Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A reprieve from a devastating surge of the coronavirus across the Upper Midwest has given cautious relief to health officials, though they worry that infections remain rampant and holiday gatherings could reignite the worst outbreaks of the pandemic. Johns Hopkins researchers say states in the northern stretches of the Midwest and Great Plains have seen average daily cases drop in the past two weeks, with decreases ranging from 20% in Iowa to 66% in North Dakota. Some epidemiologists believe the most compelling factor for many people who redoubled efforts to prevent infections may be that they experienced the virus on a personal level.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. factories have been cranking out goods at a rate that is remarkably close to normal, despite the ongoing spread of the coronavirus. Yet with cases rising in many states, people who run factories are wondering if production can keep up until most of the country gets vaccinated. For the most part, safeguards put in place after the initial wave of the virus appear to have prevented the kinds of large outbreaks that sickened hundreds of workers and forced automakers, meat processors and other businesses to halt production last spring. But industry and union officials say workers live in communities where the virus is surging, making it difficult to stop infections inside the factories.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A racial equity group is urging the city of Burlington to sever ties with a bank because of an official’s racist Facebook post. The Hawk Eye reports that the Black Leadership Council is outraged that Burlington is still doing business with Farmers & Merchants Bank & Trust after a vice president, Lisa Walsh, used a racist slur against Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in a November Facebook post. The Walsh family owns 53% of the bank. Walsh has been placed on administrative leave. Burlington Mayor Jon Billups told The Hawk Eye that he has been discussing the issue with F&M.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Another 71 people died in Iowa of the coronavirus and there were more than 1,400 new confirmed cases of the virus. The state Department of Public Health reports that in the last 24 hours as of Thursday morning, the additional deaths raised the total number of virus-related deaths to 3,739. There were 1,425 new confirmed cases, increasing the total to 272,444. Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that in the past 14 days, Iowa has reported 691.7 new confirmed cases per 100,000 people. That ranks the state 40th nationally during that period.

(Radio Iowa) – Even though the pandemic has forced the cancellation of in-person visits, the Insect Zoo at Iowa State University is still hosting hundreds of curious kids — and adults — through the wonders of the internet. Ginny Mitchell, the zoo’s education program coordinator, says they’re offering virtual “Live with Bugs” programs via Zoom, Google Classroom and other online platforms.

“We started it by doing it for Girl Scout troops and we have reached people in New York, California, Texas, all over the country,” Mitchell says. “It’s really been an opportunity for the Insect Zoo to expand outside of our Iowa borders.” The hour-long programs are entertaining and educational, she says, and they include very close-up views of all kinds of creepy-crawling critters, including scorpions, tarantulas and even hissing cockroaches.

Dynastes hercules beetle (ISU photo)

“We talk about millipedes, which are important decomposers, and of course, have hundreds of legs,” Mitchell says. “We watch them walk and we talk about their defense mechanisms — they secrete a liquid that makes them smell and taste bad — and then we talk about the difference between a millipede and a centipede.” The zoo’s long list of residents even includes seven species of walking sticks, along with a host of other insects, spiders and arthropods. Mitchell says the virtual classes are versatile, allowing students in a classroom or those on laptops or tablets at home to enjoy the tour.

“We encourage the kids to get outside. That is one of the main points of the Insect Zoo, to get outside and to look for bugs yourself,” she says. “I always issue a challenge to the kids to go outside and find some bugs that are like the ones that we looked at — and to send me a picture of it.” With advance planning, the ISU Insect Zoo can even send a selection of live bugs to the classroom to provide actual hands-on learning.

https://www.ent.iastate.edu/insectzoo/

(Radio Iowa) – Congressman-elect Randy Feenstra says it’s time for the U.S. Department of Justice to address allegations of price fixing in the livestock industry. “The packers, they’re making all kinds of profits, so we’ve got change it,” Feenstra says. “We’ve got to break up the monopoly.” Four companies — J-B-S, Smithfield, Cargill, and Tyson — control more than 80 percent of the beef packing industry. And while beef consumption and consumer prices soared during the early months of the pandemic, profits did not trickle down to producers. The prices for cattle sold at market fell.

Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, says his in-laws raise livestock, so the financial reality hits close to home. “It’s just painful to see, especially when live cattle is at $1.50, if you can get that now,” Feenstra says, “and then you have boxed beef at a high of $227 or somewhere thereabouts.” Boxed beef is the wholesale price of cuts of meat. Feenstra, who hopes to become a member of the U.S. House Ag Committee when he’s sworn into office on January 3rd, says it’s time for congress to examine the Packers and Stockyards Act. The law was drafted to assure fair competition and fair trade practices in the livestock industry.

“That act has been on the books for decades and we don’t use it and there is a problem,” Feenstra says. “There is a massive concern.” The law was originally passed in 1921. A major update in 1976 gave the U-S-D-A authority to issue fines for anti-competitive practices in the meat packing industry.

Feenstra made his comments during a recent appearance on the Iowa Press program on Iowa P-B-S.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A reprieve from a devastating surge of the coronavirus across the Upper Midwest has given cautious relief to health officials, though they worry that infections remain rampant and holiday gatherings could reignite the worst outbreaks of the pandemic. Johns Hopkins researchers say states in the northern stretches of the Midwest and Great Plains have seen average daily cases drop in the past two weeks, with decreases ranging from 20% in Iowa to 66% in North Dakota.

