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Gov. Reynolds issues extension of disaster proclamations related to June severe storms 

News

July 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES—Governor Kim Reynolds has issued an extension for previously issued proclamations that allow state resources to be used to respond to and recover from severe weather. This also includes the targeted suspension of specific regulatory requirements in affected counties. The new proclamation is effective immediately and is set to expire on August 17, 2024, unless otherwise specified. The extension includes the following proclamations:
  • June 22, 2024, Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued for Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Hancock, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth and Wright Counties.
  • June 23, 2024, Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued for Palo Alto County.
  • June 24, 2024, Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued for Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, and Pottawattamie Counties.
You can view the full proclamation here.

Iowa DNC Delegation Unanimously Endorses Vice President Kamala Harris

News

July 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Des Moines, IA —  This evening, the Iowa Delegation to the 2024 Democratic National Convention met virtually to discuss the 2024 Presidential Nomination and decided to unanimously endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart, who also chairs the Iowa delegation to the convention, is excited to rally behind the Vice President’s campaign.

“This is a historic moment for our country and for Iowans. We’ve seen a swell of support in the last 24 hours since Vice President Kamala Harris announced her campaign for the White House. Not only has Vice President Harris broken national fundraising numbers –  here in Iowa, we’ve had a substantial number of people reach out asking to volunteer.

Iowans know what’s at stake this November. Our reproductive freedoms, our public schools, Social Security and Medicare, and our values are on the ballot. I’m proud to lead a united delegation in Chicago that will work relentlessly to elect more Democrats in Iowa and help get Kamala Harris elected as the next President of the United States.”

ROBERT MORRIS JENSEN, 80, of Brayton (Graveside Svcs. 7/26/24)

Obituaries

July 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

ROBERT MORRIS JENSEN, 80, of Brayton, died Thursday, July 18, 2024, at the Thomas Rest Haven in Coon Rapids. Graveside services for ROBERT JENSEN will be held 11-a.m. Friday, July 26, 2024, at Evergreen Cemetery in Anita. Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Atlantic has the arrangements.

ROBERT MORRIS JENSEN is survived by:

His brothers – Jim Jensen and Charlie Jensen.

His sister – Marilyn Dill.

and other relatives.

Condolences can be sent to: schmditFamilyfh.com

State softball opens with 5A quarterfinals

Sports

July 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

The class 5A quarterfinals opened the state softball tournament today (Monday), in Fort Dodge. Mackenzie Mohler drive in four runs, including a three run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning as top ranked West Des Moines Valley beat Cedar Rapids Prairie 11-1.

The Tigers responded after spotting Prairie an early 1-0 lead.

The Tigers improve to 37-4 and Mohler says they have lofty goals for this week.

Cedar Rapids Prairie hurt its own cause by committing five errors.

Prairie Hawks coach Alisha Freese.

RAGBRAI bringing energy and unique experiences to Atlantic

News

July 22nd, 2024 by Asa Lucas

RAGBRAI is in full gear as day two brings the excited riders in to Atlantic by a 40-mile ride from Red Oak. These cyclists are from all over the country and bring in their own particular stories of what they’ve seen while on the route. Two riders who have been enjoying every second of RAGBRAI and the hospitality shown to them is John Snidarich from Minnesota and Gail Tisch from Wisconsin.

Tisch shared the unique sights and sounds she’s encountered while pedaling through Iowa.

For Snidarich the magic of RAGBRAI is not from the different vendors, but the people he’s been able to ride and connect with throughout the day.

Another individual who has felt the vibrant energy brought to Atlantic from RAGBRAI is volunteer Kim Phillips.

Phillips noted that with the thousands of people flooding inside downtown Atlantic, it creates an opportunity to meet a wide variety of individuals.

Day three of RAGBRAI will take cyclists 82 miles from Atlantic towards Winterset.

Hawkeyes Earn ITA Academic Honors

Sports

July 22nd, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s tennis team was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I All-Academic team for the 2023-2024 academic year. Along with the team’s honor, five student-athletes were named ITA Scholar-Athletes, announced by the organization Monday.

Vipasha Mehra, Barbora Pokorna, Marisa Schmidt, Pia Kranholdt, and Daianne Hayashida were all recognized as ITA Scholar-Athletes, earning a 3.50 GPA or above. Hayashida and Kranholdt have earned this honor for two straight seasons while Pokorna and Schmidt have been recognized for three seasons in a row.

As a team, this is Iowa’s 10th straight year receiving this award and the 15th in program history. To receive this recognition, all varsity letterwinners must have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or above. The Hawkeyes finished the 2023-2024 academic year with a 3.8 GPA and were recognized after the fall semester with a 3.83 GPA, the highest GPA in program history.

