(Radio Iowa) – You may have noticed lots of those helicopter maple tree seeds filling up rain gutters or piling up on the sidewalk this year. State Forester Tivon Feeley says the large amount of seeds created a momentary concern for some homeowners.

“A lot of the silver maples, or the red Maple or red silver Maple hybrids that we planted in this state, it didn’t look like they were going to leaf out in the top third of the tree,” Feeley says. “And then I started getting phone calls from people said, well, it’s turning brown instead, and it turned out it was just a massive seed production.” Feeley says the trees were just adjusting to conditions. “And those seeds are in mass quantities at the top of the tree, and so the tree didn’t put on a flush of leaves. It’s going to wait to do so until the seeds drop and put all of its resources into the seeds,” he says. “But we’re recovering from that, all those trees appear to be doing just fine with new leaves, so I think we should be set for a decent season.”

Feeley says the amount of seeds can depend on the type of tree and also can depend on dry or wet weather conditions. “You know, some of the oaks will produce acorns every year, and other oaks will be every other year or every three years,” he says. “With maples, it’s yearly, and you’ll have a kind of a low, seep crop, especially when they’re dry, or they might even drop that seed crop, really not let it develop all the way. But we get plenty of moisture this year, and so we’re seeing a bumper crop just about every tree species.”

Feeley says there have not been a lot of major issues for trees this year outside of the normal invasive bugs and some storm damage.

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa program called Simulation in Motion-Iowa reached a milestone this week in its effort to provide emergency health care providers statewide with continuing education. U-I Nursing Professor Jacinda Bunch, the program’s senior advisor, says with the latest stop in Chickasaw County, after three years, they’ve done training in all 99 Iowa counties, reaching more than ten-thousand individuals. Bunch says, “We’re able to provide hands-on clinical simulation for critical access hospitals, rural hospitals, EMS providers, first responders, and even community members who are interested in improving health outcomes for Iowans across the state.”

Using three large trucks, three teams of highly-trained staff have been taking their mobile simulators on the road since 2022, driving the equivalent of going around the world three times. Bunch says they’re offering a vital service. “People get the chance to perform hands-on skills,” she says. “They get the chance to take care of patients they may not see commonly, but those cases are going to be critical when they present themselves. So it’s really a chance to hone their critical thinking skills, practice their clinical skills, and work toward improving healthcare for Iowans.” The mobile simulators are packed with emergency gear and “human patient simulators” depicting an adult male, an adult woman, a child, a baby, and a premature infant. The trucks roll into town hauling everything that’s needed for a full training mock-up.

University of Iowa photo

“You have a simulated emergency room to your right,” Bunch says. “We have some slide outs that make that a little bit larger. We have all of the equipment and supplies that you would expect to see in an emergency room for the providers to use and then toward the back is set up like an ambulance.” Now that the 99-county goal has been reached, Bunch says they’ll be setting the bar higher, as they continue to train dedicated teams and reach out to those they haven’t met yet. “It really does take time to build relationships in those communities. Getting the word out, letting people know that we are there, we’re there to support them,” Bunch says. “We’re there to help them, obviously not trying to come in and take over, but again, just support the good work that they’re already doing.”

The program was launched with just one mobile simulator truck, but now with three on the move, Bunch says the new goal is to visit all 99 of the state’s counties every year.

(Atlantic) An official with the Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Advisory Board said Wednesday, that the Board is excited to report the Atlantic Splash Pad will be open to the public May 26th, 2025. The hours of operation will be 10-a.m. to 7-p.m., 7 days a week.

Commissioner Ali Pieken said in a press release, that a ribbon cutting ceremony for the splash pad will be held in June, with the date and details to be released in the coming weeks. Pieken said “We cannot begin to express our gratitude to everyone who has donated to this project. We are so excited to watch the community enjoy this amenity!”

The Splash Pad covers approximately 5,000 square feet. It features a variety of interactive elements such as fountains, spray pads, dump buckets, water cannons, and a first-of-its-kind rabbit racer located next to the dump bucket.

The grass around the site has been seeded, picnic tables and benches are in-place, and the trash cans have been set out and ready for use.