Some epidemiologists believe the most compelling factor for many people who redoubled efforts to prevent infections may be that they experienced the virus on a personal level.

(Radio Iowa) While some Iowans’ homes were visited by a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer last night, it’s hoped there’s not a visit today (Friday) from a fire truck. Andrea Vaspis, public education director for the National Fire Protection Association, says if you’re trying to add some holiday ambience to the room by lighting a few candles, do so with caution.

Vaspis says, “Candles, on average, cause 21 homes fires a day in the United States with the peak days of candle fires being Christmas Day — at almost three times the rest of the year — and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.” December is the peak time of year for candle fires and studies find almost three of every five December home fires are started by candles.

“Candles are great but they are an open flame and when they’re placed too close to a mattress, bedding, cartons, decorations,” Vaspis says. “People leave the room and think they’ll be gone for 30 seconds but they’ve actually left for a lot longer, and now this candle is left unattended.” Christmas Day is also one of the top three days of the year for home cooking fires, but she says lighting candles may only increase the risk of a disaster.

“The key here is, if you’re going to use a candle, make sure it’s on a sturdy base. Make sure it’s at least 12 inches — one foot away — from anything that can burn,” Vaspis says. “We are big supporters of battery-operated candles because you can use them anywhere and not worry about putting them with your decorations.” Christmas tree fires don’t happen often, but when they do, they tend to be serious.

An association report finds, on average, one of every 52 reported home fires that began with a Christmas tree resulted in a death, compared to an average of one death per 135 total reported home fires.

(Radio Iowa) Licenses are now on sale for one of the more unique fish you can catch in Iowa. You can buy a license for paddlefish on the Missouri and Big Sioux River for the season that opens in February. Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Chris Larson, says interest in the paddlefish season has been up and down since the first year. “Nine-hundred-and-50 licenses are available to residents and 50 to nonresidents. We sold around 740 resident and 50 non-resident licenses in 2015. And then it dropped to about 400 per year…and then in 2020 it really kind of fell off so only 215 licenses were sold,” Larson says.

He says the high water on the river could be the reason for the drop off last year. He hopes the increase in the sale of other D-N-R licenses during the pandemic will carry over to paddlefish. “I hope so, you know water levels are down with the drought we’ve been in for about a half a year now. So, river levels are down and that’ll concentrate those paddlefish behind those wing dikes where they like to hang out in the wintertime even more,” Larson says. “Barring any big snowstorms and a lot of winter runoff — we should have a pretty good year.”

While the number of licenses purchased last year were down — he says those who did get a license had success. Larson says they send out a survey and more than 50 percent of those who responded said they got a fish. He says there are a lot of reasons to try catching a paddlefish.

“Paddlefish meat is very, very good, people consider it a delicacy, so they are very tasty,” according to Larson. “It is also an opportunity to harvest a very large fish. The state record paddlefish is over 100 pounds. We do see quite a few fish that come in over the slot length limit that you can’t keep kind of to protect that breeding population. So if it is less than 35 inches you can keep it and if it is over 45 inches you can keep it — so anything from 35 to 45 to have to release.”

The paddlefishing method is also something different as it involves snagging the fish. “It’s an active type of fishing — you are not just sitting there waiting for something to bite — you are actually physically pulling up on a pretty large pole with some pretty good weight on it,” Larson says. The licenses are sold through January 7th. A resident license sells for 25-50 and you must also have a valid Iowa fishing license. For more information, go to the DNR website.

(Radio Iowa) – House Speaker Pat Grassley has established a new “Information Technology Committee” in the Iowa House, to address broadband issues and cyber security. “There are a few things in there that won’t be the most exciting things that capture all the headlines,” Grassley says, “but they’re things that the state needs to be mindful of.”

That includes an examination of the technology infrastructure in state government as well as incentives that help more Iowans gain access to a high-speed internet connection. Grassley says just like roads and bridges, broadband is part of the state’s critical infrastructure and it makes sense to have a committee working exclusively on information technology issues. “I think this pandemic has shown us there are a lot of connectivity and security issues that we all need to be mindful of,” Grassley says.

Jack Whitver, the Iowa Senate’s Republican leader, says there are existing committees in the Iowa Senate that have addressed I-T issues and will continue to do so when the legislature convenes in 2021.

(Radio Iowa) – The holidays are supposed to be happy but the stress of the season can put you at greater risk for a life-threatening medical episode. Dr. Vincent Pompili, a heart doctor in Omaha-Council Bluffs, says it’s well-documented that cases of cardiac arrest rise between December 25th and January 7th. “Unfortunately, the incidence of heart attacks during the Christmas season goes up, significantly,” Dr. Pompili says. “Studies over the last ten years have shown that the chance of having a cardiac event goes up by five percent.”

Risk factors for heart attacks include: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a family history and smoking. “A number of factors are exacerbated during the holiday season, including emotional stress,” Dr. Pompili says. “Also, the high-fat diet that we partake in during this time of year.” The number-one day of the year for heart attacks is December 25th followed by December 26th and January 1st. Pompili says the biggest mistake people make is to ignore a potential problem. Pompili says, “Many times people, because family members are in town, avoid going and seeking medical care during the holiday time when they have chest pain and avoid making it to the emergency room when they have symptoms of a heart attack, which makes things worse.”

If you think you might be having heart trouble, call 911. Don’t try to drive yourself to the hospital unless there’s no other option, as ambulance personnel can start treatment right away. Plus, they’re trained to revive you if your heart stops.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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