(Radio Iowa) – Representatives from the student governments of the three state universities were supportive of proposed tuition increases during a meeting of the Board of Regents Thursday. Tuition would increase roughly three-point-four percent at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, and one-point-five percent at the University of Northern Iowa. I-S-U student body president Julia Campbell spoke first. “In the wake of the pandemic, we want to have as minimally disruptive an impact on students as possible — many of who are struggling financially. Given current fiscal constraints — there is not a realistic way to maintain the level of education we experience without cutting campus services or increasing tuition,” Campbell says.

Campbell says while they understand the need for a tuition increase, they have this request. “We’re asking that it be as small an increase as possible to still allow us to maintain the exceptional level of education our regent institutions have offered for decades,” she says. University of Iowa student body president Regan Smock says the state needs to provide more funding. “When we invest in higher education — we invest in young people who will be the next generation of leaders in our state,” Regan says. “It is necessary to allocate funding to these higher education institutions so that we can help create world-renowned academic programs that allow students to be leaders in their respective fields, and be successful in our ever-changing world.”

Regan says another year of a tuition freeze is not a solution. “I do not believe that the tuition that existing for the last year was a win for students in Iowa. A freeze in tuition does not help students in the long run without a corresponding increase in state funding to make up for the funds lost during the global pandemic,” according to Regan. University of Northern Iowa student body Vice President, Alisane Struck, says the modest increase proposed for works for now. “While we understand that tuition must go up to ensure quality — we are concerned about the long-term costs for students,” Struck says. “As you all know, with the high in-state profile of students that U-N-I has — the university plays a critical role in the state of Iowa for providing rich educational experiences for students.”

This was the first reading of the proposed tuition rates. A final vote is scheduled for the board meeting on July 28th.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill named in honor of a Davenport veteran who died by suicide has passed the US Senate unanimously last night and is headed to the president’s desk. The bill cleared the U.S. House in May and outlines steps to improve mental health care options for veterans who live in rural areas. Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines is the lead sponsor of the bill, named in honor of Sergeant Brandon Ketchum, a retired Marine. “Despite receiving therapy and addiction treatment after returning from his tours, Brandon had a hard time adjusting to civilian life,” Axne said, “and when he sought in-patient hospitalization in 2016 from an Iowa VA, the treatment rooms were full and he was turned down for the care he needed. Hours later, Sergeant Ketchum took his own life.”

The three Republicans from Iowa who serve in the House joined Axne, a Democrat, as co-sponsors of the bill. “Veterans put their lives on the line and serve our nation with honor and when they come home, they should be able to receive the care that they need,” Axne said, “regardless of zip code.”

Axne talks about the bill on the House floor.

Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion said “not every war wound is visible” and many veterans struggle with mental health challenges when they return home. “No veteran should ever experience what Sergeant Ketchum did in taking his own life because he couldn’t get the services that he needed,” Hinson said.

The bill would create three new programs within the Veterans Administration to give veterans who live in rural areas access to a team of mental health experts. It also requires a report from the VA on what resources may be needed to improve mental health care for veterans who are rural residents. Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull said Ketchum’s heartbreaking death shows there’s a lack of adequate care for veterans’ “unseen wounds.” Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Ottumwa who is a veteran, said Sergeant Ketchum’s death is tragic and shows the country “must do better for our veterans.”

ONAWA—A malfunctioning sensor drained the city of Onawa’s water storage structure overnight Thursday. Although water pressure is restored, the city issued a boil advisory for the entire community, including the rest area along Interstate 29. Pressure losses can cause bacteria to enter the water distribution system. As a precaution, the city and DNR recommend residents boil their water until results from two days of testing show water is safe to drink.

Residents should bring all water used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth or preparing food to a boil, let it boil for one minute and let it cool before using. Or, use bottled water. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Residents can use tap water for bathing and similar purposes.

For more information, call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.

The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors visited with Grow Another Row on Thursday, June 24th, 2021. The Ambassadors visited with Claire Smith who is the new Grow Another Row coordinator. The Ambassadors also learned about everything that Grow Another Row is a part of and all they do for the community. With Claire’s guidance, Grow Another Row can plant and grow many different produces including, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and more. Claire is originally from Griswold and currently attends Northwest Missouri State University where she studies Agronomy and Horticulture. Claire enjoys attending meetings weekly where she can learn and bounce ideas off other people in similar roles.

