(Radio Iowa) – Republican Chuck Grassley announced at 4 a.m. this (Friday) morning that he is running for re-election to an eighth term in the U.S. Senate. Grassley’s campaign account on Twitter features a photo of Grassley in a corn field, with a sentence quoting Grassley as saying he “has a lot more to do, for Iowa.” During an interview with Radio Iowa earlier this month, Grassley said he was gauging the opinions of Iowans on the topic. “It’s very difficult to determine because I don’t have just a few people say, ‘You ought to retire, ‘ and maybe those are people who want me to retire because they want to elect a Democrat,” Grassley said. “I don’t kow their motives, but I get a lot of people who encourage me to run and say: ‘We need your common sense there.’ That’s very encouraging.”

(R-IA) Sen. Charles Grassley

Grassley celebrated his 88th birthday on Friday. He is one of seven senators who are in their 80s and Grassley says his age is no reason to retire from the Senate. “Don’t you think octogenarians need some representation, too?” Grassley said, with a laughter. “That’s kind of a tongue in cheek answer, but don’t you think you need a little institutional knowledge around?”

Grassley says he’s had a physical, is healthy and goes for a run before sunrise six days a week. Grassley could face a G-O-P Primary challenger next year, as Republican State Senator Jim Carlin of Sioux City announced earlier this year he’s running for the U.S. Senate. Two Democrats have announced they’re seeking a spot on the 2022 ballot to challenge Grassley. Abby Finkenauer of Cedar Rapids is a former member of the U.S. House. Dave Muhlbauer of Manilla is a former Crawford County Supervisor.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Economic Development Board recently approved the rules for a new fund designed to help small meat processors. Iowa Economic Development Authority spokesperson, Kannan Kappleman, says the agency is charged with handing out the 750-thousand dollars.  “The fund provides financial assistance in the form matching grants to businesses for projects related to small-scale meat processing, licensed custom lockers, and mobile slaughter units,” according to Kappleman.

She says those rules lay out the requirements to receive the grants. She says the I-E-D-A website has a document on frequently asked questions and the rules. Kappleman says the shutdown of the large-scale meatpackers during the pandemic shined the light on the smaller operations. “So these smaller establishments were fulfilling the needs that were definitely in demand at that time,” she says.

The grants can be used to modernize and improve the operations. The Iowa Legislature passed and Governor Kim Reynolds signed what officially called “The Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Fund” into law in June of this year.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Governor Kim Reynolds confirmed in June that she plans to seek reelection in 2022, but she does not intend to use her campaign fundraiser tomorrow (Saturday) to formally kick off her bid for a second full term. Two Democrats have been actively campaigning for the chance to challenge Reynolds. State Representative Ras Smith of Waterloo compares his decision to run to his grandmother’s decision to move from Mississippi to Iowa in 1957 when she couldn’t make the rent as a sharecropper.

“As I’ve been on this campaign trail, I’ve encountered some of our party’s most influential folks who are afraid to be named publicly, who are afraid to make their voices heard, see, because they’re afraid of a vindictive Governor Reynolds, but like my grandmother, I’m not waiting,” Smith said. “You see, like my grandmother, I’m not asking for permission because in this moment is our greatest opportunity for change.”

Smith made his comments Saturday at the Polk County Democrats’ Steak Fry fundraiser. Deidre DeJear, the Iowa Democratic Party’s unsuccessful nominee for secretary of state in 2018, is the other Democrat currently running for governor. She says Democrats shouldn’t loose sight of what’s possible. “The things that we need to overcome, the challenges we see facing us, the requests that we have are not unreasonable requests. In fact, they’re not even dreams. We’re at a point where they’re basic needs,” DeJear said. “…When you’re asking for clean water, you’re not asking for too much…When you’re asking for your governor to believe in science and consider science, you’re not asking for too much.”

Both DeJear and Smith were active in 2020 presidential campaigns in Iowa. DeJear was the statewide chair for the Kamala Harris campaign. Smith was hired in November of 2019 as an advisor for Joe Biden’s campaign.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol reports a woman was struck and killed by a school bus this (Thursday) morning, in Guttenberg.

The Patrol report says 66-year-old Judy Puls of Guttenberg was crossing a street when a school bus driven by 73-year-old Ronnie Moser was attempting to make a turn and struck her. Puls died at the scene.

