(Radio Iowa) – Hormel Foods has named a long time manager at its Algona plant in a lawsuit accusing a competitor of trying to steal trade secrets.

The lawsuit claims that in 2023 Wisconsin-based Johnsonville hired Brett Sims, Hormel’s director of operations, and Sims began reaching out to several Hormel managers, inviting them to join Johnsonville. The suit alleges that Sims contacted Jeremy Rummel, the manager at Hormel’s Algona plant, soliciting information related to Hormel’s product formulas, processing procedures, acquisition targets, and marketing strategies. Hormel contends that Rummel accepted a job offer to work with Johnsonville and, before he left Hormel, the lawsuit alleges Rummel began to forward company information to his personal email account.

Hormel is seeking a judgement that will award damages from the breached agreements with its former employees, as well as a requirement that all disclosed trade secrets be retrieved, returned and/or destroyed.

Johnsonville has not released a statement on the lawsuit.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest Drought Monitor shows continued improvement in the state following more rain. The monitor shows 45 percent of the state has no drought conditions, that’s up from 31 percent last week. Just 20 percent of the state was without drought at the start of this year.

Around nine percent of the state has moderate drought, down from around 12 percent. Nearly 55 percent of the state is listed as abnormally dry, which is down from nearly 69 percent last week. The driest conditions are on the east and western edges of the state, with the southeast and south-central areas with the most counties with moderate or abnormally dry conditions.

The data for the report is taken through Tuesday, and does not show the impact of the most recent rains.

AMES, Iowa –– “Usually lunch is my favorite part of camp,” said Colt, a six-year-old camper with the Nishna Valley YMCA summer program in Atlantic. “But today, we got to put our handprints on the wall, so I think that’s my favorite!” Colt’s tiny orange handprint joins dozens of purple and orange prints decorating the exterior of the city’s former YMCA building.

Located along Bull Creek, the structure was once a bustling hub for recreation, connection and community. With the help of 11 Iowa State University students and many Atlantic community members, the façade is being transformed into a stunning 3,000-sq.-ft. mural for all to enjoy.

Murals in Community

The mural is a product of the “Murals in Community” summer course taught by Anna Segner, assistant teaching professor of art and visual culture. The eight-week course called upon an interdisciplinary group of undergraduate and graduate students to collaborate with the city to develop a two-wall mural that honors the rural town while also highlighting the region’s ecosystem.

“A main focal point in the mural’s design is Bull Creek and the East Nishnabotna River,” said graphic design graduate student Karly White. “The creek and river are almost like characters in this city, and we made sure to include them on both walls of the mural.”

“We’ve also added pops of yellow, orange and green for birds, butterflies, frogs and wildflowers to show the richness of Atlantic’s environment,” said White, from Columbus, Ohio.

Painted in bold white letters, the phrase “It’s Good to Bloom Here” — a play on the city’s slogan, “It’s Good to Be Here” — adorns the west side of the building. Quilt patterns and the city’s name are the final details located at the top of either side of the mural.

A key of objective of the course was to engage community members in the creation of the mural. Students created two opportunities for community involvement including inviting YMCA campers to help paint and hosting a community painting night.

The course allowed students majoring in art and design, integrated studio arts, integrated visual arts, graphic design, interior design and scientific illustration and visualization to explore a new medium while building new connections.

“The best part about this mural is knowing the community will have that personal connection to it,” said Jeffrey McAllister, a junior in art and design from West Des Moines. “We are all so passionate about this mural and seeing that same energy in the community really excites me.”

“As someone who is interested in experiential design and public art, this project was perfect for me to explore these mediums,” said White. “I think having the community engaged just overall creates a better end product.”

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce will host an open house celebrating the mural at noon Wednesday, July 2, with a ribbon cutting at 12:30 p.m., at 703 E. 14th Street in Atlantic.

Art and innovation

Last summer, Segner also led a mural class where students gave a lunchroom in Iowa State’s Ross Hall a new look. She has also created murals through her own professional practice and is currently working on a project in Altoona.

As one of nine College of Design Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fellows, Segner’s efforts focus on civic entrepreneurship. Murals provide an avenue to bring art to people and doing that with alongside students has been special, she said.

“These types of interactions are meaningful for community pride,” Segner said. “Working in Atlantic has been amazing; the community has shown us a lot of love by donating their time, food, water and housing for us to stay in as we paint. We are so happy to share this moment with them.”

