(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa House are considering changes to the application process for government food assistance and health care coverage through Medicaid. One bill would require the state to adopt a new online system to verify a person’s income, to ensure recipients qualify for government benefits.

“What we’d like to see ultimately is that the state government is doing this electronic verification check for everyone who participates in these programs to the extent that it’s allowed under federal law,” said Andrew Conlin, who represents a Florida-based group called the Opportunity Solutions Project.

Iowa Department of Human Services director Kelly Garcia isn’t opposing the bill, but she said the agency already has made changes to make eligibility checks more accurate.

Another bill would require applicants to submit personal information online to confirm their identity. Luke Elzinga is with the Des Moines Area Religious Council, which oversees several food pantries. He said filing online could be easier for “people with transportation barriers, medical reasons that they can’t leave their house, but we do think that this should be an option because by making it a requirement you’re eliminating barriers for some but you’re also creating some additional barriers.” Elzinga said the online registration could be an obstacle for low-income Iowans who don’t have internet access.

Both bills have cleared a House subcommittee. This month’s report from the Iowa Department of Human Services shows more than 800,000 Iowans are enrolled in Medicaid. That’s about 25% of the state’s population.

(By Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio/O. Kay Henderson Radio Iowa)

(Radio Iowa) – An expert who studied the Iowa gambling market says the state-licensed casinos in Council Bluffs and Sioux City are going to feel a big impact as Nebraska’s casinos ramp up — but says they will weather the storm. Matt Rowe of Spectrum Gaming Group says there will be some adjustments.

“It will be a significant blow to them. They may reduce employment, they may reduce the size of their gaming floors because there’s only so much capacity in the market. But they’ll be okay. They’re still solid properties, there’s still a good amount of revenue that they will be generating,” Rowe says. He says the Iowa casinos have some advantages in resources.

“You have to remember that the casinos that are here in Iowa — particularly in the Council Bluffs market — are national chain casinos. They’ve got properties everywhere from Maine to Albuquerque and Las Vegas and Atlantic City, so there are many opportunities for them to cross-market,” according to Rowe. He says they can offer promotions for their properties outside of Iowa while the Nebraska casinos don’t have as many options.

“If you earn points at casino Council Bluffs, you can redeem them at a casino in Las Vegas. If you earn points at a Warhorse casino in Lincoln — you can redeem them at a Warhorse casino in Columbus (Nebraska)? It’s just a different level of competition,” he says. He says the same thing applies in Sioux City, which is a Hard Rock casino.

The Council Bluffs market is currently Iowa’s largest in terms of revenue. Projections are that the Council Bluffs casinos could lose 45 percent of their market to new Nebraska competition. The report estimates Sioux City’s Hard Rock casino could see a loss of 50 million dollars in adjusted gross revenue.

DES MOINES– Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Friday) announced her appointment of Jennifer Benson Bahr as a district court judge in Judicial District 4.  Bahr, of Crescent, Iowa, currently serves as a district associate judge in Judicial District 4.

Bahrpreviously served as an Assistant Pottawattamie County Attorney and has also served as the Webster and Humboldt County Attorney. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and her law degree from Drake University Law School.

Judge Jennifer Benson-Bahr (Iowa Judicial Branch photo)

Bahr fills the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of District Court Judge James S. Heckerman. Judicial District 4 includes Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties.

(Creston, Iowa) – The driver of a 1995 Chevy pickup fell asleep at the wheel early Friday morning, and rolled the vehicle into a ditch. The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports 27-year-old Dominique Aleksander Buchanan, of Clearfield, was traveling west on Highway 34 at around 2:30-a.m., when he fell asleep.

His pickup went off the road on the north side, causing Buchanan to wake-up. When he over-corrected, the vehicle crossed the center line of the road and entered the south ditch where it rolled onto its side and came to rest. Buchanan told authorities he laid on the ground for an extended period of time before moving towards the roadway.

He attempted to flag down several vehicles before one of them finally stopped and gave him a ride to the hospital, in Creston. The pickup he was driving sustained about $5,000 damage.

(SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa 1/14/22) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is encouraging ice anglers and snowmobilers to use caution when going out on the ice after a snowmobile and an ATV broke through the ice on West Okoboji Lake and East Okoboji Lake Thursday night. The individuals were rescued by nearby anglers, and then were treated and released from the local hospital. Greg Harson, district supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Bureau, said he’s received a number of calls Friday from people planning to come to the Iowa Great Lakes and his message is that the ice quality isn’t as good as it has been in the past and to use caution if they plan to operate a snowmobile or atv on the lakes.

“There are a number of areas to avoid, like the points, ice heaves, the bridges and locations where geese are keeping the water open. The pressure ridges are opening and are hard to see. If we get skim ice then covered with snow, that can create a dangerous situation,” he said. “Geese are keeping a large area open on Spirit Lake out from the pump house, so be really careful if going out on Big Spirit this weekend.”

Harson stressed that there is always risk associated with going on any ice and that no ice is 100 percent safe. He said better quality ice is available away from the areas to avoid and encouraged everyone to check the ice thickness frequently and to bring a throwable floatation cushion, 50 feet of rope and a set of ice picks.

