(Radio Iowa) – The Friends of Ledges State Park in Boone County will celebrate its 100th anniversary Saturday. Park manager Andy Bartlett says it’s a favorite place for one particular form of outdoor recreation. “Ledges is known, not only in central Iowa but across the state, as a premier hiking destination,” he says. Bartlett says there are only four-and-a-half miles of trails, but the provide a lot of different challenges.

“There’s a diversity of difficulty levels, the scenery is amazing, the topography makes it a little challenging, and it’s just really a big draw, especially in the fall months,” he says. “The colors are changing, the weather’s cool, the bugs are almost gone, and you will find a fantastic place to hike here, at Ledges.” He has a favorite spot to visit in the park. “Ledges canyon itself is really one of the focal points, most unique areas in all of Iowa, from the sandstone geology to the native plant diversity the animals that call it home, just the unique experience that it offers for our visitors,” Bartlett says.

Ledges State Park. (DNR photo)

Ledges has faced some challenges through the years with too much water. “Flooding has been, you know, a thorn in the side of any past employee who’s ever worked here at Ledges. The Des Moines River being our west boundary Pease Creek, which flows through the heart of the Ledges Canyon, both of those offer different types of flooding at different times of year, and can pose a little bit of a challenge,” he says. “We had a little bit of flooding early this spring from the Des Moines River, but it it receded out of here in plenty of time for this event.” The event Saturday is open to the public.

“Starting at 10 o’clock, we have a historical characters hike, which is being put on by our seasonal naturalist here at the park. They’re going to lead participants on about a mile and a half hike, pretty easy on the trails, but they’ll meet some of those historic characters that were such a big part of the story of this park and its origin,” Bartlett says.

You can go to the Friends Of Ledges State Park Facebook page to find out more about the events.

(Sioux City, Iowa) – A crash late Wednesday morning on U-S Highway 75 near Sioux City, resulted in the death of a woman from Plymouth County, and blocked both lanes of traffic for about 4 1/2 hours. The Iowa State Patrol says that a little before 10:30-a.m. a Chrysler Voyager minivan was struck by a 2000 International tractor-trailer near the intersection with County Highway C-70, or about a mile north of Sioux City.

According to the crash report, the minivan’s driver, 64-year-old Joann Martin of Hinton died in the crash that happened when the van was traveling westbound on C-70 and was attempting a turn to go southbound on Highway 75. The patrol says the minivan pulled into the path of a semi going northbound on the highway and was struck by the semi on the driver’s side.

Following the impact, both vehicles crossed the highway’s median and entered the southbound lanes, where the semi overturned and blocked the roadway. Joann Martin died at the scene. The driver of the semi, 53-year-old Scott Mitchell, of Hornick, wasn’t hurt. Southbound traffic was re-routed into Hinton while the crash was being investigated and the scene cleared.

(Radio Iowa) – University of Iowa Health Care is looking for volunteers to take part in a national study of a drug that shows promise in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Del Miller, the U-I’s principal investigator for the study, says they’re looking for people between the ages of 50 and 89 who are just starting to show signs of a problem.

Miller says, “These would be people that have either mild memory impairment or have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.” U-I-H-C is among nearly 50 sites nationwide taking part in what’s dubbed the BenfoTeam study, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging. The drug is called benfotiamine and Miller hopes it will slow the symptoms or even reverse them.

“If a person decides to be a part of this study,” Miller says, “they would come in for their initial visit, and part of that would be doing some testing of their memory and other brain functions to see if they would meet that criteria.” Volunteering for the study will involve a commitment of more than a year of visits to Iowa City and Miller says it will -not- require a lot of invasive procedures.

“It’s in a duration of 72 weeks,” Miller says, “and so there are visits staggered throughout the study. Early on, it’s more frequently, and the first visit is more of a screening visit to see if the person is appropriate for the study.” For more information and to volunteer, call the study coordinator Karen Smith, at 319-353-5158.

Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. In Iowa, more than 62,000 people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, and there are nearly 100,000 family members and friends caring for their loved ones with the disease.
https://www.benfoteam.org/

(Des Moines, Iowa)  – The Iowa Insurance Division has issued a cease-and-desist order against William Campbell and All or Nothing LLC, a Clive, Iowa limited liability company doing business as All or Nothing Roofing and Construction.  The order claims that Campbell and his company have acted as an unlicensed public adjuster by soliciting business and offering services that require a public adjuster license in the state of Iowa.  All or Nothing LLC and Mr. Campbell have 30 days to request a hearing on the cease and desist order.

