(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report a man from Des Moines, 22-year-old Jonah Lee Kirsch, was arrested a little before 10-p.m. Friday, on a simple misdemeanor charge of Public Intoxication. Kirsch was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Friday, reported a probable case of monkeypox virus infection in an adult in North Central Iowa. Testing was conducted by the State Hygienic Lab in Coralville.

The patient was likely infected during international travels and is isolating, receiving outpatient care and in regular communication with health department staff. HHS staff and local public health are conducting contact tracing with local health partners to identify anyone who may be at risk due to direct close contact with the patient while infectious. People with direct close contact are directed to watch for symptoms of illness and are offered a vaccine series that can prevent symptoms from developing or developing severe illness. The CDC does not recommend broader use of the vaccine at this time; however, their evaluation of vaccine guidance is ongoing.

Monkeypox does not spread easily between people without close contact, like:

• direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids
• respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex.

Risk to the general public is low, but anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their healthcare provider, even if they don’t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox.

People who may be at higher risk might include but are not limited to those who:

1. Had contact with someone who had a rash that looks like monkeypox or someone who was diagnosed with confirmed or probable monkeypox.
2. Had skin-to-skin contact with someone in a social network experiencing monkeypox activity, this includes men who have sex with men who meet partners through an online website, digital application (“app”), or social event (e.g., a bar or party).
3. Traveled outside the US to a country with confirmed cases of monkeypox or where monkeypox activity has been ongoing.

If possible, call ahead before going to a healthcare facility. If you are not able to call ahead, tell a staff member as soon as you arrive that you are concerned about monkeypox.

Over 5,700 cases have been reported internationally. In the U.S., 460 cases have been reported across 32 states. Over the last month, HHS staff have been working with health care providers and community partners to promote awareness of monkeypox, including what symptoms to look for, how to test for it, and ways to help prevent transmission. More information about the virus and how to limit infection risk can be found on the monkeypox page on the CDC website.

(Radio Iowa) – One of the new laws that took effect today (July 1) will allow police to search through a person’s garbage for criminal evidence without a warrant. But the new law is at odds with an Iowa Supreme Court decision last year that said the search of a Clear Lake man’s trash without a warrant was an invasion of his privacy. Drake University law professor Bob Rigg says that decision stands despite the new law.

“Essentially the Iowa legislature cannot overrule the Iowa Supreme Court in interpreting what the Iowa Constitution is,” Rigg says. Rigg says the issue is likely to end up back before the Iowa Supreme Court, which will soon have a new member. Rigg says a new justice could change the court’s perspective on illegal search and seizure.

“We don’t know, that can shift to a 4-3 the other direction, but right now State v Wright is the law regarding search and seizure in Iowa of trash,” he says. A new Supreme Court Justice will replace retiring Justice Brent Appel who was part of the majority in the previous case. That new member could make a difference in the garbage searching decision.

(Radio Iowa) – The president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids applauds the recent F-D-A ruling that banned Juul (JEWEL) vaping products from the U-S, but he says the damage is already done in states like Iowa. Matt Myers says in almost every category, Iowa’s youth smoking rates are well above the national average and it’s going to take serious work to reduce what he’s calling an epidemic. “Iowa’s number of kids who smoke cigarettes is almost seven-percent, which is about two to three points higher than the national average, but it’s particularly concerning with regard to e-cigarettes,” Myers says. “One in five kids in Iowa use these e-cigarettes and about 40% of them are seriously addicted to the product. That’s far higher than the national average.”

Juul’s role in driving the youth e-cigarette craze is clear, according to Myers. He says the company introduced a sleek, easy-to-hide product that was sold in appealing flavors which delivered massive doses of nicotine that can quickly addict kids.  “Juul has fought regulation every step of the way in order to continue to market to kids and they’re doing so now,” Myers says. “The FDA’s findings should concern everybody, but Juul won’t give up.” With slick marketing campaigns that focused on teens, Myers says Juul is largely to blame for e-cigarette use among high school students rocketing between 2017 to 2019.