(State Center, Iowa) – A man on a Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) was injured Wednesday afternoon near State Center in Marshall County, when the 2021 Polaris XP-1000 he was operating at around 3:40-p.m., was struck by a 2010 Ford Edge SUV, near 190th Street and Binford Avenue.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, the SUV, driven by the (unidentified) 16-year-old, and the UTV operated by 78-year-old Jeffrey Larsen, of State Center, were both traveling eastbound on 190th Street, when the UTV entered a farm field access road, with Larsen intending to make a U-turn and head back west. When he pulled the machine out onto the roadway, it was struck by the right front side of the SUV.

Larsen was injured and flown by helicopter to Methodist Hospital, in Des Moines. The teenage driver of the SUV and their passenger were not injured in the collision.

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Iowa is debating whether to renew its lease on the Macbride Nature Recreation Area, which hosts thousands of students each year for wildlife camps, research projects and educational opportunities.

A special university committee estimates it would cost nearly $15 million to make upgrades to cell phone service and repave the roads. Connie Mutel is a writer and conservationist with previous ties to the university and thinks the estimated costs are overblown. “I don’t think that they need to spend large amounts of money to install that cell phone coverage and pay for it every year. And in terms of Wi-Fi coverage, I have no understanding why they feel that would be required,” Mutel says.

Mutel says she thinks the report exaggerated some of the costs. “The press for complete technological connections with that area kind of astounded me. Field biologists, field scientists, are used to doing research in remote locations –way more remote than anything in Iowa,” she says.

The report was submitted to university president Barbara Wilson, but the University has not said when a decision may be made..

(Radio Iowa) – A prayer service was held in Greenfield Wednesday afternoon to mark the minute it took for a powerful tornado to rip through the community. Four people were killed. Over 200 homes and about 30 businesses were destroyed or heavily damaged. Greenfield Chamber of Commerce director Stacie Eshelman says some people lost their business AND their home. “I think the mental toll of all of this is what’s the hardest to overcome,” she said. Eshelman’s house was among those hit.

“I still had some walls standing, but the east side of my house was completely destroyed and it was just enough damage that the rest of it had to be torn down,” Eshelman said. About 100 building permits for new homes have been filed in the year since the disaster. “We feel like that’s a great accomplishment, but at the same time we have a long way to go to be fully back to where we were,” Eshelman said, “and we already had a shortage.”

Greenfield’s hospital — the only hospital in Adair County — was critically damaged and patients were evacuated. The hospital reopened six months later. “We had just so many small businesses that had to completely rebuild everything that they had built over the years,” Eshelman says. Eshelman says rebuilding is only part of the recovery. “This is a little bigger than a lot of us have ever had to deal with,” Eshelman says. “…It was really important just to bring people to together so they could share what they’d been through, if they wanted to, and talk that out either with people who had had a similar experience or people that were maybe not in the area but were just absolutely there to support us and lift us up.”

None of the five churches in Greenfield were damaged by the tornado. “They really became the place where people could come together and get support,” Eshelman says, “and they’re still doing that a year later.” The Catholic church in Greenfield hosted a breakfast yesterday (Wednesday), the Lutheran church hosted a lunch and all the church bells in Greenfield were rung 60 times Wednesday afternoon to represent the 60 seconds it took for the tornado to pass through the community. That was followed by a moment of silence. “Just to remember the loss of the four people we lost in our community,” Eshelman said, “but also for the people that suffered so much that day.”

Wind speeds in the Greenfield tornado reached 185 miles an hour. It first touched down in Page County, then stayed on the ground for nearly 44 miles, causing an estimated 31 MILLION dollars in damage.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council met this (Wednesday) and acted to pass (approve) several matters, including those pertaining to certain streets (as follows):

• Closing 6th Street between Poplar and Chestnut from 3:30-until 7-p.m. every Thursday, from June 5th through Sept. 25th, for “Produce in the Park” (PIP), at the downtown Atlantic City Park. Chestnut Street will NOT be closed for the events, except on August 7th, when a firetruck will hold water games for PIP from 4-until 6:45-p.m.; The Order also allows a “Produce in the Park” banner to be stretched above Chestnut Street from late May through mid-October.
• The Atlantic City Council passed by a majority vote, the second reading of an Ordinance for a proposed 4-way Stop Sign at 29th and Palm Streets. The 1st reading was passed by the Council during their meeting May 7th.
• The 2nd reading of an amended Ordinance which calls for No Parking on 10th Street from Locust to the east alley to the north side of the road, also passed.

