(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Fire Department is hosting a free-will donation breakfast at the fire station (1203 SW 7th St .) this Sunday morning. The event from 7-a.m. until Noon, kick’s-off donations for the department’s annual Fire Prevention Week. Atlantic Firefighter Jake Vetter says the week culminates next Saturday (Oct. 14th), with the Annual Fireman’s Parade, the preparation for which began several months ago.

Sunday’s breakfast will be served by the firefighters.

Fire Prevention week will see firefighters and some of their equipment appearing at local schools to share information about fire safety.

He says the hope is that the kids will take what they’ve learned back home to their parents, and make sure the adults have fresh batteries in their smoke detectors, which are the first line of defense to fighting and escaping the flames. It’s recommended you test your alarms at least once a month to ensure they are working properly, and replace the batteries in your smoke alarm every six months. The detector itself should be replaced at least every ten years.

The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Cooking Safety Starts with You.”

Vetter says a person’s life was recently saved when they used a fire extinguisher in the kitchen to put out a cooking flare-up. There have also been fires associated with outside grills placed on decks. The October 14th Fireman’s Parade in Atlantic begins with participants lining-up at 4-p.m. at 3rd and Olive Streets, and the parade getting underway at 6-p.m. It features a precision drill team, clowns, local marching bands, candy for the kids, and more.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson has been back in her eastern Iowa District on the recess following the ouster of the House Speaker.

The Republican from Marion says she supports Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise as the next speaker.

IA (R) Congresswoman Ashley Hinson

Ohio Representative Jim Jordan is getting some support, and Hinson says she would be okay with that.

Hinson can’t say if there will be any consensus among House Republicans when the meet to select the new speaker.

Hinson says Republicans saw what can happen when eight members join with all the Democrats to oust a Republican Speaker. She says that is “abhorrent and shouldn’t be allowed to happen going forward.”

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says their plans for the 2024 Iowa Caucuses have been found in conditional compliance with the national party. The National Democratic party moved Iowa out of its first spot for 2024, and the plan is designed to keep Iowa Democrats on the same night as Iowa Republicans without going against the national party.

Hart says they believe this delegate selection plan meets the requirements of the national party for the timing of the results, and for the Iowa law that requires caucuses to be held in person.

Rita Hart (Iowa-Democrat Party photo)

Hart also says Iowa Democrats will get a chance to move back to the front of the line in four years.

Scott Brennan, and Iowan who is on the Democratic National Committee says he is confident Iowa will get another shot as well.

Hart says the whole goal of Iowa Democrats is to create an inclusive and accessible caucus process.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced today her staff will be holding traveling office hours in every county throughout the state during October and November. *Please Note: Senator Ernst will not be at the traveling office hours*

Representatives from Senator Ernst’s office will be available in all 99 counties throughout October and November to assist Iowans with problems or questions about issues involving Social Security, veterans’ benefits, military affairs, passports, immigration issues, and other federal programs. Constituents seeking assistance with federal agencies who are unable to attend the traveling office hours can contact one of the senator’s offices directly or submit a casework request online at www.Ernst.senate.gov.

The list of some upcoming dates and locations for her traveling office hours in this area, can be found below (in alphabetical order). All times are Central Time.

Adair County: Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, 10 AM – 11 AM; Greenfield Chamber, 202 S. 1^st Street (Greenfield, IA)

Adams County: Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, 1 PM – 2 PM; Corning Public Library, 603 9th Street (Corning, IA)

Audubon County: Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, 1 PM – 2 PM; Audubon County Courthouse, 318 Leroy Street (Audubon, IA)

Cass County: Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, 9 AM – 10 AM; Atlantic Public Library, 507 Popular Street (Atlantic, IA)

Guthrie County: Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, 3 PM – 4 PM; Mary J. Barnett Memorial Library, 400 Grand Street (Guthrie Center, IA)

Montgomery County: Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, 3 PM – 4 PM; Red Oak Public Library, 400 N. 2^nd Street, (Red Oak, IA)

Pottawattamie County: Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, 3 PM – 4 PM; Walnut City Hall, 229 Antique City Drive, (Walnut, IA)

Shelby County: Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, 11 AM – 12 PM; Harlan Chamber of Commerce, 1901 Hawkeye Avenue, (Harlan, IA)

DES MOINES, Iowa – Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Friday), announced her appointment of David Brooks as a district associate judge in Judicial Election District 4. Judicial Election District 4 includes Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties.

Brooks, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, is an assistant public defender at the Office of the Iowa State Public Defender.  He is also a Judge Advocate General for the Iowa National Guard.  Brooks received an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law. 

