(Radio Iowa) – The first half of 2021 saw a significant rise in the number of house fires in Iowa, according to the Nebraska-Iowa Region of the American Red Cross. Chapter spokesman Josh Murray says the agency’s volunteer responders were sent to nearly 300 disasters statewide during the first six months of the year and nearly all of them were house fires. “In January and February, we saw a large increase in those numbers,” Murray says. “Usually we see probably closer to 250ish in the first half of the year.”

Between January 1st and June 30th, the Red Cross responded to 297 incidents in Iowa, with 95-percent of them being home fires, assisting a total of 1,281 individuals. While every house fire is different, Murray says one factor they all have in common is that they happened during the pandemic.”More people are home, more people are eating at home, they weren’t going out so they’re cooking at home, people are working at home so maybe they were using space heaters more to heat their house,” Murray says. “We’re still seeing some now, at this time of year. You get to the summer, we don’t usually see as many home fires, but in June we saw close to 50 in the state of Iowa.”

Murray says he’s concerned about the increase in house fires overall and the boost in fires during the summer months. “We’ve seen this trend of increased fires across the entire state,” Murray says. “It wasn’t just the one area, like just rural areas or urban areas. We’ve seen it from west to east and north to south, all across. It’s definitely one reason we’ve put out the word to make sure people are being cautious with home fire safety.” When a Red Cross volunteer responds to a house fire in Iowa, they do a lot more than just wrap a blanket around the person who may have just lost everything they owned. “Most of the time, it’s finding them a place to stay, finding them a hotel for a couple of nights, maybe get them some meals if we need to,” Murray says. “Helping line up any other services they might require, maybe they lost medicine in the fire and they need help getting a prescription refilled. Or they need storage space to store some stuff they were able to salvage from their home.”

In many cases, the aid the Red Cross provides is not just over a few days, he says, rather weeks and even months. The agency provides a range of assistance in times of disaster through the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

An SUV collided with a motorcycle Saturday night in Marshall County, resulting in the death of the motorcycle rider. The Iowa State Patrol reports 48-year-old Shelly Anne Tuttle, of Marshalltown, was riding a 2007 Honda VT600CD eastbound on Main Street in Marshalltown, just west of Wallace Avenue, when she was struck from behind by an eastbound 2013 Ford Escape, driven by 17-year-old Jadyn Lynn Palmer, of Marshalltown. The accident happened at around 9:22-p.m.

Tuttle was ejected from the motorcycle and died from her injuries at the scene. The collision remains under investigation. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by Deputies with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Marshall County EMS, and Marshalltown Police.

SUNDAY, July 25th

6:30 – 7:30 am Release all swine.
7:30 – 8:30 am All swine exhibitors clean swine barn
7:30 am Cattle Dog Trials (U.S. Border Collie National Qualifying for Finals) – Horse Arena
8:00 am Biscuits/Gravy Breakfast (Greenfield Methodist Church) – Courtyard
9:00 am 4-H Archery Speed Shooting Fun Match – northwest corner of fairgrounds
10:00 am Open Archery Tournament (registration 9 am) – northwest corner of fairgrounds
10:30 am Release all Cow/Calf Pens/Jr. Feeders not selling or participating in carcass
(All Cow/Calf Pens must leave; pens must be empty and clean by 1:30 pm)
11:00 am Future 4-H’ers Livestock/Pet Show (Registration 10:30 am) – Mid American Arena
12:00 pm Pigtail Contest – Courtyard
Bags Tournament – old ball field area
Ice Cream Social (Adair County Republicans) – Courtyard
Pizza Party for Winning Herdsmanship Barn Exhibitors – Gazebo
Farm Bureau Cookout Contest Judging (Registration 8 am)– Courtyard
12 – 3 pm Antique Tractor, Lawn Tractor, Pedal Tractor and Car Show – NE of Fair entrance
(Registration 11:00 am)
12:30 pm Check Out 4-H/FFA Livestock Exhibits Not Being Auctioned
12:00 – 12:30 pm Enter Beef Performance
1:00 pm Silent Auction (end time: items must be picked up by 3:00pm) – 4-H/FFA Center
2:00 pm Livestock Sale – Mid American Arena (Swine, Champion Market Broilers,
Champion Single Fryer, Rabbit, Market Beef, Junior Feeder Pens, Sheep/Meat Goats)
3:30 – 4 pm Open Class Check-out
Commercial Exhibits Dismissed
4:00 pm All poultry and rabbit pens must be empty and cleaned
4 – 4:30 pm 4-H/FFA Center Exhibits Check Out
7:00 pm Wright Rodeo Company (slack begins at 2:00 pm)

