Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The decision over whether to hold Senate hearings for President Obama’s eventual Supreme Court nominee rests with one person: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. So far, the 82-year-old Iowa senator has offered a muddled message on the subject. Grassley is seeking his seventh term in the Senate and has worked well with Democrats on some issues.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lost 500 farms last year, continuing a trend seen in recent years in which there are fewer farms operating and those that remain are becoming larger. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says most of the loss was smaller farms with sales of less than $10,000. Iowa posted a total of 87,500 farms in 2015. Total land in farms was 30.5 million acres. That’s about the same as the year before.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The state will spend nearly $250,000 on a consultant to help three Iowa cities find new tenants for empty, state-owned buildings. The Des Moines Register reports the Iowa Economic Development Board voted Friday to hire a national company, Matrix Design Group, to help seek new tenants for recently closed facilities in Toledo, Clarinda and Mount Pleasant.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Health officials are reporting Iowa’s first case of the Zika virus. The Department of Public Health announced Friday that the female victim, who wasn’t named, tested positive for the virus. The agency says she’s between 61 and 80 years old and had traveled in Central America.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lost 500 farms last year, continuing a trend seen in recent years in which there are fewer farms operating and those that remain are becoming larger. The number of farms in Iowa has fallen about 1.6 percent in the last five years while the average farm size has increased 1.5 percent.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says most of the loss was smaller farms with sales of less than $10,000. Iowa posted a total of 87,500 farms in 2015. Total land in farms was 30.5 million acres. That’s about the same as the year before. The average farm size rose slightly to 349 acres. Nationally, the number of farms fell by 18,000 last year to 2.07 million.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court says a stun gun, under Iowa law, is a dangerous weapon. The court made the conclusion as it affirmed the conviction of a woman charged with carrying a dangerous weapon after police found a stun gun in her purse in 2013 during an arrest for theft at a Waterloo Walmart.

Taquala Howse, who is 25, appealed saying her small hand-held stun gun isn’t dangerous. A district judge convicted Howse, finding the state had proven it was dangerous. The Iowa Court of Appeals last year concluded since the device didn’t work when police tested it and it couldn’t immobilize anyone, it wasn’t dangerous.

The Supreme Court reversed the decision saying stun guns fall under the Iowa code’s definition of a dangerous weapon even if it’s inoperable.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) today (Friday) announced an Iowa resident, who recently traveled to countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing, has tested positive for the virus. Following approval of Zika testing by IDPH, health care providers send specimens to the State Hygienic Laboratory, which then routes them to the CDC for analysis. The older adult (61 to 80 years of age) female has a travel history to Central America.

IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk said “The general public is not at risk of contracting this virus, because the mosquitoes that transmit Zika are not established in Iowa. However, Iowans traveling to areas where there is ongoing Zika virus transmission should take care to protect themselves from mosquito bites.”

The CDC is currently advising pregnant women to delay travel to foreign countries where Zika is being transmitted. There have been reports of a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly (meaning small head) and other poor pregnancy outcomes in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant. Women who are trying to become pregnant should talk to their doctor about their plans to become pregnant and the risk of Zika virus infection. The CDC is currently recommending that if your male sexual partner has traveled to or lives in an area with active Zika virus transmission you should abstain from sex or use condoms the right way every time you have vaginal, anal, and oral sex for the duration of the pregnancy.

The CDC is investigating a possible link between Zika virus infection and Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological condition which causes varying degrees of paralysis; in addition, mosquitoes in areas where Zika transmission is ongoing may also carry diseases like dengue or chikungunya.

Therefore, any traveler (males, females and children) visiting areas with ongoing Zika transmission should carefully follow steps to avoid mosquito bites:

Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants
Using EPA-registered insect repellents
Using permethrin-treated clothing
Staying and sleeping in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms
Avoid or limit outdoor activities during peak mosquito times.

The Zika virus illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week and hospitalizations are rare. Most people exposed to Zika virus won’t develop any symptoms at all. There is currently no vaccine or treatment for the virus. To learn more about Zika virus, including a link to a Zika-affected travel map, visit https://idph.iowa.gov/ehi/zika.

An investigation into an incident at a residence in Exira resulted in one person being arrested for two counts of Child Endangerment. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office says 36-year old Erik James Goldberg, of Exira, was arrested at around 11:30-p.m. Thursday, following an altercation that allegedly took place, where children were present.

Goldberg was brought to the Audubon County Jail and held until making an appearance in front of a magistrate, and then released. No other details about the incident which led to his arrest, were released. An investigation into the matter continues.