Brooks fills a vacancy created following the appointment of the Hon. Eric J.  Nelson as a district court judge.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett asks motorists to be on the lookout for Halloween Trick-or-Treaters on Oct. 31st. During Wednesday’s City Council meeting, the Mayor reminds residents that City-wide Trick or Treating in Atlantic takes place from 5-until 7-p.m., on the 31st.

Healthychildren.org has these tips for prospective trick-or-treaters and adults:

• Always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds. If trick-or-treating doesn’t start until after dark where you live, consider checking with your town or park district for Halloween activities offered earlier in the day. Research shows that evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. are the riskiest times of day for child pedestrians.
• If your older children are trick-or-treating alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home and get flashlights with batteries for everyone.
• Talk with kids about the risk of distracted walking. This includes text messaging, talking on or looking at the mobile phone and listening to music.
  
  
• Cross the street as a group in established crosswalks. Most (62%) child pedestrian traffic fatalities occurred mid-block, rather than at intersections. Make sure kids know not to cross the street between parked cars or out of driveways or alleys.
  
  
• Don’t assume cars will stop just because they have the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing trick-or-treaters.
  
  
• Stay on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk. If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic. Only go to homes with a porch light on and, ideally, a well-lit pathway.
  
  
• Older children should travel in groups and create a “buddy system” to get each other home safely.
  
  
• Caution kids never enter a home or car for a treat. Notify law enforcement authorities immediately about any suspicious or unlawful activity.
  
  
• Review with children how to call 9-1-1 (or their local emergency number) if they ever have an emergency or become lost or is prone to wander. See “Help Prevent Your Child from Going Missing” for tips.

(Radio Iowa) – A woman who’s called one of the world’s greatest living guitarists will bring her eclectic show to central Iowa later this month, as Matt Kelley reports:

More at www.civiccenter.org

(Griswold, Iowa) – A nursing home in Cass County (IA) could face sanctions for a woman’s death allegedly caused by the staff providing her with the wrong meal. According to a report in the the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing recently cited the Griswold Rehab and Health Care Center in Cass County for failing to serve residents the appropriate prescribed diet. The agency proposed a $10,000 fine, which is being held in suspension while federal officials determine whether a federal penalty is warranted.

According to the agency, a female resident of the home had been prescribed a soft-textured diet due to issues with swallowing. On the evening of Aug. 28, the resident was served coleslaw that had not been minced as it should have been. Later, the staff noticed the woman was coughing continuously. Her lungs had gurgling sounds and her oxygen saturation level was in the 70% range – a dangerously low level since anything in the 80% range often requires immediate medical intervention.

About 21 hours later, a nurse aide noticed the woman was struggling to breathe and was coughing so hard that she had coleslaw coming out of her nose. The aide later told inspectors that after the director of nursing declined to assess the resident or check the woman’s vital signs, she approached a registered nurse who provided supplemental oxygen, called a physician, and sent the woman to the hospital. She was admitted for aspiration pneumonia, a condition that typically involves inhaling food or liquids into the lungs.

Two days later, the resident was reported to have died at the hospital of respiratory failure. Hospital x-rays showed the woman had aspirated an unidentified organism. The nursing home’s dietary manager later told inspectors she knew the woman should not have been served coleslaw, but her department had been “very low staffed” and she was serving meals by herself on the night in question with the help of a high school student. She told inspectors that an aide or nurse probably made a mistake and grabbed the wrong plate for the woman.

The facility was also cited for failing to adequately protect residents from abuse. A resident of the home told the staff he heard a worker tell his roommate 50 times to get dressed and then heard a slap and a thud against the wall, as if someone fell. The resident who fell was later treated for wounds to a finger, elbow and one knee, and later pointed out an aide and exclaimed, “She did it.” The aide denied any wrongdoing.

In addition to the citation for resident abuse, the home was cited for 10 other regulatory violations. In August 2022, the Griswold Rehab and Health Care Center was cited for failing to recognize that abuse had occurred and failing to protect residents from abuse. At that time, federal officials imposed a fine of $28,103.

The facility is owned by Griswold Care Center Inc., a for-profit company owned by Roger and Arlene Hinz. The facility has the lowest rating — one star on a five-star scale — from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with regard to both inspection results and overall quality.

(Radio Iowa) – We are going to get our first taste of some cooler fall weather this weekend, including the possibility of frost. National Weather Service meteorologist, Ashley Bury says the first wave of frost could hit tomorrow (Saturday).

Bury says it will be enough of a frost that you might want to consider action to protect plants.

Things will get a little heavier into next week — and you may need a scraper for your car.

Bury says the daytime temperatures will be more normal for October.

She says there’s a potential for some precipitation by the end of next week, but the potential right now is not very high.