(Radio  Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission set the timeline today (Friday) for new license applications. The process includes a gambling market study and proposals to do that are due August 15th. Applications for those interested in getting a license are due one month later.

The commission will hear presentations on potential new casinos in October. The market study is due at the end of December with a public presentation in January. It’s anticipated the I-R-G-C will make a decision on awarding any new licenses in February.

A group in Linn County is proposing a casino in Cedar Rapids, but not other proposals have been made public.

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say an exceptionally hot and humid weekend is ahead and Iowans are warned not to overdo it if they’re working or playing outdoors. Carla Johnson, an infection prevention specialist with Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City, says falling victim to heat stroke can be very risky, so know the symptoms.

A person with heat stroke might also seem confused, and they may even pass out.

Another risk is heat exhaustion, which she says has a varied set of warning signs.

Seven southwest Iowa counties are under an excessive heat watch from Sunday afternoon through Monday night, as forecasters say heat indices may reach 112 degrees.

DES MOINES – As part of a rapid response effort to provide much-needed housing to disaster impacted Iowans, Governor Kim Reynolds has directed the Iowa Department of Corrections, in collaboration with Iowa Prison Industries and Homes for Iowa, to construct five new homes for Iowa communities located in counties approved for FEMA Individual Assistance through a federal major disaster declaration.

The five new homes will offer spacious and modern living spaces for families in need. Each home measures 24×50 feet and includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The homes vary slightly in layout and color, providing a range of options to suit different preferences. In addition, requiring basements for the homes provides a crucial area of shelter during high-wind events, an essential feature for areas vulnerable to tornadoes.

“Homes for Iowa provides a turnkey solution for disaster impacted communities that want to expedite their rebuilding process,” stated Governor Reynolds. “Supporting displaced Iowans in getting back into homes in their communities is our highest priority.”

“We are committed to supporting Iowans as communities recover from these devastating natural disasters,” said DOC Director Dr. Beth Skinner. “These homes represent hope and a fresh start for families in need, and we are grateful for the partnership with Iowa Prison Industries and Homes for Iowa in making this possible.”

Homes for Iowa not only provides affordable, energy-efficient homes to enhance communities across the state but also offers invaluable opportunities for incarcerated individuals. Participants in the program gain hands-on experience in construction, developing skills that are critical for their successful reentry into society. This training helps reduce recidivism by providing meaningful employment opportunities upon release, thereby contributing positively to the community and economy.

This initiative underscores our commitment to community resilience and ensuring safe, affordable housing for all Iowans.

Communities interested in purchasing homes can go to homesforia.com to learn more about the process and submit an order form online.

NEWTON, Iowa – July 12, 2024 – The racing season is now underway at the Iowa Speedway! We would like to ask for your assistance during race weekends. The Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend is July 12 – 14, with attendance expected to be approximately 25,000 – 30,000 on Saturday and Sunday. Below are some traffic information and travel tips provided by the Iowa State Patrol for individuals traveling in Central Iowa while the race events are happening.

• The Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Transportation, Newton Police Department, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa Speedway officials will be working in conjunction with traffic control and parking companies to erect signs, sign boards, and cones to clearly mark travel routes for fans attending the races.

• Please leave for the track early, factoring in potential minor traffic delays near the Speedway. Arriving ahead of time remains the most effective strategy to alleviate congestion on the roads.

• Please be aware of ongoing construction projects that may impact your travel plans, including the closure of a section of Highway 14 between Newton and Monroe, as well as Jasper County Road F-48 that is shut down for construction west of Newton.

• Following the races, exit ramps in both east- and westbound directions at the 168 interchange (exit 168) will be temporarily closed. Additionally, post-event traffic on Iowa Speedway Drive at S 13th St. E. will be directed to ensure a safe and efficient flow of vehicles out of the area.

• Parking lots open at noon on Friday, July 12, 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, and 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 14.

As part of their dedication to a safe and pleasant race experience, the Iowa DOT asks motorists to kindly adhere to all traffic regulations, ensure seat belt usage for all passengers, and arrange for a designated driver when necessary.

(Radio Iowa) – Tourism is down in the Iowa Great Lakes after heavy rains and high water forced the implementation of issue boating restrictions. The Executive Director of Vacation Okoboji , Kylie Zankowski, says summer business is important to the area.

Zankowski estimates flooding has decreased tourism by 40 to 60 percent.

Zankowski says some hotel occupancy was cut in half during the Independence Day holiday. Juli Redig has been coming to the Iowa Great Lakes from Minnesota since she was the age of her grandchildren. And they saw very few boats on the water during a visit to Arnolds Park due to a five mile and hour speed limit put in place to preserve the shoreline.

Redig says she’s still making the most of her family’s vacation. They brought their pontoon boat to enjoy the water slowly. Zankowski she says there’s hope as water levels and quality continue to improve. She says the Arnolds Park amusement area and other attractions, along with the food, and entertainment give tourists other options.

