Elk Horn, IA– A collaborative project designed to raise brand awareness for the Danish Villages as a travel destination received the 2020 Iowa Tourism “Outstanding Marketing Collaboration” Award for a rural area at the ceremony held March 3, 2020 at the Iowa Tourism Conference in Des Moines. Lisa Steen Riggs, manager of the Danish Windmill, accepted the award.

(Center) Lisa Steen Riggs received the award.

The winning project was a 3-day familiarization (FAM) tour for six social media influencers that was held September 24-26, 2019. The itinerary focused on Danish cultural heritage presented with an emphasis on traditions, foods, holidays, and concepts like hygge and “how to be Danish”. It was about sharing conversation and experiences, enjoying new flavors, good food and drink and creating memories as well as showing off the beautiful landscape along the Western Skies Scenic Byway leading visitors to “Denmark on the prairie”.

Partners collaborating on the tour included the Danish Windmill, Larson’s Pub, Danish Countryside Vines and Wines, The Flour Mill, Museum of Danish America, Brun Ko Farms, the Coffee Girl, Egg Krate Mall, Tivoli Inn & Suites, Pleasant Thymes Tea Room, The Danish Table: A Hygge Kitchen, Norse Horse Tavern, Log Cabin Quilt Shop, Copenhagen Friday, Kimballton, Liberty Auto Restoration, Wood Shop and the Nest Egg.

Sara Broers of the Midwest Travel Network helped the partners structure the tour by identifying potential food and travel influencers that would reach the target audience. Success was based on the reach and engagement of the campaign by tracking impressions, likes, clicks, shares and comments before, during and after the influencers were in the community.

The six food and travel writers produced 11 blog posts (valued at $500 per post based on Midwest Travel Network stats) that reached 92,592 followers; and 56 Facebook posts that reached 399,234 followers. Riggs says “As a small community, dollars dedicated to advertising/marketing communications are limited so we are always receptive to ways we can leverage our investment most effectively. Getting involved with the influencers and the Midwest Travel Network was a great way to reach new markets and expand our digital impact because it gives us access to travel writers/bloggers that are all interested in Midwest travel.”

To learn more about the writers’ experiences and get some ideas for your own travel plans, you can read their posts by visiting the Danish Windmill Facebook page

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Republican senators from four states that have seen severe flooding from the Missouri River are backing legislation that would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to change its management of the river to reduce flood risk. The proposal would require the Corps to take steps to reduce flood risks along the lower Missouri River by changing the way it manages the dams and by strengthening levees along the river.

The proposal is backed by all the senators from Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. Corps officials say flood protection remains their highest priority.

(Radio Iowa) — A popular Waterloo restaurant was heavily damaged by fire early this (Thursday) morning. Firefighters were called to The Wishbone shortly before 5:30 a.m. after a passing Waterloo police officer noticed smoke coming from the restaurant. Waterloo Fire Chief Pat Treloar says there was a large fire inside the building when crews arrived.

“The damage throughout the building is extensive,” Treloar says. “There’s structural damage inside and smoke damage throughout the entire building.” Upon entering the front of the eatery, firefighters had to deal with a tense situation, as Treloar says one firefighter went through the floor in the dining area.

“Fortunately, he didn’t go all the way through to the basement,” Treloar says. “A couple of other firefighters close by were able to grab him before he went through. They called a ‘mayday’, which is very uncommon. Fortunately, our guy is okay.” “Mayday” is a term used by firefighters on scene to alert others of a firefighter in distress. Treloar says the firefighter was shook up, but was not transported to the hospital and no injuries were reported.

It’s too early to know what sparked the fire or where it began. The city fire marshal is investigating. The Wishbone has been a fixture in Waterloo since the 1960s. A local couple, Randy and Cindy Hellman, bought the business in 2010 and later added a small bar to the restaurant. Cindy is the daughter of Sharon Wedel Crane & husband Ken Crane, of Atlantic. Randy Hellman says they hope to get The Wishbone running again as soon as possible.

