(Radio Iowa) – An exhibit that opened this month at the Sioux City Public Museum focuses on the South Pole. Museum curator Matt Anderson says “Walking in Antarctica” features the work of artist Helen Glazer who visited several research stations on the continent in 2015. “She took these different photographs of the different landscapes and whether it’s the glaciers or the different ways that the intense wind that is prevalent in Antarctica shapes rock…and then she’s made several sculptures that are either of the different glaciers that she saw or of something they call ventifacts or these rocks that are sculpted by wind and wind blown sand,” Anderson says. In addition to the photos and sculptures, Glazer’s recorded voice is part of the exhibit.

“Helen, the artist, recorded a log as she was doing her travels in Antarctica,” Anderson says, “and on each label there’s a QR code that you can scan and you can actually listen to her talking about where she was when she took that particular picture.” Anderson says the artist had access to protected areas of Antarctica that may only be entered if a person has a government permit or is guided by a skilled mountaineer. “Because in Antarctica, the wind can blow 200 miles an hour,” Anderson says. That wind makes the majority of the continent a polar desert. “It’s even drier than the Atacama Desert in Chile. They get virtually no precipitation because of the way the weather systems are in Antarctica,” Anderson says. While most of Antarctica is covered in ice, there are some valleys with exposed soil.

“It is surrounded by an ocean current that basically locks it off from the rest of the world,” Anderson says. “It gets very little precipitation. There’s so much ice because it’s been accumulating for, like, 34 million years, but they don’t get a lot of snow, oddly.”

Visitors at the Sioux City Museum will be able to navigate through what appear to be a walk over frozen lakes, around towering glaciers, into an ice cave and through a colony of nesting penguins. The exhibit will be at the museum until March 9th.

(Radio Iowa) – New members of city councils and other public boards in Iowa face a new deadline to complete training on Iowa’s Open Meeting and Open Records law — and the Iowa Public Information Board says Iowa State University Extension Service training sessions fulfill that requirement. Sara Shonrock of I-S-U Extension says the deadline was created by a state law that took effect July 1st.

“Anyone part of a governmental body that is newly elected or appointed needs to take these trainings within 90 days of taking the oath of office or taking on the responsibilities of the office,” Shonrock says. I-S-U Extension has been offering these sessions for the past two decades — and Shonrock says they answer some basic questions about Iowa’s so-called “Sunshine Law.”

“What do they need to hold onto as far as records? What is the basis for how the public can ask for records? How are meetings held and how are closed sessions held?” she says. Shonrock says because of the new law, the number of these training sessions has increased significantly. “The training that I do with city clerks every year was a good starting point for having this happen,” Shonrock says. “…I’m glad that people are getting the message that they need to get out and get this training done.”

Shonrock says the new requirement affects up to 14-thousand people who are elected or appointed leaders of boards, commissions and other units of government in the state. The Open Records section of the law applies to far more people who are employed by in state government as well as by cities, counties, school districts and other forms of government. The push to require this training came after the collapse of a Davenport apartment building that killed three residents nearly two and a half years ago.

Representative Gary Mohr of Bettendorf says the city was reluctant to provide relevant information about events that led up to the collapse and the Scott County Attorney tried to keep a state report on the collapse secret after she announced the building’s owner would not face criminal charges.

(Radio Iowa) – Classes are cancelled today (Monday) at Iowa State University, the University of Northern Iowa and several other Iowa colleges to give students who went home for Thanksgiving more time to return after a massive storm dumped over a foot of snow in some areas of the state.

The Iowa State Patrol responded to 210 wrecks on Iowa highways from Friday through midday Sunday. The patrol says there were no fatalities, but 20 people were injured. State troopers were called to help well over 600 motorists during the storm.

The National Weather Service reports by Sunday morning, 16-and-a-half inches of snow had fallen in Fort Dodge. The Des Moines Airport was shut down for about 12 hours after a plane slid off the runway Saturday night.

Many churches cancelled services on Sunday and dozens of Iowa schools have cancelled or delayed the start of classes today (Monday). [For the latest list of area school late starts/cancellations, see the Cancellations page at kjan.com]

(Creston, IA) – Police in Creston say a motorist driving too fast for the road conditions was cited, following an accident Friday night. Authorities say 27-year-old Elijah Blue Hoyt, of Creston, was driving a 1997 GMC pickup westbound, down hill on Irving Street, at the same time a 2020 Ford Edge SUV driven by 43-year-old Joshua Eric Smith, of Creston, was traveling northbound, up hill on Elm Street. Hoyt was unable to stop at the posted intersection, due to weather conditions. His pickup struck the SUV on the rear door area. The accident happened a little after 10-p.m., Friday.

Following the impact, the SUV spun around and up onto a curb. The pickup continued and made contact with an Alliant Energy light pole, which sustained an estimated $100 damage. The pickup was not damaged in the mishap. The SUV however, sustained $7,000 damage, and was declared a total loss by police.

Hoyt was cited for Failure to provide proof of insurance – accident related, and Failure to Maintain a reasonable and proper speed.

(Council Bluffs, IA) – The Community Foundation for Western Iowa will be the heart of “Giving Tuesday 712” fun and excitement, this Tuesday, Dec. 2nd. All day long, community members and nonprofits are encouraged to come to the Community Foundation’s office at 536 E. Broadway in Council Bluffs for check presentations and to be part of the  excitement that giving creates throughout the day. Everyone from across the region is encouraged to join the Foundation Dec. 2 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Full Fledged Brewing Company in Council Bluffs to celebrate the success and generosity of Giving Tuesday.

Dec. 2nd marks Giving Tuesday, the largest global day of generosity. In this region, “Giving Tuesday 712” is exclusively presented by Katelman Steel. This special day reminds us that every act of generosity matters — whether it’s a donation, volunteering or simply helping a neighbor. Together, we can make Dec. 2 the biggest day of giving in our community.

