- KJAN, Atlantic 1.8″
- 7 miles NNE of Atlantic 1.3″
- Avoca 4.5″
- Audubon 2″
- Guthrie Center 2″
- Oakland 2.6″
- Neola 3.5″
- Logan 2″
- Underwood 3″
- Denison 1″
- Council Bluffs 4″
- Carroll 1″
(Radio Iowa) — Many of Iowa’s rural communities are experiencing a doctor shortage but physician assistants, or P-As, are helping to fill the gap. Jonathan Sobel, president of the America Academy of Physician Assistants, says some Iowans may not know just how much a P-A can do versus an M-D — which is just about everything. “We’re medical professionals who diagnose illness and develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications and often serve as the patient’s health care provider,” Sobel says. “We work on health care teams with physicians and other providers in just about every medical setting and specialty you can think of and there’s more than 123,000 of us in the United States.”
In Iowa, there are more than 14-hundred P-As and they have a median base salary in the state of $108,000. The P-A profession was ranked #3 in U.S. News and World Report’s 2017 Best 100 Jobs List. Sobel says those interested in medicine should consider a P-A program. “It’s now currently at the masters degree level and we have 236 accredited programs across the country,” Sobel says. “We’re helping to fill the shortage in physicians and that gap that exists throughout the country in many areas.”
The programs run 27 months or 3 academic years and a bachelor’s degree is required for acceptance. The P-A concept was developed in the 1960s as there was a doctor shortage and experienced combat medics were returning from Vietnam. The program was developed to put their skills to civilian use. “PAs increase access to care for patients and reduce wait times,” Sobel says. “PAs have been time-proven, we’re over 50 years old. A few years ago, a Harris Poll looked at satisfaction amongst patients with their PAs and it was well over 90%.”
With thousands of hours of medical training, he notes P-As are versatile and collaborative.
(Radio Iowa) — Three candidates for governor spend part of Sunday afternoon discussing how to improve access to mental health and substance abuse treatment in Iowa. Options for financing and expanding treatment were covered and debated, but the candidates each made a point of urging Iowans to seek treatment for a mental health condition or addiction. “This year I will be celebrating 18 years of sobriety,” Republican Governor Kim Reynolds said and the audience applauded. “…I would not have been able to do it on my own with the support of a family, my community and the services that I was afforded.” Libertarian candidate Jake Porter spoke about suffering from depression and contemplating suicide in 2011.
“We have to be able to share these stores, even though they are not comfortable, even though we don’t want to, even though they aren’t stuff we like to talk about,” Porter said. Fred Hubbell, the Democratic Party’s nominee for governor, agreed it’s time to erase the stigma associated with seeking treatment for a mental illness. “It’s no different from some kind of cancer. You can’t see it, but it’s real and needs to be addressed. It needs to be taken care of,” Hubbell said. “That’s how we need to talk about it. That’s how we need to address it.”
The forum was sponsored by The Des Moines Register, the Iowa Hospital Association and Des Moines University.
(Radio Iowa) — Republican Governor Kim Reynolds held her second annual “Harvest Festival” fundraiser this weekend, critiquing her opponent’s debate performance and bringing in reinforcements who stressed a national G-O-P campaign theme. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was the evening’s keynote speaker, telling the audience elections have consequences — and there’s a 5-to-4 conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court now because Donald Trump is president. Senator Chuck Grassley told the crowd “Remember Kavanaugh!” should be the battle cry of every Republican campaign in the country. And Senator Joni Ernst asked the crowd to acknowledge Grassley’s role in getting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh confirmed. “I know this is Kim Reynolds’ night, but can we give a big round for Chuck Grassley?” Ernst asked.
The White House press secretary also praised Grassley’s role as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “He singlehandedly stood in the face and said: ‘Absolutely not. We will not allow you to take over this process. We will not allow you to tear us down and we will not allow us to stop,'” Sanders said. “He did a great thing. Thank you, senator.” That was the third of three ovations Grassley received from the crowd of Republicans gathered in Des Moines Saturday night. Reynolds asked the crowd if they’d watched her debate with Democratic challenger Fred Hubbell.
“I have to tell you, I had a fun,” Reynolds said. “It was my first debate ever, but it is pretty darned fun to talk about the amazing things that are happening in this state and talk about how we want to build on that success and I think it was a stark contrast.” Reynolds told the crowd Hubbell didn’t look like he was having fun during the event because he was “tearing down our state.” Reynolds and Hubbell are scheduled to debate again on Wednesday night. Their third and final debate will be held on Sunday morning.
