(Radio Iowa) – State health officials say they are actively monitoring the state’s monkeypox cases and are strategically deploying its limited vaccinations. Federal officials allocated about 25-hundred doses of the monkeypox vaccine to Iowa, which reports just over a dozen confirmed cases statewide. Iowa Department of Human Services Director Kelly Garcia says the state is following federal guidelines to target the vaccine towards certain populations considered most at risk.

Garcia says, “We’re focused on gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, including transgender individuals who are 18 years of age and have had either multiple new or multiple sex partners in the last month, who have had close contact with others at a venue where there was likely a suspected probable or confirmed case of monkey pox.” Garcia says the state is also reserving a small amount of vaccine doses for -other- close contacts.

“That could be other household members, you know, think about parents or partners that are in the house who might be exposed to this particular disease,” she says, “as well as healthcare professionals who might need it as well.” Iowa’s first case of monkeypox was reported in Polk County on July 11th and there have since been 12 more confirmed cases statewide. Federal health officials report about nine-thousand cases nationwide.

(reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Authorities in Red Oak say no injuries were reported following a single-vehicle accident Friday morning. The mishap occurred when a wasp landed on the arm of the driver, 18-year-old Dylan Michael Welch, of Red Oak, causing him to swat at the insect and pull on the steering wheel at the same time.

Welch then accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake. The 2006 Chevy pickup he was driving northbound on N. 8th Street in Red Oak, struck a light pole near the intersection of N. 8th & East Hammond Streets, before rolling onto its side.

Damage to the pole was estimated at $1,600. The pickup was considered a total loss. Welch was issued a written warning for Failure to Maintain Control.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans are taking their last vacations of summer and while they may be excited to share photos of their far-away experiences on social media platforms, it may not be wise to do so when they’re still on the trip.

Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Timmons recommends you resist the urge to post pix of those beautiful beaches or misty mountains. “You go on vacation, you get on social media, you post pictures that you’re gone, you’re saying that your house is wide open and that your life is right there and everybody knows you’re not there,” Timmons says. “Don’t be posting pictures of your vacation until you get home.” 

If one of your Facebook friends comments on or “likes” your vacation photos, it’s possible your settings will also allow that person’s friends to see your photos — and suddenly, hundreds or thousands or people may see that you’re not home.

“When you do leave, if you’ve got a neighbor that you trust, tell them you’re going to be gone, keep an eye on your place, maybe they should have a set of keys for your house,” Timmons says. “Then think about cameras. You wonder what’s going on at home? You can get on your smartphone and you can look around your place to see what’s going on and if anything activated your cameras.”

The sheriff also suggests contacting your local law enforcement agency to see if they offer a vacation watch service, which is often free.

(Radio Iowa) – Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has returned to the Iowa campaign trail to headline a fundraiser for Senator Chuck Grassley, but Christie, who ran for president in 2020, may be back soon as a 2024 presidential candidate. “Definitely thinking about it. I’ve made no secret of that,” Christie told Radio Iowa. “I won’t make a final decision until the beginning part of next year.”

Christie suggested that while Donald Trump may be considered the front-runner for the GOP’s next presidential nomination, things change quickly in politics. “I think we have a fundamental decision to make as Republicans: Are we going to be the party of me or the party of us?…Are we going to just pursue one person’s agenda or are we going to pursue an agenda that can make our entire country better, more prosperous and more united,” Christie said. “…That’s a conversation worth having for us both as a party and for all of us as a country.”

In a country that seems to be clearly divided into partisan camps, Christie said now is the time for a Republican presidential campaign about unity. “You see this over and over again, going back to the Civil War. Lincoln regularly spoke about a house divided not being able to stand and about wanting to bring the country and the union back together,” Christie said. “I think at the moments you need discussions of unity are the moments when we are most divided and I think this is one of those times.”

Christie, a two-term governor of New Jersey, served as a U.S. Attorney for seven years. Christie said it’s “crazy talk” and inflammatory for other Republicans to suggest defunding the FBI as a response to the search of former President Trump’s Florida home.

“Whatever those documents are and especially if they concern and involve national security, they should have never been taken from the White House to begin with and once they were discovered, they should have been returned immediately,” Christie said. “I do think it’s extraordinary to execute a federal search on a former president’s home or office.”

If court documents related to the search are released for public view, Christie said it will give Americans a better idea of why a federal judge signed off on the search. The Department of Justice filed a motion yesterday to unseal those documents and late last night, Trump announced he would agree to the release. The decision is now up to the judge.

Christie left Iowa early this (Friday) morning, after headlining a Grassley fundraiser on Thursday night.