(Radio Iowa) The University of Iowa’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital is joining a growing trend in bringing in dogs to work with young patients. Dog handler Emily Bradley says the goal of dogs Nacho and Corrin is to help kids understand their diagnosis and reduce the fear and anxiety they may feel. “We kind of use that unique human animal bond between, you know, people and dogs, that sometimes we can’t provide human to human to meet those goals for patients and family. So really just advancing that standard of care,” she says. There are a lot of different types of comfort dogs, but she says these two do something the others aren’t trained for.

“They really are able to be a part of clinical care and a part of procedures and providing therapeutic interventions that are helping patients meet their specific treatment goals as part of their medical plan,” Bradley says. Aly Humphrey handles Nacho and explains how the dog could help an anxious child. “Nacho could either be sitting on a chair next to the bed, or it could be laying next to the patient in their bed while the nurses are starting their I-V. And maybe we’re just talking about things about Nacho to kind of provide that distraction and procedural support,” she says. “Or if you know, they maybe really like engaging in deep breathing, then they can put their hand on nacho’s belly and kind of match his breath as they feel his chest and belly kind of rise with each breath. And they can match their breath to his. She says the dog could also help a child who is anxious about getting their C-T scan by riding through the C-T scanner and showing the patient exactly everything that will happen to them. Some kids might be afraid of a dog, and Bradley says they have child life specialists that will help out.

“Do they’ll kind of help us navigate if that patient might be comfortable with the dog or would be interested in that visit. Or even as handlers ourselves, before we go in a room before we get in an elevator even, like we’ll ask everyone in that room, like, ‘are you comfortable with the dog coming in the room’, and kind of assessing from there,” Bradley says. Bradley says they have protocols in place for those who might be concerned about animals in the hospital. “Based on the research and benchmarking with other hospitals around the country, the dogs are very clean, and they get weekly grooming. Professional grooming and baths, so there’s a lot of policies in place to keep them clean and keep them from bringing things in the hospital ,” she says. Bradley says one aspect of bringing in the dogs that’s been an extra benefit is the uplifting impact the dogs have already had on the rest of the staff.

Emily-Bradley,-Nacho,Aly-Humphrey,Corrin-(UI-PHOTO)

“Almost all of our staff are very excited that the dogs are in house, it’s been hard this first week in the hospital just to like contain the staff even like they’re so excited to meet our dogs and for them to be here,” she says. She says they did quite a bit of preparation this summer for all employees about the dogs do and their purpose. Both Nacho and Corrin are just under a year and a half old and will likely work for six to eight years before they are ready to retire.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The postponed Fourth of July Fireworks show in Atlantic takes place Saturday night at the Little League Sports Complex across from the KJAN Studios, in Atlantic. The “Saturday night Bash at the Ballfields” event runs from 5-until 10:15-p.m., with the Wild Wayne’s Fireworks show taking place at around 9-p.m.

Other activities Saturday, include a beer garden and food trucks from 5-until 10-p.m., as well as bounce houses, face painting/balloon artist, a punt-pass and kick contest, bags and games, from 5-until 8-p.m. Live music presented by “Gut Feeling” is from 7-until 9-p.m., and again from 9:30-until 10:15-p.m.

The “Bash at the Ballfields” is sponsored by Camblin Mechanical, Incorporated.

(Radio Iowa) – A decade and a half after Cedar Rapids was swamped by the flood of 2008, the city’s landing millions of dollars to revitalize and build new homes in the historic Oak Hill neighborhood. Cedar Rapids’ economic development manager Caleb Mason says they worked with residents and businesses to create collaborative neighborhood plans.

The city just received one-point-eight million dollars in workforce housing tax credits for Oak Hill, along with a three-point-eight million dollar package from the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

Vacant lots across from the Linn County Public Health Department will soon be the site of new two-story townhomes. The money will finance several other projects, all of which are intended to meet the demand for the city’s growing workforce.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man from Red Oak was arrested Wednesday night on a drug charge. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 28-year-old Tommy Elwood was taken into custody at around 10:30-p.m., following a traffic stop in the 1000 block of 200th Street. Elwood was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on a charge of Possession of Marijuana/1st offense. His cash bond was set at $1,000.

(Waukon, Iowa) – A collision that occurred at around 6:50-p.m. Wednesday in northeastern Iowa, claimed the life of a motorcyclist. The Iowa State Patrol reports a pickup truck and a motorcycle were both traveling north on Highway 76 in Allamakee County, when the pickup left the road to make a U-turn in order to proceed southbound. The motorcycle,  operated by 60-year-old Kerry Gene Nuehring, of Waukon, collided with a trailer the pickup was pulling, causing Nuehring to be ejected from the cycle. He died at the scene.

The driver of the pickup, 32-year-old Cody Gene Bauer, of Dubuque, was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott is back on the campaign trail in Iowa, touting a parents’ bill of rights that primarily focuses on parental involvement in education.

Scott says it’s time to break the backs of teachers’ unions and let all parents use public funds to pay for their children to attend private schools, charter schools or be homeschooled.

Scott says his plan is designed to empower parents from the school room to the smart phone. Scott is calling on social media companies to improve safety features that protect children and he says there should be country-of-origin labels for smart phone apps. Scott says Big Tech is stealing the attention spans of children and online predators are stealing their futures.

Democrats say Scott has spent his career working to divert taxpayer dollars to wealthy private schools and his parents’ bill of rights would devastate public education. Scott, who is a U-S Senator from South Carolina, campaigned in Le Mrs and Sioux Center yesterday (Wednesday) is scheduled to make stops in southeast Iowa today (Thursday).

Republican presidential candidates Mike Pence and Vivek Ramaswamy are also campaigning in Iowa today (Thursday).

(Coburg, Iowa) – A crash in Montgomery County late Wednesday morning resulted in two people being injured. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the scene at Highway 48 near 270th Street (east of Coburg), at around 11:15 a.m.

Authorities say Christopher P. Heilen, of Shenandoah, was driving a 2024 Chevrolet K2500 that was pulling a utility trailer. The vehicle/trailer were northbound on Highway 48, when a 2017 Lincoln MKZ driven by Lester A. Nelson, of Red Oak, entered the intersection. Heilen attempted to stop, but was unable to avoid striking the car.

Both drivers were transported by Red Oak Rescue to Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Damage to Hielen’s vehicle was estimated at $15,000, while Nelson’s vehicle sustained $8,500 in damage.

Deputies say no citations were issued, and the investigation is complete.