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Heartbeat Today 6-28-2024

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

June 28th, 2024 by Jim Field

Jim Field visits with Museum of Danish America Genealogy & Education Center Youth and Community Educator Alissa LaCanne about July events sponsored by the museum.

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U.S. Election Assistance commissioner prepares for 2024 election with Iowa officials

News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

As distrust in election integrity rises nationwide, Christy McCormick with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission said the agency is working with local election officials to combat misinformation about election security, check that voting systems are working correctly and ensure they are prepared for Nov. 5. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports McCormick spoke at the Iowa State Association of County Auditors summer conference in Des Moines Thursday, going over resources available through the EAC to local and state officials. In the lead-up to the 2024 general election, McCormick said election officials are facing new challenges with public perception.

“There’s a new interest in elections and every part of the election process that we never used to see back, you know, 10, 15 years ago,” McCormick said. “There’s a lot more scrutiny on election officials now, every single move that they make is being watched. So they have to be careful, they have to be as perfect as they possibly can. … They’re under a lot of stress, so we’re trying to provide them with resources, trying to get new election officials up to speed.”

The commission, created through the 2002 Help America Vote Act, is the federal government body dedicated to overseeing and providing resources on election administration to officials throughout the country, including ensuring voting systems meet federal guidelines, certifying voting equipment and maintaining the National Mail Voter Registration Form.

In Iowa, the EAC official spoke about resources through the commission available to county auditors and local election offices ahead Nov. 5. For example, McCormick said, Iowa uses the voluntary EAC program for testing and certifying voting systems. Other resources are available to ensure election systems are secure, she said, like the Field Services Program bringing EAC staff to test machines and conduct manufacturer audits, and a “learning lab” launched to train new election officials.

The EAC also works with states and Congress on HAVA grants, federal funding for election security efforts distributed to states. Congress approved $55 for these grants in 2024, a compromise reached between the Democrat-controlled Senate’s proposal of $75 million and the Republican-controlled House proposal of zero dollars. The most recent appropriation falls below the $75 million approved in fiscal years 2023 and 2022.

U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner Christy McCormick spoke at the Iowa State Association of County Auditors summer conference in Des Moines June 27, 2024 about federal resources available to local election officials. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

According to EAC data compiled in 2023, Iowa has received more than $46 million in federal funds for election security and maintenance since 2003.

McCormick said the EAC is also working with local and state election officials on safety precautions, including trainings with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service on how to respond to potentially hazardous mail, or how to take private information off online search engines to prevent stalking or doxxing.

Though elections officials are facing more attention because of heightened concerns about integrity, McCormick encouraged people with questions and concerns to be in contact with their local election offices. One of the best ways to learn about how the election process works is to get involved, she said, encouraging people to become poll workers and to vote.

Officials are preparing for an “interesting” election season, she said, but that the EAC is working with officials on how to respond to situations where problems do arise, encouraging transparency on processes like auditing and recounts, as well as making contingency plans in case emergencies arise on Election Day.

 

The $100,000 reward for info on Iowa news anchor missing for 29 years has expired

News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

MASON CITY, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — Thursday marked 29 years of searching for answers in the disappearance of Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit. It was also the final day for a $100,000 reward offered by a private investigator, for information that leads to her remains. Earlier this year, private investigator Steve Ridge upped his reward for information from $50,000 to $100,000.

Jodi Huisentruit (file photo)

Huisentruit was reported missing in 1995 after she never showed up for work in Mason City. Investigators believe she was kidnapped. Huisentruit was legally declared dead six years later.

Two more Iowa dairy herds reported with avian flu

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Two more reports of avian flu in Sioux County dairy herds were announced on Thursday, marking the 13th report of bird flu in dairy cattle herds in Iowa for June.  Sioux County’s problems with bird flu continue as these two recent reports leave the county with 12 reports of cattle herds and one chicken flock infected with the virus. These two most recent cases of bird flu infected a 980-cow herd and one with 2,500 cattle. Cows generally recover from the virus within two weeks. The virus is typically deadly to poultry and flocks are culled to prevent spread of the infection.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced new rules for dairy cattle in exhibitions on Tuesday in hopes of limiting the spread of the disease.  Also on Tuesday, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced four states – Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico and Texas – would voluntarily test for bird flu in bulk milk tanks at dairies. Pasteurization kills the virus, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the agency is urging people to avoid drinking raw milk.

Outside of Sioux County, Sac, Plymouth, Cherokee and O’Brien counties have each had one report of bird flu.

High School Baseball Scores from Thursday

Sports

June 28th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Hawkeye Ten 

Red Oak 2, Atlantic 0
Lewis Central 6, Shenandoah 4

Western Iowa Conference

Lenox 11, Audubon 0

Rolling Valley Conference 

CAM 19, Mount Ayr 10

Raccoon River Conference

Ballard 8, Carroll 2
Boone 8, #10 Bondurant-Farrar 6
Carlisle 2, ADM 1
#2 Dallas Center-Grimes 6, #1 North Polk 5

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Nodaway Valley 7, Wayne 6
Martensdale-St Marys 13, GMG 5

High School Softball Scores from Thursday

Sports

June 28th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Hawkeye Ten 

#8 Clarinda 8, Harlan 1
#8 Clarinda 7, Harlan 2
Lewis Central 3, Shenandoah @ 1
Atlantic @ Red Oak – The game is Postponed til July 8th.

