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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
(Anita, Iowa) – A Public Hearing will be held Monday (Sept. 9) in Anita, just prior to the CAM School Board’s regular monthly meeting. The hearing, which is slated to be held at 6:30-p.m. in the CAM High School Media Center, is with regard to a proposed extension of school bus route times.
Later on, during the regular meeting of the Board, they will act on approving an extension of the bus route times. CAM Superintendent Paul Croghan has said the extension is to be in compliance with bus route times. The bus routes typically come in at under an hour, but there is a 15-minute shuttle bus, and the extension is intended to bring that bus route into compliance with the other, regular routes.
CAM logo
In other business, the CAM School Board will act on any resignations to come before them, as well as any new hires/contracts. Another agenda item, is approval of a Daycare Agreement. The daycare is part of the former north elementary building.
The full agenda can be viewed here: September 9, 2024, CAM Board Agenda
(Washington, D-C) – On her fourth trip to stand with Israel since the October 7 attacks, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), co-chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus, returned to the Middle East with U.S. Representatives Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Curtis (R-Utah), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) to help move a deal forward that ensures the survival of Israel, destroys Hamas’ ability to reconstitute in the region, and brings the American hostages home.
According to a press release, “After the heartbreaking news of the murder of Hersh Goldberg-Polin at the hands of Iran-backed Hamas, Ernst reiterated even greater urgency to bring home Americans still held by Iran-backed Hamas.”
Senator Ernst said:
“Every second counts when Americans are being held by Iran-backed Hamas. On my fourth trip to Israel since October 7, this delegation’s mission was clear: pave a way to bring our citizens home and decimate Iran-backed Hamas. As leaders throughout the region expressed that the Biden-Harris administration’s actions have created confusion about America’s loyalties and leadership, even while the Iranian regime’s proxies are holding and murdering our countrymen, the need for our work became more evident. We must keep working on a deal that ensures the forever survival of Israel, destroys Hamas’ ability to reconstitute in the region, and releases our hostages. During this visit, we pressed regional officials to use their leverage to secure such a deal.
“While Biden and Harris waffle in their support and betray our greatest ally in the Middle East, I will not waver until every American is returned home and Iran-backed terrorists are destroyed.”
In Israel, the delegation met with Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo supplied by Ernst’s office)
Representative Banks said:
“The tragic news earlier this week that Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American, was one of the six hostages executed by Hamas underscores the urgency of our delegation’s ultimate goal: to reestablish American leadership so we can bring our hostages home, help Israel protect itself, and eliminate Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. The weak and wavering leadership from the Biden-Harris administration has been ineffective in achieving that goal. Thank you to Senator Ernst for leading this important trip.”
Representative Curtis said:
“My visits to Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Qatar are a stark reminder of the urgent need to bring the hostages home and for a peaceful resolution in the Middle East. As I return to my safe home, I pray for a solution that ends the fighting, brings stability to the region, eradicates antisemitism, and allows Jews and Arabs to prosper together.”
Representative Miller-Meeks said:
“Following Hamas’s unprovoked, heinous invasion of Israel on Oct 7, we have been diligently meeting with families and Heads of State to advocate for the release of all hostages still being held in Hamas captivity. Hamas’s recent murder of six hostages, including American citizen Hersh Goldberg Polin, is yet another tragedy that underscores the brutality of this terrorist organization. We will continue to forcefully push for the release of all the hostages.”
(Des Moines, Iowa) – COVID-19 rates are rising again in Iowa, according to new state and federal data, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of new COVID-19 vaccines in an effort to combat rising spread of coronavirus variants.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports, according to new Iowa Department of Health and Human Services data, positive COVID-19 tests grew to 21.9% in the week of Aug. 18 through 24, a 0.1% increase from the previous week, but is still lower than the 22.7% positive rate earlier in August. However, the positive testing rate is sizably higher than the 16.8% reported during the week of Aug. 26 in 2023.