DES MOINES, Iowa —With fewer Iowans getting vaccinated, many of the state’s supply of vaccines are set to expire before they are used. The Iowa Department of Public Health said more than 38,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine expire this month. In addition, nearly 700 doses of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine.nson & Johnson and 4,000 doses of Moderna.

Cedar Rapids – Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Corrections, Saturday, said 34-year-old Leo Alan Ray, convicted of Conspiracy/Commit Felony, Willful Injury-Causing Serious Injury, and Robbery 2nd Degree in Linn County, failed to report to the Lary A. Nelson Residential Center as required, Friday.

Ray is a white male, height 5’7″, and weighs 186 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on 5/13/2021.  Persons with information on Ray’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Leo Ray

Here are the results from the Sheep Show at the Adair County Fair in Greenfield on Friday, July 23, 2021.

Champion Market Lamb Feeder Pen:  Colt Douglas. Reserve:  Montana Douglas

Champion Rate of Gain Market Lamb Feeder Pen:  Colt Douglas. Reserve:  Derek Raasch

Champion Bottle Lamb:  Colt Douglas. Reserve: Montana Douglas

Champion White Face Influence Market Lamb:  Nora Newbury. Reserve:  Montana Douglas

Champion Purchased Market Lamb:  Clay Hohertz. Reserve:  Clay Hohertz

Champion Home Raised Market Lamb:  Cash Suhr. Reserve:  Cash Suhr

Grand Champion Individual Market Lamb:  Clay Hohertz. Reserve:  Cash Suhr

Grand Champion Rate of Gain Individual Market Lamb:  Brandon Raasch. Reserve:  Ellie Brewer

Champion Pen of 3 Purchased Market Lambs:  Josie Sackett. Reserve:  Bella Rubio

Champion Pen of 3 Home Raised Market Lambs:  Brandon Raasch. Reserve:  Terrin Gettler

Grand Champion Pen of 3 Market Lambs:  Josie Sackett. Reserve:  Brandon Raasch

Champion Grade Ewe:  Cash Suhr. Reserve:  Krista James

Champion Supreme Breeding Ewe:  Cash Suhr. Reserve:  Krista James

Champion Advanced Sheep Showman:  Carter Goetz.

Champion Senior Sheep Showman:  Brandon Raasch. Reserve:  Bella Rubio

Champion Intermediate Sheep Showman:  Cash Suhr. Reserve:  Krista James

Champion Junior Sheep Showman:  Melanie Kilborn. Reserve:  Creighton Suhr

Here are the results from the Meat Goat Show at the Adair County Fair in Greenfield on Friday, July 23, 2021.

Champion Market Doe:  Mazee Funke. Reserve:  Cameron Christensen

Champion Market Wether:  Mazee Funke. Reserve:  Mazee Funke

Grand Champion Market Meat Goat:  Mazee Funke. Reserve:  Mazee Funke

Grand Champion Rate of Gain Meat Goat:  Ty Rardin. Reserve:  Colt Douglas

Champion Kid Meat Goat:  Lukas James. Reserve:  Madison Christensen

Champion Junior Doe Meat Goat:  Mazee Funke. Reserve:  Mazee Funke

Champion Aged Doe Meat Goat:  Mazee Funke. Reserve:  Mazee Funke

Grand Champion Breeding Doe Meat Goat:  Lukas James. Reserve:  Madison Christensen

Champion Advanced Meat Goat Showman:  Mazee Funke. Reserve:  Madison Christensen

Champion Senior Meat Goat Showman:  Kamryn Nourse. Reserve:  Jennifer Holliday

Champion Intermediate Meat Goat Showman:  Lukas James. Reserve:  Chloe Rardin

Champion Junior Meat Goat Showman:  Hadley Christensen. Reserve:  Thomas Mikkelson

(Atlantic) – Mark your calendar for August the 4^th at 7-p.m., as the date and time for “Art in the Park for Adults,” at Sunnyside Park, in Atlantic. Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen said they’ve been running an “Art in the Park” program for YOUTH, every Wednesday at 9-a.m. The event has been held at different parks each week in Atlantic, since the program began. That continues through the end of July. He said the success of the program sparked an interest in having a program specifically for adults.