A motorist who was distracted by a friend caused an accident Thursday evening in Creston that resulted in possible/unknown injuries. Authorities say 18-year old Paul Carruthers, of Lenox, was driving a 1992 Dodge pickup east on Highway 34 at around 5:10-p.m., when he saw a friend waiving him down from the opposite side of the street. When Carruthers attempted to make a right turn onto Cherry Street in Creston, his pickup hit 2008 Chevy Impala that was in the adjacent lane of the two-lane road.

The impact caused the car to hit a utility pole head-on, and resulted in the vehicles’ airbags being deployed. The driver of the car, 53-year old Angela Vicker, of Creston, was checked-out at the scene by medics, and then released.

Carruthers was cited for “Turning at Intersection Violation.” Damage from the collision amounted to $5,500.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office has issued a report on recent incidents and arrests. Sheriff’s officials say a woman from Lorimor reported on Feb. 5th, that someone kicked-in the side, walk-in door to her garage located in the 800 block of Main Street. The incident, which occurred sometime between 6-and 9-p.m. Feb. 5th, resulted in damage to the door that amounted to $100, but nothing was reported missing.

The Sheriff’s Office said also, that 41-year old Virginia Jean Keasey, of Adair, was arrested Feb. 10th at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Keasey was taken into custody on a Union County warrant for probation violation. The woman was being held without bond, in the Ringgold County Jail.

And, a Creston man, 18-year old Dyrrel Malik Thornton Culbertson, was arrested Feb. 16th in Adams County, on a Union County warrant for probation violation. Culbertson was being held in the Union County Jail on $5,000 bond.

At some point in many women’s lives, they will have to make major financial decisions. Money Talk, a course offered locally this March by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, gives women the knowledge to make those decisions and improve their lives. Sandra McKinnon, Family Finance Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, says “Women are often vulnerable when it comes to their financial future. Women tend to live longer than men, have lower wages, be more conservative in their investments and are in and out of the workforce more frequently.”

McKinnon says “The Money Talk program is designed to help women improve their money management skills and overall level of financial knowledge. Participants will develop confidence in decision making and gain control of their finances.”

The 5-session class will be held Thursdays, starting March 3, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic. Registration deadline is February 29.
Instructors for the class include McKinnon, as well as several local professionals, and will cover the following topics:

March 3: Financial Basics – Sandra McKinnon, Iowa State University Extension
March 10: Insurance Essentials – Tammy Cullen, Cullen & Associates
March 17: Investment Fundamentals – Jenny Johnson, Wiges & Johnson
March 24: Retirement Realities – Megan Roberts, Megan Roberts State Farm
March 31: Legal Issues -Jody Lorence, Otto, Lorence & Weiderstein, PLLC

The program is strictly educational, using a research-based Extension curriculum, and does not promote any company or product. Local speakers were invited to share their subject matter expertise, and to be a voice of experience for participant questions.
The cost for the 5 week program is $25 per person. This includes all sessions, handout materials and a 192-page workbook that participants will use to track their goals and progress. This program registration fee is below the usual course fee of $75 per person due to support from the Cass County Extension Council and local sponsors Cullen & Associates; Wiges & Johnson, Ameriprise Financial; Megan Roberts, State Farm; and Otto, Lorence & Wiederstein, PLLC.

For more information, or to register, contact the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132.  A registration form can also be found on the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.

“What You Should Know About Heart Attacks” is the topic of this month’s session of “Healthy U,” which will be held on a special date and time – Monday, February 29th at 5:30 pm at Cass County Health System.

Anand Deshmukh, MD, FACP will be presenting about heart attack causes, symptoms, and treatments. Dr. Deshmukh is a visiting cardiologist at CCHS from Methodist Physicians Clinic Heart Care Center.

Dr. Anand Deshmukh, MD, FACP.

The session will be on Monday, February 29th at 5:30 pm in Conference Room 2 at Cass County Health System. Healthy U is a free educational series offered by Cass County Health System that focuses on a different health topic each month. All registered attendees receive a healthy boxed meal in addition to the educational program presented by medical professionals.

For more information, or to make a reservation for Healthy U, call 712-243-7479.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) – Iowa has lost its bid to land the corporate headquarters of the agricultural company that will be formed after the DuPont-Dow Chemical merger is completed. The Des Moines Register reports that DuPont and Dow announced today (Friday) that the headquarters will be located in Wilmington, Delaware. The new company will retain strong presences in Johnston, Iowa, where DuPont Pioneer is situated, as well as Indianapolis, Indiana, home to Dow Agrosciences.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority’s due diligence committee Friday approved a $2 million forgivable loan and up to $14 million in research activities tax credits for the new company. The full board is expected to approve the measure later Friday. The credits apply to the expected 250 to 500 research and development jobs the company expects to retain in Johnston.