(Radio Iowa) – Parts of an historic building in the Iowa Great Lakes region sustained water and smoke damage in what is believed to be an electrical fire. About 20 retail shops and restaurants are located in the Central Emporium in Arnolds Park. The building sits along the shore of West Okoboji and was built in 1901. On Monday afternoon, fire crews responded to reports of smoke coming from a wall in the building.

Fire fighters spent about 90 minutes dousing the fire and evacuating smoke from the building. Smoke and water damage are reported in two upper level stores and one store downstairs.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s looking forward to digging into President Biden’s massive, near-trillion-dollar infrastructure bill. Grassley, a Republican, says the Senate has voted to proceed with consideration of the bi-partisan bill. “I voted yes on the procedural vote but I’m still undecided on the final legislation,” Grassley says. “That has to do more with costs than with the expenditure part of the bill.”

Over five years, the measure calls for some 550-billion dollars in new spending beyond projected federal levels. Grassley says he wants to be sure it’s dealing with “traditional, physical infrastructure,” things like roads and bridges, and not new social programs. “The text of the legislation is more than 2,700 pages,” Grassley says, “so I and my staff are going through that now and we’re working with other offices as well to understand exactly everything that’s in it.”

Family farmers rely on the state’s highways and waterways to get their products to consumers, Grassley says, and maintaining those routes is paramount in the bill. Access to high-speed internet is another key element.  “At nearly all the 85 counties I’ve been in, I’ve had a Q-and-A this year,” Grassley says, “and Iowans bring up infrastructure, particularly broadband and there’s $65-billion in this bill for broadband.”

Grassley says he’ll make a final decision on whether he’ll back the measure after weighing the full bill as well as any amendments that are adopted.

Officials with Tyson Foods are requiring all company employees to be vaccinated against the Coronavirus and its variants. In a statement, Tyson said “As people have heard, new variants of COVID-19 are more contagious, more deadly and responsible for most cases in America today. In some communities, doctors and hospitals are once again overwhelmed, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting nearly all hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. are among those who are unvaccinated. It is abundantly clear that getting vaccinated is the single most effective thing we can do to protect ourselves, our families and our communities.”

Employees are expected to receive their vaccines by Nov. 1. The company expects leadership to complete vaccinations by Sep. 24. Office employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 1. Vaccinated employees will receive a $200 “thank you” from Tyson for keeping the company safe.

Tyson officials say “We did not take this decision lightly. We have spent months encouraging our team members to get vaccinated – today, under half of our team members are. We take this step today because nothing is more important than our team members’ health and safety, and we thank them for the work they do, every day, to help us feed this country, and our world.”

The Board of Supervisors in Adair County will meet 9-a.m. Wednesday in the courthouse courtroom, in Greenfield. On the agenda, is discussion and possible action on a Fireworks Permit application, Homestead and Military Disallowances, and Compensation Board appointments. Adair County Auditor Mandy Berg will present a Backup Internet Connection Proposal to the Board, and discuss a laptop Grant Program through the Iowa Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).

County Treasurer Brenda Wallace will discuss a new hire Treasurer Clerk, and County Engineer Nick Kauffman will present two final vouchers for the Board to sign, for the: G-27 HMA Paving/Resurfacing Project, and, W-35 Jefferson Bridge Project. He’ll also update the Board on his department’s maintenance and other activities.

(Please note: The conference phone will still be available for those wish to, but cannot attend the meeting in-person. It can be accessed by calling (605)-313-6157, and when prompted, enter 526272#)

The broadcast News at 8:05-a.m., with Ric Hanson.

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The broadcast News at 7:07-a.m. w/Ric Hanson.

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(Red Oak) – After taking a year off due to the pandemic, more than three-dozen Iowa communities will be taking part in the National Night Out this (Tuesday) evening. In Red Oak, Fountain Square Park is the site for a showcase of area law enforcement, fire and EMT agencies. Red Oak Police Chief Justin Rhamy told KJAN News it’s not just about Red Oak’s Police, Fire and EMS…they reached out to surrounding counties and jurisdictions and asked them to attend, just like many communities are doing across the country.

You may even have a chance to meet the people who protect the President.

While you’re at Fountain Square Park, you’re welcome to look at the various pieces of equipment, talk with Police, Fire and 1st responders, and pick up some free food.

Rhamy said you’ll find lots of information from medical professionals abut staying healthy and safe in the sun, on the farm, and more.

The Iowa DNR will talk about hunter safety and hunter education, as well. After a one-year absence due to COVID-19, National Night Out takes place from 6-to-8 p.m.  Find the community nearest to you that’s having National Night Out events at: www.natw.org. The list locally, includes: Bridgewater, Council Bluffs, and Stuart. This marks the 37th year of these events.

