(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A is scheduled to release an updated estimate of the 2021 corn crop. Iowa State University economist Chad Hart says the mid-October prediction was a 15 billion bushel corn harvest — the largest ever.  “So we are talking about a massive crop,” Hart says. “Basically the same story on the soybean side as we’re looking out there, a very large soybean crop as well.”

Iowa is the nation’s top corn producing state. Justin Glisan, the state climatologist, says it’s been a rollercoaster year for weather, as Iowa has been in a structural drought since the spring of 2020.  “But those timely rainfalls during the drought, during the growing season, really held the crop on,” Glisan says. “…The yields look great.”

Hart says farmers had the option of choosing seed varieties that can withstand dry weather. “The idea is what we have done over the last 40, 50, 60 years with these hybrids is we’ve developed hybrids that are more tolerant of a wider range of weather conditions,” Hart says, “and those changes are definitely paying off as we look out there.”

Hart and Glisan made their comments during a weekend appearance on Iowa P-B-S. The latest U-S-D-A crop and weather report for IOWA shows the state’s corn harvest was 84 percent complete by Sunday. Ninety-five percent of Iowa’s soybean crop was harvested by the end of the weekend. Most of the soybeans fields still to be harvested are in southwest and south central Iowa.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – A man and a woman from Pottawattamie County face drug charges in Mills County, following an extended investigation into the sale and distribution of illegal narcotics in Mills County. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports during the investigation, undercover deputies conducted a controlled purchase of more than one-half pound of methamphetamine from 66-year-old Jackie Lee Ward, Jr., and 59-year-old Vicky Kay Delezene. Both suspects are from Council Bluffs.

After the meth was delivered, Ward and Delezene were taken into custody without incident and were transported to the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, where they were charged with Delivery of Meth and Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp. Their bonds were set at $30,000 each.

Ward & Delezene (Mills CO. S/O photo)

A vehicle used in the commission of the delivery, along with related U-S currency, were seized during the investigation.

(Thurman, Iowa) –  The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Page County was arrested Monday, following a call about a disturbance in Thurman. Upon further investigation, Deputies discovered that 31-year-old Ashley McClarnon, of Clarinda, had allegedly entered a residence in Thurman, uninvited, causing a disturbance, while several small children were present. McClarnon then broke a window in the residence, causing damage.

Ashley McClarnon (Fremont CO S/O photo)

McClarnon was placed under arrest for:
1 count Criminal Mischief 5th Degree (Simple Misdemeanor)
3 counts of Child Endangerment, (Aggravated Misdemeanor)

She was being held without bond pending an initial appearance with the Fremont County Magistrate.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa health care providers are now vaccinating children between the ages of five and 11 for COVID-19. UnityPoint Health started to give the Pfizer vaccine to that age group today (Monday). Eric Haugen is a pediatrician with Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines.  Haugen says, “This is something that will make it easier and safer for children to go to school, to be part of events that they like to participate in.”

He says with the holiday season coming up, kids who are vaccinated will be less likely to spread coronavirus to family members with whom they gather. Doctors say getting the vaccine to this age group will make schools safer, while some parents will feel more confident about letting their kids go to sleepovers and sporting events again. Sara Schutte, a pediatrician with MercyOne in Ankeny, says young kids are often anxious to get shots — so it takes a bit more coaxing and more nurses on the ground to help them through it. “But kids do very well, in general,” Schutte says. “They’re more anxious about getting vaccines of any kind and then by the time we get it done, they actually are not quite as bad as they thought.”

Meanwhile, Haugen says he’s heard from a lot from parents, many are excited about the vaccine, some are hesitant. He points to a study that enrolled thousands of 5 to 11-year-olds to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective. The study found -no- serious side effects. Nationwide, more than 83-hundred children have been hospitalized because of COVID.

(reporting by Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University research has found adults who spent a higher amount of time sitting during the early months of the pandemic were more likely to have higher symptoms of depression. I-S-U kinesiology professor Jacob Meyer says a follow-up survey this fall found those effects lingered among study participants who tended to be inactive for longer periods of the day. “Being a little bit more conscious of how much we sit and when we have to sit and when we don’t have to sit might be really important to our on-going mental health,” Meyer says.

Meyer is director of I-S-U’s Wellbeing and Exercise Laboratory. He led the research team that surveyed three-thousand adults from all 50 states and the District of Columbia during April, May and June of last year, then did a follow-up survey this year. Meyer’s team asked study participants to keep track of how much time they spent exercising versus sitting and whether they’d experienced changes in feeling stressed, lonely, anxious or depressed. They were also asked if they were no longer enjoying things that used to bring joy or pleasure.

Jacob Meyer (ISU photo)

“That’s one piece that we can really not be aware of,” Meyer says. “As we’re not aware of it, it means we don’t necessarily know that our behavior could have actually have a really important impact on it if we don’t know that it’s there in the first place.”  Meyer says moving benefits our physical and mental health.

“The acute effects of exercise, as soon as someone starts moving, are really powerful and in particular are really powerful for people who have high levels of depression or anxiety,” Meyer says, “and so as soon as someone starts moving, even if it’s just getting up and going for a walk, their neurobiology changes and the way that they feel
starts to improve.”

