(Radio Iowa) – A procession that part of a Catholic National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will pass through Iowa. Father Jacob Epstein of the Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Council Bluffs says four pilgrimages will merge into one.

The procession that started in California makes its way into Iowa and for a mass at Tom Hanafan’s River’s Edge Park Sunday at 1:45 before making its way through Omaha into Iowa and eventually to Father Epstein’s church.

The procession will stop at several Iowa churches before making its way to Indianapolis.

Father Epstein says this event is rare.

The procession will leave the Corpus Christi Parish Monday afternoon at 12:45 following a mass.

(Radio Iowa) – There’s still no drought in Iowa, but the number of counties where the soil is considered abnormally dry has almost doubled in the past week, bouncing from around 16 counties to nearly 31, according to the latest U-S Drought Monitor map. Angie Rieck Hinz, a field agronomist with the Iowa State University Extension, says crop conditions in her region of north-central Iowa are improving.

It requires a delicate balance of both rain and sunshine to grow crops, and this season’s been heavy on the rain so far, as a change of pace from nearly four years of drought. Rieck Hinz says the gusty winds are also an issue.

Iowa’s backyard gardeners know how tough it is to keep out the weeds, so imagine what it’s like for farmers with a few hundred acres of crops. She says weeds are sprouting in many fields right and left.

Forecasters say temperatures will rise back into the 80s and 90s today (Friday) and for the next several days across much of Iowa, with the chance for scattered showers through Saturday.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) report, that at around 8:52-a.m. Thursday, June 20th, the Council Bluffs Fire Department notified the Iowa DNR Field Office of an approximate 900-gallon release of tack, an asphalt adhesive with a 60/40 blend of water and asphalt, into a storm drain at 8th Street and Broadway in Council Bluffs.

The release was the result of a  semi-truck rollover accident. The driver suffered non-life threatening injuries. His name was not officially released. Authorities say the company responsible for the release was Henningsen Construction,  of Atlantic.

The product flowed into a storm drain, which empties into Indian Creek and, then the Missouri River. City crews on-site were able to close the storm drain within minutes after the release. However, an unknown amount did flow through the storm drain into Indian Creek. A sheen was observed on Indian Creek downstream of the release.

The city officials and fire department staff worked together towards clean-up efforts. An underflow dam was placed at the bridge of 16th Avenue. Additionally, booms and sphag sorb are being used to help stop and remove product in Indian Creek.

Residents are asked to stay away from the area. DNR staff will monitor cleanup and containment. The DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action.

(Red Oak, Iowa) — Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a man from Pottawattamie County was arrested this (Thursday) afternoon, on a Montgomery County felony warrant for Violation of Probation. 46-year-old Justin James Smith, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 2:30-p.m.

Smith was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $10,000 cash-only bond.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Board of Nursing has taken action against nurses accused of stealing medications, being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at work, and inadvertently contributing to a hospital patient’s death. One of the cases involves 40-year-old Rahni Brower, of Carroll, who was charged by the board with misappropriating patient medications and committing an act that may adversely affect a patient’s welfare.

According to the board, Brower worked for Carroll Area Nursing Services (CANS) for roughly 18 months before she was fired in December 2022. After her dismissal, CANS administrator Kimberly Lambert filed a complaint with the board alleging Brower had stolen a patient’s medications, including oxycodone, resulting in increased pain for the patient. At a recent board hearing, Lambert testified that she had asked Brower to submit to a drug test, but the urine sample Brower provided was discarded as not being within the acceptable temperature range. A subsequent test produced negative results.

Lambert testified that she fired Brower and soon thereafter received complaints from two CANS clients who alleged Brower visited their homes after she was terminated. In the first of those cases, Brower was allegedly seen checking the patient’s medicine cabinet, after which it was discovered that all of the patient’s fentanyl patches were missing. In the second of the two cases, Brower allegedly checked a patient’s medication supply, after which it was discovered that all of the man’s hydrocodone pain killers had been replaced with Tylenol.

According to the board, a fourth CANS client allegedly reported that she had once seen Brower rifling through her medication box, after which she discovered at least 120 pills, including oxycodone, were missing. Two of Brower’s previous employers allegedly told the board they had concerns regarding medications that were never accounted for during Brower’s employment. Neither of the two facilities – which aren’t named in board documents – were able to clear Brower of any wrongdoing.

According to board records, Brower denied taking medications from clients or her employers. With regard to her post-termination visits to patients’ homes, she alleged she had made those visits to return books or DVDs she had borrowed. After hearing testimony in the case, the board concluded that the preponderance of the evidence established the theft of medication. The board opted not to revoke Brower’s license but to impose a suspension. Her license may be reinstated if she establishes that the reasons for her suspension no longer exist.

In order to request reinstatement, Brower will have to complete a comprehensive substance abuse and mental health evaluation and comply with any treatment recommendations, and she must complete a course on professional boundaries and ethics.

In Carroll County, Brower is currently facing three misdemeanor charges of unlawful possession of a controlled substance through her employment as a home health nurse. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and a trial is scheduled for Aug. 13th. In Greene County, Brower is facing two felony counts of unlawfully obtaining controlled substances through theft, and two misdemeanor prescription-drug violations. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and a trial is scheduled for Sept. 16.

