(Radio Iowa) – Many attorneys say they are getting contacted by people seeking to take legal action in cases involving mask mandates, vaccines, and other pandemic-related issues. Attorney Richard Moeller of Sioux City says he has received many calls. “In fact, I probably get on average three, four calls a day from people in different situations — whether they are working for a government employer, otherwise, a private employer is mandating a vaccination, or in the alternative, they can use a mask or be tested,” Moeller says.

Moeller gets calls because he represents clients in vaccine injury cases in the U-S Court of Federal Claims.  “It is designed for those rare situations where someone receives a certain vaccination — it has to be a covered vaccination — meaning it’s one of the vaccines the program covers so to speak. The flu vaccine is a very common one, sometimes the D-TAPs, the childhood M-M-R and those kinds of things,” he says. Moeller says none of the COVID vaccines are covered. “Although that may change….probably some action by Congress might take place that would include that. But as of right now, the COVID vaccine is not covered,” Moeller says.

Moeller says he has to explain this to people who call asking about COVID lawsuits. “The inquiries that I have received are ‘what can I do if my employer has or is going to implement some kind of mandate having to do with the vaccine or the alternative for testing.’ I just don’t do those kinds of cases. There are a few lawyers I think in different locations who will help a client….to at least look into whether there is an alternative to a mandate for a vaccine,” according to Moeller.

Moeller says the current law appears to make it tough to sue vaccine manufacturers. “My understanding of the federal law that kind of paved the way for those vaccines is that they will not allow a lawsuit,” Moeller says, “in other words, the pharmaceutical companies and distributors of the vaccines are immune from lawsuits.”

A list of attorneys in all 50 states who have expressed a willingness to accept vaccine injury cases is on the U-S Courts website.

(Radio Iowa) – Moody’s, a national company that issues credit ratings on bonds, has given bonds from the State of Iowa its highest rating. It’s sort of like credit ratings for individuals, as investors check bond ratings to determine whether state-issued bonds are a safe bet. Moody’s Aaa (referred to as triple A) rating means the bonds are considered the highest quality and the lowest credit risk.

State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald says retention of the top rating from Moody’s is “a testament to the State of Iowa’s financial wellness.” According to Fitzgerald, Moody’s cited the state’s cash reserves and its low debt and pension liabilities in issuing the Aaa rating.

In 2020, Iowa was one of only a dozen states that had Triple A bond ratings from Moody’s, as well as two other national credit rating agencies.

(Radio Iowa) – As the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations continues rising in Iowa, the C-E-O of the state’s largest hospital says he’s dealing with staffing shortages and burnout. Suresh Gunasekaran, who heads the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, says the staff is straining with the jump in both COVID and non-COVID patients. He says it’s a statewide trend. “There are bed challenges that are being caused by not having enough staffing,” Gunasekaran says, “and we see that by increased transfer requests from various different parts of the state when they’re unable to staff the same number of beds that they were last year.”

Suresh Gunasekaran (UIHC photo)

Gunasekaran says the pandemic has taken a significant toll on health care workers at the Iowa City facility and elsewhere, leading to a higher-than-average number leaving the workforce in the past year. “We are paying a pretty heavy price in terms of the mental health of our workforce in terms of the physical workload that they see day in and day out.”

State health officials reported Thursday that 638 Iowans were hospitalized with the virus in the past week. That’s up ten-percent from last week and is the highest number this year.

(Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Thursday, authorized Board Chair Steve Shelley to sign three right-of-way contracts with the City of Greenfield for a box culvert project on Lakeview Road. County Engineer Nick Kauffman…

Kauffman said also, a joint drainage project with Cass County is nearly complete.

In other business, shared Environmental Health Director Jotham Arber presented the Adair County Board of Supervisors with the same information he gave the Cass County Board, Tuesday, with regard to an Intergovernmental 28-E (cost sharing) Agreement with the Iowa DNR, as it pertains to well fees and a language update to the agreement.

The Board and County Attorney will review the agreement and act on the matter during their meeting next week. Jotham spoke also with regard to Radon tests, and how they might be offered through real estate agents.

Supervisor John Twombly said his test about nine-months ago were very high, and he recently had mitigation conducted to make his home safe. Six weeks later, the reading is within tolerance. The Adair County Supervisors Thursday, acknowledged receipt of a notice from the City of Stuart, with regard to an Urban Renewal Plan Amendment, for which a Public Hearing will be held in Stuart at City Hall, on Friday, Sept. 24th, at 10-a.m.

They also acknowledged a Manure Management Plan update from Rose Acre Farms.

The broadcast News at 8:05-a.m., from Ric Hanson.

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Local News broadcast at 7:07-a.m, with Ric Hanson,

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(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, gave permission for City Administrator John Lund to book a fireworks show for July 4, 2022. Previously, the Personnel and Finance Committee had discussed offers from two local vendors, with the desire, regardless of which company was chosen, to have a “Mind blowing fireworks.” Lund said “While there is a desire to support local business, it’s going to be very difficult to chose between two companies.”

He said the company that have previously performed a fireworks show at the Atlantic Municipal Airport – Viking Pyrotechnics, Inc., out of Shannon City, Iowa – has the required Class-B license.

