State and federal officials have detected a case of bird flu in another herd of dairy cattle in Sioux County. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

While avian influenza is fatal to birds and poultry, nearly all cattle who contract the virus recover.

Reminder: Tickets available for pre-sale through Friday, at garden locations on day of event.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Master Gardener group is excited to host walking tours of 4 private gardens in Atlantic on Sunday afternoon June 23. The garden walk will feature four unique garden spaces for participants to explore at their leisure and gain inspiration for their own gardens, while enjoying a variety of garden styles and designs. Gardens will be open for touring between 2-6 PM and may be visited in any order. Highlights from featured gardens included sun and shade gardens, custom garden décor, antique themed garden areas, unique seating areas and paths, pollinator gardens, perennial beds and more! Follow the Cass County Master Gardeners on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CassCoMG for sneak peeks of featured garden spaces leading up to the day of the tour.

The walk is coordinated by the Cass County Master Gardeners, but is open to everyone interested in gaining some gardening inspiration. Tickets for the walk are $10 each, with all proceeds going to support local Master Gardener projects and activities. Tickets are available now for purchase at the Cass County Extension office, and a registration form can also be printed at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. Tickets should be presented at each location for admission.  A map of the tour locations and description of each garden is on each ticket purchased. Additional tickets may be purchased at any of the four locations on the day of the event. Tour locations will be shared online as the event date gets closer.

For more information about upcoming Master Gardener activities in Cass County, or to learn about becoming a Master Gardener, visit https://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/master-gardener-program, call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132, or email Cass County Extension Director and Master Gardener Coordinator Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu.  In addition, you are invited to follow the Cass County Master Gardeners at their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CassCoMG to keep up with local events and tips for gardening!

(Radio Iowa) – The state says swimming is not advised at Pine Lake State Park in Hardin County due to high E-coli levels, while two public beaches at Storm Lake in Buena Vista County also exceed the state’s advisory threshold for the bacteria. That makes a total of 12 state park beach advisories issued so far this year. Daniel Kendall, the Iowa D-N-R’s lake and beach monitoring coordinator, says people should enjoy Iowa’s lakes and rivers, but he strongly recommends wearing life jackets.

People most at risk of getting sick are children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with underlying medical conditions, like cancer and diabetes. During the summer months, Iowa D-N-R staff collect water samples each week at 40 beaches to monitor for harmful bacteria and blue-green algae toxins. The DNR Beach Monitoring Website and Hotline are updated on Fridays.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Missouri was cited for Failure to Maintain Control, and arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/marijuana along with Possession of drug paraphernalia, following an accident that occurred just before Noon last Thursday (June 13th).

Authorities say 48-year-old Aaron Lee Becker, of Kansas City, MO., was driving a 2019 Ford F-150 pickup truck southbound on Talon Avenue near the intersection with White Pole Road.

A 2000 Peterbilt semi tractor-trailer driven by 22-year-old Nicholas Wayne Benshoof, of Winterset, was stopped at the intersection facing southbound. Becker failed to notice the stopped semi and rear-ended trailer, causing a total of $22,000 damage. No injuries were reported.

Becker was evaluated for driving under the influence and implied consent was invoked. A urine specimen was obtained and sent to the DCI lab for evaluation. Authorities say Becker admitted using his cell phone prior to the accident, but did not clarify if he was texting or calling someone.

DES MOINES, Iowa (June 17, 2024) – Food Bank of Iowa has received a $25,000 grant from State Farm to support mobile food distribution, helping Iowans to recover from the May tornadoes. The funds will provide the equivalent of 41,667 nutritious meals, supporting families recovering from these tragic storms.

“This generous grant from State Farm will help us to provide additional food assistance as we respond to the needs of residents in some of our hardest hit counties,” said Food Bank of Iowa CEO Michelle Book.

Food Bank of Iowa serves 11 of the 18 counties with disaster declarations: Adair (Greenfield), Adams, Clay, Dallas, Hardin, Jasper, Kossuth, Marshall, Palo Alto, Warren and Webster. The food bank stocks the shelves of more than 700 community and church pantries, school pantries and meal sites across 55 counties, as well as provides food assistance through mobile distribution and the elementary BackPack Program.

“At State Farm part of our mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life and recover from the unexpected,” said Apsara Sorensen, State Farm corporate responsibility assistant vice president. “State Farm is proud to team up with Food Bank of Iowa to help Iowans recover faster from these devastating storms.”

Food Bank of Iowa operates 46 mobile pantries across 30 counties. Families who need food assistance, including those recovering from disaster, receive a variety of shelf-stable and fresh foods, including produce, protein and dairy. Food is distributed at a prearranged site farmers market-style or in some cases, in a drive-through format.

In addition to mobile pantries, the food bank has been offering more frequent distribution, extra routes, additional distribution and other assistance to partners in the affected areas. Food Bank of Iowa also delivers and loans generators to partners to ensure food is kept safe and distribution can continue without interruption.

