(Radio Iowa) – A motivational speaker is urging Iowa teachers, administrators AND students to separate from their smart phones and connect with the humans around them. Joe Beckman, a consultant based in Minneapolis, was at the School Administrators of Iowa conference in August and he spent a couple of days in Spencer schools last week. “How do we say yes to the benefits of tech, but not lose the one thing that got us here in the first place, which is human connection?…We know tech’s not going anywhere anytime soon,” Beckman says. “It’s not the bad guy in the room. If we use it in a way that makes our world and our lives better, if we use it as a tool rather than a companion.” Beckman says smart phones have become a crutch.

“We are trying to fill different voids in our lives that real human connections were able to fill in the past,” Beckman says. “Real lonelineeds, feeling that you are part of something that is bigger than just you, contribution towards something or someone that makes them better — all of that takes real interaction, connection, being with people. And that’s hard to do and it’s impossible to replace if we do it from a virtual side of things.” Beckman is the author of a book titled “Just Look Up” that he describes as a tool to engage with those around you.

“Our brains are really good at finding things that are easy. It’s how our biology is. We want to do the least amount of work and get the biggest benefit and human connection is hard. It’s a lot easier to look down than it is to look up because looking up is fraught with rejection and fear and, ‘What do they think of me?’ and yet at the same time what we know as adults is that sometimes the hardest things and the right things are the same thing and I believe human connection is the right thing.”

Beckman was a featured speaker at training sessions hosted earlier this year by the Grant Wood and Prairie Lakes Area Education Agencies. A recent Pew Research Center poll found 45 percent of teenagers are almost constantly on the internet and more than half felt anxious or lonely if they didn’t have access to their smart phone. Researchers from Iowa State University and other institutions who reviewed national data from 2009 through 2015 found an abrupt change in the sleeping habits of teenagers who used their smart phones at least two hours a day. Those with higher usage rates were far more likely to be depressed.

(Radio Iowa) – Making a big family meal for Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be a significant drag on your energy use. One tip from energy savings advisor Allison Trouy is don’t dawdle when you’re preparing to use the oven. “You want to make sure that the green bean casserole is ready for baking by the time the oven finishes pre-heating,” Trouy says. “Heating the oven for longer than needed is just going to waste energy and that’s going to waste your money.” Trouy says once something is in the oven, resist the urge to open the door to peek on its progress

“Don’t do it,” she says. “Opening the door can actually drop the temperature as much as 25 degrees, which will add cooking time and energy use.” Just flip on the oven light to check on baking food instead of letting out that heat. Another thing to keep in mind is that cooking in the kitchen may keep your house warmer than normal. “It is a great opportunity to just lower your thermostat a few degrees and you probably won’t notice a difference,” Trouy says. “And really, any time you can take the opportunity to lower that thermostat, it can really add up to some significant savings.”

Another way to save energy and time is to avoid the temptation of washing the dishes as you go. Instead, she suggests waiting until all your dishes need to be cleaned and you can fill the dishwasher before turning it on. “It is going to use the same amount of energy to heat up, whether it’s full or not,” Trouy says. “You might as well maximize that energy use and get everything in there you can before you run it.”

If you have a programmable thermostat, the U-S Department of Energy says to turn it down by 10 to 15-degrees before leaving the house for an eight-hour span, and you’ll save up to 15-percent a year on your heating bill.

(Pocahontas County, Iowa) – A man from Hartley died early Thursday morning when his pickup crossed the centerline of the road and struck a Mack truck. The accident happened northwest of Havelock, at around 2:28-a.m.  According to the Iowa State Patrol, 75-year-old Richard Leath was driving a 2007 GMC Sierra north on Highway 4 and it collided with the southbound Mack truck driven by 65-year-old Daniel Meyers, of Spencer.

Leath died at the scene. He was wearing a seat belt. Meyers was uninjured. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Pocahontas County Sheriff’s Office, Pocahontas Fire and Ambulance, Pocahontas Police, and Havelock Fire.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University supply chain expert says retailers face more costs now in handling returns, and many have looked at different ways to change their policies. Robert Overstreet says you can help by knowing the policy before you buy. “Certainly you need to look up the policy and one thing I would convey to consumers is to be more intentional in your purchases, take the time to make sure it’s what you want before buying it,” Overstreet says. He says holiday gift buying does fall into a different category for retailers when it comes to returns.