The City received complaints about the fireworks display this past July, saying the show was too short and didn’t have the “Wow” factor. J &M Displays, the company that put on the show offered to give the community a free show (Valued at $6,000) in 2022, but the display would have been held July 2nd instead of July 4th. Mayor Dave Jones said people in other communities he’s spoken with also experienced a brief fireworks display this year.

Lund said Viking Pyrotechnics has the Fourth of July open, for now, but they need to know soon if the City wants to book that date. The only other thing he needed to know, is if the Council wants to stick with the $6,000 price tag for fireworks, or spend a little more, like the benchmark Exira Fireworks Show that’s put on. It was the consensus of the Council, that the City spend up to $10,000 for a 20-minute show, and that Lund show arrange with Viking to make it possible.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans are now harvesting vegetables from their gardens and while our moms or grandmothers may have used pressure cookers to can them in jars, today, preserving the bounty is much easier. Food safety specialist Barbara Ingham says chopping and stewing your tomatoes before freezing them is the quickest and simplest way to store your harvest. “They come out of the crockpot kind of looking like what I would find in the grocery store in those nice 15-ounce cans,” Ingham says, “and then I freeze them in freezer bags once they’re cooled in those roughly two cup, 15-ounce quantities.”

Ingham says if you blanch and then freeze your corn, squash, and tomatoes before popping them in the freezer, they’ll last you for a good long while. “In the freezer, they’re safe indefinitely but we generally say about a year,” Ingham says. “This time of year, we’re looking to refill our freezer, so we hope that what was placed in the freezer last year is out of there.” Ingham says when it comes to corn, you’ll just need a sharp knife.  “It’s actually going to be a lot quicker if you can take the corn off the cob,” she says, “and just take those kernels and cook them, blanch them relatively quickly a couple of minutes in boiling water.”

Don’t stack up freshly blanched food in the freezer. Instead, she says to spread the packages around on the freezer racks so the food can freeze quickly to lock in the flavors.

https://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/spendsmart/2015/08/24/7857/

(Radio Iowa) – Advocates for rural Iowans called for rejection of Plan 1 for redistricting, while most of the speakers at a public hearing last (Wednesday) night praised the newly drawn boundaries for legislative and congressional districts. Steve Woodhouse, who did not give his address, was among those who argued the proposal isn’t fair to rural Iowans. “My concerns are just basically because there seems to be a huge divide between the wants and needs of rural Iowa versus that of urban,” Woodhouse said, “and I don’t think it’s going to be balanced enough with this map.”

Thomas O’Donnell, who did not give his address, says the map reflects Iowa’s population as it is now, with metro areas getting more representation.  “The people who may oppose this map, particularly Republicans who are thrown into the same districts in the General Assembly, have to face the reality that population in rural areas is declining,” he said.

The redistricting plan continues to use a major street in Sioux City as a dividing line for legislative districts, so the largest Morningside University residence hall is in different Iowa House and Senate districts compared to the rest of Morningside’s campus. Valerie Hennings, a Morningside social sciences professor, says that makes voting decisions more confusing for students.  “We have had that line down Peters Avenue for the past decade and it has presented a challenge to our undergraduate population when it comes to their first time voting,” she said.

Most of those who spoke last (Wednesday) night praised the redistricting plan. Kim Hagemann lives in an unincorporated area of Polk County. “I know that you’re not hearing from hoards of people or people that are super mad, but supporting a fair process doesn’t tend to get people to speak out and chant loudly,” she said.”I’m here to say: ‘Pass the map! Pass the map! Pass the map!'”

Ellen Johnson, who did not give her address, recited a poem, asking legislators to approve the “first draft” of redistricting. “In our state there’s no room for partisan pandering. Each district’s border is just a bit meandering, but they’re pretty compact and I hope you’ll quickly act so in Iowa we can avoid gerrymandering,” she said.

The governor has set October 5th as the date for a special legislative session for lawmakers to approve or reject the first redistricting plan.

(Radio Iowa) – A non-profit called the Campaign Legal Center has filed an ethics complaint against Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne and six other House members, accusing the group of failing to report stock trades in a timely manner.

National Public Radio was first to report Axne, a Democrat for West Des Moines, along with three other Democrats and three Republicans in the House were being cited by the group. A law passed in 2012 requires members of congress to file a public report when they buy and sell stock. According to the Campaign Legal Center, Axne didn’t report any stock transactions in 2019 and 2020. A spokesperson for Axne says the congresswoman has publicly disclosed her assets, but does not personally manage or execute the stock trades for her retirement account or accounts she has with her husband or her small business.

Axne’s spokesperson says the congresswoman will take all necessary steps to ensure disclosures of stock trades are accurate and in accordance with the law. The chairman of the Iowa Republican Party says it is clear Axne hid stock trades from public scrutiny and he calls her explanation for he lapse a pathetic excuse.

Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Ottumwa, is updating her financial disclosure form after the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported she failed to list her salary as a state senator on the document. A spokesman for Miller-Meeks told the Gazette the congresswoman had no outside income, assets or liabilities to disclose.