(Radio Iowa) – Sioux City Parks and Recreation dedicated its new Cone Park mountain bike trails this weekend. Spokesman John Byrnes says the trails are designed for riders of any age.

He says the Cone Park bike trails set Sioux City apart from anything else that’s available.

The city held a Trails Fest this weekend to introduce the new park.

Cone park already had splash pads for kids and walking trails. It also has winter tubing and the mountain bike trails are expected to bring in many more people to the area.

(Radio Iowa) – Delegates at the Iowa Democratic Party’s state convention adopted a resolution calling for a cease fire in the Israel-Hamas war. The statement calls for the immediate and safe return of all Israeli hostages being held by Hamas and the release of over nine-thousand Palestinians who’ve been jailed under Israeli martial law.

The Iowa Democratic Party resolution calls for delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza as well as an immediate, permanent and bilateral ceasefire in Israel and Palestine.

The decision from delegates was not unanimous. Some objected to the last part of the statement which calls for a halt to the sale or transfer of arms to Israel that may be used in contravention of international law. During debate on the topic, one delegate said the party shouldn’t chicken out on taking a stand on U-S military aid to Israel.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests were made and two citations were issued. Friday afternoon, 28-year-old Joshua James Jost, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While Barred, after he was pulled-over for having too dark of a tint on his pickup’s windows. He was released from the scene with a citation. Friday night, 28-year-old Dereck Lorenzo Mitchell Elliott, of Stuart, was arrested near Menlo, for Driving While License is Denied or Revoked for OWI. His arrest followed an investigation into a non-injury accident at 110th Street and Pinewood Avenue in Adair County. Elliott was released later that same night on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

Wednesday afternoon (June 12th), 20-year-old Anthony Arnold Anderson, of Prescott (IA), was arrested near Greenfield, for Driving While License is Denied or Revoked for OWI. He was issued a citation and released from the scene of his traffic stop. Anderson was also issued a written warning for Possession of Nicotine by a person under the age of 21.

And, On June 11th, 40-year-old Lindsay Lee Hommes, of Adair, was arrested by Sheriff’s deputies following an incident outside of the Subway Store in Adair. Following an investigation, Hommes was taken into custody for Assault with Bodily Injury, and Interference with Official Acts for allegedly lying to law enforcement about the circumstances surrounding the incident. She was released later that same day on a $1,000 cash-only bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Summer officially arrives later this week but the heat and humidity are already settled in across Iowa. Much of the state’s northern third was under a severe thunderstorm watch this (Monday) morning, while a wide area of eastern Iowa has a heat advisory in effect until 8 o’clock tonight. Meteorologist Rod Donavon, at the National Weather Service, says it’ll be a steamy day ahead for most of the state.

Heat indices may reach triple digits in eastern Iowa, as the heat advisory covers cities including Cedar Rapids, Iowa City Dubuque, Davenport, Burlington and Keokuk. Donavon says we may have a break from the heat at mid-week, but more storms are likely by week’s end.

Summer starts on Thursday.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold two public hearings during their meeting at 9-a.m. on Tuesday, June 18th, in Atlantic. The first is with regard to Declaring Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as an Essential Service, under the Code of Iowa. During a meeting last month, the Board held the first public hearing and passed a Resolution Declaring EMS as an essential service. A second public hearing on the matter was held May 31st.

State law allows counties to initiate the process of implementing a tax levy for the services, but it must receive a super-majority of at least 60% from the county voters. The Board has stated in past meetings, that one reason for proposing the levy is to ensure a more transparent process rather than the current pool of money compiled between the county, city of Atlantic, and Cass County Health for one of the county’s few paid services in Atlantic. Another potential benefit is allowing EMS services in the county to better budget for equipment purchases and training.

If the third reading of the Resolution is passed, the measure will be included on the ballot for the November General Election. Following Tuesday’s hearing, if the Resolution is approved, the Board will act on passing a Resolution establishing an EMS Advisory Council and directing the Council to advise both the cost and funding for EMS services.

Assuming the measure it placed on the ballot in November, there must be a 60% majority of the voters in favor of it in order for it to pass. If it does, counties such as Cass, can implement up to a 75 cent levy on property taxes, a 1% income surtax, or a combination of the two to help fund local EMS providers.

The second hearing is with regard to Vendor Regulations in Atlantic for the July 22nd overnight RAGBRAI event. In other business, the Cass County Supervisors will act on authorizing the County Auditor to withhold $120,607 in a TIF rebate over-payment to Elite Octane over a two-year period. They will also discuss and possibly act on, a Vision Atlantic request for ARPA funds, and act on approving County employee wages and benefits for FY 2024-25.

The meeting is viewable in-person, electronically via Zoom, and over the phone.  (See connection details below)

Join Electronically https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2899195216?pwd=R0hSa2FOOTh0NUdra1ZSdVhVW
HpMUT09
Meeting ID: 289 919 5216
Passcode: 012064

Call In 312-626-6799, press *9 to indicate you wish to speak.