A public adjuster is any person who, for compensation, acts on behalf of an insured, during the investigation, negotiation, or settlement of a first-party claim for loss or damage to real or personal property of the insured. Iowa law requires public adjusters to be licensed.  It is important for property owners to know that if a disagreement with their insurance company arises over the cost and scope of repairs, the homeowner or a licensed public adjuster, not the contractor doing the work, needs to communicate and negotiate with their insurance company.  A contractor may provide information, such as damage reports and repair estimates, to the homeowner and, if asked, to the insurance company, but may not represent or negotiate on behalf of the homeowner.

Many times, contractors solicit business, especially after major storms, by offering services that fall under the definition of public adjusting. If an insured property owner has become involved with a contractor who has made these types of promises or commitments, the Iowa Insurance Division encourages the public to report it by emailing storm-chaser-scams@iid.iowa.gov. Deputy Commissioner Jared Kirby says “Dealing with damage from a storm is stressful for those impacted. Unlicensed storm-chasers may attempt to create expectations on settlement values or scope of repairs that do not align with the language of the insurance policy which can cause delays to claim resolution and added expense to consumers.”

It’s important for Iowans to make certain that any service provider working on storm restoration is a reputable company and provides the consumer with proof of insurance, proof of contractor registration and references to allow the consumer to make an informed decision regarding who will be chosen to perform the repairs.  Iowans with questions or concerns regarding their insurance policy or claim can file a complaint with the Iowa Insurance Division.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak say a woman from Emerson was arrested at around 11-a.m. today (Wednesday).  Authorities say 18-year-old Quinn Nadine McDonald was arrested in the 100 block of W. Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak, on a charge of Simple Assault. McDonald was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Lottery’s Chief Revenue Officer says the organization’s drop in sales in the first two months of the fiscal year is a trend the lottery industry is facing nationwide. Jon Roth says scratch ticket sales nationwide are down three-point-two percent so far this year. “Scratch tickets are the mainstay of lottery industry. They represent anywhere from 60 to 67 percent of sales for the lottery industry. So it’s important. So when those numbers are down, that’s an indicator overall the industry is still facing challenges,” Roth says. Roth says sales of lotto games nationwide in the past 52 weeks are down more than 17 percent.

“And in particular, if you look at the last 12 weeks, so year-over-year comparison for those last 12 weeks, sales are down 23-three point two percent,” he says. Roth says instaplay games are also down. “Although better than the lotto performance, it’s actually tracking lower than where scratch ticket sales are. And if you look through early August, we’re showing a decrease of five-point-five percent over the last 52 weeks,” Roth says. “And over the shorter time periods we’re actually seeing higher levels, closer to double digits.” Roth says the Iowa Lottery is trying to counter some of the trends, including a revamp of its instaplay games. He says they are also sending out more self-service machines to retailers.

“We have 150 that will be launching shortly into the marketplace. These are new machines for us. They’ll provide a great opportunity for retailers that continue to face staffing challenges,” he says. “It’s always hard for retailers to service all of their customers in the multiple ways that the customers want, and having these self serve machines provides an opportunity for individuals who don’t have the time, or don’t want to face those lines.” Roth says the new machines will handle more tickets so they don’t have to be refilled as often. He says retailers will still keep their counter sales along with the self-service machines, as they’ve found sales drop significantly if they get rid of counter sales.

Roth made his comments during the Iowa Lottery Commission Meeting Tuesday.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Adair County, today (Wednesday), approve a motion not to exceed $1.5-million in General Obligation Urban Renewal Bonds or Capital Loan Notes. Adair County Auditor Mandy Berg…

The Board also passed a Resolution fixing the date for a meeting on the proposition to issue the bonds. The hearing will be held Oct. 23rd at 9:15-a.m., as part of the Board’s regular weekly meeting. County Treasurer Brenda Wallace informed the Board her office will be closed Oct. 10th for staff training in Red Oak. The Supervisors received a Conservation update and Annual Report from Dominic Johnson, who spoke about projects completed over the past year, and other matters.

He said the Department’s Facebook page reached more than 17,000 people, and helped to bring attention to events from people all across the country.

For the third week in a row, the Adair County Supervisors heard from cattle producers Rob and Tony Mensing, with regard to proposed easier access to their property near Canby, for the purpose of grazing cattle. This time around, they provided letters from all the adjoining landowner’s, who expressed their support of upgrading Lewis Avenue at 150th Street from a Level B (Mud) road to a Level A (Gravel)road, or about three-quarters of a mile.

Rob Mensing also brought information with regard to the cost of upgrading the road, according to his data. Including projects the Board approved that were somewhat similar in nature, or in the same price ballpark. He said improving the road would not only help his business, but that of other property owners, as well.

