(Radio Iowa) –  An Iowan who won gold medals at the Paralympics in 2016 and 2021 has been inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame.

Joshua Turek of Council Bluffs was born with a condition called spina bifada and has used a wheelchair since childhood. He played professional wheelchair basketball in Europe for 17 years and was a member of four Team USA Paralympic men’s basketball teams. “I dedicated my life to this sport. I love this sport. I will always be around it,” Turek said at the induction ceremony. “…I owe every single thing to this sport.”

Two of Turek’s siblings played what he calls “able-bodied basketball” and they are both retired pro players. Elisha, his sister, played on a professional team in Spain. “If it wasn’t for her, pushing me every day,” he said, “making sure I got to the gym lifting, I wouldn’t be where I was.”

Joshua Turek shoots during Team USA Wheelchair Basketball game at 2021 Paralympics. (Photo courtesy of Joshua Turek)

Turek’s brother John, who’s six foot nine, was a starter for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and played professional basketball in several European countries. “It was not easy being in a wheelchair trying to play any sort of one-on-one, but he pushed me every single day to try to get better than him and it inspired me,” Turek said. “It really did.”

Turek also credits his mom, who was raising five kids, with somehow finding a way to get him connected to the sport. “Wheelchair basketball when I was a kid gave me a purpose,” Turek said, “it gave me a friend group, it gave me self-esteem.”

Turek said without the sport, he never would have gone to college at Southwest Minnesota State University, where he scored over 4000 points as a member of the school’s wheelchair basketball tem.

Turek, who is 44 years old, works for a company that provides technology and mobility devices for people with disabilities. He was elected to the Iowa House in 2022.

The National Wheelchair Basketball Association was founded in 1949 and there are more than 130 teams in the U.S. today.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Lottery spokesperson Mary Neubauer says the number of questions they’ve been getting about scams has continued to increase.”People who got a contact and thought to themselves ‘this sounds really strange this makes me suspicious’, so good on them they call the Iowa Lottery to check about it. They say ‘this just doesn’t seem right,’ and in fact it’s not right,” Neubauer says. She says those calls are scammers not connected to the Iowa Lottery, and are only looking to steal.

“Trying to you know, get them to maybe open a bank account and put some money in there because there’s a quote unquote processing fee that has to be paid before they would be able to be awarded a fictitious big lottery prize,” she says. “So we’re just we’re just reminding people scam attempts of all types are at record highs right now.” Neubauer says be aware that these types of scams are happening and don’t become a victim.

“You need to be careful you need to protect yourself and especially protect your personally identifiable information and any financial information,” Neubauer says.”Do not share that online. You know, these folks are just trying to get in with you and trying to figure out a way that they can trick you out of giving the money and you will never see that money again. If you end up paying that’s that’s the really sad part.” She says the Iowa Lottery does NOT seek out winners.

)”You’re a lottery winner you contact the lottery to say you have the winning ticket not the other way around. So, we just can’t remind people enough Be careful if you’re asked to pay any money upfront it is definitely a scam,” she says. There are resources where you can learn more about these scams. “The U-S Federal Trade Commission has a great consumer advice page online that you can go to it talks a lot about fake prizes sweepstakes and lotteries. And then here in Iowa, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office has a great Consumer Protection Division, that if you have questions you are you’re always welcome to reach out to them,” Neubauer says.

Neubauer says make a call to those organizations before you do anything that might end up costing you money.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Produce in the Park is a weekly farmers market and community gathering held every Thursday evening from 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM in the Atlantic City Park, now – October 12th. Organizers say this week, Sarah Selders will be providing live music and two fan favorite food trucks, Pim’s Thai and Zipp’s Pizza, will be on site from 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM. Numerous vendors will be in attendance offering a variety of products including baked goods, produce, sweet treats and crafts.