“It’s going to be quite a while. Smoke damage destroyed the whole building,” Hellman says. “It’s hard to say right now (when the reopening might be). My plan is always to get it back open and get my employees back to work, get my friends and family – all of them – back to having a good Wishbone again.” The Hellmans employ around 20 people at the restaurant. In addition to The Wishbone, they also own Dairy Cream franchises in Charles City, Waverly, Webster City and several in Waterloo.

(Radio Iowa) — Warm weather, low humidity and strong winds are making for a foul combination across southern Iowa as the risk of wildfires is rising. In the southwest, Page County Emergency Management Coordinator Kris Grebert says brush fires have been numerous in his area, with two fires just this (Thursday) morning in Shenandoah.

“Within the last week, we’ve had eight or nine grass fires that the different agencies — Clarinda, Shen, Essex, Coin — everybody’s responded to,” Grebert says. “So, they have been relatively busy.” Fortunately, Grebert says the county has avoided structure damage from the fires. “We’ve had pretty good luck with our agencies getting out there pretty quick and not having things get too far out of control,” Grebert says. “The homeowners have called us relatively early on in the process, and we’ve gotten everyone out there and everything put down before they spread too much. We’re just crossing our fingers and hoping nothing bad happens for a while.”

Grebert plans to meet with his counterparts across the county next week. “I have been in contact with each of the fire chiefs from Essex, Shenandoah, Clarinda, Coin and Braddyville to discuss a possible burn ban,” Grebert says. “As of right now, we do not have one on in Page County. We’re hoping some rain will come Monday or Wednesday of next week, then we won’t have to worry so much about it.”

Fremont County’s fire departments are also on guard. Fremont County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Crecelius says virtually every department was out battling brush fires Wednesday night. Crecelius says conditions are ripe for disaster. “If you have an alleged controlled burn — I always thought that was an oxymoron, because you can’t really control a fire — if it decides to do something, you’re going to lose it,” Crecelius says. “As dry as everything is, once it gets going, it can spread all over all sorts of places out there, because we’ve got a lot of dry ground, we’ve got dry vegetation all over the place.”

Red Flag Warnings are posted for Iowa’s three southern tiers of counties today, virtually everything south of Interstate 80.

DUBUQUE, Iowa, March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today (Thursday), the national food safety law firm of Ron Simon & Associates, along with Iowa-based co-counsel the Hammer Law Firm, filed the first lawsuit stemming from E. coli O103-contaminated sandwiches sold at Jimmy John’s locations in Iowa.

The lawsuit was filed against Jimmy John’s on behalf of Kahler Folkedahl, a patron who frequented a local Jimmy John’s restaurant in Dubuque, Iowa in November of 2019. Shortly thereafter, Kahler began to experience vomiting, abdominal cramps, and hematochezia associated with E. coli poisoning. Kahler was hospitalized for three days, and thereafter notified by the local health department that she was suffering from the strain of E. coli O103 linked to consumption of contaminated sprouts sold on Jimmy John’s sandwiches.

Health Officials Link E. coli Outbreak to Consumption of Sprouts Sold at Jimmy John’s
The Iowa Department of Public Health has reported that a total of 22 people from Iowa have been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103. All of the victims were interviewed by the health officials, and all confirmed that they had consumed Jimmy John’s sandwiches prior to their illnesses.

The Iowa Department of Inspections tested samples of sprouts served at Jimmy John’s, and also the water used to irrigate the sprouts at the farm on which they were grown. Both tested positive for E coli O103. Health officials thereafter concluded that the contaminated sprouts sold on Jimmy John’s sandwiches were the vehicle for the E. coli O103 outbreak.
Jimmy John’s has since pulled sprouts from all of its locations in the United States.

