawmakers, meanwhile, are citing the acquittal of a neighborhood watchman who shot teenager Trayvon Martin to death in Florida four years ago. Representative Ras Smith of Waterloo, an African American, says all Iowans ARE created equal — but he says not all are TREATED equally — because of their skin color.

“The impact of this legislation on people who look like me, but may not dress like I do when I’m here Monday through Thursday will be an increased risk of being killed,” Smith said. “As recently as April of 2016 there were cross burnings in Dubuque. I wonder if the those who set that cross ablaze may see ‘stand your ground’ as a ‘get out of jail free’ card.”

Smith then put a hoodie on over his suit and tie to illustrate how he and other African American men in Iowa might resemble Trayvon Martin.”With these tattoos…and these earrings, this is what I look like, so this is that threat that you can perceive every day,” Smith said. “So maybe I should teach those young men the mantra of ‘hands up, don’t shoot.'”

Some supporters of the bill say it does not go far enough. They want to be able to carry a gun — openly or concealed in a holster or purse — without being required to get a government permit.

(Radio Iowa)

SEYMOUR, Iowa (AP) – The mayor of a south-central Iowa town says the tornado that struck there has united his community. The National Weather Service says the EF2 tornado damaged several homes Monday night, destroyed a senior living facility and ravaged the schools buildings in Seymour, a Wayne County town of about 700 people.

School Superintendent Brad Breon told The Des Moines Register on Tuesday that the twister peeled off the school buildings’ roofs and damaged several school buses. Mayor Caleb Housh estimates that about two-thirds of the storm debris already has been cleaned up. He also says the tornado has “brought our community together.”

Elsewhere in Iowa, the weather service says an EF2 tornado damaged 80 homes and injured three people in Muscatine.

Police in Red Oak late Tuesday night, arrested 44-year old Jeremy Richard Hines, of Red Oak, for Domestic Abuse Assault. Hines was taken into custody at around 11-p.m. in the 1800 block of Sunnyslope Drive and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held without bond, pending an appearance before the magistrate.