No charges have been filed as the State Patrol continues to investigate.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans are hearing plenty about flu shots and COVID-19 boosters, but a lung doctor says another vaccine needs to share the spotlight. It’s called T-Dap, for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, a spokesman for the American Lung Association in Iowa, says pertussis or whooping cough can lead to life-threatening problems. “In Iowa, there were 244 cases in 2019 which is roughly about eight cases per 100,000 which puts Iowa in the middle of all 50 states,” Galiatsatos says. “Those are 244 cases too many. Those are preventable diseases for adults and we want to make sure they understand how to prevent the disease.”

While you may have had a T-Dap or similar vaccine as a child, he says the effectiveness wears off as the years go by and most grown-ups could use another vaccine. “As adults, who should be strongly considered to get it are those who are most vulnerable to pertussis,” Galiatsatos says, “those having underlying lung conditions, asthma, COPD or emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos. (Lung Assoc. photo)

Those are the adult Americans we want to protect.” Pertussis is a serious respiratory illness that’s easily spread from person to person. It can lead to severe and even life-threatening problems, especially for people with chronic lung conditions.

“As a lung doctor, I tell patients I can help stop the progression of your disease, but any respiratory infection is going to unravel that,” Galiatsatos says. “Infection control is always a key strategy to helping people with lung conditions.” The Lung Association says people with asthma are four times more likely to have increased risk of infection and complications if diagnosed with pertussis.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Prison Industries board has approved two requests from food packing company Diamond Crystal Brands and electronics manufacturer Timberline Manufacturing to hire inmates from the women’s prison in Mitchellville. Prison officials are required by law to take steps to ensure the contracts aren’t displacing civilian workers. Prison Industries director, Dan Clark, says that’s not an issue right now as businesses have been struggling to fill job openings.

“The company’s been suffering, as many companies are…to hire enough employees to support their business. Last I talked they needed to hire more than 40 people,” he says. He says the women will earn competitive wages and get work experience that may help them continue working with the same companies once they’re released.

“We want to help Iowa employers. But also we want to help women. And then when they get out, you know, land in a job quickly,” Clark says. The director of the Department of Corrections says the job training and partnerships with businesses are part of the reason the recidivism rate in Iowa prisons has fallen for the first time in six years.

(By Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – All four members of Iowa’s congressional delegation have voted to send Israel a billion dollars for its Iron Dome missile-defense system. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Ottumwa, was among the Republicans who spoke on the House floor during debate. “Israel has long been a key strategic ally for the United States,” she said. “Our relationship is mutually beneficial, and it is important that we work to support them whenever we can.”

A small group of House Democrats threatened to vote no this past Tuesday on the bill that provides the money to keep the government running if this particular spending item was included, so House leadership removed it from that package — for a stand alone vote on the aide to Israel today (Thursday). Miller-Meeks says the actions of progressive Democrats when it comes to Israel are disgraceful.

“For years, the United States has consistently funded the Iron Dome on a strong bipartisan basis to help Israel defend itself against rocket attacks from terrorist organizations,” Miller-Meeks said. “There has never been a situation where military aid for Israel was held up because of objections from members of Congress.” Some Democrats argued the U-S should impose conditions on aid to Israel, to ensure conditions for Palestinians improve.

In the end, however, the billion dollar funding plan for Israel’s Iron Dome passed the U-S House overwhelmingly, on a 420 to nine vote. Miller-Meeks, along with Republicans Ashley Hinson, the congresswoman from Marion, and Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull were among the “yes” votes, as was Democratic Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County said Thursday the driver of a pickup suffered from a laceration to the top of his head and was transported to Mercy Hospital, following an accident Monday morning. Authorities say 66-year-old Alvin Sobbing, of Council Bluffs, was driving a 1997 Dodge RAM pickup northbound in the right-hand lane on 221st Street, and approaching the intersection with Eastman Road, when he lost control of the vehicle due to slick road conditions. The pickup, and the unloaded trailer it was pulling, ended up in the ditch/embankment area at the northwest corner of the intersection, where it drove over a small tree and came to rest. The accident happened at around 9:15-a.m.