Simply show-up, and “freestyle” your art’s – or hearts – desires.

Other activities you may be interested in participating in, include a “Treasure Hunt” with a cool treat as your possible reward.

Bryant says later this Fall or early Next Spring, they are hoping to have an even bigger treasure hunt, like those held by bigger cities.

He says the Parks and Rec Dept. will have a booth at the 2021 Cass County Fair, where their staff will answer your questions about the parks, take suggestions for things you’d like to see, and promote the all the different recreational items available for you to check out, including the shelters and sports equipment, like bicycles.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s dry conditions held about the same in the last week with around 70 percent of Iowa in some form of drought — and around 25 percent with severe drought conditions. D-N-R hydrologist, Tim Hall, says the overall picture is still better than we had one month ago. “The numbers are better from this time in June until now. We’ve reduced the coverage of drought across the northern part of the state — so the rains have helped,” Hall says. “All of southeastern Iowa across the southern tier of counties is free from drought and dryness.” Hall says.

He says the average stream flows across the state are around normal — which is a little misleading.”It’s really wet in southeastern Iowa. It’s kind of dry in north-central Iowa — so the average number belies the fact that there are areas of the state on either end of the extreme. Still the area that we are concerned about that were are trying to keep a careful watch on is north-central Iowa down through central Iowa through the Des Moines River and the Raccoon River.” Hall says the long-term forecast is a concern.

“So taking us through the end of July there’s very little rain in that forecast for most of the state of Iowa. So, dry conditions, not a lot of rainfall. We might expect to see a deterioration on the landscape that would be reflected in the drought monitor,” Hall says. Hall says we are in a situation where things can flip in a real positive direction or go the other way in a real negative direction depending on how much rainfall does come.

“We might expect to see some downgrading of parts of the state here in the next couple of weeks unless we get some rain,” according to Hall. The new drought monitor will come out on Thursday.

7:00 am Free 4-H/FFA Breakfast (Agriland FS) – Foodstand
8:00 am Dairy/Dairy Goat Show – Swine Show Ring
8:30 am Junior Feeder Calf Pen Show Cow/Calf Pen – Pens by scale Breeding Heifer, Lead Cow/Calf, and Feeder Calf Shows – Mid American Arena
Kid’s Rabbit/Cavy Show – West end Dairy Barn
9:00 am Open Fun Jackpot Horse Show (Registration 8:00 am) – Horse Arena
4-H/FFA Rabbit/Cavy Show – West end Dairy Barn
Feeder Calves must be on fairgrounds
(Feeder Calf Exhibitors check-in announcer’s stand between 9:30–10:00 am)
10:00 am Baby Show – 4-H/FFA Center
10 am – 4 pm Hands on the Farm Activities – Varied Industries Building
10 am – 4 pm Toby KID Strolling Entertainment
10 am – 5 pm Quilt Show – Varied Industries Building
11:30 am Pedal Pull – in front of 4-H/FFA Center
12:00 pm Junior & Senior Cowgirl Queen Contest – Horse Arena
12 – 1 pm Cat Show – Gazebo
Adair County Youth Council-Water Baseball
1 pm – 7 pm Mobile Glass Studios (glass blowing creations), location TBD
12:30 pm Ice Cream Social (Adair County Democrats) – Courtyard
1:00 pm Market Beef, Beef Showmanship – Mid American Arena
2:00 pm Animal Demonstration – Gazebo
2 pm – 4 pm Discover the Fair Scavenger Hunt, Courtyard
4:00 pm Share the Fun Contest – 4-H/FFA Center
6:45 pm Supreme Showman Winners Announced – Grandstand
7:00 pm Fontanelle American Legion Color Guard and National Anthem
Concert – Tribute to George Strait, Willie Nelson
and Waylon Jennings– Grandstand