“While the e-cigarette companies touted the product as a way to help smokers quit, they marketed the products to youth,” Myers says. “So what we found was the percentage of kids who use e-cigarettes almost doubled during the three years after Juul was introduced, even during a period of time when we saw no increase in adults using these products.” While the F-D-A order specifically named Juul, Myers remains hopeful it will serve as a warning to other vaping product makers.

“What’s really our long-term concern is that many of the kids who use these products have become addicted,” Myers says. “Kids who start using e-cigarettes are three times as likely to become cigarette smokers, and the threat that e-cigarettes pose to the long-term progress we’ve made in Iowa and elsewhere is real.” The youth e-cigarette epidemic is a public health crisis which Myers says Juul, more than any other product or company, is responsible for creating. He says removing these products from the market is “absolutely critical” to reversing the trend.

https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/

(Radio Iowa) – Fireworks aren’t the only things that are sky high this Fourth of July weekend. Iowans who are grilling out should be prepared to pay much higher prices. An American Farm Bureau Federation survey found consumers will pay an average of $69.68 for standard July Fourth cookout fare, including more costly burgers, buns, potato salad, chips, lemonade, and ice cream. The item that rose in cost the most, ground beef, was up a whopping 36% from last year. It all breaks down to about $7 a person per 10 cookout attendees. Cookout costs are up $10 from last year or 17%, which the federation says is the largest increase since they started tracking data a decade ago.

The survey found prices are rising based on the ongoing war in Ukraine, inflation across the consumer landscape, supply chain disruptions and “shrinkflation” due to the pandemic, among other factors.

(Dubuque, Iowa) – Three people, a young adult and two teens, died in a single-vehicle crash this (Friday) morning, in Dubuque. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2014 Chevy Camaro driven by 18-year-old William L. Wodrich, IV, was traveling at a high rate of speed  southbound on the NW Arterial at around 1:20-a.m., when the car went out of control. The vehicle entered a ditch and went airborne before it rolled and came to rest.

Wodrich, and his passengers, 17-year-old Kennedy Elizabeth Elskamp, and 17-year-old Chloe Madison Lucas, all from Dubuque, died at the scene. Lucas was not wearing her seat belt.

The State Patrol says the accident remains under investigation.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors met with Rolly Parrott and Bryant Rasmussen on Thursday, June 30th, 2022, to learn about the Trojan Sports Locker. The Trojan Sports Locker is located in a storage building next to the Parks & Recreation office. Rolly Parrott, the visionary behind the Locker, shared he started the Locker to help students in the Atlantic School District have the proper equipment to participate in sports, without having to worry about the cost.

Parrott noticed the number of kids who didn’t have the proper shoes or didn’t have a bat or glove when he began coaching Little League. He started collecting donations and storing them at City Hall. He quickly outgrew the space and started using an area at the Armory, where he quickly outgrew that location as well. He partnered with Bryant Rasmussen and Parks & Recreation and began utilizing one of their storage buildings to store donations. 

Any child, parent or coach in the Atlantic School District can use the Locker, free of charge, for anything they may need. Parrott has also partnered with Brown’s Shoe Fit, who provide shoes and equipment at cost when Parrott doesn’t have that particular item on hand.

Parrott and Rasmussen shared they have now outgrown the storage building and are exploring new avenues to make the Locker more attractive and better utilized. The building is old, very run down and has a leaky roof, which, after a light rain, runs water into the building. It’s no longer meeting the needs of the community. Rasmussen shared they have begun conversations with the School District to try and find a location on school grounds that would be better utilized. Rasmussen is currently pricing what the cost would be to build a new storage building. Parrott & Rasmussen hope the conversation continues so they can continue providing this free service and ensuring the students utilizing the program have the best experience they can.