This week you can look forward to the following vendors:

Aubrey’s Bows: new fall bows

Aubreys Bows

Bridgewater Farms: wide assortment of produce
Brun Ko Farms: radishes, peppers, sweet snacking peppers, 5, 10 & 20 lb boxes of heirloom slicing tomatoes, onions, garlic & jalapenos

Brun Ko Farms produce

Cake’s, Cookies & Confections: assorted pastries & desserts
CJ Treats: baked goods & candles, soaps, body scrubs & oil diffusers
CK3 Farms: wide assortment of produce including watermelon
Harrisdale Farmstead: assortment of produce
Holaday Baking Company: assortment of baked goods & concession items
Imagine Garden Gifts: unique garden gifts including antique, vintage, and repurposed planters.
Kringleman: assorted Danish pastries
Neighborhood Bakehouse: sourdough, baguettes, sandwich bread & mini chocolate baguettes
Noble Provisions: homegrown ribeyes, beef snacks (jerky, summer sausage, beef sticks), beef brats, patties, pork brats, Italian sausage, & ground pork
Piper’s Brae: assorted produce, jams/jellies, syrups & eggs
Sue’s Country Garden: assortment of plants, produce, baked goods & jams/jellies
Ter-Bear Honey: home raised raw packaged honey
The 11th Acre: wide assortment of produce, baked goods, cottage foods & crafts

Featured kids activities include bounce houses, provided by Nishna Valley Family YMCA. Visiting organizations include Zion Recovery, our September Market Sponsor, Cass County Cats and the Atlantic Public Library. Yard games will also be on hand, provided by Atlantic Parks & Recreation.

All vendors accept cash, with many accepting credit cards and Venmo. All qualifying food vendors accept SNAP/EBT (also known as food stamps) with all fresh produce vendors accepting Double Up Food Bucks–coupons given for SNAP/EBT purchases of fresh produce.

For updates and information on Produce in the Park or how to sign up to participate, visit www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com. ‘Like’ or ‘follow’ Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/).

Produce in the Park is sponsored by: First Whitney Bank & Trust, Cass Health, Nishna Valley Family YMCA, Gregg Young of Atlantic, Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Atlantic.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – A traffic stop last week in Adair County, resulted in a woman being cited on a drug charge. The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports a pickup was pulled over at around 8-p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30th, for having window tint, excessive speed, no front license plate, and an expired validation sticker.

While speaking with the driver and a passenger, identified as 32-year-old Kayln BreeAnn Durbin, of Greenfield, the Adair County Deputy noticed the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. When Durbin exited the vehicle, the Deputy saw a glass pipe typically used to smoke marijuana.

Durbin admitted the pipe was hers. She was cited for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and issued a written warning for having an open container with a beverage that contained alcohol, inside a Casey’s cup. Durbin was released from the scene on a summons to appear in court.

(Radio Iowa) – The northwest Iowa event billed as the world’s largest county fair starts on Saturday. This is Jerome Hertel’s first year as manager of the Clay County Fair in Spencer. “This fair is pretty much similar, I guess, to the Alaska State Fair where I came from,” Hertel says. “It’s a 501c non-profit fair, which is like much like the Alaska State Fair; about the same attendance — 300,000 people; about the same number of buildings.”

Hertel’s first day on the job in Spencer was April 17th. Hertel says once the fair starts this weekend, it will give him a chance to learn about the fair’s culture. “Who are the people that attend this fair? What are those traditions that are here at the Clay County Fair?” Hertel asks. “This fair is a resource for the community. It’s a reflection of the community, so what is it reflecting, you know, in the community and what’s its position in the community?” Hertel says he’s not looking to make any big changes.

“This fair’s not broke, so if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” Hertel says. “It’s got a great reputation in the industry as being the world’s greatest county fair, so I just want to continue that tradition.” Hertel says the staff and volunteers are paddling like crazy to get done before opening day.

The Clay County Fair starts this Saturday, the 9th, and ends on Sunday, September 17th. Hertel was general manager of the Alaska State Fair for nine years — and he grew up in Parker, South Dakota, across the street from the oldest county fair in South Dakota.