“Retailers generally treat the holidays a little differently — you know where they are more lenient with the policy. … If there’s a 30-day window they won’t start that 30-day window until say Christmas or the day after Christmas — they understand that you know people getting something as a gift will need more time to return it,” Overstreet says. He is an assistant professor of supply chain management and says the costs for dealing with the returns have increased for retailers with staffing and other issues. Overstreet says there are always some people who want to push the system too far and his research group asked people about that.

“We ask people ‘Do you consider yourself someone who violates a returns policy that goes beyond the intent of a retailer’s returns policy?’,” he says. “And only about one percent maybe two percent of those who responded identified as someone who’s abused a policy.” Overstreet says they figured people might be a little self-serving, so they asked the question in a different way. So we asked, thinking about your friends and family, what percentage of your friends and family do you consider someone who would on occasion violate a retailer’s returns policy. We got an answer closer to 11 or 12 percent,” he says.

Overstreet says retailers have tried all types of return policies and can have issues if they are too lenient, and also if they are too strict.

(Radio Iowa) – Studies show there are more cooking fires on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. Fire prevention expert Amanda Swenson says all Iowans should know how to use a fire extinguisher before there’s a sudden flare-up on the stove. “That’s a scary situation and that’s not the time to learn how to use an extinguisher,” Swenson says, “so be familiar with how to pull out the pin, how to unhook a nozzle if there’s a hose with the nozzle attached.” Thirty-four lives have been lost in house fires in Iowa so far this year, which tracks closely with last year during which 29 people died in fires statewide. Five children died in Iowa housefires just this month, one in Walcott and four in Mason City.

Whenever you’re cooking on the stove, whether it’s in a pot, saucepan or skillet, Swenson suggests you have a big metal lid nearby that could fit over any of them.  “Plan ahead of having a lid close by to the stovetop,” she says, “because the easiest thing to do is if there is a fire on the stovetop, just slide a lid on, turn off the burner and let it sit.” While Thanksgiving is the worst day of the year for cooking fires, officials with the National Fire Protection Association say Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are a close second and third.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University ag economist Chad Hart says the recent sale of 73 acres of northwest Iowa farmland — for 30-thousand dollars an acre — indicates Iowa farmers are seeing fairly good profit margins. “At the same time, too, though — I would say that we’re also hearing of less land being put on the market because folks are worried that those prices may be weakening,” Hart says.

Higher interest rates are a factor, plus Hart says agland that’s not rated as excellent ground for raising corn isn’t selling for especially high prices. “So there’s a separation that I think’s occurring right now where high quality land is still attracting those dollars,” Hart says, “where maybe the middle and low quality land may be starting to see some erosion in those values as we look forward.”

On November 11th, a tract of farmland near Sheldon appears to have set an Iowa sales record of 30-thousand dollars an acre. It was purchased by a local farmer according to the auctioneer who handled the sale. The value of farmland that’s enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program appears to be holding steady, according to Hart. “There’s a market for it and I think when we look the payments that are being offered for those conservation programs, that’s helping hold that value where it’s at,” Hart says, “but we’re not seeing a run on that market like we are seeing on high-quality cropland.”

There’s a calculation called the “corn suitability rating” for agland and Hart says there’s a limited number of tracts of that highly rated ground for raising corn coming up for sale. “The reason we see sort of northwest Iowa really, if you will, light up when it comes to land values is that you’ve got not only crop producers who are competing for that land, but also the livestock industry,” Hart says. “With strong dairy up there, the cattle industry and even a few hog producers up there, it creates a very strong competition for that land up in northwest Iowa that helps push those land values higher than what we see in the rest of the state.”

Hart is currently the crop market specialist in Iowa State University’s Department of Economics. Hart began his career at Iowa State in 1996 in I-S-U’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute.

(Manchester, Iowa) – One person is dead following an ATV accident Wednesday afternoon, in northeast Iowa’s Delaware County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2022 CF Moto CForce 500 ATV was traveling west on 240th Street southwest of Manchester at around 3:10-p.m., when the machine went out of control.

