(Radio Iowa) – There’s been a slight uptick in the amount of water flowing into reservoirs in the Missouri River Basin over the past two months, but the Army Corps of Engineers says it’s not enough to reverse long-term drought conditions along the Missouri River corridor. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

The Army Corps of Engineers is slightly increasing the water flow out of the Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota. That will help barges and other vessels navigate the Missouri River through Sioux City, Omaha, Nebraska City and Kansas City. However, the Army Corps intends to conserve water releases if there is no commercial navigation in a given area.

The National Drought Mitigation Center estimates that 62 percent of the Missouri River basin is abnormally dry or in a drought.

(Radio Iowa) – As we survive the steamy, hot summer, some Iowans may find solace in pondering the cooler weather of the inevitable change in seasons, but the new edition of the Farmers’ Almanac predicts anything but a mild winter ahead. Editor Peter Geiger says the winter forecast map carries just five words floating over Iowa and the Midwest: “Hibernation Zone, Glacial, Snow-Filled.” Geiger says the publication is calling for an exceptionally snowy, extremely cold winter for 2022-’23.

“When we look at the predictions, we talk about some snow in late October, but then we talk about it being heavy snow on Thanksgiving. We talk about significant snow after that. We talk about heavy snow on the 1st, 4th and 7th of December,” Geiger says. “It’s going to be one of those unrelenting kind of winters where you dream about how nice it is when it’s hot in the summer.” While parts of Iowa have seen triple-digit heat indices multiple times this summer, Geiger says the winter before us will prove to be equally extreme.

“What really scares me about the winter is the cold,” Geiger says. “So we talk about this sharp cold, maybe as low as minus-40. I don’t think it’s going to be minus-40 in Iowa, but within the region, you’re going to see some really cold temperatures almost from the middle of January through the early part of February, and then some snow even in March.” The new edition of the almanac is due on store shelves August 15th and Geiger says it will include tips for coping with the predicted high cost to heat our homes during the frigid months.

“For example, you can use bubble wrap. If you spray a window with water and then put bubble wrap on, it insulates the window for the winter,” Geiger says. “I mean, it’s very simple, very inexpensive but it’s very possible.” Founded in 1818, the Lewiston, Maine-based almanac boasts a forecast accuracy rate of 75-to-85-percent which Geiger says is derived from a formula developed more than two centuries ago.

“It’s based upon sunspot activity, planet positions, the effect the moon has on the earth, and we actually have a page in this year’s almanac that talks a little bit about how we go about doing it,” Geiger says. “When we say it’s going to be minus-40 degrees, I think it’s an indication of how potentially cold it could be, as opposed to the fact that you can count on minus-40.”

In addition to weather predictions, the Farmers’ Almanac contains all sorts of information on gardening, cooking, home remedies, folklore, managing your household, living in harmony with nature, and more.

(Radio Iowa) – A national parental rights group has filed a lawsuit challenging an eastern Iowa school district’s policy for transgender students. The lawsuit accuses the Linn-Mar School District of allowing children to make decisions about their gender identity without any parental involvement. Linn-Mar students in 7th through 12th grades may use different names or pronouns at school and use the restroom that matches their gender identity — and choose whether their parents are notified.

Linn-Mar School Board members who adopted the policy in April said the plan follows federal guidelines for supporting transgender youth in school. Parents Defending Education, the group that filed the lawsuit, is also alleging the district is violating the First Amendment by threatening to discipline classmates or school staff who refuse to call a student by their preferred pronouns or new name.

(Sheldon, Iowa) [Updated 8:19 PM, 8/3/22) – A teenager who suffered life-threatening injuries when his scooter was struck by a car in northwest Iowa, Wednesday, has succumbed to those injuries. The accident happened in O’Brien County. The Iowa State Patrol says a 15-year male was riding a 2018 Honda NPS-50 scooter north of Sheldon. The scooter was traveling westbound on 280th Street at around 12:32-p.m. when it entered he intersection with Highway 60, and was struck by a 2016 Hyundai Elantra, traveling southbound on Highway 60. The driver of the car was identified as 71-year-old Bonnie Jean Allison, of Spencer. She was not hurt.