Brower’s license suspension took effect on April 12. On May 22, Brower informed the court that she was working for Vivian Health, a medical staffing agency. Other Iowa nurses recently sanctioned include:

Andrea Cline of Grinnell and Amber Hills of Estherville, both of whom were alleged to have fed and medicated a hospital patient on March 18, 2019, using a gastric feeding tube that had been improperly routed into one of the patient’s lungs. The board issued a warning to both nurses.

Shelley Arends, who was the subject of a board order earlier this year. The board has not publicly disclosed the charges against Arends, the circumstances that led to those charges, or the nature of the order that was issued.

Nicole Klosterman of Cedar Rapids, who was assigned to a hospital, undisclosed by the board, in April 2023 when her colleagues allegedly observed that she appeared to be impaired while on duty as demonstrated by her altered behavior, speech and appearance. The board charged her with practicing nursing while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The board placed Klosterman’s license on probation for nine months subject to her compliance with a chemical screening program.

Sadessa Hernandez of Altoona, who was accused of discarding 172 narcotic pills on a single day in September 2023 while working at a care center the board has not publicly identified. The board placed Hernandez’s license on probation for 12 months and ordered her to refrain from using alcohol or illicit drugs and to submit to a chemical screening program.

Amanda Hake of Davenport, who pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a controlled substance after police found her in possession of oxycodone without a valid prescription. Hake entered her guilty plea in October 2022. The board filed disciplinary charges against her 16 months later in January 2024. The board recently placed Hake’s license on probation for 12 months. She will be required to submit to chemical screening and attend recovery support group meetings if recommended.

Trenton Buchanan of Cedar Rapids, who was charged by the board with committing an act that may adversely affect a patient’s welfare, misappropriating patient medications or property; unauthorized possession or use of a controlled substance; and excessive use of drugs in a manner that may impair a licensee’s ability to practice with skill and safety. Buchanan has agreed to refrain from practicing nursing while the board’s investigation into the matter continues.

(Source: Iowa Capital Dispatch)

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa couple found guilty of helping their son flee the country rather than stand trial for attempted murder have been paroled after serving a fraction of their prison sentences. Two years ago, then 19-year-old Ali Younes was accused of tackling a woman on the University of Iowa campus, choking her until she passed out and stealing her 20-thousand dollar earrings. Younes was ordered to wear an ankle monitor and stay at his family’s home until his trial, but court records show he cut off the monitor and flew to Jordan.

Investigators say Lima and Alfred Younes drove from their home in Sutherland, got 21-thousand dollars in cash after selling a vehicle in Omaha and rented a van to take their son to Chicago, where he flew to Jordan with his grandmother. Last August a jury found Lima Younes guilty of aiding her son’s escape and her husband pleaded guilty a month later. LimaYounes was paroled after serving over seven months of her five year prison sentence.

Alfred Younes, also sentenced to five years, was released from prison after serving over five months.

(Radio Iowa) – The jobs numbers are out for May and Iowa Workforce Development director, Beth Townsend, says they are positive.

She says there was some growth in jobs.

Townsend says there are some issues on the horizon.

She says the Tyson closing in Perry and the other announced layoffs will start to show up in the June and July unemployment numbers. But she says the job conditions remain very good for the works impacted by those company moves.

Townsend is confident in the I-W-D process.

Unemployment rose above three percent at the end of 2023 and has been moving down slightly since the start of the new year. The May rate this year is the same as one year ago.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on the E-P-A and the Biden Administration to raise Renewable Fuel Standard volumes so they keep up with the amount of biofuels our factories can churn out. Grassley says the agency didn’t boost the Renewable Volume Obligation — or R-V-O — levels far enough last year. He says it’s an “insult” for those levels to be so low and the result is a stifled industry and a discouragement of outside investment, which is costing green jobs in Iowa.

Grassley, a Republican, is joining with Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar in calling for a boost in R-V-O volumes in order to keep pace with biofuels production and availability. Sixteen other senators signed on.

The letter to the E-P-A highlights environmental benefits from an increase in biofuels production, including how biomass-based diesel can cut carbon emissions by more than 70 percent. Grassley says there are significant economic advantages for the entire supply chain, from the farmer to the consumer.

Iowa is the nation’s top producer of both ethanol and biodiesel. The letter to the head of the EPA says: “America’s environmental and energy security depend on the widespread production, availability, and use of biofuels. Biofuels play a particularly critical role in emissions reduction for heavy-duty transportation – including aviation, shipping, rail, and trucking – while opening up economic opportunities for American farmers. A strong RFS and broad availability of homegrown agricultural feedstocks are critical for ensuring we keep up the progress we have made in decarbonizing our roads, seas, railways and skies.”

(Radio Iowa) – With bird flu cases confirmed in at least nine northwest Iowa dairy herds, there may be new requirements for some dairy cattle exhibited at county fairs and the Iowa State Fair this summer. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig expects to make an announcement soon.

Cows enter a more than 300-day lactating cycle and produce milk after giving birth to a calf. In early 2022 after bird flu reemerged in Iowa poultry operations, Naig cancelled live bird shows at fairs and other exhibitions to try to curb the spread of the virus. Iowa law requires county fairs to have a veterinarian inspect all livestock, poultry and birds as the animals arrive on the fairgrounds for shows and exhibits.