(Atlantic, Iowa/FFA Advisor Eric Miller) – Each year the Southwest District and Iowa FFA officers plan and facilitate Chapter Officer Leadership Training (COLT) Conferences for FFA members in the Southwest district. Atlantic welcomed FFA chapters from all over the Southwest district on June 3, 2025. This year 196 members from 32 chapters from across Southwest Iowa participated in this unique leadership training experience.

While at Atlantic on Tuesday, district and state officers lead four interactive workshops for FFA Chapter leaders, many of which are officers, for the annual COLT Conference. The workshops facilitated were local FFA Chapter programs focused in the areas of advocating for the agriculture industry, connecting with stakeholders, recruiting for the local chapter, and working as a cohesive team. FFA leaders also received training relative to their specific officer duties within the local chapter.

Iowa FFA President, Chloe Zittergruen, stated, “COLT conference provides a chance for FFA members to learn more about their responsibility as a local leader and is a conference for members to meet and connect with state, district and other chapter officers.”

COLT conference programming is designed as a two-year rotation of local leaders training. The focus areas of next year’s program include agriculture literacy, time management, professionalism, and self-confidence. The goal is to engage FFA members in learning about the tools that would allow them to be successful in anything they are part of through high school and beyond. Atlantic FFA President Lauren Comes said, ““The day was a lot of fun. The officer team learned a lot about our responsibilities as officer and what we can do to improve our abilities in that area.”

COLT conference is made possible with support from Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance of Iowa through the Iowa FFA Foundation. Atlantic Bottling provided drinks for all of the participants as well.

(Radio Iowa) – Volunteers in Le Mars are selling thousands of used books to support their local public library. A store in downtown Le Mars called “Second Chapter Gently Used Books” opens tomorrow (Thursday). Coordinator Mary Albrecht credits former Wells Blue Bunny C-E-O Mike Wells with setting up a conveyor belt system from the building’s basement to its first floor.

“It was in response to our concern about having storage in the basemen and sometimes we’ll take 20 loads of books in at once,” Albrecht said, “and Mike got on the problem and he solved it.” Mike Wells and his wife Cheryl also provided the building to the volunteer group. Albrecht says the Friends of the Le Mars Public Library Foundation in Le Mars has been selling used books for years, but they outgrew their previous location near a convenience store.

“It really wasn’t suiting our needs well,” she says, “and ‘Second Chapter’ is a result of that search.” The group’s creating a searchable inventory, so customers can ask if a certain book by a certain author is available for sale. Book prices range from a dollar to four dollars. “We help pay for some of the summer reading program items. We do adult winter reading, adult fall reading. We pay for speaker fees sometimes if they have speakers and we also pay for book marks, book pages,” Albrecht says. “We just support some of the fun things at the library that aren’t always in the city budget.”

The store will be open Thursdays through Saturdays.

(Radio Iowa) – The Ankeny-based Casey’s convenience store chain reported good earnings for the just completed fiscal year on the back of increased sales and more stores. Company C-E-O Darin Rebelez says the company set another record for diluted earnings per share, finishing at 14 dollars and 64 cents, ($14.64), a nine percent increase from the prior year.

The company also generated a record 547 million in net income. Rebelez says fiscal year 2025 was the largest store growth year in the company’s history with 35 new builds and 235 units purchase. He says the company expects to add around 80 new stores in the new fiscal year, with a continued mix of purchased stores and new ones.

(Audubon County, Iowa) – The Audubon County Secondary Roads Department reports, starting Monday, June 16th, 2,121-feet of 200th Street from 7th Avenue to Kingbird Ave., will be closed for road repairs until further notice. Residents located along the section of road will have access from the west.

(Des Moines) – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is reporting the state’s third measles case of 2025 and is notifying the public due to potential exposure in public areas.  The investigation has determined this measles case is not related to the first two cases in Iowa.

The third case is in an unvaccinated child from the Eastern region of the state who was exposed during international travel. Iowa HHS and local health officials have identified locations visited by the individual while contagious, where the public might have been exposed to measles. Anyone born in or after 1957 who visited the following locations and is unvaccinated or unsure of their immune status should use this questionnaire https://johnsoncountyiowa.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dpuuPT74KgoyycC and/or should call Johnson County Public Health at 319-356-6040.

• Costco – 2900 Heartland Dr, Coralville, IA 52241
  • June 4th between 11:30 AM and 4:15 PM
• Walmart – 919 Hwy 1 W, Iowa City, IA 52246
  • June 4th between 2:30 PM and 5:30 PM
• Marshalls – 1451 Coral Ridge Ave, Coralville, IA 52241
  • June 5th between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM

“Measles is the most contagious disease, but it’s also highly preventable,” said Dr. Robert Kruse, State Medical Director. “The MMR vaccine offers strong protection and helps stop the spread of illness. We encourage Iowans to check their vaccination records and take steps to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”

Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that is spread through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes, or breathes. Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, red/watery eyes, runny nose, and a rash. The MMR vaccine is safe and highly effective. The first dose is recommended at 12 to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 4 to 6 years.

If you think you have been exposed to a measles case and have symptoms, call your medical provider or nearest emergency room ahead of time and tell them that you have been exposed to measles and have symptoms before arriving.

For the latest information on measles in Iowa, visit the Iowa HHS Center for Acute Disease Epidemiology disease information page. This page is updated weekly with current case counts and public health guidance. Iowa HHS will issue a press release when there is a confirmed public exposure that may pose a risk to others. When possible, individuals identified as close contacts will also be notified directly by public health officials.