Building bonds in Atlantic

The “Murals in Community” project builds upon the relationship the College of Design has been cultivating with Atlantic over the last year. Mayor Grace Garrett was invited to participate in the college’s inaugural Iowa Mayors’ Design Workshop that took place on campus in July 2024. At the two-day workshop, six mayors presented on a specific design issue their community was facing. These mayors worked with Iowa State faculty and staff along with design professionals to explore potential solutions and resources.

Mayor Garrett’s focus was restoring the Bull Creek corridor. Conversations from the workshop led to the development of the spring 2025 Civic Hydrology studio, in which students from design and engineering disciplines were tasked with identifying opportunities to remediate the creek, both functionally and aesthetically.

“The Civic Hydrology class heavily focused on that functionality aspect of the creek, looking closely at opportunities to reduce flooding and erosion along the banks,” said Garrett. “I’m thrilled we get to continue working with Iowa State through this mural. These students have brought fresh ideas and perspectives we really appreciate.”

ATLANTIC, IOWA — Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) welcomes Jacque Howell as a Transit Scheduler. Jacque joins the team of four schedulers that connect area residents to the transportation they need. Howell comes to SWITA following extensive experience in childcare. She has spent time running in-home care and was the very first director of the Red Oak Child Development Center.

She said when this position came open it seemed like a good fit, “I wanted a job where I could focus better on my family. This seemed like a great place to work and allows me the time I need at home.” Howell resides in Elliott with her husband and three children. She values the ability that she will have to stay involved with her kids’ activities. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, hunting and fishing, and enjoying her kids’ sporting events.

Jacque Howell

Howell has already seen the value in SWITA’s work, “I know how important SWITA’s work is to people around the area, a lot of people really appreciate it. I have enjoyed the work so far, I like the people I work with, and the days go by fast with how busy we are” SWITA serves eight counties in Southwest Iowa with a fleet of 100 vehicles. Transportation provided includes work routes, student transportation, day habilitation routes for disabled individuals, medical transport, and a range of other services.

To find out more about the job opportunities or transportation services provided by SWITA you can call 1-800-842-8065 or get more information at www.swita.com. SWIPCO is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender

(Radio Iowa) – Plenty of thunderstorms have rolled over Iowa lately and the experts at the National Weather Service are offering some reminders about the dangers of lightning. Meteorologist Ashley Bury says it’s a wise move to stay “weather aware,” especially when potentially severe storms may be moving in.

“Make sure that you have at least some sort of way to keep an eye on radar, just seeing if there’s any storms on the way, or if there’s anything at least expected,” Bury says. “Later on in the day, if you’re going to do something, make sure that you have an option or multiple options to find shelter.” In 2024, there were no reports of any lightning injuries in Iowa. Studies find there are about 25-million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes every year nationwide, while lightning kills an average of 51 people each year in the U-S.

Bury says most Iowans have a weather app on their phones that will help them to stay vigilant. “Keeping that awareness up is definitely very important and just to make sure that you’re not staying outside, don’t go under a tree. If there’s any lightning nearby, you don’t want to get under one of those because that actually attracts lightning,” Bury says. “Or the water, that’s another thing, too. You don’t want to be in the water as well.”

Other tips include: Don’t use corded phones. Stay away from windows and doors. Don’t touch electrical equipment or cords. Avoid touching metal plumbing. Also, water inside a house is a good conductor of electricity, so don’t wash your hands or dishes, take a shower or bath, or do laundry, during a thunderstorm.

The Weather Service says only about 10% of people who are struck by lightning die. The other 90% must cope with varying degrees of discomfort and disability, sometimes for the rest of their lives.

(Radio Iowa) – The State Auditor’s Office is recommending that the City of Waterloo update its conflict of interest policy after a city employee was part owner of a grocery store that got about two million dollars in grants and tax incentives from the city. All-In Grocers was the first grocery store in downtown Waterloo in 50 years when it opened, but it closed last fall after about a year of operation. A developer started the project in 2017 and the human resources director for the City of Waterloo became a partner in the project in 2020, but did not disclose that in their employment record.