The Trojan Sports Locker is always accepting physical donations as well as monetary. For more information, contact Rolly Parrott on the Trojan Sports Locker Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/377786362378005. The Trojan Sports Locker is located behind the Parks & Recreation Office, located at 1200 Sunnyside Lane.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Officials with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office have released a list of persons arrested from June 19th through the 30th.

• • On Thursday, June 30th, 39-year-old Randi Lyn Riessen, of Shelby, was arrested following a traffic stop, and charged with OWI/1st Offense. Riessen was also cited for Speeding.
  • On Tuesday, June 28th, 47-year-old Julie Ann McManigal, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for service in the area of 1120th & Nishna Avenue. She was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
  • On the 25th, Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 39-year-old Malcolm Shane McDonald, of Harlan, following a traffic stop. He was charged with Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd Offense, Prohibited Acts/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia/Driving while License Denied, Suspended, Canceled or Revoked, and Speeding; and, 23-year-old Maria Engracia Hytrek, of Earling, was arrested after a traffic stop on Highway 37. Hytrek was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI 1st, and 3 counts of Child Endangerment.
  • There were two arrests June 23rd, in Shelby County: 25-year-old Joshua Lewis Hytrek, of Earling, was arrested after a call for service in Earling. Hytrek was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Reckless use of Fire or Explosives, and Harassment 3rd; and, 46-year-old Aaron James Nelson, of Harlan, was arrested after Shelby County Deputies responded to a Motor Vehicle accident on Maple Road. Nelson was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI 3rd Offense, Driving while License Denied or Revoked, Reckless Driving, Open Container, and Failure to Maintain Control.
  • On June 22nd, Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 30-year-old Kolton Kenneth Kobold, of Harlan, after he was seen having a bike accident in Harlan. Kobold was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Public Intoxication.
  • On the 20th, 29-year-old Victor Nelson Rodriguez, of Avoca, was arrested after a traffic stop on Highway 59. Rodriguez was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Prohibited Acts, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving while License is Denied, Suspended, Canceled or Revoked, and Speeding.
  • and, on June 19th, 34-year-old Truc Trung Nguyen, of Des Moines, was arrested after a call for service on Highway 59. Nguyen was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI 1st offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Prohibited Acts, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Speeding, and Leaving the Scene of an Accident.

Note: Criminal charges are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

(Radio Iowa) – Despite persistent flight staff shortages and fewer flights, Fourth of July holiday air travel is up, according to Triple-A-Iowa spokeswoman Meredith Mitts. “Our air travel volumes are actually expected to rise about 25% from last year,” Mitts says, “so this is the second-largest yearly increase in more than a decade.” Travelers have long been encouraged to “pack patience” and be flexible when flying, but thousands of delays and cancellations this year are testing their mettle. Still, Mitts says air travel in the U-S is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. Mitts says, “People are more comfortable traveling and able to feel comfortable taking airplanes and that’s really exciting as we’re looking forward into the summer holiday travel season.”

Despite gasoline prices being at or near record highs, motor vehicle travel for the holiday weekend is expected to be at the highest level on record. The Triple-A forecast predicts nearly 48-million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday, and 42-million will travel by motor vehicle. Iowa’s average price for gas is now $4.61 a gallon, up from $2.96 a year ago but well below the current national average of $4.84.

(Radio Iowa) – Filming in Iowa was supposed to start soon on the “Field of Dreams” T-V series, but the project has suffered a major league setback. Variety reports the Peacock network has dumped the show and the studio, Universal Television, is trying to shop it to other media outlets. The series was to be a prequel, based on the 1989 movie that was shot, in part, in Dyersville, where the baseball field surrounded by a corn field remains as a tourist attraction.

Governor Kim Reynolds awarded six-million dollars to Universal T-V for the show just days ago. Shooting was scheduled to begin in a few months in Polk, Boone, Mahaska and Clinton counties.