DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The husband of Vice President Kamala Harris toured a Des Moines food bank as the Biden administration continued its effort to promote the recently passed $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill. Doug Emhoff, accompanied by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Iowa U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, toured the Food Bank of Iowa on Monday.

Michelle Book, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Iowa gives Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, a tour of the Des Moines facility Monday, March 22, 2021. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Des Moines Register via AP)

Emhoff and Vilsack announced a 15% increase in benefits in the SNAP program through September 2021. The funding is in the recently passed bill and Vilsack says it will provide about $28 more per person, per month, or more than $100 more per month for a household of four, in additional SNAP benefits.

The Red Oak Police Department reports a two-vehicle accident between a Red Oak Schools Suburban and a dump truck occurred Monday morning.

At 9:54 a.m. Officers were dispatched to the accident at state highway 48 and Broadway Street in Red Oak. A 1998 Peterbilt Dump Truck operated by 60-year-old Lance Blaine Most of Red Oak was traveling southbound on Broadway Street and attempting to make a right turn into the alleyway just south of 2nd Avenue. A 2017 Chevy Suburban owned by the Red Oak Schools and operated by 72-year-old Steven Grant Thomas of Red Oak was southbound on Broadway following behind the dump truck. The dump truck needed to swing a bit into the turning lane to make the turn and Thomas misinterpreted the trucks intentions and proceeded forward and the left front of the Suburban collided with the pusher axle on the dump truck. No one was injured in the collision and no students were on board the Suburban.

The dump truck sustained an estimated $360 damage and the Suburban sustained an estimated $2,000 damage. No citations were issued at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – New climate outlooks being issued show a warm and dry trend for Iowa and for much of the country this spring and well into summer. Climatologist Pat Guinan, who moderated the monthly North Central Region climate update for the National Weather Service, says the warming pattern will start in April. “It does look like above-normal temperatures are anticipated across all of the NWS central region,” Guinan says, “and below-normal precip is in the cards, at least according to the forecasters.”

Guinan says the next 90 days shows warm conditions spreading. “We see a lot of the country covered in above-normal temperatures for the April-May-June period,” Guinan says, “We see below-normal precipitation indicated, not good, when you consider much of the western half of the country is still experiencing some form of drought.” The latest map from the U-S Drought Monitor shows much of northern and western Iowa is abnormally dry, with some areas ranging from moderate to severe to extreme drought.

As the La Nina pattern fades, Guinan says the summer forecast indicates continued warm, dry weather. “All of the Corn Belt, we’re forecasting a slight enhanced likelihood of above-normal temperatures this summer,” Guinan says. “That dryness has shifted a little bit toward the north and northeast for the summer, for below-normal precipitation with the highest likelihood extending through the Dakotas, western Minnesota, northwest Iowa, all of Nebraska and northern Kansas.”

In the short term, Guinan says the expectation is for moderate to heavy rain much of this week across Iowa and into the central U-S.

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says through the end of September, there will be a 15 percent increase in federal food assistance. “It will provide additional help and assistance for struggling families,” Vilsack says. “To give you a sense of this, a family of four is going to receive under this extension and expansion about $102 each and every month for the next several months. Now that’s going to make a huge difference.”

The total increase in food stamp payments will be three-and-a-half billion. That boost in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits is financed from the recently approved pandemic relief package. “This is really significant,” Vilsack says. “About for every dollar that’s invested in SNAP, you get a $1.50 return in the economy.” Vilsack and Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala, visited the Food Bank of Iowa earlier today (Monday).

“Hunger is a real issue in this country,” Emhoff said. “I’ve already traveled to several food banks and other organizations both in DC and just last week in Nevada.” Emhoff is scheduled to visit similar organizations in Omaha tomorrow (Tuesday) and in St. Louis on Wednesday. Food Bank of Iowa officials introduced Emhoff to a small group of volunteers who work in urban and rural Iowa. “During this pandemic when the need for food in the United States of America, when you wouldn’t think that would be an issue in this country, but it is, to do the work that you’ve done, day in and day out, I thank you,” Emhoff said.