Western Iowa Conference

Logan-Magnolia 12, Stanton 0
#4 Audubon 12, Lenox 0

Rolling Valley Conference 

Ar-We-Va 9, IKM-Manning 6
Madrid 4, CAM 0

Corner Conference 

#13 Griswold 6, #7 West Monona 5
Bedford 13, Fremont-Mills 1

West Central Activities Conference 

#1 Van Meter 11, Saydel 0 (NC)
Ogden 6, Panorama 3
#10 Interstate-35  14, Pleasantville 4

State and federal researchers still working to solve bird flu mysteries

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The governor is extending the disaster proclamation for Sioux, Cherokee, and Sac counties for a full month due to confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in all three counties. State veterinarian Dr. Jeff Kaisand says state and federal teams are working closely to trace how the 11 recent bird flu outbreaks in dairy cattle herds in northwest Iowa may be linked to things like dairy workers, feed, delivery trucks, or wild birds flying through the area. “We are trying as hard as we can right now to identify — with producers’ cooperation — what those connections are and it may not just be one thing,” Kaisand says. “That’s why it’s very important that producers put biosecurity plans in place on their farm and looking at how they are connected to the outside world.”

While much is being learned about the virus and how it spreads, Kaisand says many new questions continue to emerge. “For weeks, the virus can be found in the milk of cows, so any type of contact with infected milk, whether it’s a cow going through a milking parlor, any contact with milk,” Kaisand says, “so we do know there’s cow-to-cow transmission and movements of cows from an infected farm to another farm can carry the virus.” Starting July First, the state will require all dairy exhibitors to complete bird flu testing within seven days of moving to an exhibition, like at county fairs, to minimize the potential spread of the virus. Researchers are puzzled by cases where there’s been no movement of cattle from farm-to-farm and bio-security measures were followed, yet the virus has spread.

“What’s circulating in dairies has been found in what’s called pari-domestic birds, starlings and grackles,” Kaisand says. “It’s not as of yet — and it may be because we haven’t tested enough wild birds — but it’s not been found in the migratory birds, so whether that’s a pathway, we’re also not sure.”

The governor’s extension of the disaster proclamation for the three counties through July 26th allows state resources to be used to help with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection.

Perry moves to next chapter as Tyson plant closes

News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A coalition of local economic development, municipal and business leaders in Perry have worked together for several months to help the city prepare for today’s (Friday) closing of the Tyson plant. Perry City manager Sven Peterson says their efforts until now have focused on helping the workers. “We’re going to be moving into a strategic planning process that will be very action focused to be able to really have a very accountable and mindful process for us to move forward as a community together,” he says. Peterson says they now want to find a way to keep the workers in Perry.

“From closing day on we’re really going to be focusing on the next phase of repair of kind of making sure that we can do as much as we possibly can to replace those jobs that were lost,” he says. Peterson says the plant has some 13-hundred employees and it is estimated that 800 live in Perry and there are 300 kids in the school system with parents at the plant. Peterson says part of the effort is to get another business into town with jobs for those workers.

“We’ve been working pretty heavily with Tyson trying to get them as many contacts as possible that might be interested in the Tyson facility,” Peterson says. “But then we’ve also been really pushing and advertising our industrial park on the east side of town.” He says the industrial park has some opportunities for business. Peterson says they are not going to let the closing get the community down.

“We could kind of take this as a major blow to the community or look at it as an opportunity. And we’ve definitely had our fair share of difficult situations in the past, but in the end we have never backed down from a challenge and you know, we’ve always come out stronger as a result,” Peterson says. While they have know about the closing for months, they now have to deal with the reality of it. He says the emotions vary widely.

“Overall, I think everybody is in a different stage, whether it’s specific employees losing their jobs, other business owners in the community, wondering maybe how it might affect their business. But overall, I think it’s kind of just a, yep, this is happening and we’re going to be moving forward and we’re going to be able to be maintaining ourselves in a strong, resilient manner moving forward,” he says.

Peterson is a Perry native and says they have gotten a lot of help from the state and officials in nearby cities and counties in trying to deal with the closing.

Governor discusses hemp infused items

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds believes the burgeoning market for hemp-infused candies, drinks and other products is taking advantage of the 2018 Farm Bill’s hemp provision. “I had issues with this bill from the beginning. It was never designed to do that, it was the intent of the hemp bill. It was actually another commodity for our farmers. That was actually the intent,” Reynolds says. New regulations on these products begin in July that only allow people who are 21 and older to buy the hemp infused items. And the state will restrict the potency of these products to four milligrams of T-H-C per serving or ten milligrams per container.

Reynolds visited Alcohol & Drug Dependency Services of Southeast Iowa in Keokuk, and says the state regulations address the issues that the Farm Bill didn’t. “It didn’t deal with minors and their access to T-H-C. This mixing T-H-C with alcohol. That’s a dangerous combination. I’m at a recovery center and we want to make sure people are informed,” she says.

Two Iowa companies which make the hemp infused products are suing the state over the new regulations. The lawsuit says the regulations would criminalize 80 percent of their current inventories. Neither company sells products that mix T-H-C and alcohol.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Friday, June 28, 2024

Weather

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Mostly cloudy & breezy w/a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. High near 84. South winds @ 15-30 mph. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: Mo. Cldy w/a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Low around 68.

Tomorrow: Sunny & breezy, with a high near 79. N/NW winds 10-20 mph.

Tom. Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 76.

Monday: Mo. Cldy & windy, w/a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. High near 80.

Tuesday: Partly sunny w/a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. High near 89.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 78. The Low was 64. As of overnight rainfall in Atlantic, at KJAN, amounted to .22″.  This day last year in Atlantic the high was 91 and the low 65. The Record High in Atlantic on June 28th, was 103 in 1936. The Record Low was 50, in 1896 & 2006. Sunrise today: 5:48 am. Sunset: 8:58 pm.