Left to Right: Rachel Czaja, Jim Kickland, Krysta Hanson, Donnie Drennan, Jennifer McEntaffer, Bryant Rasmussen, Anne Quist, Marcus Daugherty, Dolly Bergmann, Kathie Hockenberry, Dr. Keith Leonard, Steve Tjepkes, Dawn Marnin, Tori Gibson, Carole Schuler, Claire Smith, Cathy Booth, Kate Olson, and Brigham Hoegh.

Grow Another Row is a program that started in 2020 with the goal to encourage, support, and network local growers for food donations. Grow Another Row works directly with local food pantries to try and put food on as many tables as possible. Any grower is encouraged to participate! There is no registration process and food may be donated whenever available.

The Masters Gardeners are offering an online course for growers in the Atlantic area. The cost of the course is $195 and will run August 30th – November 5th. Visit www.extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener to register. The deadline to participate is Thursday, July 1st.

For more information visit the Healthy Cass County Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/HealthyCassCounty

(Radio Iowa) – A massive “COVID-friendly” beef processing facility is planned for southwest Iowa that promises to create hundreds of jobs and boost the region’s economy by more than a billion dollars a year. Project developer Chad Tentinger is founder and owner of TenCorp, a cattle industry construction firm with offices in Des Moines and Marcus. The newly-formed Cattlemen’s Heritage Beef will construct the 325-million dollar plant in Mills County.  “We’ll be the first state-of-the-art new facility built in western Iowa in more than two generations,” Tentinger says. “We will employ up to 750 workers and our estimated annual economic impact is $1.1 billion to the local economy.”

Tentinger says the plant will fill a “critical gap” between conglomerates and under-sized lockers that aren’t equipped to meet the needs of consumers, producers or retailers. He notes several years of weak cattle markets and strong retail prices demonstrate that now is the ideal time to build.  Tentinger says, “What we’ve seen over the last two years with, obviously, interruptions in the economy has shown that over the last 20 years, we have added capacity through feedlots in the Midwest with high quality cattle and we just simply have not kept up with the capacity to process those cattle.”

A news release says workers at the plant will have an average annual wage of $55,000, plus benefits. At capacity, Tentinger says the facility will be able to process up to 15-hundred head of cattle per day.  Tentinger says, “I think a large portion will come from Iowa but I think, just based on location, obviously, we will draw out of eastern Nebraska and eastern South Dakota also.”  The coronavirus outbreak forced the temporary closure of some Iowa meatpacking plants last year with deadly outbreaks among the workforce. Tentinger says this plant will be built with the advantage of having seen what’s happened with COVID-19. “Larger spacing, more room inside the plant, layout, taking all of that into consideration, with state-of-the-art new equipment, new spacing, new requirements,” he says. “It will be the first plant built with COVID-friendly in mind.”

The facility will be built along Interstate 29 in Mills County near the Pottawattamie County line and south of Council Bluffs. Construction is to begin in the spring of 2022 with opening in the winter of 2023.
– – – – –
Governor Kim Reynolds released a statement this (Friday) morning: “Iowa has a reputation for producing safe, reliable, and quality products that feed our nation and a growing world population,” Reynolds said. “TenCorp, Inc.’s new facility will add greater stability, processing capacity and value to our state’s agriculture industry. I am excited about this project and what it means not only for Iowa’s cattle industry, but the continued growth and expansion of Iowa agriculture.”

(Updated) It’s time to sign-up for the upgraded statewide emergency notification system. The new Alert Iowa System “Smart 911,” effective July 1^st, will replace the original Alert Iowa system implemented in 2014. Alert Iowa is a free service that allows individuals to receive notifications sent from local authorities to stay informed on potentially life-threatening and hazardous situations involving severe weather, law enforcement/security incidents, flooding, chemical releases, critical infrastructure disruptions, community-based alerts, and other emergencies and important information.