(story contributed by Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – A 44-year-old from Sioux City has won his second start after being asked to return as a pitcher for Sioux City’s minor league baseball team. J.D. Scholter (SHOHL-ten), a state representative who works as a paralegal, has played pro-baseball for teams in seven countries, including a four-year stretch for the Sioux City Explorers. The hometown crowd gave him a standing ovation as he left the mound last Saturday.

When he left the team in 2007, Scholten told the manager to call if they ever needed a pitcher in an emergency. Scholten got the call last Saturday as he was volunteering at a music festival in Sioux City.

Scholten made it in time, threw 100 pitches in six and a half innings and the team won that game. Scholten admits he had shaky start though, giving up a run in the first inning and then escaping a bases loaded jam.

The Explorers won that game 11-to-two and won again last (Thursday) night in Fargo. Scholten threw again for the first six innings, allowing one run in the fourth inning striking out three and leaving with the score tied. Scholten pitched in a pro league in the Netherlands last year and added a new pitch to his rotation.

Some of Scholten’s pitches during the two games this past week have been clocked at 87 miles an hour.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials say ensuring schools start the fall semester in two flood-stricken northwest Iowa cities is a priority. Iowa Department of Education director McKenzie Snow says public school districts in Spencer and Rock Valley and the Rock Valley Christian School are dealing with extensive damage. “Lost curriculum and instructional items, electronic learning devices, school buses and vans, (Career and Technical Education) program equipment,” she said, “and educational enrichment spaces and materials that range from playgrounds to gyms to libraries and band rooms.”

Snow said some progress has been made, but her agency has been involved in finding portable classrooms in other school districts that can be transferred to Spencer and Rock Valley.) “We are also focused on transportation needed to best serve all students,” Snow said, “especially students who have been displaced or students who are experiencing homelessness.” Governor Kim Reynolds says the first day of school is just around the corner — and the goal is to get kids in a classroom for in-person instruction.

Last year, more than two-thousand students were enrolled in Spencer and the public schools in Rock Valley had just under a thousand students. There were 236 students enrolled in Rock Valley Christian School for the 2023/24 school year.

(Radio Iowa) – The president of the American Medical Association is in Iowa today (Friday) to address the state’s top doctors about key healthcare issues, including Iowa’s worsening shortage of rural physicians. Dr. Bruce Scott is an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgery specialist with a private practice in Louisville, Kentucky. Scott says one of his priorities as A-M-A president is to seek out ways to turn around the exodus of experienced doctors from our nation’s rural areas. “In Iowa right now, 97 out of your 99 counties are partially or entirely designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas,” Scott says. “Iowa actually ranks 45th in the nation in terms of availability of physicians and the patient-physician relationship.”

Scott is speaking before members of the Iowa Medical Society in Des Moines, and says he’s seeing similar problems in Kentucky. In an interview with Radio Iowa, Scott says rural Iowa physicians are retiring in droves and they’re not being replaced by new doctors due to the lower wages, increased administrative burdens, and the rising cost of practice in rural areas. “We need to work to get the physicians who are currently practicing to want to continue practice,” Scott says, “and then we need to work on the other end to get more people into medical schools, into residency and convince them to stay in the rural areas.”

It’s a nationwide problem, as Scott says forecasts show the country will be short 83-thousand doctors in the next decade. He says only four or five percent of today’s medical students identify as being from a rural area. “Medical student debt is huge and sometimes students in rural areas don’t have the financial means,” Scott says. “So one of the things that I know the Iowa Medical Society is pushing for is increased funding for the Rural Physician Loan Repayment Program, so we particularly need more residency programs in rural areas.”

Studies find 80-percent of graduating residents stay within 80 miles of the hospital where they did their residency. Besides medical doctors to address our physical ills, Iowa is also lacking in -mental- health professionals. Beyond incentives for those who pursue degree programs, Scott says licensing and regulatory changes could bring more people into service, but progress is slow. “The American Medical Association actually convinced the federal government to pass what was called parody rules over 10 years ago,” Scott says, “and yet, many insurance companies still do not provide adequate coverage for mental health benefits, partially, I believe, because the federal government never put any teeth into the requirements.”

Dr. Bruce Scott (AMA photo)

The Federal Trade Commission issued a report this week about the negative impact pharmacy benefit managers, or P-B-Ms, are having on the accessibility and affordability of prescription drugs. Health care professionals in the state blame P-B-Ms for driving many small-town Iowa pharmacies out of business, and Scott agrees. “I think the PBMs pose a real problem. They are basically an invisible entity that sucks a lot of dollars out of the healthcare system, and I think that they should be largely eliminated or at least largely regulated,” Scott says. “Not only has it been an impact upon the small pharmacies, it’s been an impact on the patient’s pocketbook.”