The 4-wheeler bottomed-out, ejecting an unspecified number of riders. One of the riders was struck by the ATV and suffered fatal injuries. Their name was not immediately released.

The accident remains under investigation. The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, Manchester Police, and the Regional Medical Center Ambulance.

(Radio Iowa) – The 20th Annual Memorial March for Lost Children was today (Wednesday) in Sioux City. The march began as a protest against the number of Native American children placed in the foster care system in Woodbury County.
Native American advocate, Terry Medina, spoke as the march got underway.

“Today is a kind of a sacred kind of day it’s a reminder, a memorial to pray to go God that he blesses us with our children,” he says. Briar Cliff University hosted workshops Tuesday in Sioux City to reflect on the struggle of native communities with the child welfare system. Medina was part of the workshops and says they want to help people understand and heal from the past.

“Historical trauma is very, very much alive. For me, I try to, my message is, you know, we can’t change the past, but but we can learn from the past,” Medina says. Manape LaMere says they also work to examine the barriers that the Native community faces, both legally and socially. “We’re also talking about solutions. How do we, what could we do around here? We challenge one another to rise to the occasion somehow.,” LaMere says.

The march includes prayers along the way, and concludes with a dinner.

ATLANTIC, IOWA – Cass Health officials are informing the public today that there has been a notable increase of influenza cases. According to Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Elaine Berry, “Over the last three to four days, we have seen a substantial number of patients with upper respiratory illnesses and confirmed cases of influenza.”

Symptoms & Treatment

Influenza symptoms usually come on very quickly and may include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. “For an average, healthy person with no other risk factors, it’s usually best to treat your symptoms at home with over-the-counter medications. Most individuals don’t necessarily need to be seen by a provider for a typical case of influenza. Whether you have the flu or COVID, the advice would be the same – lots of rest, fluids, manage symptoms, and stay away from others. Be smart and keep an eye on your symptoms worsening,” said Dr. Berry.

There are multiple factors that come into play as to whether a patient should be seen by a medical provider for influenza. Dr. Berry said that people most at risk to develop complications from influenza include children under age 2, those over age 65, pregnant women, and people with multiple health conditions or suppressed immune systems.

If a person has any shortness of breath or breathing difficulty, they should seek medical care right away.

Testing & Appointments

Testing for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV are all available at Cass Health. “These illnesses all overlap in their symptoms. The good news is that it’s easy to test for COVID-19 at home and rule that out. If you have symptoms, and are unsure of what to do, our advice is to call and talk to your provider’s office. We can help you decide whether you may be able to just stay at home and isolate, or if it may be appropriate to do testing only, or if we’ll want you to come in and be evaluated prior to any testing,” said Dr. Berry.

Often patients who don’t feel that their symptoms warrant a visit to their provider’s office can arrange  outpatient testing only, without being seen.

·         Patients with a Cass Health primary care provider should call 712-243-2850 and ask to speak with their provider’s office.

·         Patients who have been to Cass Health in the last five years, but do not have a primary care provider, can call 712-243-2850 and ask about outpatient influenza or COVID testing.

·         Patients who have never been treated at Cass Health, or it has been longer than five years, will need to make an appointment at Atlantic Medical Center or see a provider in AMC Rapid Care for testing.

For questions about the cost of testing, patients are encouraged to call the Patient Financial Services team at 712-250-8041. This team can provide an estimate of your out-of-pocket cost prior to receiving any service or to discuss any financial assistance needs.

Prevent the Flu & Stop the Spread

Flu vaccine is available at Atlantic Medical Center and local pharmacies, and there is still time for it to be effective this year. Vaccination helps to protect not just those who are vaccinated, but also babies under 6 months of age and others who are medically unable to receive the vaccine. Flu vaccination is still the best way to prevent or reduce the severity of flu illness and serious complications.

Everyone should practice good health habits: wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer; cover coughs and sneezes; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with your hands; and avoid close contact with people that are sick.

People with the flu or flu-like symptoms should not go to work, school, or other public places, including visiting hospitals and nursing homes. People with the flu are generally contagious one day prior to showing symptoms through the next 5-7 days. Isolating during this peak stage of the virus helps to stop its spread through the community.