(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.

Ames, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Transportation (I-DOT) is in the running for a national award for its initiative to make traveling easier for people with disabilities. The DOT is in the second year of a four-year plan to put adult changing tables in all restroom facilities at rest areas throughout Iowa. Their efforts have been recognized by America’s Transportation Awards, and they are in the running for a $10,000 prize. If the Iowa DOT wins, the money will be donated to the Arc of Iowa’s Changing Spaces Campaign. The money will help raise awareness and help further their goal of getting adult changing tables in restrooms throughout Iowa and not just at rest stops.

In a social media post, the Iowa DOT said mentioned comments by a woman named “Jenny,” who is the mom of two medically complex children. She wrote, “I just wanted to say THANK YOU !! I live in SD, and was traveling home from vacation in Kentucky with one of my sons, and had to stop to use the restroom on I-29, south of Council Bluffs. I was absolutely thrilled when I saw the adult changing table symbol of the rest stop sign – and beyond excited to be able to change my 15-year-old son, without laying him on the bathroom floor or finding a quiet outdoor space! If every rest stop everywhere had one of these, what a life changer that would be!”

Michael Kennerley is the Director of the Design Bureau for the DOT. He said that being nominated for this national award is helping raise awareness for the necessity, which he believes is a true benefit because it can spread the design to other states and cities.

Anyone can vote online for the Iowa DOT’s adult changing facilities, and people can vote multiple times throughout the day.

(Iowa DNR News) – Fall in Iowa delivers a stunning spectacle of fall colors: red, yellow, orange, and purple leaves abound. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites you to “Enjoy a fall drive and take in all the beautiful colors!” In their weekly Fall Colors update, the DNR says:

• There are lots of vibrant colors in northeast Iowa from sugar maple, sumac, Virginia creeper, ash, walnut, basswood and cottonwood. This week and next will be best to enjoy a fall leaf-peeper road trip to the beautiful Driftless Region.
• Sumac, dogwoods, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy are showing red in north central and northwest Iowa. Hard maples are showing more orange and some red.
• Hard maples are showing red, yellow and orange in some areas in central Iowa. Sumac are bright red and crimson. Drought stress is causing some early leaf loss which will reduce overall colors.
• Scattered white ash are showing some purple in southeast Iowa. Urban maples are starting to show red, yellow, and orange.
• Coffee trees are starting to turn yellow in south central Iowa. Drought stressed maples are changing color, especially in urban areas.
• Shrubs and trees are turning color on drier slopes in west central Iowa. Fall prairie flowers are in bloom.
• White ash are turning purple in southwest Iowa, along with dry slope cottonwoods. Most species that turn yellow (cottonwood, silver maple, black walnut, hackberry, elm, buttonbush) have started to turn.

Crisp air and changing leaves bring an exciting new season of travel! Those looking for a last-minute autumn adventure to pick the perfect pumpkin, sip on local wine with a view or take a hike through the vibrant foliage should look no further than Iowa. For those travelers already looking to beat cabin fever, plan an exciting winter getaway complete with cozy cabins, snow fun and all the holiday lights needed to get into the festive spirit.  Check out the full list of top destinations and activities statewide in the new Fall and Winter Travel Guide. A good fall destination is filled with vibrant seasonal views. On the road, along a trail, from a campground or on the water, there is no shortage of last-minute fall fun in Iowa.

Hitchcock Nature Center allows visitors a bird’s eye view of the foliage from the top of a 45-foot-tall observation tower, with several hiking trails in nearby Loess Hills State Forest. Agritourism opportunities abound in the area – visitors can pick their own apples and find the perfect pumpkin at Deal’s Orchard or Ditmars Orchard.

Those who prefer taking the scenic route can set off on an idyllic fall road trip on one of Iowa’s many scenic byways. Recognized as one of the best byways in the United States, the Great River Road follows the winding Mississippi River along Iowa’s eastern border. Stop for a hike at Yellow River State Forest, enjoy a glass of wine and some live music at Wide River Winery or find charming lodging at one of the communities along the way.

For a one-of-a-kind view, Iowa also offers cruises along the Mississippi and Iowa rivers. Settle in for a multi-day sail on the authentic Victorian-era Riverboat Twilight, or opt for a day trip on the Scenic City Empress. For the adrenaline seekers, the first Midwest Rail Explorers location is in central Iowa. Visitors will strap into a pedal-assisted rail bike and travel 12.5 miles round trip along the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad for unobstructed views of the Des Moines River Valley.

Mark your calendars for these events and activities you won’t want to miss.

• Scenic Drive Festival, Villages of Van Buren, October 13-15
• Spirits in the Gardens, Ames, October 13-15, 20-22
  

  Spirits in the Garden in Ames

  

  Atlantic Grand Lighting

• 64th Annual Craft Carnival, Clarinda, October 21
• Downtown Grand Lighting, Atlantic, November 16
• Norwegian Christmas, Decorah, December 2
• Tannenbaum Forest, Amana Colonies, December 15-17
• University of Okoboji Winter Games, Okoboji, January 25-28