The State Auditor’s Office report indicates the H-R director did not have what it called voting capabilities on the grocery store project and no internal rules violations were cited. However, the report recommends the City of Waterloo start requiring yearly updates of conflict-of-interest forms and city officials are promising to adopt that policy.

A group of Waterloo citizens and the accounting firm that audits the city’s spending asked the State Auditor’s Office to conduct the review. In February, a Waterloo native who’s a recently retired businessman, said he had made an offer to buy the store and reopen it.

(Radio Iowa) – The law change that allows you to shoot off fireworks anywhere in the state on July 3rd and 4th hasn’t led to a big jump in the number of retail fireworks locations. Numbers from the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing show an increase of just five new licensed sites for fireworks sales this year to 612. There were 598 licensed fireworks sites when the law changed in 2017 to allow fireworks to be sold. That jumped to 795 in 2018, and then dropped down to the low mark of 552 in 2020.

The number of fireworks licensed sites stayed below 600 every year until a jump of 38 new licenses from 2023 to 2024.

(Radio Iowa) – The population of the International Space Station rose to 11 this (Thursday) morning as Iowa native Peggy Whitson and her three crewmates floated through the hatch and were welcomed aboard the orbiting laboratory. I-S-S commander, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, greeted the visitors. “First of all, Peggy, welcome back,” Onishi said. “It’s a great honor and privilege to have such a legendary astronaut like you on board with us.” This marks Whitson’s fifth visit to the station, where she’s spent nearly two years of her life, more than any other American. By the time this mission is over, she’ll have added to her spaceflight record with nearly 700 days in orbit. The 11 astronauts now aboard the station represent six different countries.

“We appreciate being invited in. You guys are exceptional hosts and hopefully you’ll think we’re exceptional guests at the end of a couple of weeks,” Whitson said, laughing. “We’re looking forward to getting a lot of work done with you guys and I really appreciate all the support you’ve provided to us in advance of actually even getting here.” This is Whitson’s second mission for Axiom Space, a private Houston-based firm which aims to put its own space station into orbit in the next few years. She flew three previous missions for NASA before retiring from the agency in 2018.

Peggy Whitson, front left, poses with the ISS crew (Photo from NASA-TV)

It’s the first time in space for Whitson’s three crewmates — who are from India, Hungary and Poland. As is the tradition, she affixed golden shooting star pins to each of their lapels, welcoming them into the astronaut corps. “The best part about being a commander on a mission with all rookies is you get to watch the rookies go through it for the first time,” Whitson says. “It helps you remember some of the things you went through the first time, but also, it’s just very special to get to relive the experience again through these guys.”

The 65-year-old Whitson, who grew up on a farm near Beaconsfield, will spend about two weeks aboard the station. She and her three-man crew will be conducting about 60 experiments before returning to the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, “Grace,” and heading home.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A kick-off for the Cass County Relay for life takes place this weekend, in Atlantic. Relay for Life Committee spokesperson Chris Parks says the “Putt-Putt for a Purpose” is one of several events designed to revamp and spread new interest in helping cancer survivors, honoring care givers and others who have dealt with, or are in the process of dealing with, cancer, through fundraising.

The Putt-Putt for a Purpose will be held Sunday, June 29th, from 5-until 7-p.m., at the Sunnyside Range in Atlantic. Everyone is invited to come out and play a round of putt-putt golf.

The Atlantic Hy-Vee will provided a free meal for attendees, and Sunnyside Range will have their concession stand open for other the purchase of other goodies. Parks says features that are traditionally part of the Relay for Life will be available this weekend, as well.

Persons interested in purchase luminaries can contact Jodi Christoffersen ahead of time, at jodichristoffersen@hotmail.com, by calling 712-254-1409, or visiting relayforlife.org/casscountyia Survivors can also register at the website or call 1-800-227-2545 OPTION 4 in order to receive a 2025 Relay For Life Shirt.

General donations to Cass County Relay For Life can also be made on the website or by dropping off to Kristi Schmidtke at Rolling Hills Bank & Trust in Atlantic.

The Cass County Relay For Life Committee hopes to see all cancer survivors, caregivers, and community supporters on Sunday, June 29th at Sunnyside Range for an evening of fun, support, and fundraising.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports one person was arrested Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say 49-year-old Elizabeth Lea Reents, of Creston, was arrested at her residence on a charge of Driving While Suspended. Reents was cited and then released on a Promise to Appear in court.