(Radio Iowa) – The volume of U.S. pork exports is down about 9% compared to this time a year ago and it’s not just trade tensions with China that caused the drop. “While China’s a major market that is significantly down, we’re fewer sales into Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia,” said Iowa State University agricultural economist Chad Hart. “We’re seeing losses sort of across the board.”

It’s happening at a time when American’s pork industry needs to sell as much pork as possible, according to Hart. “Pork production has continued to hedge higher and higher over the past few years, meaning that we have plenty of pork to work with here,” Hart said, “and while the domestic market has been very good for the pork industry, we need international growth as well in order to help balance out the pork market.”

Hart indicated the U.S. is facing export competition from countries, but worries about the global economy. “When people are worried about their incomes worldwide, what they tend to do is slow their consumption down,” Hart said, “and I think we’re definitely seeing that when it comes to our pork market.”

In 2024, the United States told 3 million metric tons of pork, followed by the European Union, which sold 2.9 million metric tons of pork products. Brazil is the world’s third leading exporter of pork.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors held their regular weekly meeting this (Wednesday) morning, at the courthouse in Greenfield. The Board approved the founding of a local committee pertaining to the nation’s birthday on July 4^th. Adair County Auditor Mandy Berg…

Supervisor Matt Wedemeyer said he would take the initiative and reach out to find persons in the County to serve on the committee. The Board discussed the County’s Comprehensive Plan. Speaking by phone, Board Chair Nathan Baier said he would like to see Comp plan move forward at this time, and then tackle the zoning ordinances part of the plan, later on.

A motion to move forward having SICOG update the plan was approved, with an RFP (Request For Proposal) for the Zoning to take place at a future date. The Board then approved three new hires for the Secondary Roads Department. County Engineer Nick Kauffman updated the Supervisors on some bridge projects.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors will not be meeting next week (June 18^th). Their next regular meeting will be held June 25^th.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Elks and Does will host a Flag Day Celebration Friday, in the downtown Atlantic City Park. Flag Day itself is actually observed June 14^th, but the event, which commemorates the adoption of the United States flag in 1777, will be held beginning at 4:30-p.m., Friday, in Atlantic. Atlantic Elks Lodge #445 member Mark McNees says the Scouts will be on-hand to help out with the event, and the public, especially Veterans are encouraged to attend.

McNees said during the Flag Day event, you’ll learn about the history of our flag and how it has evolved since its inception.

McNees said Flag Day is important to the Elks organization because of its storied history.

The Elks, he said, have always been a big booster of the special day set aside to honor the flag, because they are a very patriotic organization. Flag Day is also an opportunity to learn about flag etiquette, including how to properly display the American Flag and the disposing of a wind- and weather-tattered flag.

The event is open to the public. You’re invited to bring your lawn chair to comfortably enjoy the presentations and meal. For visiting Elks and Does or persons interesting in learning more and/or joining the organization, the local Lodge is located at 411 Walnut Street. It’s open Monday, Friday and Saturday, after 4:30-p.m.

(Radio Iowa) – Three robots are at work in a northeast Iowa hospital, making the final sweep to make sure rooms are disinfected after a patient is discharged. Finley Hospital in Dubuque is the first hospital in Iowa to buy “Lightstrike” robots that have recently been approved by the FDA for this purpose. John Anglin, Director of Environmental Services for the hospital, said humans wipe down surfaces with disinfectants first, then the robots come in. “The robot emits a UV light, so it’s going to hit surfaces that we don’t normally get. It’s going to get all the walls and ceilings,” he said. “Everything that the light touches will be disinfected.” These Lightstrike robots aren’t like robot vacuums. They’re far larger. “If you think of R2D2 from Star Wars, it actually is kind of shaped like that,” Anglin said.

The robots are named at the factory, but Anglin said staff at Finley Hospital had a contest to rename the three robots in service there because, he said, the robots are considered part of the hospital’s Environmental Services team. “Right now our robots are Abby, R2D2 and Finn,” he said. Anglin worked for over a decade providing environmental services at medical clinics in Dubuque and for another hospital, but four months ago when Anglin started at Finley Hospital was the first time he’d worked with a cleaning robot. “This is just another layer in our way to protect our patients,” Anglin said.

Autonomous robots began scrubbing and then drying floors in hospitals a few years ago. This next generation of robots is able to use UV rays to clean every inch of a hospital room and use less chemicals in the process.

(Radio Iowa) – President Trump says he and China’s president will review and likely approve a deal to end trade tensions between the two countries. Some Iowa small business owners say they’ve been struggling under current tariff policies. Shop owners in the Valley Junction area of West Des Moines say getting products for their stores from domestic factories isn’t realistic. Steve Frevert, director of the Historic Valley Junction Foundation, says these businesses make up the vibrant, walkable spaces people love to visit.

“Retail has been steadily evaporating from American downtowns for decades, but here in Valley Junction, we’ve worked hard to bring that back, and we’re succeeding,” Frevert says. “Something like this, these unpredictable across-the-board tariffs, really set us back.” Val Voicek, owner of Bing’s gift shop, says she had to raise prices because of the tariffs, at the same time customers have stopped buying “trinkety” things. “I’ve had a lot of people in the past say, ‘Oh, I’m gonna buy this right now and save it for a gift for later, for Christmas,’ That’s just not happening,” she says. “People are just buying for right now, and that’s it.”

Trump announced in an online post this (Wednesday) morning that U-S tariffs on most imports from China would be 55 percent, while China will impose a 10 percent tariff on most U-S imports and will release shipments of batteries and rare earth minerals to the U-S. Trump says Chinese students also will be able to use U-S universities, which he say on social media has always been good with him.