(Radio Iowa) – A retired physician and educator from eastern Iowa is releasing a book about her experiences as the mother of a dependent 38-year-old son who has developmental and cognitive disabilities.

Maureen McCue, a former University of Iowa professor of public health and global health, says her book, “Dancing in a Disabled World,” starts off as a memoir but evolves into a call to action.

“Disability is all around us, but we act like it doesn’t exist,” McCue says. “We go about causing disability in indirect ways. It’s really hard, if you begin to look around, to say you know anybody who is -not- dealing with disability and yet, as a society, we tend to think of it as an anomaly as opposed to a commonality.”

McCue, who lives just outside Iowa City in Oxford, says the book is a study of what constitutes a disability and the roles disabilities play in everyone’s lives.

“We need, all of us, to pay some more attention to what we’re calling disability, from our ability-focused lifestyles,” McCue says, “as if we aren’t all just an accident of nature, of a car, of weather, you know, a disability away.”

Former U.S. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa was the architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law in 1990. Known as the ADA, the wide-ranging civil rights law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in many areas of public life. McCue’s research took her all over the world, to places like Ecuador, India, Haiti and Bangladesh.

“I love the fact that the U.S. passed the ADA, and in many countries that I’ve been in, people point to the ADA as a model,” McCue says, “but the ADA is like the Constitution, really, a living document that continues to need improvement, that continues to need expansion.”

McCue is scheduled to give a presentation at the Harkin Institute at Drake University in Des Moines on November 14th. Part of that discussion will focus on the “big picture” of disabilities, and part will zero in on her son. She says everyone with a disability also has many remarkable abilities.

“For my son, it’s his appreciation of music and his ability to hold on to music and seek music and dance,” McCue says. “More than the average adult, he’s driven by music.”

“Dancing in a Disabled World” is McCue’s second book, published by North Liberty-based Ice Cube Press. The first, “Birds in the Morning, Frogs at Night,” was featured on Radio Iowa in 2021.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Police Department have released a report on recent arrests and citations.

10/07/2024 – 61-year-old Brian Iwersen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Gathering Where Controlled Substances are Used.

10/09/2024 – 31-year-old Brian Kline, of Atlantic, was arrested on Guthrie County Warrants for Burglary 3rd, Theft 4th Degree and Trespass.

10/12/2024 – 40-year-old Billy Leeper, of Red Oak, was arrested in Atlantic for Disorderly Conduct and Interference with Official Acts.

10/15/2024 – 18-year-old Javen Jespersen, of Atlantic, was arrested  on a Cass County Warrant for Controlled Substance Violation.

10/19/24 – 44-year-old Peter Mualia, of Anita, was arrested in Atlantic for Simple Assault, Disorderly Conduct and Public Intoxication.

10/20/2024 – 29-year-old Taify Amumu, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication.

All above subjects were taken into custody and transported to Cass County Jail and Booked in.

THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS WERE CITED INTO COURT AND RELEASED:

10/16/2024: 41-year-old Elinora Nowell, of Atlantic, was cited for Compulsory Education Violation; 41-year-old Joseph Reynolds, of Atlantic, was cited for Theft 5th (shoplifting).

Atlantic, IA—Officials with Cass Health have announced that Maria Hoegh, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C is now seeing patients. Hoegh is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She provides family practice care with special interests in women’s health and pediatrics. In addition to seeing patients in Atlantic and Griswold, Hoegh will also provide care through Cass Health’s outreach clinics in Red Oak, Corning, and Greenfield. Hoegh says “I am excited for this new chapter of my career at Cass Health to build new relationships and collaborating with a dedicated healthcare team to deliver high quality care.”

Hoegh received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Creighton University in 2021, and recently moved from Utah where she was practicing in a family medicine clinic. She says “I love being a nurse practitioner because it allows me to build meaningful relationships with patients and their families. I enjoy working alongside my patients to create a plan that best fits their needs and empowers them to take charge of their health. It is fulfilling to see the improvement in a patient’s well-being and quality of life.”

Maria Hoegh, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C (photo submitted by CCHS)

Prior to the start of her career as a Nurse Practitioner, Hoegh’s nursing career began in 2013 after graduating with her BSN from Clarkson College. She has worked as a Pediatric Emergency nurse at Blank Children’s Hospital, and she also worked at the University of Iowa’s Children’s Hospital in both the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Medical Surgical Unit.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call Cass Health at 712-243-2850.

(Radio Iowa) – Winnebago Industries is laying off 33 workers from its Forest City plant next month. The company disclosed the layoffs on a state website where companies report layoffs. About a third of Winnebago’s 61-hundred workers are employed at facilities in northern Iowa. The R-V and boat manufacturer announced on Wednesday it had revenue of over three BILLION dollars in its just concluded fiscal year, but profits were down 26 percent compared to the previous 12 months. Winnebago president and C-E-O Michael Happe says that reflects sluggish retail demand and operating inefficiencies within the company.

“While the retail environment remains challenging in the short term, we anticipate gradual market improvement over the next 12-15 months,” Happe says. Happe says motorhome dealers are in de-stocking mode and the inventory of Winnebago products was down four-and-a-half percent in its last quarter. “Which underscores our focus on continuing to aggressively manage production amidst what remains a challenging macroeconomic environment.” In additional to the layoffs at Forest City facilities on November 22nd, Winnebago closed a plant in Charles City on September 1st and moved production of camper vans to its Lake Mills facility.

“We have made substantive leadership changes at Winnebago Motorhome and Winnebago Towables to remedy the operational and financial challenges that have affected the performance of those businesses in recent quarters,” Happe says. The company’s operating expenses increased during its last fiscal year, with net income of 13 MILLION dollars. Happe says despite the weak retail market, the company is well-positioned. “As we look to the future, I am confident in our company’s strong positioning and long term growth potential,” Happe says. “…Our strong balance sheet and healthy free cash flows are not just numbers on a page. They represent opportunity. We have ample dry powder to invest smartly in growth initiatives, while simultaneously returning capital to our valued shareholders.”

Winnebago has seen growth in its marine division. In 2018, the company acquired powerboat maker Criss Craft and three years ago Winnebago bought Barletta, which manufactures pontoon boats.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A pedestrian died after being hit by a vehicle on Interstate 80 Thursday morning, near Dexter. Sgt. Alex Dinkla with the Iowa State Patrol says the accident  happened in the westbound lanes of I-80 near Dexter at the 98.6 mile marker. The call about the incident came in about 7:16 a.m.

The name of the person who was struck was not immediately released, and the incident remained under investigation.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak say no injuries were reported following an accident involving three vehicles, Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say the accident occurred in the 500 block of N. 4th Street, at around 4-p.m.  An investigation determined a 2000 Ford F-150 pickup driven by 31-year-old Devon Ray Briggs, of Red Oak, was northbound on 4th when Briggs failed to notice a Ford 500 sedan driven by Julie White, of Red Oak, backing out of a parking spot near the Family Vision Center.

The pickup hit the car on the left rear side, causing $2,500 damage to the vehicle. As a result of the impact, the pickup lost its ability to be steered, and collided with a parked 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup on the west side of the street. The Dodge sustained a police estimated $1,500 damage. Briggs’ pickup sustained an estimated $2,500 damage. No citations were issued.