DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Iowa Department of Education today (Friday) announced they will continue to support Iowa children eligible for food assistance year-round by enhancing and expanding already existing childhood nutrition programs and have notified the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that Iowa will not participate in the 2024 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children, or Summer EBT, program.

The Summer EBT program was started during the COVID-19 pandemic by the federal government in response to rising food insecurity at the time. It was permanently authorized by the Biden Administration and Congress earlier this year through the Consolidated Appropriations Act. The program provides families with children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals $40 per child per month during the summer to purchase food. The funds are provided on an EBT card in the child’s name and the federal government has announced its intention that the card must be administered separately from other existing meal or food assistance programs. With few restrictions on food purchases, the Summer EBT program does not have a strong nutrition focus. Participating states are required to cover half of the administrative costs, which would cost an estimated $2.2 million in Iowa.

“Federal COVID-era cash benefit programs are not sustainable and don’t provide long-term solutions for the issues impacting children and families. An EBT card does nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic” stated Governor Reynolds. “HHS and the Department of Education have well-established programs in place that leverage partnerships with community-based providers and schools who understand the needs of the families they serve. If the Biden Administration and Congress want to make a real commitment to family well-being, they should invest in already existing programs and infrastructure at the state level and give us the flexibility to tailor them to our state’s needs.”

“No child should go hungry, least of all in Iowa, but the Summer EBT Program fails to address the barriers that exist to healthy and nutritional foods. Iowa’s kids need consistent access to nutritionally dense food, and their families need to feel supported to make healthy choices around food and nutrition. Another benefit card addressed to children is not the way to take on this issue,” said HHS Director Kelly Garcia.

“The Iowa Department of Education remains committed to supporting students with healthy meals and food options. We are already leveraging family-focused, community-based solutions to support child nutrition and well-being in the summer, and we look forward to expanding these existing partnerships,” said McKenzie Snow, Iowa Department of Education Director.

Last summer, more than 1.6 million meals and snacks were served to children 18 and younger throughout Iowa as part of the Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option program.

Funded through the USDA and administered by the Iowa Department of Education, each of the 500-plus meal sites in low-income areas across Iowa are run by local sponsors to ensure children can get nutritious meals during the summer at no cost in a safe and supervised environment. Sites are located in a variety of settings, including schools, parks, community centers, libraries, apartment complexes, churches, and migrant centers. Many sites also offer enrichment opportunities for children such as reading, physical activity, or nutrition education.

Additionally, Iowa HHS administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) year-round, providing benefits to supplement food budgets of needy families. Of the 132,000 Iowa households currently enrolled in SNAP, 41.5% have children in the home. Despite this, HHS data shows a decline in SNAP enrollment since 2020, down from over 150,000 households to 132,000 for 2024.

Six regional food banks and 1,200 non-profit organizations, including food pantries and meal sites, also provide food assistance and childhood nutrition programs across all 99 counties in Iowa.

At the same time, childhood obesity and other diet related health problems are increasing. Almost sixteen percent of children in Iowa ages 10 to 17 are obese and Iowa is in the top ten states for high school age obesity.

HHS and the Department of Education will continue existing programming currently being offered by state agencies and are exploring new opportunities to address family well-being and children’s health in Iowa.

(Jones County, Iowa) – A collision between a pickup truck and a car in eastern Iowa, Friday morning, resulted in one person dead and two others injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at around 6:48-a.m. at the intersection of Highway 151 and Shaw Road, just south of Anamosa.

Investigators say a 2014 Chevy Malibu was merging onto Highway 151 Northbound from Shaw Rd. when it was struck by a 2011 Ford F250. Officials say all three crash victims wore their seat belts. All three were taken by ambulance to the UIHC, where one person died.

The name of the victims were being withheld, time pending notification of family.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports five recent arrests.

On December 17th, 2023, deputies arrested 45-year-old Steve Tingle Jr., of Griswold, on a warrant for Disorderly Conduct.  Tingle Jr was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.

On December 12th, 2023, 46-year-old Monica Volquartsen, of Fort Dodge, was arrested in Cass County for Possession of a Controlled Substance.  Volquartsen was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held pending her later release to a different agency for a warrant.

On the 10th, 2023, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 33-year-old Ashley Fuentes, of Des Moines, on a warrant for Failure to Appear.  Fuentes turned herself in to the Cass County Jail where she was booked, held and later released after time served.

On December 8th, 2023, 41-year-old Jayson Edward, of Anita, was arrested for Public Intoxication.  Edward was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance.

And, on November 21st, 2023, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 52-year-old Terry Filer, of Omaha, on the charges of OWI 1st Offense and Eluding.  Filer was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Emergency rooms and critical care clinics are getting busier as Iowans who had colds initially find the bug has evolved into something more serious. Many parents may worry their kids’ case of the sniffles with coughing and sneezing has become the flu, R-S-V or worse. Dr. Lindsey Query, a pediatric emergency medicine physician with Gundersen Health System, says you probably don’t need to bring your child in to be seen if it’s just a cold.