Attorney Ron Simon who represents Kahler Folkedahl and other victims of this and numerous other Jimmy John’s food poisoning outbreaks, issued the following statement: “Unfortunately, Jimmy John’s has been linked to too many outbreaks in recent years. In fact, Jimmy John’s recently received a Warning Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration detailing numerous violations in the serving of contaminated sprouts spanning across the last decade. Through this lawsuit and others, we will determine how this contamination occurred and how it can be prevented in the future, so that this never happens to Jimmy John’s customers again.”

Mr. Simon and his law firm have established a Jimmy John’s E. Coli Claim Center to assist victims in the outbreak. The E. Coli Claim Center can be reached toll-free at 1-888-335-4901.

Two people were arrested on separate charges Wednesday, in Creston. Police say 28-year old Amanda Steinbach, of Creston, was arrested at Oak/Devoe on an Adams County Warrant for Failure to Appear on the original charge of Driving While Suspended. She was released to the custody of Adams County. And, 23-year old Cody Lamaak, of Creston, was arrested at Chestnut/Fremont on the charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance – Marijuana, and Possession of Paraphernalia. He was released on a $1300 bond.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -A Judge in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, Wednesday sentenced a Council Bluffs man on drug charges. 30-year old Dalton Lee Dukes was ordered imprisoned for nearly 12 1/2 years, for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Carrying a Firearm in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. His sentence will be followed by an additional 60 months for carrying a firearm in relation to drug trafficking, plus five years of supervised release after his prison term ends.

The sentencing was the result of an investigation originating in Cass County regarding the distribution of methamphetamine delivered from Omaha, Nebraska. The investigation revealed that Dukes was distributing methamphetamine in numerous locations throughout Southwest Iowa. After a confidential informant purchased methamphetamine from Dukes, he was arrested on February 15, 2019. At the time of his arrest, Dukes was found with money from drug sales and a loaded .9-mm Taurus handgun.

Prior to being sentenced in the case, Dukes was charged with First Degree Murder in Douglas County, Nebraska and he is awaiting transfer to answer those charges. The matter was investigated by the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force, Omaha Police Department, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Investigation. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa today (Thursday), said that on Wednesday, 55-year old Shawn Morgal, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to a little more than two-years in prison, for being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. The Judge also ordered Morgal to serve a three-year term of supervised release, upon completion of his sentence.

On May 21, 2018, the Council Bluffs Police Department received a report of a theft from a local gun store. Morgal admitted to stealing a pistol from the gun store and later trading it in exchange for controlled substances. The case was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Senate has voted to toughen penalties for animal abuse. Senator Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale, has been working on the issue for the past few years. “I am sick and tired of hearing in the news on almost a daily or weekly basis of these cases where these companion animals are being abused,” Zaun says. Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, agrees. “This is needed in my community,” Bisignano says. “It’s gotten out of hand and we need to send the signal.”

The House voted last year to enhance penalties for animal neglect, torture and abuse. Senators working on the issue struck a compromise and kept the penalty for a first conviction on an animal torture charge as an aggravated misdemeanor rather than a felony. Republican Senator Tom Shipley, a farmer from Nodaway, opposed the House-passed plan, but supported the scaled back bill which deals with abuse of pets and wild animals. “We can’t fix bad people, but I think we can go a long ways towards dealing with these issues and keeping the animal agriculture business out of it,” Shipley says. “…I want to just also remind the body that we’re talking about animals here and I’m afraid sometimes there’s people out here in this world that get their animals confused with people.”

The bill cleared the senator on a 44 to three vote and it goes back to the House for consideration of the senate’s changes.

Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Alexander Londo reports today (Thursday), that the county is “Currently in Extreme Fire Danger,” and Tthere will be no burning allowed until further notice.” The County is under a Wind Advisory until 6-p.m. Gusty winds and low humidities will create a very high risk of grassland fires today. Do not carelessly discard smoking materials, and use extra caution when driving high profile vehicles.

Pottawattamie County is also under a ban on opening burning until further notice.