However, the Second Reading of an Ordinance that would have reduced the speed limit on Chestnut Street from 29th to the southern City Limits, from 35-mph to 25-mph, was tabled, and sent back to the Community Protection Committee for further review and clarification. And, the Council failed to receive a Second on a motion to pass the Second reading of an amended Ordinance reducing the speed limit on 29th Street between Palm St. and the 700 block of W. 29th, from 50-mph to 35-mph. The matter therefore died, and did not move forward for a vote. They passed the Second Reading of an amended Ordinance which reduces the speed limit on 22nd St. between Palm and Chestnut, to 35-mph.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council decided to sent back to the Community Protection Committee for further review and recommendation, with regard to the use of fireworks, that’s because on Monday (May 19th), Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law Senate File 303, which prevents Iowa cities and counties from prohibiting or limiting the use of fireworks on July 3, 4 and Dec. 31.

The Council passed a Resolution authorizing the bid letting for 2025 concrete street improvement projects. City Engineer Dave Sturm said those projects include North Chestnut Street (State Street to the Schildberg parking lot, and State Street (from Locust to Chestnut).

Sturm explained in a little more detail what the project entails.

The Atlantic City Council approved setting June 4^th as the date for a public hearing and passage of an amended ordinance pertaining to City Elections.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) –  Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County, today (Wednesday) released information about a rollover accident that occurred last weekend. Authorities report 69-year-old Joan Anderson, of Guthrie Center, was driving a 2015 Ford Explorer SUV northbound on Maple Avenue at around 2:10-p.m. Saturday, when she turned the corner with 245th Street, too sharply.

The SUV’s passenger side front tire dipped into a deep washout, causing the vehicle to slowly roll over into the ditch. Anderson – who was wearing her seat belt – was extricated from the vehicle by non-mechanical means. She suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries, and was transported by Panora EMS to the Guthrie County Hospital.

The SUV sustained $15,000 damage, and was declared a total loss. No citations were issued.

(Radio Iowa) – A coalition of over 100 ag groups is expressing concern about a soon-to-be-released federal report on how chemicals and other factors may be contributing to rising levels of childhood diseases. The “Make America Healthy Again” or MAHA report will come from the agency lead by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who said yesterday (Tuesday) there’s not a word in the draft he’s seen that should worry the American farmer. Scott Henry of Nevada, a fourth generation Iowa farmer, suggests that’s hard to believe because Kennedy has compared farmers to terrorists in the past.

“From my perspective, I hope that the people writing the report have actually come to a farm,” he says. Last year as a presidential candidate, Kennedy said toxic chemicals like glyphosate — the main ingredient in Roundup — are contaminating the U-S food supply. Henry says the impact of anti-agricultural activists like Kennedy could be severe if farmers are no longer allowed to use Roundup to control weeds. “We care about keeping our soils, our water and the staple food we create for the American consumer safe and affordable,” Henry said.

Henry says it’s scary that science may not drive future decision making about Roundup, which has been approved for use by the E-P-A for decades. Without Roundup, Henry and other farmers say yields will drop and costs will rise. “The biggest thing that I want to make clear today is that if the MAHA commission’s report drives future policy decisions, food prices will go up and instead of making America healthy again, we’ll making America hungry again.” Modern Ag Alliance executive director Elizabeth Burns-Thompson says while the report hasn’t been issued yet, the ag community wants to get their concerns about Kennedy on the record now.

“Frankly what he’s talked about not only through the campaign trail, but during his time as secretary continuing to draw attention and speculation around pesticides broadly and specifically certain chemistries,” Burns-Thompson said. In 2020, Kennedy said the company that makes Roundup is the enemy of every admirable American value. Yesterday (Tuesday), during a U-S Senate hearing, Kennedy said the Trump Administration will not do anything that would put farmers out of business.

The Make America Healthy Again report is due to be released tomorrow (Thursday). During an event last week, one of Kennedy’s top advisors said the report won’t forbid the use of farm chemicals, but many of the leading herbicides and pesticides used in the U-S have been phased out or banned in every other country in the world and the report will offer policies to solve the issue of toxins in the environment.