Sobbing told Deputies he saw the flashing lights ahead at the intersection, and “touched his brakes,” before the vehicle and trailer went out of control. The pickup sustained disabling damage to the undercarriage. No citations were issued.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports also, 25-year-old Kamerson Riley Myers, of Glenwood, was arrested Wednesday afternoon, at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office. He was taken into custody on a warrant for Failure to Appear on the original charge of Child Endangerment. Bond was set at $5,000.

(DES MOINES, Iowa) – The Department of Human Services (DHS) and University of Iowa Health Care are partnering to improve support of Iowans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). The newly signed agreement includes the creation of a faculty position within the university who will serve as the new Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Intellectual Disabilities at the Glenwood Resource Center (GRC). GRC’s new CMO will serve as the chief physician for the center’s residents and will be a member of a multidisciplinary team of therapists, psychologists, and Qualified Intellectual Disability Professionals (QIDPs). They will also be responsible for expanding the capacity of the community system of care to better serve Iowans with IDDs.

DHS Director Kelly Garcia said Thursday, “While we have started the transition to a community-based model of care, there are a number of elderly residents at GRC who have lived there for decades and have complex health conditions that could make transferring to a community placement difficult. To give these residents access to the high-quality care they deserve, we are seeking a CMO who is highly qualified and passionate about serving individuals with IDDs. Our agreement with UI Health Care allows us to tap into its expertise at recruiting exceptional physician leaders and maintaining high standards of quality control.”

Kevin Glenn, MD, clinical associate professor of internal medicine at UI Carver College of Medicine, is the chair of the search committee for GRC’s new CMO.  Glenn says “As the state’s academic medical center, UI Health Care is committed to providing high-quality care for all Iowans, including the state’s most vulnerable populations. We are thankful for the opportunity to help DHS fill this important position. This collaborative agreement will provide the new CMO with access to a breadth of resources to support their success.”

Health officials say this significant new collaboration and partnership will provide the new GRC CMO with access to medical experts in every specialty, infection and quality control support, ethics consultations, and more. It may also help Iowa develop better pipelines for future recruitment of quality medical and other health care providers, particularly in the public sector. Cory Turner, MHDS Division Administrator for Facilities, says “Our continued and evolving partnership with the university has been vital to the stabilization of numerous services within DHS’ Mental Health and Disability Services division. This is yet another example of our collaboration built on a foundation of trust and rooted in clinical expertise that ensures Iowans, wherever they reside, receive the best care possible.”

University of Iowa Health Care is actively recruiting for the Glenwood Medical Director position. A detailed job description and position duties is available here. Marsha Edgington, the GRC superintendent, will work directly with UI Health Care to establish day-to-day connection with DHS once the candidate is on board.

(Radio Iowa) – Many attorneys say they are getting contacted by people seeking to take legal action in cases involving mask mandates, vaccines, and other pandemic-related issues. Attorney Richard Moeller of Sioux City says he has received many calls. “In fact, I probably get on average three, four calls a day from people in different situations — whether they are working for a government employer, otherwise, a private employer is mandating a vaccination, or in the alternative, they can use a mask or be tested,” Moeller says.

Moeller gets calls because he represents clients in vaccine injury cases in the U-S Court of Federal Claims.  “It is designed for those rare situations where someone receives a certain vaccination — it has to be a covered vaccination — meaning it’s one of the vaccines the program covers so to speak. The flu vaccine is a very common one, sometimes the D-TAPs, the childhood M-M-R and those kinds of things,” he says. Moeller says none of the COVID vaccines are covered. “Although that may change….probably some action by Congress might take place that would include that. But as of right now, the COVID vaccine is not covered,” Moeller says.

Moeller says he has to explain this to people who call asking about COVID lawsuits. “The inquiries that I have received are ‘what can I do if my employer has or is going to implement some kind of mandate having to do with the vaccine or the alternative for testing.’ I just don’t do those kinds of cases. There are a few lawyers I think in different locations who will help a client….to at least look into whether there is an alternative to a mandate for a vaccine,” according to Moeller.

Moeller says the current law appears to make it tough to sue vaccine manufacturers. “My understanding of the federal law that kind of paved the way for those vaccines is that they will not allow a lawsuit,” Moeller says, “in other words, the pharmaceutical companies and distributors of the vaccines are immune from lawsuits.”

A list of attorneys in all 50 states who have expressed a willingness to accept vaccine injury cases is on the U-S Courts website.