(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University horticulture professor is trying to find out how some plants are able to endure cold winter temperatures and start growing again in the spring. Professor Rajeev Arora says research is showing there’s not one single factor involved the hardening of plants to the cold. “Freezing tolerance or the acquiring of freezing tolerance is not a single factor phenomenon. In other words, several things are changing, and logistically they work together to put the plant in the hardest state,” he says. Arora says one thing he’s studied is a protein called dehydrin, which helps keep plants from losing water in a process called desiccation.”What happens is that when the ice forms inside these tissues, it is never inside the cells, but outside the cells between the cells,” he says.

Arora says ice in the cells causes plants to loose all their water, which leads to their deaths. “It is the desiccation part of the stress that plant actually ultimately succumbs to and gets injured. It is not so much the cold itself, but the desiccating effect of the freezing is what kills the plant,” Arora says. “And so these dehydrants, they prevent that desiccation or do not let all the water to be pulled out, maintain some hydration so that cells can survive.” Arora says he’s also studying the way some plants roll up their leaves to help them survive the cold in what is called “thermonasty.”

He says there’s no one clear process for plants to survive. “Many, many genes are involved, it’s not just one or two, and those have to collaboratively together also. So, it becomes very complicated,” Arora says, “these things have limits.” Arora says there has been some breeding of plants to better survive the cold, and he hopes his research will lead to more information on how to do just that.

(Radio Iowa) – A bipartisan bill in the Iowa House would limit digital instruction in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms to 60 minutes a day. There would be some exceptions for things like computer science instruction or math and reading programs on laptops or tablets that are tailored for a student’s individual use. Representative Samatha Fett, a Republican from Carlisle who’s co-sponsoring the legislation, says the bill is meant to refocus schools on what’s best for elementary school students. “Their learning capabilities are proving to be better without that technology,” Fett says. “Handwriting and cursive are actually better for our kids.” Representative Heather Matson, a Democrat from Ankeny, is the bill’s other co-sponsor.

“For me, a big part of this really is putting human connection back at the center of learning,” Matson said. The Iowa State Education Association, the union for Iowa school teachers, supports the bill. Melissa Peterson, a lobbyist for the group, says in-person interactions between teachers and students promote critical life skills. “That is so important,” Peterson said, “and one of the things I really like about this bill is the limitation to kindergarten through fifth grade during that really foundational and fundamental learning time.”

Deb Davis, a former member of the Johnston School Board, says when computers were introduced in classrooms, she and others believed they were equipping students for the future. “Over the past several years we’ve increased screen exposure in our youngest grades, yet we have not seen clear academic gains that justify that level of immersion,” Davis said. “At the same time, teachers report spending more time monitoring screens, redirecting attention and managing digital distractions.” The on-line academies for Iowa students are asking for an exemption from the bill since students spend their entire school day on a computer. Groups representing urban and rural districts say the bill needs modifications to ensure districts don’t have to buy textbooks and may continue to use laptops and tablets that have the same material. The bill cleared a House subcommittee this (Tuesday) morning.

Representative Jeff Shipley, a Republican from Birmingham, says limiting screen time in school is important. “The main thing we want to make sure is when we’re sending students into a school or an educational environment is that they’re actually learning things and getting smarter,” Shipley said. “I think one of the alarming things I’ve seen is that overuse of these devices could actually make people stupider and I think we’ve seen that a lot in our society where people are unable to navigate their local town because they’re so used to using the instructions from their device that they…don’t even know where they are in the world.”

The bill may be considered in the House Education Committee tomorrow (Wednesday).

(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors met in a regular session this (Tuesday) morning. During their meeting, the Board approved the installation of a bench on the County’s portion of the (downtown) Atlantic City Park, west of the monument. Supervisor Wendy Richter explains…

A dedication ceremony will take place at a later date. The Supervisors also passed a resolution appointing Deputy Auditor Hannah Richter, at a rate of $27/hour ($56,376/year).

Photo of the bench from the Weirich Welding Plus, LLC / PowerLift Hydraulic Doors Facebook page.

Cass County VA Exec. Director Mitch Holmes provided the Board with a Quarterly Report, during which he stated his office made 493 contacts over the past Quarter.

Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken presented his regular report to the Supervisors. The Board then approved Publication of a Notice to Bidders for the cash rent of approximately 23-acres of County-owned farm land in the southwest portion of the NW 1/4 of Section 15, Grove Township. Bids will be opened at 9-a.m., Tuesday, March 17th, in the Board Room of the Cass County Courthouse in Atlantic. Anyone with questions pertaining to the land or bidding process, may contact the Cass County Engineer’s Office.

Cass County BOS 2-17-26

In other business, the Cass County Supervisors received a monthly report from Cass/Guthrie County Environmental Health Exec. Director Jotham Arber.

(Mount Ayr, IA) – Sheriff’s officials in Ringgold County say no injuries were reported following a head-on collision at around 8:05-a.m., Friday, Feb. 13th. Authorities say Brad England, of Mt. Ayr was traveling west on East South St/Highway 2, approaching the intersection with Garfield. Tracey Cowan, of Red Oak, was traveling east and was unable to stop due to a vehicle that was stopped behind another vehicle, that was waiting to turn north onto Garfield.

Officials say Cowan decided to enter the west bound lane to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of her that was stopped. Her vehicle struck England’s vehicle head-on, resulting in England’s vehicle ending-up in the North ditch. Cowan’s vehicle  came to rest facing North, in the west bound lane.

Ringgold County Sheriff’s Deputies cited Cowan for Failure to maintain control, No Insurance, and Unsafe passing.

*Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations and any defendant are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.*

(Griswold, IA) – The Griswold School Board held a regular monthly meeting Monday night. Superintendent Dave Henrichs says the Board acted on some personnel matters…

They also discussed information obtained on a potential four-day school week, and in particular, a focus on the school calendar.

Henrichs said three school board members will serve on a committee, along with Board Secretary Hannah Bierbaum.

In other news, the Griswold School Board accepted a bid from Preston Carpentry in Griswold for ceiling tile replacement in the High School Kitchen, two offices and the Science Room.

They also accepted a bid from Midwest Floor Coverings, to re-do the flooring in a good portion of the Middle School/High School Hallways, as well as the cafeteria at the High School.

That project will also be taken care of this Summer. Superintendent Henrichs said also, the District received Radon testing results back. The results show the entire facility is way below the acceptable limit for Radon.

(Radio Iowa) – Despite this temporary warm spell, Iowa’s still in the midst of cold and flu season and there’s an increased health risk from taking too much over-the-counter medication to relieve symptoms like coughing, sneezing, headaches and body aches. Janna Day, spokeswoman for the Iowa Poison Control Center and a licensed practical nurse, says they’re seeing an upturn in calls about the risks of taking multiple meds to fight seasonal ailments. Day says, “One of the common scenarios is that people unintentionally take too much of the same active ingredient that they might find in various over-the-counter medications that they may be taking.” The products are safe for most people to use when they follow the directions or their doctor’s recommendations, but Day says problems may crop up when folks try to fight too many battles at once.

“Maybe they’re taking something for cold symptoms. Maybe they take something else for pain. Maybe they take something else for a cough,” Day says, “and they don’t realize that each of those medications individually has the same active ingredient and that they’ve now taken too much of that.” Day says people need to be especially careful when they take certain drugs — like acetaminophen, decongestants, antihistamines and cough suppressants — as they could be just fine alone, but they may be hazardous in combination. “Sometimes folks might take too much because they think it might work better if they take a higher dose,” Day says. “It’s important to note that you wouldn’t want to take a higher dose to try to get more relief. It’s important to follow the dosage recommendations.”

Symptoms from taking too many meds at once could include nausea, dizziness, vomiting, confusion and more, but Day urges Iowans to call the Poison Center before symptoms appear if they fear they’ve over-medicated themselves. Day says it’s vital that parents follow the directions explicitly when they’re administering drugs to their children. “You might not dose it exactly right,” Day says. “So instead of digging the tablespoon out of the drawer, make sure you’re actually using the dosage cup or the dosage syringe that comes with that product so you can make sure that you’re actually giving the child the exact right dose.”

The Sioux City-based Iowa Poison Control Center responds to more than 23,000 cases each year and makes more than 50,000 follow-up calls to ensure patients remain safe. More than half of all cases involve children under the age of 19. The round-the-clock number is 1-800-222-1222.

(Red Oak, IA) – A traffic stop at around 11:25-p.m. Monday in Villisca, resulted in the arrest of a teenager for OWI/1st offense. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the traffic stop was conducted at 3rd Avenue and 5th Street in Villisca. The 16-year-old driver of the vehicle (whose name was not released) was cited into Juvenile Court, and released to their guardian.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Food and Drug Administration recalled a supplement Friday that may contain a widely drug-resistant strain of Salmonella. The Rosabella-brand moringa powder sold through Tryrosabella.com , as well as on Amazon, TikTok and Shein, and was distributed by Ambrosia Brands LLC. The Salmonella illness was reported in multiple states, including Iowa. Three people have been hospitalized.

This strain, Salmonella Newport, is resistant to all first-line and alternative antibiotics commonly recommended for treatment. The recall affects certain lots expiring in 2027, with a full list on the FDA’s website.

Salmonella symptoms can occur 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Symptoms can include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. The FDA says you should throw any contaminated product away, or return it. Anyone who has the product should clean any surfaces that it touched.

If you have infection symptoms after taking the product, call your healthcare provider.

(IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – A House subcommittee advanced a bill Monday that would require all wind turbines in the state be equipped with aircraft detection lighting systems, to address landowner complaints about blinking red lights.

House File 2081 as introduced would require new wind farms be constructed with the sensor-based lights and existing turbines to be retrofitted with the lights by the start of 2028. Lawmakers in the subcommittee, however, said they plan to amend the bill to extend the timeline to change out existing lights.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Dean Fisher, R-Montour, who said landowners in his district have been upset about the lights on a recent wind energy conversion facility built in Tama County.  Fisher specified that the bill helps people “miles away” from a wind turbine farm who don’t reap any of the economic benefits of having a turbine on their property.

The bill calls for the implementation of aircraft detection lighting systems, sometimes abbreviated as ADLS, which the Federal Aviation Administration describes as obstruction lights that turn on when a primary radar detects approaching aircraft. The lights remain on until the aircraft has passed the area and will also turn on if there is a failure with the sensor.

Chaz Allen, a lobbyist representing the Iowa Utility Association — of which MidAmerican Energy Company and Alliant Energy Corporation are part — said utilities are “already in the process” putting these lights in place.  According to Allen, about 27% of wind turbines in Iowa have the aircraft detecting sensors in place. Allen was registered undecided on the bill, but said the deadlines might not be feasible because the utilities have to get approval from FAA and the Federal Communications Commission, which can slow down retrofitting.

No groups registered opposed to the bill. The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Iowa Environmental Council both registered in favor of the bill. Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, did not support the measure because he worried about implementing a mandate that would increase utility costs for Iowans.

Rep. Tom Determann, R-Clinton, and Rep. David Blom, R-Marshalltown, voted to advance the bill, with the intention of amending the implementation timeline required by the bill.