“It is normal for their child, when they’re sick, for them to be more tired, for them to want to rest, and for their appetite to be decreased, but they need to drink enough to pee at least three times a day or at least once every eight hours,” Query says. “If your child is not doing that, then it would be a good time to be seen.” If the symptoms are more severe, especially if your child’s having trouble breathing, she says that’s when a visit to the doctor may be needed.

“If you see that your child is breathing faster than 60 times a minute, or once per second, in a sustained manner,” she says, “especially if you’re seeing that they are working harder, they have head bobbing, or you can see their ribs sucking in, their belly popping out, then that would be a time to come in.” Query says most kids with viruses won’t need to have an antibiotic, unless there’s another problem, like an ear infection or pneumonia. If a child’s nose is plugged up to the extent they’re having trouble breathing, parents may need to help them clear that crud out.

“There are a number of different products on the market that can help you do that, and what those products allow you to do is manually remove secretions from the nose and the mouth,” Query says, “and they work most effectively when used with a nasal spray.” For kids under seven, Query says she does -not- recommend giving them any of the over-the-counter cough and cold medicines.

“What I do recommend is natural honey,” she says. “Natural honey is only safe in children over the age of one, but in randomized controlled trials, natural honey has been shown to be more effective in reducing cough symptoms in children under the age of seven and over the age of one than over-the-counter medicines.”

The Gundersen Health System includes a hospital in West Union, and clinics in Fayette, Decorah, Waukon, Lansing, Postville and Calmar.

(Radio Iowa) – It’s the time of year when some Iowans like to pack the family into the minivan at dusk, switch the radio to Christmas music, and drive around town taking in the colorful holiday light displays. AAA-Iowa spokeswoman Meredith Mitts says if you’ll be making the rounds, remember to follow the rules of the road — and don’t stop dead on the street to take selfies. “As you’re looking at the lights, whether they’re in a residential area or a little bit more high traffic, there are still pedestrians and other drivers around,” Mitts says. “You need to remain focused about driving on the road and if you want to enjoy the lights, make sure you find a place where you can safely pull over.”

Some spectacular holiday displays may rival Clark Griswold’s house, but while the lights are beautiful to look at, they can also be a dangerous distraction. “Make sure everybody in the car is buckled up — you are still out on the road and things happen,” Mitts says. “Make sure the driver is staying focused on the road and that you are constantly scanning the area for bicyclists, pedestrians, any young children who might be playing in the snow. And then, make sure someone other than the driver is taking photos.”

Many Iowa communities have professionally-lit light displays in parks, golf courses, arboretums and other locations. Some are walk-through shows, but those that are the drive-through style demand drivers stay vigilant so the jolly mood isn’t wrecked by a fender bender. “A lot of these places have lots of vehicles so make sure you’re keeping an eye on the vehicle ahead of you and going whatever the posted speed limit is,” Mitts says. “Also, remember to turn your lights back on when you are leaving the park because generally, they have you turn them off as you’re going through the park so you can enjoy the lights better.”

She suggests you make sure to have the appropriate winter gear in the car in the event of a roadside emergency. The kit should include things like: blankets, water and snacks, a flashlight with fresh batteries, tools, a shovel, an ice scraper, jumper cables, sand and a first aid kit.

Des Moines, Iowa — U.S. Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03) today led the Iowa Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in a letter urging President Joe Biden to allow for the expanded, year-round sale of E15.

“Iowa leads the nation in the production of biofuels thanks to our hardworking farmers and biofuel producers,” said the representatives in the letter. “Any delays in securing permanent, year-round E15 sales punishes Americans and farmers who have already faced record inflation, fuel prices, and market uncertainty as a result of your Administration’s economic policies.”

Nearly every other row of corn grown in Iowa is used to create biofuels. Each day, Iowa farmers provide access to homegrown fuel across the nation and the world. The biofuels industry supports countless jobs, reduces prices at the pump, and provides billions of dollars in exports.

Text of the letter can be found here.

(Mitchellville, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 58-year-old Julia Ann Cox was pronounced dead due to natural causes at 10:10 a.m. on Thursday, December 21, 2023 in a hospice room of the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women.

Cox had been serving a 7-year maximum term for the crime of Abuse of a Corpse and Accessory After the Fact from Poweshiek County. Her sentence began on April 5, 2022.

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) released the following video wishing Iowans a Merry Christmas:

DES MOINES – Today, Gov. Kim Reynolds released her annual Christmas video message to Iowans.

(Radio Iowa) – The three member state panel that sets the estimate of state tax collections lawmakers use to draft the state budget has just two members today. David Underwood, a C-P-A from Clear Lake, has retired from the Revenue Estimating Conference.  “I started this in another century and that really seems like a long time,” Underwood said last Wednesday, “but I have spent about a third of my life serving on this committee.”

Underwood was appointed to the Revenue Estimating Conference by Governor Terry Branstad — in September of 1997. For the past 26 years, he’s primarily been a mediator between tax estimates from the executive and legislative branches of state government.

“People kind of warned me in the beginning that I was probably going to get a lot of political pressure,” Underwood says. “I never did.” State law says the two other members of the panel, one appointed by the governor and one employed by the legislative branch, will choose Underwood’s replacement.

Underwood was the chief financial officer of a Mason City company that makes doors and windows when he was appointed to the Revenue Estimating Conference. After retiring from that job, he became a business consultant.