More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Insurance Division says it now overseeing a program that will help the roughly 500-thousand Iowa Medicare users. The director of Iowa’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), Kris Gross, explains the program. “Medicare Patrol or S-M-P is a program to help Medicare beneficiaries prevent and detect fraud, errors and abuse,” Gross says. Gross says there are a couple of ways Medicare users can help. “One is their Medicare summary notices — which shows what services they’ve had — and by monitoring those summary notices they can see if there are inappropriate charges, or things that they really didn’t receive services for,” Gross says.
And she says they can help by reporting scams that try to get personal information. “Remembering that Medicare and Social Security are never going to call you for your Medicare number. They have it,” Gross explains. “So, you should not be giving out those numbers to anyone who would just call you on the phone.” The program allows you to call and talk to someone about any concerns. “If someone suspects fraud, errors or abuse, they can call S-M-P. Our 800 number is 800-351-4664. Or they can email us at smp@iid.iowa.gov,” according to Gross.
While she doesn’t have the state specific numbers — Gross says Medicare fraud added up to 50 BILLION dollars nationwide in 2017. “That’s a big number, and the S-M-P program and our S-M-P counselors across the state are hear to help people investigate those fraud errors and abuse — and if necessary — get them reported to the appropriate federal agency,” Gross says. You are also are encouraged to visit shiip.iowa.gov/smp To learn about new Medicare insurance scams and discover tips and tools to prevent and report Medicare fraud.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Several schools, businesses and agencies are remaining closed as Iowa’s record-breaking and dangerous deep freeze continues. The National Weather Service has posted wind chill advisories or warnings for Iowa, but they’re expected to expire later this (Thursday) morning. The bitter cold that beset the nation’s midsection broke records in several Iowa cities Wednesday, including Des Moines. The minus 20 handily broke the 1965 low of minus 17. The Wednesday wind child hit minus 40.
The minus 25 degrees in Waterloo broke the Jan. 30 record of minus 24 set in 1951. Estherville, Lamoni, Mason City and Ottumwa also had record low temperatures. Here in southwest Iowa, many schools are running two-hours late this morning, due to the chilly weather.
The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.
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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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(Radio Iowa) — Leaders of a group that’s been critical of industrial farming say they’ll again push Iowa legislators to ban any expansion or new construction of confined animal feeding operations. Jess Mazour of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, says they’ve been asking for changes in existing state rules for where large-scale livestock barns may be built. “We’ve given the DNR and the legislature ample opportunities to make small tweaks and improvements to our permitting system for factory farms here in Iowa and they’ve taken every opportunity to just dismiss or avoid or not pass anything to approve changes,” Mazour says. “We’re going to go for a moratorium this year. It’s going to be our big bill.”
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement helped form a coalition of groups last year to lobby for a moratorium. Mazour says the group believes it’s important to prevent expansion of existing facilities as well as a moratorium on construction of new livestock confinements. “That way we have a two-prong thing,” she says. “We need to stop the expansion of the factory farm industry here in Iowa through a moratorium, and then for the existing 10,000-plus facilities that we have in the state, we need strong Clean Water Act implementation to hold them accountable to protecting our water.”
Mazour says they’re targeting larger facilities in two categories. “For our definition of a factory farm, sometimes we can go by numbers. So medium and large facilities are any facilities that, for hogs, is 1,250 hogs or more,” Mazour says. “If you go by animal units, which takes into account all different kinds of animals, that would be 500 A.U. or above.” Mazour says the primary motivating factor is keeping one of Iowa’s most vital resources, our waterways, safe from pollution. “The other thing that’s really important to us is it’s not just about the size, it’s about the fact that these are no longer independent family farms,” she says. “These are corporate integrated sites.”
Critics of a moratorium say it would hurt Iowa’s rural economy. The Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers says there is already a “maze of state and federal regulations” producers must navigate before building a new livestock barn.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of killing a 16-month-old girl is scheduled to go on trial next week in Pottawattamie County. District Court records say 23-year-old Javon Jennings has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His trial is set to begin Tuesday in Council Bluffs. He’s accused of killing Jazlynn Harshbarger, who was pronounced dead at a Council Bluffs apartment on April 19 last year after officers and medics sent there to check a report about an unresponsive child . Police say he was the sole caretaker of the girl when she was fatally injured. Her injuries included a broken left leg.
CHICAGO (AP) — Cameron Krutwig hit his first 3-pointer of the season for a five-point lead with 48 seconds left and Loyola-Chicago held off Northern Iowa 61-60 on Wednesday night for its seventh straight home win. Krutwig made a hook shot in the lane for a 57-55 lead and he blocked a shot under the basket at the other end. Inbounding it with 51.4 seconds on the clock and four on the shot clock, Krutwig was left wide open in the corner and he swished it. He had missed his previous two 3-pointers this season. AJ Green nailed a long 3-pointer just before the final buzzer for UNI.
Krutwig finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for Loyola (14-8, 7-2 Missouri Valley Conference), which has claimed 21 of its last 24 league games. Loyola has won 12 straight conference games at home for the first time since 1984-86 as a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. Marques Townes added 19 points and Bruno Skokna 11.
Loyola sophomore Lucas Williamson, who was averaging 8.6 points and 6.5 rebounds, underwent surgery this week on his right hand and will be out for three to four weeks.
Luke McDonnell scored 16 points and Green, averaging 14.9 points per game to lead MVC freshman, added 14 points for Northern Iowa (9-13, 4-5), which has won just once in eight games on the road this season.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State’s Lindell Wigginton leapt into the lane to steal a pass, sprinted down the court and got fouled. He then casually flipped the ball underhanded toward the basket from 30 feet — and found the bottom of the net. It was that kind of night for Wigginton, who has transitioned from a starter on a losing team to a lethal weapon off the bench for a winning one. Wigginton scored a season-high 28 points and 20th-ranked Iowa State cruised past West Virginia 93-68 on Wednesday night, its fourth win in five games. Wigginton’s previous high for points this season was 18 on Saturday in a Top 25 road win at Mississippi, a sign that he’s finally 100 percent back from the foot injury that cost him most of the non-conference season. Marial Shayok scored 18 points for the surging Cyclones (16-5, 5-3 Big 12), who shot 26 of 39 inside the 3-point line and 29 of 33 from the free throw line.
With all the chaos erupting atop the Big 12 standings, the Cyclones have a shot at taking control of the league in the weeks ahead. The weather in Iowa was so cold that the entire state canceled mail service on Wednesday, and it showed at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones typically fill their gym, especially for league games, but attendance was sparse at the upper levels of the arena. It was hard to blame some fans for staying home, though, on a day when the wind chill reached as low as minus-49 in Ames. But when Iowa State needed its crowd down the stretch, Hilton was as loud as ever.
“Great crowd. Great energy. Obviously it was a little cold out there,” Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said.
UP NEXT
Iowa State hosts Texas on Saturday.