Food insecurity in Iowa doubled at this time a year ago according to Food Bank of Iowa statistics. Congresswoman Cindy Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, was along for today’s (Monday’s) Food Bank tour. She says the pandemic highlighted the need for more food processing and distribution on a regional basis. “To allow us to be able to produce food closer to home and be able to process it there and bring it to market,” Axne says. “…Centralization of the market really has caused some problems for Iowa and in particular in our rural communities who’ve lost a lot of economic viability as a result of that.”

A spokesman for the Republican National Committee said sending Emhoff and Vilsack to Des Moines can’t distract from the pork barrel spending in the American Rescue Plan that has nothing to do with directly combating Covid.

SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a northwestern Iowa man with two counts of vehicular homicide in the death of a woman who was a passenger on the utility vehicle he was driving when it crashed. The Sioux City Journal reports that 48-year-old Christopher Bosma of Lake Park is charged with vehicular homicide when driving intoxicated and vehicular homicide due to reckless driving in the July death of 34-year-old Kelsie Sturm of Lake Park.

Investigators say Bosma was participating in a UTV poker ride that involved bar hopping in several towns on the day of the crash and that he had consumed eight or nine drinks before the crash.

McCOOK, Neb. (AP) — Police in southwestern Nebraska say an Iowa man has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a McCook police squad car as officers sought to arrest him, injuring the officers during the scuffle. The McCook Gazette reports that the incident happened Saturday night, when McCook police were contacted by police in Des Moines, Iowa, about a stolen car from Iowa that had been traced to the parking lot of a McCook hotel. McCook officers found the car with the suspect — identified as 32-year-old Cornelius Depri Perry of Des Moines — inside. Police say a struggle ensued when officers tried to arrest Perry and that he jumped into a police cruiser and fled. He was later stopped and arrested about 40 miles away in Max, Nebraska.

The City’s Compost Pile (near the Schildberg Rec Area) is for YARD WASTE ONLY, and only for use by RESIDENTS OF ATLANTIC.

(Radio Iowa) – A report out this month projects nearly 19-thousand Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year and a free program is being launched in hopes of trimming that number back. Nigel Brockton, at the American Institute for Cancer Research, says the effort is called the Healthy 10 Challenge and it delivers daily emails that offer a range of potentially-life-saving information. “This is a ten-week, free program that provides simple, practical, easy-to-follow, realistic advice directly to people with inboxes,” Brockton says. “This is not a crash diet. This is trying to build habits over the long-term that people can sustain.”

Studies find that many Iowans lack awareness about the cancer risks or about things that might prolong their lives. “Less than 50% of people are aware that alcohol and red meat are strong risk factors for cancer,” Brockton says, “and the good things, like whole grains, fiber, fruit and vegetables and physical activity, getting more of those can reduce your cancer risk.”

The annual Cancer in Iowa Report predicts about 18,900 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year and 6,400 will die from it. The report found breast cancer will be the most common diagnosis among women, followed by lung and colorectal. Prostate will be the most common among men, followed by lung and colorectal. “Approximately 40% of cancers are preventable,” Brockton says, “so we’re just trying to give people that information and give them ways to meet the recommendations to try and reduce their risk.”

Iowa’s adult obesity rate is just over 32-percent, up from 21-percent in 2000 and 12 percent in 1990. A federal report says being overweight or obese increases the risk of 12 types of cancer, in addition to being at greater risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports four recent arrests. Sunday afternoon, 40-year-old Carrie Lee Burke was arrested in Council Bluffs, for Driving While Suspended or Revoked. Just before 3-a.m. Sunday, 25-year old Jeremy Blaine Shoemaker was arrested in Council Bluffs, for OWI/1st offense. Late Saturday morning, 38-year old Erica Elaine Edie, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender, and Unlawful possession of a prescription drug. She was being held in the Pott. County Jail on a total of $3,000 bond.

And, Friday night, 23-year old Austin James Bowman was arrested in Council Bluffs, on a warrant for Harassment in the 3rd Degree.