Iowa, alongside many other states are seeing rising cases of COVID-19 due to “FLiRT variants,” researchers say, a category of several strains of COVID-19 that have mutated in similar ways. “FLiRT” infections are associated with milder symptoms than previous COVID strains, but still pose a risk to vulnerable populations such as immunocompromised and elderly individuals. The state department also reported a 3% rate of emergency room visits and 2.7% rate for inpatient visits that were related to COVID-19.
There were two Iowans who died from COVID-19 in the week period, HHS data found, lower than the six deaths reported in the same period in 2023.
At the same time, Iowa also saw a rise in COVID-19 wastewater viral activity. Data from The U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that Iowa has “very high” viral wastewater activity for the week ending Aug. 24, measured from nine state wastewater sites reporting on coronavirus rates detectable in water. This system allows health officials to monitor the spread outside of hospital visits and COVID tests, according to the CDC, in addition to being able to detect cases in which infected people are asymptomatic.
The current rating is an increase from the “high” viral wastewater activity reported in Iowa earlier this month. Iowa’s Wastewater Viral Activity Level was measured at 9.77 in the most recent data reported, a decrease from the 11.39 level measured for the week ending Aug. 17, but still above the national 8.78 national rating for the same period. Any score above eight points is considered a “very high” activity level.
The FDA last week granted emergency use authorization for the 2024-2025 coronavirus vaccines, an updated version of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine that administration officials said more closely targets variants that are currently spreading. Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the authorization allows Americans access to “an additional COVID-19 vaccine option that meets the FDA’s standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality needed.”
“The COVID-19 vaccines have had a tremendous positive impact on public health and vaccination continues to be the most effective method for COVID-19 prevention,” Marks said in a statement. “COVID-19 continues to be a very real risk for many people, and we encourage individuals to consider getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine when eligible.”
People age 12 and older who have never received a COVID-19 vaccination are eligible to receive two doses, three weeks apart, of the updated vaccine. Those who have already received a form of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, or been vaccinated with using a different formula from another manufacturer, are eligible to receive doses of the updated vaccine within specified time frames since their previous vaccination.
https://data.idph.state.ia.us/t/IDPH-DataViz/views/COVID-19VaccineImmunization/COVID-19Vaccine?%3Aembed=y&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y
Iowa has an immunization rate of 15.7% statewide. Public health officials recommend that Iowans stay up to date on vaccinations, and that people age 5 and older get one dose of the updated vaccine to prevent serious illnesses.
(Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress results for spring 2024, show that the state has reached or surpassed pre-pandemic proficiency levels in English language arts and mathematics The Iowa Capital Dispatch says tests results from the Spring 2024 assessment released Friday by the Iowa Department of Education, determined whether students in 3rd through 11th grade were meeting proficiency standards in the two subjects, in compliance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.
In the release on spring results, education department officials wrote that overall results showed some long-term progress for most grades, while results “do not show meaningful progress in most grade levels” for mathematics by remaining steady in comparison to previous years.
For English language arts (ELA), proficiency rates improved or remained steady in all assessed grades, with the exception of 3rd grade, in comparison to the previous year. Proficiencies increased across five grades — 4th through 8th.
(Photo illustration via Canva)
When looking at long-term results, the department found the largest increases in ELA scores for grades for 6th through 8th grade students’ proficiency in comparison to 2019 scores, rising between 8 and 9 percentage points. However, proficiency rates have decreased since 2019 for third grade students, as well as those in 9-11th grade.
In mathematics, proficiency increased in comparison to 2019 results for grades 3, 5, 6 and 8, with the highest improvement coming for 3rd grade students with a 5 percentage point increase. Results for 7th and 11th grade students remained at the same rate, while students in 9th grade saw the biggest drop of 7% fewer students proficient in 2024 compared to 2019. Grades 4 and 10 saw proficiency rates drop by a percentage point over the five-year period.
Overall, most mathematics proficiency rates show “relatively little to no growth across most grades when compared to last year,” according to the department news release, with grades only increasing or decreasing by 1 or 2 percentage points.