Leading the charge for Giving Tuesday in western Iowa is SHARE Iowa, an initiative of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa. SHARE Iowa is an innovative one-stop online platform for supporting the good work of nonprofits in nine counties throughout western Iowa by connecting residents to easy ways of doing good through financial giving, in-kind donations of items and volunteerism. Currently, there are more than 270 nonprofits that partner with SHARE Iowa.

And, again this year, the Community Foundation for Western Iowa will offer a 20% match on endowment gifts in honor of “Giving Tuesday 712” on Dec. 2nd. There will be $100,000 available on charitable gifts to endowment funds at the Community Foundation for Western Iowa through Dec. 12 or until the pool is depleted. Match money is available up to $10,000 per donor.

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DETAILS:

Tuesday, Dec. 2

ALL-DAY…At the Community Foundation for Western Iowa (536 E. Broadway).

FROM 4:30-until 7:30-p.m….At the Full Fledged Brewing Company (40 Arena Way, Suite 2).

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans are spending more time on ladders lately, cleaning leaves out their gutters and hanging holiday lights, so a health care professional is offering some safety tips so they don’t fall off those ladders. Registered nurse Kelly Hilsabeck, the trauma injury prevention coordinator at Emplify Health by Gundersen, says don’t use a step ladder when the job may call for an extension ladder to reach a high roof peak.

“To select an appropriate ladder for your job, inspect it for any damage before using it so you don’t run into any surprises while climbing,” Hilsabeck says. “And then setting it up safely, just making sure it’s on a firm, level surface and that it’s stable and secure before climbing.” Hilsabeck says if you’ve got a job that requires a ladder, don’t rush. “Go nice and slow,” Hilsabeck says. “One of the most important things to remember is that Three Points of Contact Rule, so that just means that you have two hands and one foot on the ladder, or two feet and one hand on the ladder, at all times. It’s really important to keep those hands free of any object so you can keep them on the ladder to help prevent slipping.”

When cleaning leaves out of the gutters, for example, the tendency is to reach as far as you can from atop the ladder to shovel out the debris. “If you’re finding that you’re needing to reach too far, you really need to come down the ladder and reposition it,” Hilsabeck says. “We really don’t want you over-reaching, so focus on centering that body weight between the two ladder side rails.” Some Iowans might want to start hiring out jobs that involve getting up on the roof.

“Do a self risk assessment and ask yourself if you can do the project safely,” she says. “If you’re someone who worries about your balance, we’d really want you to avoid using a ladder.” Also, wear good shoes for the job so you don’t risk slipping, and if it’s a wet and windy day, the job may need to be put off.

Emplify Health by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.

(Des Moines, IA) – A Delta Airlines passenger jet slid off the runway late Saturday evening in Des Moines, but no one was injured. KCCI reported airport officials said passengers were bused back to the terminal. Several flights were canceled or delayed at the airport, where nearly 10 inches of snow was reported during Saturday’s snowstorm.

Visit flydsm.com to check the status of your flight.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (KCCI) – A Fort Dodge woman has been awarded nearly $20 million in damages following a malpractice lawsuit against the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, KCCI reports. Linette Nelson sued the medical facility after complications from surgeries performed in 2018 to treat her ulcerative colitis. The initial treatment plan involved three operations to rebuild her lower digestive tract.

Nelson claimed her surgeon left 6 centimeters of diseased tissue during the reconstruction process. The surgical error required three additional corrective operations. Nelson now lives with chronic pain as a result of the complications.

During the trial, the Mayo Clinic admitted wrongdoing but contested the amount of damages awarded to Nelson.

DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – A former vice president with an Iowa-based convenience store chain is suing the company, alleging gender discrimination by a female executive accused by her colleagues of hating men. Stuart Taylor, a former Kum & Go vice president, is suing the company and Chief Marketing Officer Tracy Ging in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, claiming there was a “blatant disparity” in how the company treated men and women.

Court records indicate Taylor was hired in 2018 as Kum & Go’s vice president of business insights and analytics and later filled the interim roles of vice president of category management and vice president of food service, while retaining his original position. According to the lawsuit, he initially received favorable performance reviews and was designated a “shooting star” at the company, signifying the company’s recognition of his talent and potential to join the senior leadership team.

In 2020, the company hired Ging as its new chief marketing officer. The lawsuit alleges that within a few months, Ging fired the vice president of food service, Jeff Schamburger, which led to Taylor filling the position on an interim basis. According to the lawsuit, while Taylor’s work in that role was viewed as a success, Ging stripped him of his “shooting star” designation and hired a woman to fill the position of vice president of food service. She later criticized statements made by Taylor and, the lawsuit claims, “somehow managed to accuse him of gender discrimination based on his neutral suggestion” on a marketing issue. The lawsuit alleges Ging was “accusing Taylor of being chauvinistic simply for voicing an opinion that was different than her own.”

The lawsuit also alleges Taylor “asked Ging why she had accused him multiple times of being sexist. Ging’s response was to apologize, to say that she didn’t really know, but that sometimes people just ‘need a punch in the nose.’” In addition, the lawsuit claims Ging witnessed a female vice president berating a male colleague and did nothing to intervene, citing the alleged incident as one example of the “blatant disparity in treatment” of men and women at the company.

“Ging tolerates women disrespecting men, but even a perceived slight of a man against a woman was met with an iron fist,” the lawsuit alleges. “Taylor has also been told by another individual who worked with Ging that ‘Tracy is good at strategy, but the thing about her is she just hates men.’”

Taylor alleges Ging fired him April 2023 for pretextual reasons intended to disguise illegal gender discrimination. A trial date has yet to be scheduled in the case.