Even if you already have the current version of the Wireless Emergency Notification Systems (WENS) through Alert Iowa, you need to register on the new website, or through your respective county’s Facebook page. There, you will fill in the requested information, create a User ID (or use your e-mail), and a password. Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon said the information from your current account (if you signed-up with the old system), will not transfer over to the Smart 911 system.

He says with the other system, some people had three different accounts, for one reason or another.

With this switch, residents of all area counties will have access to new features and functions and can create one user account for their whole family including multiple addresses that can cover your home, work, or school locations. Kennon says switching to the new platform allows residents to receive enhanced alerts via phone, text and email, and answer poll questions that will give emergency officials critical information during emergency situations.

Individuals who are signed up for alerts will receive reliable information about emergency and disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information; including tailored updates based on specific needs and geographic location. With more active weather patterns impacting the region, an emerging drought, history of major flood events, and the switchover date of July 1 approaching, individuals who want to stay informed and be alerted to potential threats should register for the new system.

Thursday evening, for instance, the Montgomery County Communications Center received reports of a tornado with debris seen in the area near Grant. Out of an abundance of caution, outdoor warning sirens were activated for the City of Grant while spotters were being dispatched. The information was sent out also, through the Montgomery County Alert Iowa system.

Those registering will be able to select the type of alerts they want to receive and how they are alerted and communicated with before, during, and after emergencies and disaster.

In an update to our earlier reports, officials with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Friday), said no injuries were reported following a single-vehicle accident that took place early Tuesday afternoon, north of Atlantic. Authorities say a 2015 Toyota Camry driven by Paige Elizabeth Henderson, of Amarillo, Texas, was traveling north on 620th Street (Olive Street) at around 12:14-p.m., when her car struck a “Road Closed” sign that was in the northbound lane, near Chicago Road. The vehicle then crossed into the southbound lane, entered the west ditch and rolled over.

The Sheriff’s Office reports also, three arrests took place this week:

On June 20th, Cass County Deputies arrested 50-year-old Sandy Paulline Coburn, of Griswold, on a charge of driving while barred. Coburn was transported to Cass County Jail and was later released on her own recognizance.

On June 21st, Deputies arrested 24-year-old Jordan Travis Lee Comstock, of Irwin, on a Cass County warrant for operating without a valid drivers license.  Comstock was transported to Cass County Jail and was later released on bond. And, 33-year-old Kayla Milliam, of Shenandoah, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for violation of probation.  Milliam was transported to Cass County Jail where she was being held on $2,000 bond.

The 8:06-a.m. broadcast, with News Director Ric Hanson.

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(updated 10-a.m.) The latest data from the Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus dashboard shows the some notable improvements in case numbers and hospitalizations. On Friday (Today), the IDPH reports four additional deaths, for a pandemic total of 6,124, and 76 additional (positive) COVID test results, for a total of 404, 208. A COVID-19 outbreak was reported at the Friendship Home in Audubon, where there are 14 cases. The last time they had an outbreak, but overcame it, was during the week of June 10th. The latest Long-Term Care Center outbreak brings the total number of such facilities with outbreak in Iowa, to three, after having gone to two, just three days ago. There are now a total of 34 patients/staff at those three facilities, who have tested positive, and a total of 11 who have recovered. Deaths at LTC’s in Iowa currently stand at 2,372.

The number of persons hospitalized with COVID in Iowa, has dropped to 46. Health officials report 18 patients are in an ICU, two were admitted, and 12 patients are on a ventilator. For the first time since records were kept from the start of the pandemic, hospitals in RMCC Region 4 (those in western & southwest Iowa) report NO no cases, no one in an ICU, no one admitted and no one was on a ventilator.

The State’s 14-day positivity rate is 2%. The seven-day rate is 2.0%.

In the immediate KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County (since the beginning of the pandemic) and the total number of deaths (Since the beginning of the pandemic) in each county to date:
Cass, 1,475 cases; 55 deaths
Adair, 996; 32
Adams, 356; 4
Audubon, 553; 11
Guthrie, 1,317; 32
Harrison County, 1,935; 73
Madison County, 1,790 19
Mills County, 1,809; 24
Montgomery, 1,116; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,367;174
Shelby County, 1,380; 37
Union County, 1,382; 35

The broadcast news from 7:06-a.m., w/Ric Hanson.

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