(Cass County, Iowa) – It’s National Farmers Market Week, and now is a great time to visit the four Cass County farmers markets. Summer produce favorites including tomatoes, sweet corn, green beans, and potatoes are now in season. The Cass County farmers markets offer a range of locations, days, and times to accommodate shoppers from across the county.

Cass County Summer Farmers Markets and Highlights

• Atlantic Farmers Market:
  Location: Farm Bureau (1501 East 7th Street, Atlantic, IA 50022)
  Times: Saturdays 9:00 AM- Noon
  Facebook @AtlanticFarmersMarket
  Dates: June – August
  Highlights: Join local farmers to purchase your locally grown, fresh vegetables including
  hydroponic tomatoes. Vegetables are picked and offered for sale as they are ready in the fields.
  Also available is honey, pollen, popcorn, farm-fresh eggs, jellies, dressings, BBQ sauces, salsa
  and so much more.
• Anita Farmers Market:
  Location: Bandshell Park on Main Street in Anita
  Times: Tuesdays 4:30-6:30 PM
  Facebook Anita Farmers Market
  Dates: June – August
  Highlights: Visit various farmers in the shade to purchase fresh, locally grown vegetables.
  Vegetables available include everything from asparagus to zucchini when they are ripe and ready
  to pick. The vendors offer a variety of additional products including, honey, farm-fresh eggs,
  Lion’s club nuts, fresh baked goodies, popcorn, jellies, sauces, salsa, hand-crafted items, and
  metal yard art.
• Lewis Farmers Market:
  Location: 3HO (201 1st St., Lewis, IA 51544)
  Times: Tuesdays 4:30-6:30 PM, Thursdays 4:30-6:30 PM
  Facebook Hilltop Creations
  Dates: June – September
  Highlights: Fresh produce, baked treats, crafts, and pallet wood creations.
• Produce in the Park:
  Location: Atlantic City Park (10 W 7th St., Atlantic, IA 50022)
  Times: Thursdays 4:30-6:30
  Website: www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com
  Facebook @ProduceInThePark
  Dates: June – September
  Highlights: Produce in the Park offers fresh, local produce, baked goods, honey, meat, soaps,
  handmade craft items, kettle corn and fresh-squeezed lemonade, and dinner on site. Produce in
  the Park also offers live music, taste tests featuring seasonal produce, and offers a space for
  community organizations to share information with the public.

(Radio Iowa) –  Don’t forget: You can save some money while shopping this Friday and Saturday during the annual tax-free holiday. Iowa Department of Revenue spokesman, John Fuller, says it was started to help parents shopping for back-to-school items, and is very popular. “In general, the holiday runs for two days, Friday and Saturday, August 6th and 7th this year,” he says. “No state sales tax and no local option sales tax will be collected on clothing and shoes under a hundred dollars.” He says the savings can add up. “We have an estimate that Iowans saved about four-point-six million dollars in sales tax last year during the two-day event,” according to Fuller.

Fuller says you can find out more information on what can and cannot be accepted during the two-day period at the Iowa Department of Revenue website. “Go to tax.iowa.gov. There is a picture on our website of a bunch of shopping bags and they can click the link and get a lot more information on what would be tax-exempt and what would not, and there is a whole bunch of lists of different items and what qualifies,” Fuller says.

The tax-free weekend starts at 12:01 a-m Friday, August 6th, and runs until 11:59 a-m on Saturday, August 7th.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s most populous county and host of this month’s Iowa State Fair now has a high level of coronavirus transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Polk County officials are urging all residents to resume wearing masks in public indoor spaces and to get vaccinated. Polk County Board of Supervisors Chair Angela Connolly says the county’s vaccination rate is still too low to prevent the spread of variants.  “As we start to see more large gatherings such as concerts, the state fair, back to school — this is really a perfect storm,” Connolly said.

According to the C-D-C, 75 of Iowa’s 99 counties are experiencing a high or substantial spread of the cornavirus. Walmart and Target are among the retailers requiring employees to wear masks in these areas and encouraging customers to do so as well. Aneesa Afroze, an infectious disease doctor at MercyOne Des Moines, says in the last four months, her hospital has treated more than 200 Covid patients.

“95% of them were not vaccinated and 4% succumbed to this, so it is real,” she says. “And in order to prevent hospitalizations, in order to prevent deaths, vaccination is very important. Prevention is very important.”

About 61-and-a-half percent of Iowa adults are fully vaccinated according to data on the state’s website. A new state law prohibits local governments and schools from enacting mask mandates.