He says these companies routinely keep rebates that should go to the patients, or that result in higher prices for prescriptions. The Iowa Medical Society, established in 1850, is the largest and oldest statewide professional association for Iowa physicians representing more than 5,000 members.

CRESTON, Iowa – July 12, 2024 – You may notice a delay on eastbound Interstate 80 near Van Meter (exit 113) overnight from 10 p.m. on Monday, July 15 until 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 16, weather permitting. The Iowa Department of Transportation needs to close the roadway overnight at the Van Meter interchange (exit 113) to allow the contractor work on concrete paving.

While the roadway is closed, you will follow a marked detour route that will use the ramps at Van Meter interchange (exit 113). Flaggers will also be present to assist those traveling on Dallas County Road R-16 who want to travel on I-80.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic RAGBRAI® Committee is ready to entertain cyclists, visitors and community members alike, at “AtlantiPalooza” on Monday, July 22, 2024. AtlantiPalooza takes place as riders participating in Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa roll into the City on the 22nd.  Atlantic RAGBRAI Executive Chair Bailey Smith says “Our Atlantic RAGBRAI Committee is made up of 20 committee chairs and numerous volunteers who have worked tirelessly the last 6 months to put together a full day of music, entertainment, good food, and much more. We hope both riders and community members come Downtown and enjoy all their hard work.”

The Atlantic RAGBRAI Committee consists of: Bailey Smith, Executive Chair; Devin Hogue, Executive Chair/Public Safety Chair; Jodie Hogue, Hospitality Chair; Anne Quist, Budget Chair; Kelsey Beschorner, Publicity Chair; Jessie Shiels, Entertainment Chair; Tom Cappel & Tim Cappel, Beverage Garden Chairs; Kirk Knudsen, Campground Chair; Brad Strouth, Electricity Chair; Sheryl Dusenberry, Food & Vendor Chair; Marsha & Randy Watts, Housing Chairs; Dolly Bergmann, Information Center Chair; Mark Lander, Shuttle Service Chair; Nicki & Jason Ball, Volunteer Recruitment Chairs; Mike Kennon, EMS Communication Chair and Darci Young, Medical Chair.

Chestnut Street, along with several side streets and city parking lots, will be closed for parking beginning at 6 AM on Monday, July 22nd, for Atlantic RAGBRAI routes and festivities. The Atlantic RAGBRAI Committee asks residents to have their vehicles removed from the following areas or the vehicle will be towed at the owners’ expense.

Below is a list of street closures approved by the City of Atlantic.

• Chestnut Street: from the Court House Driveway access in the 700 BLK to 2nd street. (Used for stage/entertainment area, and vendors.)
• Chestnut Street from 6th to 4th will be closed beginning Sunday, July 21st at 6 PM
• 6th Street: from Locust to Walnut. (Used for entry to the entertainment area, Bike parking, and vendors.)
• Poplar Street: From 7th Street to 5th Street. (Used for bike parking and portable bathrooms)
• 7th Street *already approved by the Iowa DOT*: From Poplar to Walnut Street. (Used for entertainment area and crowed area while the bands play.)
• 10th Street: At intersection with 7th street for Eastbound, traffic. (Only during peak times of riders getting to and leaving town.)
• 14th Street: From Olive to Plum. (On Tuesday the 23rd while riders are leaving town.)

Bailey Smith says “We are thankful for cooperation and partnership amongst residents and businesses throughout Atlantic. We know it’s an inconvenience, but it helps make this event run a lot smoother when we all work together to welcome thousands of guests to our community.”  The official Atlantic RAGBRAI website, www.atlanticragbrai.com, is the hub for all Atlantic RAGBRAI information including an interactive map with extreme detail of street closures, campgrounds, vendors, entertainment locations, and more. This website is the hub for local community members and for RAGBRAI riders to get information about entertainment, maps, volunteering and more. If you are interested in lending a helping hand during the event, call the Atlantic Area Chamber at 712-243-3017 or visit www.atlanticragbrai.com to sign up.

Smith encourages everyone to look at the interactive map. She says “It will be the most up-to-date place to find information and will be extremely useful the day of as you navigate street closures. We encourage residents to enjoy the accommodations in place and take a shuttle ride downtown to help lift the burden of vehicle traffic.”

For a full list of activities happening throughout the day, visit Atlantic RAGBRAI on Facebook, “like” them on Instagram, or visit www.atlanticragbrai.com.

Atlantic RAGBRAI is sponsored by: Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Cass Health, Elkhart Plastic, Henningsen Construction, Atlantic Rotary Club, A.M. Cohron & Son, Gregg Young of Atlantic, NISHNANET, Richter & Son Towing, Meyer & Gross Real Estate, Community 1st Credit Union, Rush, CPA & Associates, Lindeman Tractor and JJ Design.