(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission recently approved the 2021 racing season for the Iowa Greyhound Park in Dubuque. Racing and Gaming Administrator Brian Ohorilko says the bulk of the financing for the track comes from the fund created to allow the industry to consolidate. “These payments are made shortly after the first of the year. Half of that money can go to the Iowa Greyhound Association (IGA) to be used at Iowa Greyhound park for purses, operating costs, and any capital expenditures that need to be made to keep the facility up. In other words, to keep the racing surface safe, to keep the starting boxes and rails in working order,” Ohorilko says.

The fund created in 2015 allowed the greyhound tracks in Council Bluffs and Dubuque to phase out will the I-G-A took over as the only live race facility. That fund was roughly 72 million dollars but is starting to run out. “There will be adequate money — at least for the next two years for that industry,” he says. But Ohorilko says the final payment will be made in January of 2022. “So at that point in time, unless something changes, the Iowa Greyhound Association would have to support greyhound racing with revenues they receive from simulcast racing,” according to Ohorilko.

Ohorilko says the operators will have to make a decision when simulcast revenue is their only income source. “That revenue that they receive is significantly less than the amount of money that they receive from the cessation payments — so it really would make it difficult unless the demand really increases from the simulcast outlets,” Ohorilko says. The I-G-A was approved for 112 race dates for 2021, which Ohorilko says is eight more than last year.

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — More than three dozen people have been charged in St. Louis County, Minnesota, in connection with a Chicago-based drug trafficking ring that operated throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Duluth police say this week’s coordinated drug bust led to 35 arrests in Minnesota — from Rochester in the southern part of the state to the Iron Range in the north. An additional five men in state prisons were also charged, and more arrests are possible. Police said they seized more than 1,200 grams of meth and 500 grams of heroin and fentanyl.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University researcher has helped show that a new skin test can identify Parkinson’s disease. Anumantha Kanthasamy has been conducting research into Parkinson’s Disease for more than 20 years and he says one of the challenges has been the lack of a test that can detect the disease in early stages. “Even for other neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s, we don’t have one,” he says, “so I think that’s where the excitement is.”

Parkinson’s Disease is currently diagnosed when a patient shows symptoms. However, it’s often mis-diagnosed in its early stages, preventing patients from getting the full benefits of clinical trials. Using the same method as a test that detects mad cow disease, this new skin test can identify clumps of proteins that are the hallmarks of Parkinson’s. Kanthasamy says the research team is getting a federal grant money to conduct another trial with a larger set of patients to validate the findings from its study with 50 patients. “In 3-5 years I’m very confident that we shall have a test that could be approved or at least neurologists could say this can be used or not be in the toolbox,” he says.

The initial study of this skin test for Parkinson’s has been published in a medical journal. Kanthasamy, who is the study’s lead author, says by getting confirmation earlier, patients could benefit from medications that may slow down the progression of the disease. He also says the skin test could be used to monitor how well medications are working — all of which will advance treatment for Parkinson’s.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced the release, Thursday, of a new software program, called Track-Kit, that allows the tracking of rape kits following an assault. “You can track it from the hospital to law enforcement to the testing lab and back to law enforcement,” Miller says. “We think this is really important to add trust and transparency to this system.”

Miller says the state is clearing up a backlog of untested kits and this will ensure the backlog doesn’t happen again as there are an estimated 15-hundred users at medical facilities, law enforcement agencies, crime laboratories, and county attorney’s offices. Shannon Knudsen is a sexual assault nurse examiner with the Mid-Iowa Sexual Assault response team. “This has been really significant for us as medical examiners because we are able to complete the circle as far as assuring patients that their kits are collected appropriately. Letting them know that they can track their kit throughout the process,” Knudsen says.

Shannon Knudsen

She says this gives them confidence they can trust the system. “Prior to this, we were able to tell them that we collected the kit and they may not hear anything further until sometimes a year later as far as where their kit is,” Knudsen says. “And now we are able to tell them that their kits will be processed in a much more timely matter — it’s really critical.” Knudsen says it’s also important to have a way for victims to keep up with the process. “If something isn’t happening with their kit that they thought would be — they can check on that and follow that and say ‘hey, what’s going on?'”

The program provides a secure portal to track the progress of their kit through the collection and analysis process, and also provides local sexual assault resources and contact information. The system allows survivors to contact law enforcement if they change their decision to participate in an investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – State Fire Marshal Dan Wood says there have been fewer fire fatalities in Iowa so far this year compared to 2019. “Fire deaths are down. This time last year, we had 43 fire deaths in Iowa where right now we have 28,” Wood says. “Of course, I’d like to have zero, but having 28 at this time instead of 43 like we did last year, that’s definitely an improvement.”

