(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa study finds health care workers are more likely to catch COVID-19 if the exposure occurred in their home rather than their workplace. The study used data from more than 17-hundred health care workers at the U-I Hospitals. Brooks Jackson, dean of the U-I College of Medicine, says workers tend to let down their guard when they leave work. “The workplace was the lowest,” Jackson says, “and that’s not surprising, given that we have hand sanitizer, and we’ve got masks.”

The data showed 26-percent of exposures at home turned into infections, compared to just 10-percent of exposures in the workplace. The study found 17-percent of exposures overall turned into COVID-19 infections. Jackson says it’s clear that -most- workplaces will be safer. “I think when you look at an eight-hour day in the workplace during this time period,” he says, “probably 95-percent of the time, people have been wearing masks.”

The U-I health care workers used in the study all self-reported exposures between September and November of last year.

(reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

The News at 8:17-a.m., from Ric Hanson.

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Emergency crews have recovered a vehicle submerged in Carter Lake. Inside, authorities found the body of a woman. She was identified by police as 22-year-old Nyahon Thuok. According to Omaha television station KETV, Omaha Police Lt. Allen Straub said his officers were patrolling the area when they learned there was a car submerged in the water. Straub said they noticed the car’s headlights and taillights were on. Officers called the Omaha Fire Department, who pulled the car out of the water. That’s when crews learned there was a woman inside the vehicle.

No other details are currently available.

A traffic stop Tuesday evening in Creston resulted in the arrest of a woman from Madison County. The Creston Police Department reports 38-year-old Jennifer McKeever, of Winterset, was arrested on two Union County warrants for Driving While Barred. She faces additional charges that include: Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense; Possession of Paraphernalia, and Driving while Barred. McKeever was being held for Union County in the Adams County Jail, on $5,600 bond.

And, a man residing in the 500 block of S. Cherry Street in Creston, reported Tuesday that sometime between 6-p.m. Monday and 11-a.m. Tuesday, someone stole 11 potted plants from his property. The loss was estimated at $300.

The 7:06-a.m. News from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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(Radio Iowa) – The environmental group American Rivers lists two waterways that either border Iowa or flow through the state on its annual list of the nation’s ten most endangered rivers. Olivia Dorothy, director of the group’s Upper Mississippi River Basin, says the 2019 flooding on the Lower Missouri River brought massive levee breaches. It’s concerning, she says, because the river is too constricted and there’s not enough room for water that comes downriver during floods. “We need to take strategic action to set back levees,” Dorothy says, “to give the river a little bit more room to flood so that we know the water is going to basically go into areas of the flood plain where people and critical infrastructure aren’t located.”

This is the second year in a row the Lower Missouri River has made the group’s most-endangered list. “We are again calling on Congress and the states along the Lower Missouri River to work together to set up a framework to prioritize areas where levees can be set back and where we can do critical habitat restoration which is much needed for a lot of species, including the pallid sturgeon,” she says. That fish is threatened, she says, in part due to a lack of access to quality habitat. The Raccoon River is on this year’s most-endangered list for the first time. Its three forks run for 226 miles across western and central Iowa.

Dorothy says the Raccoon is most threatened by pollution due to agricultural runoff, which she attributes to “industrial agriculture.” “In the Raccoon watershed, we have a lot of confined feeding operations, we have a lot of confined factory farms,” Dorothy says. “They spread manure in excess across the watershed on farms for fertilizer. A lot of times, that fertilizer is running off and getting into our drinking water.” It’s forced cities like Des Moines to install expensive nitrate removal equipment, while she says it’s continuing to threaten the drinking water in rural areas, especially for people who use wells. Dorothy says nitrogen is particularly toxic to children, infants and pregnant women.

“We are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to step in in Iowa and step up their enforcement actions,” she says, “and really start regulating these factory farms that we know are being installed in excess throughout the state of Iowa but especially in the Raccoon watershed.” The full report is online at AmericanRivers.org. Dorothy encourages Iowans to log on and learn more, and find links so they can contact federal agencies and officials to demand action to protect our rivers — and people.

The CAM School Board, Monday, voted to approve both the 2021-2022 Budget and 2021-2022 School Calendar. Their action followed two public hearings held just prior the regular meeting. According to CAM School District Superintendent Paul Croghan, the 2021-22 School Calendar is similar to the current calendar. With the first day of school on August 23rd (2021) and the last day of school May 25^th (2022). Still up in the air, is a decision on virtual snow days. That will be adjusted after the Iowa legislature makes a determination on that issue. Senate File 467 passed out the Senate on March 26th. It would’ve allowed schools to use five virtual snow days starting next school year. The bill, however, failed to make it out of the House. Once Governor Reynolds’ Proclamation ends, there will be no online learning.

The CAM Board of Education also approved the fiscal year 2021-2022 budget. Croghan says the tax rate is similar to last year, with the tax levy $10.5101 per $1,000 assessed valuation, compared to $10.50 currently.