Following the collision, the car came to rest 300-feet south of the intersection, and the scooter came to rest in the middle of the intersection. The unidentified operator of the Honda was transported by Sheldon EMS to the hospital in Sheldon, where he later died. The accident remains under investigation.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council met this (Wednesday) evening in their chambers at City Hall. During the Consent Agenda portion of the meeting, Councilman Dana Halder requested the topic of a Class C Liquor License for Weitzel’s Restaurant be pulled from that part of the agenda, so it can be discussed and acted on separately. The rest of the Consent Agenda was approved, including a Class-C Liquor License for the Atlas Atlantic Cinema. In asking for the item to be pulled from the Consent Agenda, Councilman Halder said he was not happy with the appearance of the property

Councilman Gerald Brink had another reason why the permit shouldn’t be approved.

Halder explained further, that he wanted to deny approval of Weitzel’s their liquor license “due to the fact they are not following our City Ordinances.”

There being no further discussion and no motion to approve the license, it was automatically denied.

Atlantic City Council mtg, 8/3/2022

In other business, the Council approved a change order for the Bull Creek Improvement project, which results in a net change in the amount of just under $6,100. The Council is pleased with the amount of work that has been done on the project. Snyder and Associates Engineer & Project Manager Jeff Godwin said the project is very close to being completed.

ARPA funds will address the cost of the change order. The Council held a Public Hearing on a proposed amendment to the Southeast Urban Renewal District. Having received no comments written or spoken, they approved the amendment which provides Tax Increment Financing (TIF) support to Boose Building Construction, L.C., in connection with the construction of public infrastructure necessary for the development of housing in the Redwood Subdivision, and ,uses TIF to pay the costs of acquiring property and constructing public infrastructure necessary for the development of the Prairie Hills Development.

The Atlantic City Council passed the second reading of an Ordinance pertaining to parking regulations, which allows parking for two-hours on Thursday’s, on the west side of Palm Street, between 6th and 7th Streets, for drive-through food distribution from the Atlantic Food Pantry. The hours affected are 11:30-a.m. to 1:30-p.m.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Public Health, Wednesday, confirmed the first positive case of MonkeyPox in Pottawattamie County. Pottawattamie County Public Health officials say they are working closely with the IDPH to conduct contact tracing. PCPH is also communicating with local health partners to identify anyone who may be at risk due to close contact with the patient while infectious. People who have been confirmed to have had direct close contact are instructed to watch for symptoms of illness, and are offered a vaccine series. The series is used to prevent symptoms from developing or developing severe illness.

According to the press release, the virus known as monkeypox is most commonly spread through skin contact or by way of shared items that have been contaminated by bodily fluids, but it can also make its way from person to person through “prolonged face-to-face contact” or other means of intimate contact. “Although monkeypox is not generally considered a sexually transmitted infection, it can be transmitted during intimate contact and sex by skin-to-skin and other intimate contact, regardless of gender or sexual orientation,” the release states.

The state and local health departments advise anyone who has had contact with a confirmed or suspected case — or has traveled to a country where monkeypox cases have been reported — to be mindful of symptoms, particularly rashes or lesions.

Symptoms of monkeypox can include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Exhaustion
• A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.

The rash goes through different stages before healing completely. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks. Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.

How it Spreads

The virus can spread from person-to-person through:

• direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids
• respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex

Health care providers

• A high index of suspicion for monkeypox is warranted when evaluating people with the characteristic rash, particularly for the following groups:
  • men who report sexual contact with other men and who present with lesions in the genital/perianal area,
  • people reporting a significant travel history in the month before illness onset or
  • people reporting contact with people who have a similar rash or have received a diagnosis of suspected or confirmed monkeypox.

Atlantic, Iowa – The owners of an Atlantic business made a generous donation towards improvements at the Sunnyside Park bandstand.  Doug and Joyce Bierbaum, with Bierbaum Electric said they wanted to “give back” to the city of Atlantic for all the support they have gotten for their business. They donated $5,000 last week for the bandstand improvement project. Atlantic Parks & Recreation Department Director Bryant Rasmussen said the couple approached park staff about their idea, and they discussed different park projects.

“We talked through with them some of our upcoming projects that we have going on throughout all of our parks, and this is one that they felt passionate about donating towards,” Rasmussen said. He said also, leveling the floor of the bandstand would cost approximately $10,000, and the addition of a roof would cost close to $80,000. Bryant said at least two other organizations indicated they would be willing to search for grant funds or collect donations to contribute to the project.

Pictured presenting and accepting a $5,000 donation from Doug and Joyce Bierbaum of Bierbaum Electric to the Atlantic Parks Department are (from left) Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett, Doug Bierbaum, Joyce Bierbaum, Atlantic Parks Director Bryant Rasmussen and Atlantic Assistant Parks Director Jeff Christensen. (photo by Jennifer Nichols, Courtesy of the Atlantic News Telegraph).