Meyer joined the I-S-U faculty in 2017 and his research focuses on developing new treatment approaches that incorporate exercise in the treatment of depression.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports three arrests occurred over the weekend. On Saturday, 21-year-old Brandon Mayberry, of Council Bluffs was arrested for OWI 1st offense. His cash/surety bond was set at $1,000. And, 28-year-old Regina Fencl, of Glenwood was arrested for OWI 1st Offense. Her bond was also set at $1,000.

On Sunday, Glenwood Police arrested 24-year-old Brian Muhia, of Bellevue, NE, for a Probation Violation, with bond set at $5,000.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – In an update to our previous report, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday), identified a woman who had been fatally shot Sunday morning, in eastern Council Bluffs, as 83-year-old Bonnie Rankin. A man in the residence, 86-year-old Harvey Rankin, was found suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to University of Nebraska Medical Center by Lewis Township Rescue. A Pottawattamie County Deputy followed the ambulance to the hospital and placed a law enforcement hold on Harvey Rankin. The victims were found after Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance incident in the 400 block of Timber Drive, at around 7:45-a.m., Sunday.

In a press release, Pott. County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Doty said “We believe that everyone involved in this incident is accounted for and there is no danger to the public. The investigation is ongoing. Sheriff’s Office Investigators will be working with the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office regarding any criminal charges.” The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division had responded to the residence on Timber Drive to conduct a death investigation and process the scene. They were assisted by the Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team.

Sheriff Brown and the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office have offered their condolences to the family and friends of Bonnie Rankin.

(Radio Iowa) – Local veterans in Sioux City got to tell their stories for a special project that will preserve them at the Library of Congress. Bill Lyle was one of around one dozen veterans who shared their story during recording at the 185th Air National Guard base Friday. Lyle was 18 when he and eight of his friends joined the Army at the end of World War Two and ended up in the occupation forces in Japan in 1946. “It took us four weeks to get to Japan. What they would do is zig-zag kind of to avoid any of the underwater bombs and things like that,” Lyle says. “When I got over there I was the first one taken off the ship. I couldn’t figure out why, but they said your records show that you are the best typist — and so I got a really good job.”

Lyle says being 18 and in a foreign country made him a little nervous, but they were surprised by the reception they got from the Japanese. “They actually treated us really well. We’d walk out on the sidewalk and they would get off the sidewalk and bow to us when we got there. We didn’t even carry a gun after a couple three weeks we were there — because it wasn’t dangerous,” Lyle says.  Former 185th commander Brigadier General Larry Christensen brought his stepfather in to share his story of serving in Viet Nam starting in 1968. He says those veterans had to do a lot without the modern technology of computers. “Everything was slide rules, writing it up by hand, there was nothing as far as technology,” Christensen says. “They had to do it thinking on their feet, and that’s how a lot of things got done back then. We are very thankful for what they did back then because all of us now are actually standing on their shoulders — because what they built is what you see around us today.”

General Christensen says it is good to get a record of the veteran’s experiences. He says the veterans have stories they probably have never told anyone and when you hear those stories he says they could probably be best sellers. “A lot of the people don’t understand what they did at that time. The hardships they were up against and the courage and the bravery they had to get through everything that they did,” Christensen says.

Each of the soldiers will also get a photo on the Library of Congress website along with their story. This is the fourth year the interviews have been held at the 185th for the Veterans History Project.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass Health Foundation will host its annual gala on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at the Atlantic Golf & Country Club. Officials say the gala is a fundraiser for the Cass Health Foundation’s 2022 campaign to purchase a mobile telemedicine stroke system. The system will be used to immediately connect a suspected stroke patient with a neurologist.

Dave Chase, Cass Health Foundation Treasurer, said “The mission of the Cass Health Foundation is to support Cass Health. Our project this year helps get important equipment into the hands of providers who are caring for us, our family, and our neighbors.” The theme of this year’s gala is “Wild, Wild West.” Attendees are encouraged to wear western wear like boots, hats, jeans, etc.

The evening includes dinner, dessert auction, and entertainment. Tickets to the event are limited and available through table sponsorships. For more information, please call Dawn Marnin at 712-243-7409 or visit casshealth.org/donors/2022gala to view the details, or pay online.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie  Burke reports County officials conducted a post-election audit today (Monday, November 8, 2021), under a law designed to monitor and protect election processes. Burke said the audit was a perfect match to the results recorded on election night.

Iowa law allows the Secretary of State choose, at random, one precinct in each Iowa county to be audited. County auditors must then supervise a hand count of the ballots from that precinct and compare the results to the voting machine count from election night. In Montgomery County, the Secretary of State chose Precinct 7, which votes at the Villisca Community Building. 139 ballots were cast on election night and the results matched perfectly to the hand count done on Monday, November 8, 2021.

Post election audit being conducted in Montgomery County (photo courtesy Stephanie Burke)

“That’s what we like to see,” Burke said, “the hand count shows that our machines are accurately counting the ballots.” “Since our voting machines, as well as our programming and tabulating computers, aren’t hooked up to the internet, hacking the vote is highly unlikely,” she said. “Being able to rely on paper ballots should give us confidence in the integrity of our voting system.”
Four precinct election officials, representing the two major political parties, conducted the count under the supervision of Auditor, Stephanie Burke. As required in the law, the Auditor’s Office notified the county chairs of both of the two major political parties.

Questions about the post-election audit and other election matters may be directed to the Montgomery County Auditor’s office at 712-623-5127.