About one in every eight Iowa women will develop breast cancer during their lives, and a rise in breast cancer cases among women in their 40s is bringing new preliminary screening guidelines. The recommendation now is to get mammograms every other year starting at age 40, instead of starting at age 50. Radiologist Dr. Amy Patel says she doesn’t think those new guidelines go far enough to address women who are at higher risk of getting breast cancer.

“If you’re deemed high risk, we recommend an annual screening breast MRI from the ages of 25 to 29,” says Patel, “and once you turn 30, annual screening mammography, alternating every six months with supplemental screening in the form of breast MRI.” She says all women should be risk assessed by the age of 25. Also, Patel says the guidelines don’t take into account breast density when deciding how often women are checked for breast cancer.

“It is a strong risk factor,” says Patel. “About 50% of the United States population who are women have dense breasts, and some women opt to have supplemental screening in addition to mammography, as dense breasts can obscure a cancer on a mammogram that can be revealed on a supplemental tool, such as breast MRI or ultrasound.”

In Iowa, it’s estimated that 27-hundred women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and nearly 390 will die from it. Only lung cancer causes more cancer deaths among Iowa women.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  The Senior Alumni Scholarship Foundation (SASF) board met for their annual meeting and welcomed new board member Jackie Hoover Sampson. At the meeting the board approved issuing five, $2,000 scholarships for the Atlantic Graduating class of 2024. Scholarships are need based for seniors with a GPA or 2.5 or higher.

Applications and information are available from the Atlantic High School guidance office and on the website. The SASF is a 501c3 organization and 100% of donations go to the scholarship fund. Atlantic alumni are encouraged to donate and may do so by check to the SASF, PO Box 205 Atlantic, Iowa 50022.

2023 SASF Board: L to R. Front row Mark McNees, Ted Robinson, C.J. Heithoff, Mark Smith, J.C. Van Ginkel Back Row L to R Deb Schuler, Jackie Sampson, Linda Robinson, Cathy Baragary, Billie Hoover, Tammy Wickman. (Photo & info. courtesy Mark McNees)

Electronic donations through Venmo may also be made at SASF-Foundation. If donating through Venmo, please email Cbaragary55@gmail.com with your name and address, so your donation is properly recognized and a receipt may be mailed to you.

(Elmo, MO.) – A man from southwest Iowa died in a crash Sunday evening, in northwest Missouri. According to the Missouri State Patrol, 18-year-old Seger V. Mace, of Coin, was operating a Honda Motorcycle northbound on Railroad Street approaching Route C near Elmo, when he failed to yield as he entered the intersection.

His cycle struck a trailer being towed by pickup truck that was driven by 54-year-old Darrin E. Harvey, of Elmo. The accident happened at around 6:20 p.m., Sunday.

Mace was ejected from his motorcycle. He died from his injuries at the Clarinda Regional Health Center. Officials with the Clarinda Community School District issued the following statement late this (Monday) morning:

Council Bluffs, Iowa– The Alzheimer’s Association is inviting Council Bluffs area residents to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s by participating in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Iowa Western Community College. The Alzheimer’s Association and its volunteers and walk participants are fighting for a different future. For families facing the disease today, for more time, for treatments. Alzheimer’s research is closer than ever to stopping Alzheimer’s, but to get there, the Alzheimer’s Association needs Northern Iowa to join them for the world’s largest fundraiser to fight the disease.

There is no fee to register for Walk, however, all participants are encouraged to raise critical funds that allow the Alzheimer’s Association to provide 24/7 care and support and advance research toward methods of prevention, treatment and, ultimately, a cure. On Walk day, participants honor those affected by Alzheimer’s with Promise Garden flowers which signify our solidarity in the fight against the disease. The colors of the Promise Garden flowers – purple, yellow, blue and orange – represent the different reasons why people walk to end this disease.

“We’re closer than ever to stopping Alzheimer’s,” said Walk Manager, Jessica Duncan. “We hope that everyone in the community can join us by starting a team to help the Alzheimer’s Association raise awareness and funds for families facing the disease today, take more steps toward treatments and finally ending this disease.”