(Radio Iowa) — Between international trade troubles, continued rain and now freezing temperatures that are hampering the harvest, many Iowa farmers are getting stressed. Tammy Jacobs, a coordinator with the Iowa Concern Hotline, says they’ve seen a slow but steady increase in the number of calls from farmers in recent months, with a ten-percent spike in July alone. Jacobs says the pressure of the harvest can ratchet up nerves. “We are starting to see a little bit of activity towards that,” Jacobs says, “but I’m going to anticipate that as we get into getting the harvest finished up in October and November and as things start to hit home, we’re going to see an even greater increase in our calls at that point in time.”
Commodity prices remain low and demand for some grains is dipping due to trade disputes. Also, some areas of Iowa have seen rain almost daily for two weeks straight. It’s created muddy fields and flooding in some areas and farmers are rightfully concerned about their crops. Jacobs says, “The calls that we’re receiving at this point in time is those frustrations and struggles for farmers to get out into the fields, having some good days to get harvesting done and how that’s going to have an impact on their overall yield for the year.”
The hotline’s phone lines are staffed 24-seven, so there’s always a real, live person you can talk to about anything that’s worrying you. “Through our website, we have a ‘live chat’ so if people don’t want to talk on the phone, they can get on the computer and type in the situation going on and someone is going to be able to respond right then to what the situation is, get them pointed in the right direction and just be there to talk to them,” Jacobs says.
The service was launched at the height of the Farm Crisis in 1985 as the Rural Concern Hotline, but during the floods of 1993, shifted gears to address problems beyond agriculture, becoming the Iowa Concern Hotline. The toll-free number is 800-447-1985 and the website is www.extension.iastate.edu/iowaconcern.
DALE STETZEL, 91, of Casey, died Sunday, Oct. 14th, at the New Homestead, in Guthrie Center. Funeral services for DALE STETZEL will be held 10-a.m Wednesday, Oct. 17th, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, in Casey. Twigg Funeral Home in Guthrie Center has the arrangements.
Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday, Oct. 16th, from 5-until 7-p.m.
Burial will be in the Union Cemetery at Guthrie Center.
DALE STETZEL is survived by:
His daughters – Becky (Mike) Moore, of Panora, and Barbara Stetzel, of Windsor Heights.
His son – Larry (Tracy) Stetzel, of Casey.
4 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, his sister-in-law Audrey Stetzel, and many nieces & nephews.
Red Oak Police, late Sunday night, arrested 25-year old Logan Samuel Cashatt, of Red Oak. He was taken into custody at around 11:20-p.m. in the 100 block of N. 2nd Street, for Domestic Abuse Assault. Cashatt was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond.
Today: FREEZE WARNING in effect until 10-a.m.; Partly cloudy skies. High 44. NW-W @ 10-20mph.
Tonight: P/Cldy. Low 32. W @ 5-10.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High around 60. W @ 10-20.
Wednesday: P/Cldy. High 55.
Thursday: P/Cldy. High near 60.
Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 41. Our Low this morning 31. We received 1.8” of snow Sunday (liquid value= .24″). Last year on this date our High was 59 and the Low was 31. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 89 in 1892. The Record Low was 17 in 1952.
The Atlantic Sesquicentennial Parade was held in conjunction with the 2018 Fireman’s Parade, Saturday evening. The winners are as follows:
Judges Choice –
Prize – $50 Fareway gift certificate from Fareway Stores Inc. and Dana Halder
Winner – Methodist Church
The Year 2068 –
Prize – $50 cash
Winner – Lucas Christensen
Civic Organization –
Prize – Atlantic Sesquicentennial t-shirts (20 each) from Community Promotion Commission
Winner – Cass County Creators 4-H Club
Agriculture –
Prize – The Pink Plow and “I Got Plowed” buttons (20 ea) from Steve and Marie Livengood
Winner – Gary Christensen
Historical People –
Prize – $50 cash
Winner – Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, Camp #23
Here are the winners of the categories for the 150th Celebration/Parade (with signs designating their categories)…
Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Patriots had their best offensive night of the 2018 season, amassing 500 total yards while getting another clutch performance from their surefire Hall of Fame quarterback in a 43-40 win over the Chiefs on Sunday night. Kansas City is now looking to bounce back from its first blemish of the season and first loss as a starter for Kansas City’s 23-year-old quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes passed for 352 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw two first-half interceptions that proved to be quite costly when the Kansas City Chiefs lost 43-40 to the New England Patriots on Stephen Gostkowski’s 28-yard field goal as time expired.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State spent much of last season as college football’s plucky underdog. The Cyclones appear ready to burst back onto the national scene after a strange and sluggish start to 2018. They looked more dominant than endearing in throttling West Virginia. Iowa State dismantled the Mountaineers in a 30-14 victory that was much more one-sided than the final score indicated.