(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.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University economist Peter Orazem says if there’s a railroad strike next month, it could affect the supply of a major source of fuel for power plants. “Coal if, of course, one of the things that we see rolling across Iowa in the wintertime and that’s one of the things they really worry about is whether or not we’ll be able to maintain supplies of energy,” Orazem says, “particularly if it’s a really bad winter.”

Just over a third of Iowa’s electricity (36%) comes from coal-fired power plants. Orazem says heating oil also moves by rail. Eight unions had ratified a five-year contract for workers on America’s freight rail system. However, in the past few days, unions representing about 60-thousand railroad workers have rejected the deal. A strike could happen as soon as December 5th, but some of the railroad worker unions have said they’d agree to continue contract talks rather than strike.

“How this plays out still remains to be seen, but congress could step in and mandate that the unions operate under the proposed settlement,” Orazem, “and that’s another possibility.” The last railroad strike in 1992 lasted two days before congress intervened. Railroad workers have been seeking higher pay, but getting additional, guaranteed time off has been a big priority. Orazem says railroads are dealing with the same workforce pinch as other industries.

“We’re still about 1% below where we ought to be in terms of total employment, so there’s about 3.8 million unfilled vacancies per month,” Orazem says, “Well that’s affecting, then, staffing and for the railroads it means that they’ve been much less able to give people time off on vacations and flexible time for family emergencies and so on.”

Orazen made his comments during taping of “Iowa Press” which will air Friday night on Iowa P-B-S. According to the Iowa D-O-T, 18 railroad companies shift freight through the state. A strike could have a major impact on the movement of grain from the 2022 harvest.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Wednesday afternoon, reported four recent arrests. On Sunday (11/20), deputies arrested 39-year-old Tawnya Larsen, of Audubon, for OWI 1st Offense. Larsen was later released on her own recognizance (ROR)

Last Saturday, 29-year-old Morgan Beauchamp, of Atlantic, for OWI 1st Offense. She was also ROR’d.

On Friday, deputies in Cass County arrested 49-year-old Joshua Sparr, of Flint, MI, for Public Intoxication. Sparr was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release. Deputies also arrested 35-year-old Benny Pedersen, of Lake City, on Friday. He was wanted on warrants for Driving While Barred, Providing False ID to Law Enforcement and Interference with Official Acts. Pedersen was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.

All criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in the court of law.

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Iowa is participating in a vaccine trial that’s testing out an R-S-V vaccine from Pfizer in people 60 or older. The hope is to find protection against the virus which has seen cases increase in the last several weeks. Doctor Patricia Winokur at the University of Iowa Health Care tells K-C-R-G T-V that two vaccines are being tested. “Pfizer and Glaxo both have R-S-V vaccines and both of them are signaling that the efficacy of the vaccine is strong enough that they’re going to go to F-D-A and ask for approval,” Winokur says. The latest numbers from the state show 938 positive R-S-V cases, that’s up from 810 the week prior. R-S-V can be dangerous, especially for young babies and the elderly.

Pfizer is also testing an RSV vaccine in pregnant women with a goal of having the antibodies pass along to newborns.  ”They’re seeing efficacy in the babies in that study so that’s one of the other really exciting things about this vaccine that I think will intrigue the F-D-A,” Winokur says. Winokur tells K-C-R-G T-V that everyone needs to be cognizant of the virus during the Thanksgiving holiday. ”Be really careful around those that are vulnerable — again especially really young babies and the frail or older adults,” she says.

Doctor Winokur said this time of year there is a lot of spread of respiratory illnesses.

(Radio Iowa) – Net sales for Deere and Company were up 40 percent in its last quarter. The company’s net income for its fiscal year was over seven-point-one BILLION dollars. C-E-O John May says Deere’s just-concluded fiscal year was unprecedented in several ways. “We started the year in a work stoppage at some of our largest U.S. factories, but we resolved that with a groundbreaking, industry-leading new contract,” May says. “Then supply and logistics hurdles created disruption. At times, deliveries were delayed as demand simply outstripped what the industry could supply.” May says from May through the end of October, Deere had a substantial increase in retail sales AND in production from its factories.

“As I look ahead to Fiscal Year 2023 and beyond, I truly believe our best years are ahead of us,” May says. May says the fundamentals in the farm economy are positive and that’s driving demand for tractors and other implements. North American combine orders were recently filled in two months. “In the near term, order books across our businesses are full into the third quarter,” May says, “and it’s important to note that not only do the order books continue to fill when we open them, but the velocity of orders has remained strong.”

May spoke this (Wednesday) morning during an online presentation to investors. Deere’s stock price has been climbing this year and it went higher this (Wednesday) morning after Deere’s financial report was released.