Know the risks if you’re buying weight loss drugs via the internet

News

July 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans are being warned to use extreme caution when taking weight loss drugs they bought online, because they either can’t afford or can’t find FDA-approved medications like Ozempic. Marisa Pruitt, a registered dietician with the Gundersen Health System, says there’s a lot of buzz about these so-called miracle weight loss drugs, and taking them without a doctor’s close guidance may be very risky.

“There are definitely shortages,” Pruitt says. “The demand for these drugs has outpaced the quantity and supply, so it’s very difficult to get Ozempic or Wegovy for weight loss, they’re the same medicine but it’s very difficult to get that medicine right now.”

Marisa Pruitt, registered dietician (Gundersen photo)

When there are shortages, Pruitt says what’s known as “compounded” drugs will frequently appear on the market, and it’s often unclear exactly what’s in them. She says cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a better buy.

“The brand of this drug is probably around $1,000 a month, so that can be very limiting for many people,” Pruitt says, “versus the compounded medicines are being sold for a fraction of that, so very appealing in that sense.”

Some of the medications that are being purchased online may actually work, but Pruitt says any money you might be saving is at the sacrifice of important supervision, which could put your health in jeopardy.

“Weight loss just for weight loss sake isn’t necessarily healthy either,” she says. “In our clinic, when we prescribe these medicines for patients, they’re seeing a dietician. They’re working with a wellness coach. They’re working with a doctor who’s closely overseeing the prescription and the weight loss. We want to ensure that patients are losing weight the right way safely — from fat mass, not muscle mass. We want to make sure that their nutrition isn’t sacrificed.”

Patients should undergo a thorough medical evaluation, she says, before any weight loss drugs are prescribed.

Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.

Even with flood waters gone, Iowa beaches and trails may still not be safe

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Many parks, trails, waterways and docks in northeast Iowa are reopening as early summer floodwaters recede, but safety for parkgoers remains a concern as bacteria and other contaminant levels in area rivers remain high. Lori Eberhard, park director for George Wyth State Park in Black Hawk County, says even though the rivers might look safer with the water levels down, the risk of illness for swimmers remains high.

“If our bacteria level’s high at the beach, I would still swim there before I would swim in the river after flooding,” Eberhard says, “especially when you have major flooding, it gets into those different systems all the way down the river, and that’s what’s in the water.” The Iowa D-N-R tests bodies of water weekly to track those levels, but contaminants are still elevated due to stagnation and sediment that comes with flooding. When hiking, Eberhard stresses caution even when the ground appears stable.

file photo

“There are low spots that still have water on them,” she says. “We don’t recommend going through flooded trails or water, because you don’t know what’s under there, you don’t know if there’s a hole or things like that. And now, with all the water along the trails, trees will just fall down.”

The D-N-R says around a dozen beaches at Iowa lakes are not recommended for swimming this week due to high levels of e-coli, algae toxins, or both.

3.7 million vehicles registered in Iowa in 2023

News

July 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa D-O-T records show a decline in the number of cars and pick-up trucks registered to drive on Iowa roads last year. In 2023, there were just over a million cars registered for use in Iowa and just over a million pick-ups for personal or business use. However, there was a nearly four percent drop in the number of automobiles registered in Iowa last year. Pick-up truck numbers in Iowa fell a percentage point from 2022 to 2023.

The D-O-T’s data includes semi tractors, mopeds and other types of vehicles. It shows more than three-point-seven million vehicles were registered in Iowa in 2023.

Arnolds Park fundraiser Sunday to benefit Spencer flood victims

News

July 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Managers of an Iowa Great Lakes amusement park have set a 50-thousand dollar goal for a benefit concert to help Spencer residents impacted by flooding. Jon Pausley is executive director of Arnolds Park, which is on the shore of West Lake Okoboji. “All of us in northwest Iowa got affected somehow by all of this floooding, but we were very fortunate here at Arnolds Park to really just have minor inconveniences as compared to many people down in Spencer who were just devastated,” he says, “and we certainly wanted to do something to help our neighbors to the south.”

The concert will be held Sunday afternoon, the 28th of July. Pausley says several local musicians have volunteered to perform, including two musicians from Spencer. “Hormel Foods is going to be providing a lunch that day for residents of Spencer, so as residents sign up to come and their families, the park is also going to open up the amusement park for no cost that day,” Pausley says.

Spencer residents may register this week at the Spencer Chamber of Commerce for free Arnolds Park admission on Sunday and the free lunch. Funds raised at Sunday’s event will be donated to the Spencer Chamber Foundation.