The CAM School Board, Monday, also:

• Approved the Wood River Energy Natural gas program renewal for $26,655.00. The agreement prevents a spike increase such as what happened this past winter.
• They approved an AEA purchasing agreement for food service for FY 21/22, which not only saves the district money, it aids in the bidding process and procurement of risks.
• The CAM School Board approved a Master of Social Work (MSW) agreement between the district and Green Hills AEA for FY 21/22, for the use of a social worker for two days.
• They approved the list of graduating seniors for both the CAM High School and Connections Academy. The Academy will conduct a virtual graduation ceremony 11-a.m. May 15th, while the brick-and-mortar students’ ceremony will be held 3-p.m. May 16th.
• Also, the CAM School Board approved a bid from Deter Motor Company for two suburban’s and a Malibu at a combined costs of just over $101,000. And, finally, they approved an out-of-state after-prom event. Croghan says the junior class parents had requested the district bus students to the Urban Air Trampoline Adventure Park in Omaha. The bus leaves the High School on Saturday night at 11:30, and will return at 4:30 a.m. Sunday.

Police in Red Oak report the arrest at around 7:35-p.m. Tuesday, of 23-year-old Page Pettis, of Red Oak. Pettis was taken into custody in the 1300 block of N. Broadway Street, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. He was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – Three legislators have given emotional speeches in honor of the Iowa State Patrolman who was shot to death Friday during an armed stand-off in Grundy Center. Senator Craig Johnson knew Sergeant Jim Smith personally. “The last time I spoke with Jim he was sitting down to give blood and was dressed as the trooper he was. I remember thinking at that moment: ‘What more is this guy willing to give?'” Johnson said, his voice cracking as he continued. “That is Jim Smith.” Johnson’s and Smith’s daughters played volleyball together in Independence and will graduate in a few weeks.

“Jim Smith will be remembered by me as a friend, loving husband and dad who just adored his children,” Johnson said. Johnson had to pause briefly to compose himself as he read aloud from the Facebook post he wrote this weekend after learning Smith had been shot to death. “I cannot guess what he’d like me to say,” Johnson said, “but I’ll do my best and tell you how much he loved his Savoir and family and how much he enjoyed the wonderful experience of serving Iowans as an Iowa State Trooper.” Johnson described Smith as a man with a good heart and a quick mind.

“My family is blessed to know Jim and his wife and children,” Johnson said. “His annual Christmas letters were exceptionally funny and brought their family outings and Jim’s humor front and center.” Representative Chad Ingels of Randalia represents Smith’s hometown of Independence. Ingels told his House colleagues he did not know Sergeant Smith, so he began by reading Senator Johnson’s Facebook post in tribute.

“Sergeant Smith sounds like friends and acquaintances that we all have who serve in our communities. We can never sufficiently express our gratitude to those men and women that volunteer every day to run toward bad situations while the rest of us run away. I cannot imagine the guts and faith it takes to leave your home, ready and willing to help and protect others at what could be the expense of your own health or life. I will always be humbled by them,” Ingels said, choking up as he finished his speech.

Senator Annette Sweeney of Alden also gave brief remarks, calling Sergeant Smith’s death a tragedy. Smith’s funeral is schedule for Friday in Independence.

(Radio Iowa) – A plan emerging from the Iowa House would provide 750-thousand dollars in grants to help small meat lockers with fewer than 50 employees expand. In addition to the money, a bill that’s passed the House would set up a task force to study creation of an artisanal butchery program at a community college or Iowa State University. Representative Phil Thompson of Jefferson says the pandemic highlighted the need for small-scale, local meat processing.

“Many of us remember walking into our grocery stores, only to find empty meat cases,” Thompson says. “…We saw outbreaks and closures of some of our larger meatpacking plants and a supply chain that struggled to keep up with demand.” The proposed state grants could be used to buy more space or equipment, like refrigerators and freezers, for meat lockers. The money is included in a separate bill for the Iowa Economic Development Authority — the state agency that would hand out the grants.

Representative Chris Hall of Sioux City says there’s a definite need, since many Iowa meat lockers aren’t taking orders until 2022 or 2023. “Past that, I think that it speaks to a greater interest in our state and many other places the where people are looking to find a connection to local agriculture,” Hall says, “and to know where their food comes from.” Representative Chad Ingels, a farmer from Randalia, is the bill’s sponsor.

“It came from a lot of discussions with farmers that wanted more opportunities to sell directly to consumers and consumers that wanted more opportunities to buy directly from farmers,” Ingels says. “These conversations were happening before 2020. Last year just kind of brought it all to a head.”

Nebraska’s legislature is considering a different route to expanding consumer access to local protein. Nebraska’s bill would let consumers buy shares in live animals, the livestock would be slaughtered and processed by a custom butcher and the meat would not be subject to federal inspection.