“The new snow is going to make identifying these hazards more challenging, and it’s also going to insulate the ice from the cold temperatures and slow its growth. We all look forward to this time of year to enjoy these lakes, but need to think twice and if it doesn’t look right or feel right, do not go out,” he said.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion has tested positive for Covid for a second time. Hinson says she began experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms Thursday afternoon, so she took a Covid test and it was positive. She’s isolating and working remotely. Hinson is fully vaccinated, with a booster shot. She promoted all three vaccinations on social media.

Hinson previously tested positive for Covid in November of 2020, before vaccines were available and right after she elected to the U.S. House. Hinson says she experienced complete exhaustion, but couldn’t tell if it was because of Covid or because the campaign had just ended.

(Atlantic, Iowa/Chamber News) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Beth Speaker and members of the Cass Health Auxiliary on Thursday, January 13th, 2022. The Ambassadors joined Cass Health in celebrating the opening of their newly renovated gift shop.

Cass Health has had a gift shop for many years but with the renovations, the appearance and location have changed with visitors and the community in mind. The gift shop is more visible as it is now located right inside the entrance of the medical center, connected to the Sweet Joy Coffee Shop. Beth Speaker, Cass Health Communications Relation Manager, shared that much thought went into including community shoppers during the planning & renovating process. Beth shared that during the month of December there were many community members that shopped for Christmas and the staff was delighted to be another retail option for local shopping.

The Cass Health Gift Shop carries a variety of gift items such as baby essentials, home décor, clothing, candy, seasonal items and flower arrangements. The flower arrangements are replenished daily, thanks to Ann Johnk of Farmhouse and Flowers. The gift shop is staffed and maintained entirely by the Cass Health Auxiliary that is comprised of over 100 members. The auxiliary staff welcomes shoppers to call and shop by phone and items can be delivered directly to a loved one’s room in the hospital.

The Cass Health Gift Shop is located in the atrium of Cass Health and is open Monday -Friday 9AM-5PM. For more information or to arrange a delivery, call the direct line at 712-250-8821.

(Radio Iowa) – Nearly a thousand patients in Iowa hospitals today (Friday) have tested positive for Covid. Every patient is tested for Covid and infection rates have been rising as the more contagious omicron variant sweeps through the Midwest. The latest data from the Iowa Department of Public Health shows treatment for the virus is the primary reason nearly two-thirds of the Covid-positive patients were admitted to an Iowa hospital. Fifty Iowa nursing homes are reporting outbreaks among residents.

The state has been tracking the number of positive Covid test results since the beginning of the pandemic and that number has been climbing. However, over-the-counter rapids tests are now available and the state’s number does not include home test results that are not reported to public health departments.

A police department in Jasper County has announced its chief has died from Covid complications. Prairie City Police Michael German died Thursday. According to a Facebook post, German had been Prairie City’s police chief since 2014 and his passing is considered a death in the line of duty.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa chapter of the American Red Cross is starting out 2022 much as it always does, with a critical need for blood donors as blood supplies are dangerously low. Agency spokeswoman Sue Thesenga says she’s hoping the blood shortage in the new year makes people stop and think about what they can do to help year-round. “We really encourage people to resolve to do something good this year and blood donation is a very easy way to make a resolution to help people in need,” Thesenga says. “It only takes an hour of someone’s time and it doesn’t cost a dime.”

The Red Cross is in need of all blood types, especially those with type O, which is considered a universal type for transfusions. You can safely donate blood every 56 days,” she says. “So a lot of times donors donate once or twice during the year, and that is fabulous, but if they donated more regularly and more often, that would probably help us avoid situations like we’re in right now.”

To find a place to donate, visit redcrossblood.org.

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say this formidable winter storm promises to dump up to ten inches of snow across a wide section of Iowa by early this (Friday) evening and the whipping winds could make travel very hazardous. Craig Bargfrede, the Iowa D-O-T’s winter operations administrator, says if you can stay home, do. “We just want to advise the public to be cautious and really watch the weather,” Bargfrede says. “If you really don’t need to travel today, it really looks like one of those days where it might be best to postpone those plans.”

The storm is spreading across Iowa from the northwest to the southeast and the state’s big orange plows are working to keep the roads passable. “We’ve got somewhere around 250 plows out and about,” Bargfrede says. “I just anticipate that number is going to continually increase throughout the day as the storm moves across the state.” Safety is the top priority, he says, for both the plow crews and the motorists, and there may come a point later today at which even the plows will have to be pulled off the roads. “That’s a local call at the garage level — once we get into incidents where visibility really becomes an issue for both our operators and the public,” Bargfrede says. “We watch that very closely and that’s a local call.”

The DOT has 101 maintenance garages statewide that employ more than 1,000 full-time equipment operators, mechanics, and supervisors. Those garages house the agency’s 902 trucks, 42 motor graders, and 32 tow plows. Brine solution has already been spread on many hundreds of miles of Iowa roads, but even with all of the preparation and technology, sometimes the plow crews have to surrender to the elements and pull off the road. “If we do get the winds that they’re forecasting in the 25-30 mile an hour range, that’s going to create some visibility issues for us and for the traveling public as well,” Bargfrede says. “It’s very possible we could see some real impacts on being able to get out there, get at that snow and get it cleaned off.”

While salt has been in short supply in previous years, Bargfrede says Iowa started the winter season with an excellent stockpile of some 240,000 tons. Keep up with road conditions at: 511ia.org