Wood says the state fire marshal’s office has been called upon to investigate fewer fires this year as well. State law does not require fire departments to report structure fires to the Fire Marshal’s office, but many do. The state fire marshal says most house fires that lead to a fatality are in homes that do not have a working smoke detector.  “With the Daylight Saving Time coming, we always encourage both in the spring and in the fall when you change your clock, change the batteries in your smoke detectors,” Wood says.

Sunday, November 1st is the start of Daylight Saving Time — when clocks “fall back” an hour. The State Fire Marshal’s website indicates the total number of fires has been decreasing nationally, but the rate of fire-caused deaths has not. The State Fire Marshal says that’s partly due to modern trends, like open spaces and the use of building materials that cause fires to spread more quickly.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says Iowa hospitals have the resources to manage this month’s surge in Covid patient admissions. On Wednesday evening, the state’s coronavirus tracker indicated 530 Covid patients were being treated in an Iowa hospital. That’s 44 percent more than a month ago and higher than in any previous month of the pandemic. Reynolds says about 10 percent of Iowa hospital patients have Covid and she says hospital executives have assured her they have enough ventilators and space in intensive care units to handle current case loads.

The state tracker indicates there are Covid outbreaks at 69 nursing homes and more than 18-hundred Iowa nursing home residents currently have Covid.

Iowa’s Coronavirus dashboard, today (Friday), reports (as of 10-a.m.), 23 additional deaths attributed to the virus, and 1,581 new, Positive cases of COVID-19, as confirmed by State Labs. The total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic amount to 1,617. Officials say 1,073 deaths have been attributed to pre-existing medical/health conditions. Harrison, Montgomery and Union Counties each have one more COVID-related death.

Health officials say 7,209 test results were returned over the past 24-hours, Thursday, with 6,137 coming back Negative, and 1,026 returned as Positive. The total number of tests completed thus far is 924,781, with 810,565 total Negative results and 112,555 total Positive results. The individual positivity rate is 12.2%, and the statewide 14-day rolling average is 9.9%. Harrison County has the highest 14 day positive average, at nearly 24% (23.8). In Cass County, the 14-day rate is 21%.

The IDPH says 86,527 Iowans have recovered from COVID-19. In the KJAN listening area, there are: 11 more positive cases of the virus in Cass County, for a total of 360; 62 more cases in Pottawattamie County; Harrison County has an additional 32 cases, there are nine new cases in Mills County, and eight more in Shelby County. Other counties have five or less cases added to their totals. (See the chart below).

Statewide, hospitalizations are up to 536 (compared to 530 on Thursday). There is one less person in an ICU, at 134. Patients admitted to a hospital since Thursday, number 78 (compared to 85 previously), and 49 persons on a ventilator (compared to 53, Thursday). Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa report: 42 hospitalized (compared to 45 yesterday); 15 in an ICU (compared to 13 previously); three people were admitted, and one person remains on a ventilator.

Long-Term Care facility (LTC) stats show: 69 facilities have outbreaks (one-less than on Thursday); 1,853 patients/staff at those facilities tested positive for COVID-19 (compared to 1,783 Thursday); Patients/staff who have recovered at LTC’s amount to 752, and those who have died number 799. That’s nine more than reported on Thursday.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases in each county, along with the 24-hour change in case numbers {+#}; the number of persons recovered, and the total number of [deaths] (if any), since the pandemic began,

• Cass, 360 cases {+11}; 249 recovered; 2 deaths
• Adair, 152 {+4}; 69; 1
• Adams, 72 {+2}; 36; 0
• Audubon, 140; 83; 1
• Guthrie, 376 {+2); 239; 15
• Harrison County, 629 {+32}; 247; 9
• Madison County, 353 {+7}; 225; 2
• Mills County, 361 {+9}; 182; 1
• Montgomery, 162 {+2}; 140; 6
• Pottawattamie County, 3,118 {+62]; 2,289; 44
• Shelby County, 360 {+8}; 313; 1
• Union County,  223 {+5}; 201; 4

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers, Thursday, said “Due to health & safety concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Clarinda Police Department WILL NOT be conducting the ‘Operation Blessing’ Program this year.” Brother said also, “This was a difficult decision to make, but the right one during this unprecedented situation.”

Operation Blessing was started in the mid 1980s by the Page County Reserve Deputies to ensure that every child in the rural areas of Page County has the opportunity to receive a gift at Christmas. It has continued every year since for over 30 years…until now. Last year,14 families signed-up for the program. Those 14 families equated to 38 children.