Rasmussen said a Jefferson resident who recently performed on the bandstand said he wished Jefferson had a similar structure because it was nice to have a permanent structure with electricity available for bands to use.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – An Omaha, Nebraska woman was sentenced on a drug charge Wednesday (Aug. 3rd) in Council Bluffs District Court. A judge ordered 33-year-old Anisha Ilene Luna to serve eight-years in prison, following her plea to a charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

In March 2021, the Mills County Sheriff’s Department received information that Luna and her co-defendant, Ronald Wayne Reed II, were planning to deliver an ounce of methamphetamine to a confidential source at a McDonald’s parking lot in Glenwood, Iowa. Deputies surveilled the McDonald’s and saw Luna and Reed arrive in a car. After a probable cause search, deputies found over five grams of methamphetamine in possession of Luna and Reed, which they intended to distribute. Investigation showed that Luna and Reed had distributed over a pound of methamphetamine.

Ronald Reed is scheduled to be sentenced October 5, 2022 in Council Bluffs.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Mills County Sheriff’s Department, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(Ottumwa, Iowa) – An SUV that authorities say was traveling at an excessive rate of speed, went out of control and rolled through an intersection in Ottumwa before it came to rest in a house at 601 E. Williams Street. The Iowa State Patrol reports the driver of the BMW X3, 44-year-old Jason Tobek, of Ottumwa, died at the scene. He was wearing a seat belt. A passenger in the vehicle,  21-year-old Brianna McConnell, of Ottumwa, was injured in the crash and transported by ambulance to the local hospital.

According to police, there were two people inside the home at the time of the crash, but they were not hurt. The accident happened a little before 10-a.m. today (Wednesday), at the intersection of Williams and Weller Streets. The crash remains under investigation.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Ottumwa Police and Fire Departments, along with the Ottumwa Ambulance Service.

Atlantic, Iowa – Produce in the Park Manager Brigham Hoege reports food trucks Zipp’s Pizzeria and Zemog’s Cocina will be at Produce in the Park this Thursday, August 4th. Zemog’s jalapeno ranch sauce is quickly becoming a customer favorite at the park. Those who like jalapenos will find fresh jalapenos at the park this week.

Hoege says August is a great time of year for fresh, local produce in Iowa, and vendors will be selling jalapenos, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, sweet corn, onions, garlic, eggplant, peppers, and more. This week, free taste tests of cherry tomatoes will be handed out by Produce in the Park Board Member Vicki Nordskog. Cherry tomatoes are a simple, delicious, healthy snack that come in a variety of colors. Tasting different colors is a great way to introduce kids to produce. 

Sue Irvin of Sue’s Country Garden does an excellent job of introducing people to produce. For example, she’s been known to sneak zucchini and eggplant into brownies. A few years ago, after repeatedly offering her young grandson tomatoes, Sue brought him to Produce in the Park. Up to that point, the boy had insisted to his grandma that he didn’t like tomatoes, but to her surprise he changed his mind that day at the park when he tried orange and yellow tomatoes. Stories like this one demonstrate the special magic of farmers markets. Stop by the market this week to discover produce you never knew you loved.

Produce in the Park is held every Thursday through Oct. 13th.

Details on the August 4th event are as follows:

Produce in the Park August 4
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Location: Atlantic City Park (10 W. 7th Street, Atlantic, IA 50022)
Food Trucks: Zipp’s Pizza and Zemog’s Cocina Taco Truck
Fresh Produce: Tomatoes, sweet corn, zucchini, cucumbers, onions, and more
Local Meat: beef, pork, lamb, and chicken
Farm favorites: fresh-cut flowers, farm-fresh eggs, honey
Treats and Sweets: fresh-squeezed lemonade, popcorn, kringle, pastries, and fruit crisps
Crafts and more: jewelry, art prints, greeting cards, soaps, candles, lotions, plants, and lawn decorations
Fun: Live music, games, and more!
Free Taste Tests: Cherry tomatoes
Visiting organizations: Atlantic Public Library and Atlantic Parks and Recreation
Free drawing for a dozen eggs sponsored by the Cass County Local Food Policy Council.
(Anyone age 18+ can enter for free. Winner will be drawn after the market and receive eggs the
following week.
Payment methods accepted: All vendors accept cash. Many accept credit cards, Venmo, and Farmers
Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Senior and WIC checks. All qualifying food vendors accept SNAP/EBT
(also known as food stamps). All fresh produce vendors both accept and distribute Double Up Food
Bucks (coupons given for SNAP/EBT purchases of fresh produce).