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease – a leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 11 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In Iowa and Nebraska alone, there are nearly 100,000 people living with the disease and 140,000 caregivers.

To register and receive the latest updates on this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, visit alz.org/walk.

Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s®

The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.  Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk®; now the Alzheimer’s Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s Association®

The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to  Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Its mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

Shelby, Iowa – Iowa farm history will be showcased September 9 and 10 at Carstens Farm during the 41st Annual Carstens Farm Days. This farm show showcases threshing, sawmill operations, crafters and vendors, a quilt show and of course, tractors. The Farm Days show has something for everyone throughout the weekend.

Horse, steam and gas power: Come see steam engines powering antique threshing machines, antique cars, trucks and machinery, a parade, crafts, and entertainment.  Over two hundred restored antique tractors will be on display.  The original Carstens farm buildings will be open for tours. The buildings will be alive with demonstrations that will bring back memories for older visitors and teach valuable history lessons to young people.

Food for all: A Friday evening pulled pork sandwich dinner will be hosted by the Friends of the Shelby Stone Arch Trail Committee. Proceeds of the Friday evening dinner will go to the trail committee.  The dinner will be served from 5:00 – 7:30 pm.  All good days begin with a good breakfast and to start Farm Days off right, a great breakfast is planned at 6:30 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Snacks and lunch options provided by the Hodges Smokehouse Catering of Minden will be available. Various non-profit local groups will be offering refreshments and delicious desserts all weekend.  Homemade ice cream will be in plentiful supply during Farm Days. Serving Benny’s Ice Cream will be Carstens board member Ben Ausdemore and his wife Katie. This is a treat visitors won’t want to miss!

On Saturday beginning at 5:30 p.m. enjoy Staley’s Chicken for a delicious dinner at the farm. The dinner will be $15 for adults and $10 for kids age 8 and under. Dinner proceeds will go toward on-going maintenance at Carstens 1880 Farmstead.

Farmall Tractors and Equipment To Be Featured: Farmall equipment of all types will be featured during Farm Days.  Farmall tractor and implement owners are invited to bring their exhibits to display throughout the weekend.  Horsepower-testing, sawmill operations and field demonstrations will occupy tractor exhibitors all day. Over 250 pieces of vintage equipment were on display during the 2022 Farm Days show. Visitors will enjoy watching most of the restored tractors as they go through the parade each afternoon at 2 p.m.

Quilt Show: A colorful display of quilts, wall hangings, wearable art and other types of quilting projects will be featured in the special event building at the farm. Many talented quilters from around the area will allow their works of art to be displayed for all to enjoy. Even if you have never displayed a quilt before, consider joining the fun and bringing a quilt to display.  Exhibitors are asked to deliver their quilts on Friday, September 8. For details about the quilt show or to inquire about adding your quilt to the collection, please call Jan Hursey at 712-544-2662.

Crafts, plants and treats galore: In case visitors run out of vintage tractors and other pieces of equipment to look at, there will be over fifty crafters and vendors on hand. A wide array of crafts, plants, vintage and antique items will be available.  From unique wooden creations to home raised honey, there will be something for everyone.

A very healthy crop of farm-grown potatoes will also be available for purchase. Proceeds from the sale of potatoes will help make improvements to the farmstead.

Sunday Worship: On Sunday morning a non-denominational worship service will take place at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of the Carstens home. Worship will be led by the United Lutheran Church, Shelby. Everyone is welcome to join in the worship service.

Admission:   Admission is $10 per day for everyone nine years and older.

Carstens 1880 Farmstead, Inc., a non-profit group of local volunteers, oversees an 80-acre working farm museum exhibit located between Minden and Shelby, Iowa in Pottawattamie County.  The farmstead is the home of Carstens Farm Days, which is held the first weekend after Labor Day each September.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  For more information visit the web site: www.carstensfarm.com