(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans love the distinctive taste of food that’s seared on the grill, and they’d likely prefer their Fourth of July cookouts be remembered for great steaks or burgers, not for people getting sick. Marisa Pruitt, registered dietician with the Gundersen Health System, says with summertime in full swing, it’s important to keep three grilling safety tips in mind. “The first one is to invest in a food thermometer. Really understand what temperature your food needs to be cooked to in order to avoid any pathogens that can cause foodborne illnesses,” Pruitt says. “The second one is to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold, so generally above 140 degrees and below 40 degrees. And then the third one is, put food away after two hours, so don’t leave it sit out all day long.”

Some of your holiday guests might like their steak grilled rare or medium rare, but how can you tell if you’re cooking it long enough?  “Certainly, eating any undercooked food can increase your risk for foodborne illness, so you do want to cook it to the appropriate temperature,” Pruitt says. “A quick Google search can let you know what temperature is appropriate for what food item you’re cooking, and every food item has a different point at which it’s considered safe to eat.” Is it healthier to grill out? Pruitt says that depends on what you’re grilling.

“It’s all about quantity, frequency and then what else you’re serving it with,” Pruitt says. “So if you like a steak, eat a steak. If you like chicken, eat chicken, and if you like veggies grill up some veggies. It’s about balance. It’s about how often you’re eating those foods, what quantity you’re eating them in, so no one food is going to make or break it for you.”

DES MOINES, Iowa — If your Fourth of July plans include consuming alcohol, the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is reminding you to plan for a sober driver. To help keep intoxicated drivers off the road this holiday weekend, the GTSB is offering a $10 Uber voucher for the holiday weekend.

The $10 off Uber code is =AT1Vp4vIZdSJaqnEr_RlRAGQ-obOObmPWByZi9I7kqcmkLxoQDvr5KMtMXyNPlfALmPOxkEyq5QsGCgwYm3HlWLGKBhSvIP3aR_biYNinNyRy_yT4K9uCb08M3lwgoYYfH1pImBirPGUxgYJWm7GmsCtOVVygCb-mUVAnkIcfhgUoFCa2YpLkuuEDEi7eJb7UNNlRjwMGULUMBm6kyTomNKIaSij3AEohfue” target=”_blank”>r97tnXpyhUv and can be used until Sunday at 11 p.m.

According to the GTSB, from 2019 to 2023, there were 32 traffic fatalities during the Fourth of July holiday, with about half of those being alcohol-related. AAA is also activating its “Tow-to-Go” service for the weekend. The company will tow one person and their vehicle to a safe place within a 10-mile radius.

The service is free to everyone, even if you don’t have a AAA membership. To request a tow, visit the AAA website or call 855-286-9246. The service is active until 6 a.m. Monday.

INDIANOLA, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — A Norwalk mother accused of killing her newborn baby has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a week before she was set to go to trial for first-degree murder. Megan Staude was arrested in March 2023 after she and her father, Rodney Staude, allegedly placed the baby in a trash bag and left it in a ditch the month before. Both were charged with first-degree murder.

Megan Staude’s trial was scheduled to start July 9, but on Wednesday, she entered a plea of guilty to second-degree murder. A status conference is scheduled for Aug. 26. Rodney Staude’s case is currently on hold while he undergoes a mental evaluation.

(Radio Iowa) – Libertarian Party candidates have been nominated in three of Iowa’s four congressional districts. Lone Tree City Councilman Nicholas Gluba is the Libertarian candidate in Iowa’s first district. Gluba, a U-S Marine Corps veteran, says Iowans are tired of U-S involvement in Ukraine and Israel. “I don’t want my children and my constituents’ children to have to fight in another war because I saw that first hand. Nobody else needs to ever see that again,” Gluba says. “…The United States has people here who need money that need the United States to be backing them and not backing foreign wars.”

Gluba says he’s running on a platform of accountable government, economic opportunity and personal freedom. “Libertarians, we come from a very, very wide base,” Gluba says. “If you are on your property or in your home, do what you need to do to make your life better, so long as it does not hurt anyone else.” Gluba is running in the district where Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Davenport is seeking reelection and Christina Bohannan of Iowa City is the Democratic Party’s nominee.

Libertarian Marco Battaglia of Des Moines is the party’s candidate in the third congressional district. Battaglia says voters should have a choice beyond Republican Congressman Zach Nunn and Democrat Lanon Baccam.  “You know, there’s just a few glaringly red or blue issues that they would vote differently on,” Battaglia says, “but I think in terms of like, continuing to spend more and more money, they’re gonna vote, they’ve consistently voted the same.”

Battaglia says it’s time to cut spending on foreign conflicts in places like Ukraine and Israel and spend that money to solve domestic issues. “We basically have to get our own house and our own budget in order before we even consider sending money to other countries,” Battaglia says. Battaglia was the Libertarian Party’s nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022 and ran for attorney general in 2018.

The Libertarian Party has nominated Charles Aldrich of Clarion to run in the fourth district, where Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra is running for reelection and Democrat Ryan Melton of Nevada is running a second time. Aldrich, an enginer who served in the Marines for four years, ran for a U-S House seat in 2018 and ran for the U-S Senate in 2016. He ran for a seat in the state legislature in 2022.