The results also showed that significant proficiency gaps remain among students with disabilities and students who are English language learners in both of the assessment areas. English language learners had an average proficiency difference across all assessed grade levels of 53% in English language arts and 45 percentage points in comparison to the overall student results, while students with disabilities saw differences of 45% in English language arts and 41% in mathematics.
During the 2024 legislative session, test results were cited as a motivation to pass the law proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds making significant changes to Iowa’s Area Education Agencies system providing support for children with special needs in Iowa schools. A report released by the Guidehouse consulting firm said the state spent more per-pupil on special education funding than the national average, but that students with disabilities performed below the national average on assessments. However, AEA supporters and education advocates argued the report cited misleading information.
In addition to efforts to change special education provisions in Iowa schools, the Iowa Department of Education said in the Friday news release the state is working to improve proficiency rates by adopting new academic standards for both of the tested subjects, approved by the Iowa State Board of Education. The department also provided professional learning opportunities for implementing the new standards over the summer for nearly 2,000 mathematics educators and more than 1,300 English language arts educators, according to the release.
UPDATED: SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY
Previous report…
(Carlisle, Iowa) – Police in the central Iowa town of Carlisle are asking for the public’s help in locating a suspect believed to be connected to the robbery of the First Interstate Bank in Carlisle, Friday afternoon. Authorities have identified 27-year-old Kevin Jeffrey Seay as the suspect. (Photos below are from the Carlisle Police Dept. Facebook page)
(Red Oak, Iowa) – Authorities in Montgomery County report two separate arrests. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department says 65-year-old Daniel Mark Sempek, of Elliott, was arrested on a warrant out of Pottawattamie County, for OWI/1st Offense. Sempek was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.
And, police in Red Oak Police report 31-year-old Dallas Eugene Davis was arrested a little after 6-p.m., Friday, for Violating a No-Contact order. Davis was being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail.
Schuling fills a vacancy created following the resignation of the Hon. Donna Bothwell, having been selected previously as a District Judge in District 4.
(Radio Iowa) – A man who gained online fame for his support of the Kansas City Chiefs has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for a string of robberies and attempted robberies — including three in central Iowa. Teresa Moore, the U-S Attorney for the western district of Missouri, issued a video statement after today’s (Friday) sentencing.
Xaviar Babudar stole 70-thousand from a bank in Clive in 2022. Investigators were able to recover his D-N-A from a black glove he left behind. Babudar admits he later stole another 25-thousand dollars from the same location, although the bank’s name had changed. Court records also show he stole over 300-thousand dollars from a West Des Moines credit union.
Babudar, who is 30 years old, went to Chiefs games dressed as a wolf — mimicking the Chief’s mascot. Prosecutors say he laundered the money stole by making large deposits in his bank accounts and buying casino chips from casinos in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were on hand Thursday, Sept. 5th, to celebrate the opening of a new business, Meadow & Charm, with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Brandy Gage, owner of Meadow & Charm, was inspired to open an ear-piercing studio after she began looking to get her daughter’s ears pierced. Brandy’s background as a dental hygienist made her passionate about having a sterile, clean, and comforting environment which she has brought to her current business model.
Pictured from Left to Right: Gabby Wahlert, Dr. Keith Leonard, Joyce Lundy, Megan Sramek, Elaine Otte, Jef Christensen, Ruth Sears, Krysta Hanson, Sean Gage, Brandy Gage, Jeremy Butler, Dolly Bergmann, Kimerly Gage, Scott Bennett, Jennifer McEntaffer, Lana Westphalen, Julie Waters, Tori Gibson, Anne Quist, Kelsey Beschorner
Meadow and Charm specializes in providing top-quality infinity jewelry, curated ear, nose and navel piercing services, fine line tattoos, and permanent makeup: ombre powder brows and lip blushing. The team members are all highly trained professionals that use the latest techniques and equipment to ensure a safe and comfortable experience.
Meadow & Charm is located at 509 Chestnut Street in Atlantic. For more information and https://www.meadowandcharm.com/
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