Board member Jodi Hoadley said the County is not in the position right now to improve the whole roadway, but she entertained a motion to fix part of the intersection to make it wider and easier for the property owners to navigate with their vehicles and equipment.

The Board voted unanimously to get a culvert replacement project included in the list of road projects in the county’s five-year plan, and as it fits into the budget.

And, the Board heard a weekly report from County Engineer Nick Kauffman. Prior to his report, the Supervisors approved Longevity Raises for Secondary Roads Department employees Brad Cooper and Adam Comstock.

(Atlantic, Iowa) — Officials with Cass Health, in Atlantic, they are now offering and administering seasonal vaccines for influenza and COVID. Flu shots and FluMist are both available, as well as high-dose flu shots for patients over the age of 65. FluMist is an option for patients ages 2 through 49. Patients wanting a COVID booster can receive the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine 2024-2025 Formula. Walk-ins are welcome during normal Immunization Room hours; all patients should check-in at Registration first. The Immunization Room is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm.

In Atlantic, drive-thru appointments will be available on Saturday, October 5^th from 10 am to 2 pm. The drive-thru will once again be in the curved driveway on 10^th street, at the top of the staff parking lot (Lot D). Appointments are required for the drive-thru clinic. The annual Ayzlee’s Family Flu Clinic will be held on Tuesday, October 8^th from 5 to 7 pm. This clinic is specifically for young families and will include children’s activities and snacks. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. The event will be held inside the Cass Health Main Entrance.

Cass Health will also be administering flu vaccines, via injection or FluMist, at local schools. A clinic will be held at the Atlantic schools on October 15^th and at the Griswold school on October 16^th. Parents who wish to have their child immunized at school must return the consent form to the school by September 30^th. For more information, please contact your school nurse for details and required paperwork or visit casshealth.org/vaccines.

Patients can also make an appointment to receive seasonal vaccines at Cass Health clinics in Anita, Griswold, and Massena. For more information or to schedule any appointments for seasonal vaccines, please call Cass Health at 712-243-2850.

(Radio Iowa) – Former President Donald Trump says John Deere will face steep tariffs on machinery made in Mexico if he’s reelected.  “Just notifying John Deere right now, if you do that, we’re putting a 200% tariff on anything you want to sell into the United States,” Trump said. In June, Deere announced it would shift production of skid loaders and compact track loaders from its plant in Dubuque to facilities in Mexico by the end of 2026.

“They think they’re going to make product cheaper in Mexico and then sell it in for the same prices they did before,” Trump said, “make a lot of money by getting rid of our labor and our jobs.” Since March, Deere has laid off about 24-hundred workers at its plants in Ankeny, Dubuque, Ottumwa, Waterloo and the Quad Cities AND at its research and business offices in Dubuque, Johnston, Urbandale and Moline, Illinois.

Deere has said it’s responding to market conditions, as lower crop prices and higher interest rates have depressed demand for its equipment. Deere has not responded directly to Trump’s comments, but a company spokesperson said it is sometimes necessary to move less complex operations to other locations in order to position Deere’s highly value-added activities in U-S factories.

(Radio Iowa) – The federal Small Business Deduction will expire at the end of next year, and unless Congress acts, small businesses in Iowa and elsewhere will no longer be able to deduct up to 20-percent of what’s considered qualified income. Jeff Brabant, with the National Federation of Independent Businesses, says that deduction is a big deal, benefitting more than nine in every ten small businesses across the country. “This is almost every new business starts as a pass-through business,” Brabant says, “and if you’re going to increase taxes on them, while their larger competitors have their tax rate remain the same, you’re really making Main Street less competitive and that’s a real problem for them.”

Brabant says coffee shops, barber shops and all sorts of small mom-and-pop businesses could have to pay more in taxes if the 2017 law is allowed to expire. “That’s one thing we’re really trying to hammer home to people,” he says. “Is it a good idea for Congress to selectively increase taxes on small businesses while their larger competitors keep the same tax rate?”

An estimate from the U-S Small Business Administration finds more than 95-percent of the businesses in Iowa are -small- businesses. Brabant says many small businesses in Iowa and nationwide have been struggling since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “They were only allowing — in many states — just essential businesses to be open. Who was the essential business? It was Walmart. It wasn’t your local small retailer. They were shut down. So, they had no income coming in for a long time,” Brabant says. “That was the first challenge they had. Once the pandemic began to abate and the restrictions were lifted, they then had to deal with inflation.”

Inflation, Brabant says, remains the top issue small business owners face post-pandemic. The Main Street Tax Certainty Act would make that deduction permanent for small and family-owned businesses, which Brabant says owners use to invest in their employees and growth for the future.