MADRID, Iowa (AP) — Flooding has forced organizers to re-route part of Iowa’s annual cross-state bicycle ride. Officials say flooding has significantly affected low-lying edges of Ledges State Park in Madrid, which is slated to host the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa on July 24.

The ride has now been re-routed to avoid the park. The lowest areas along the route are currently under as much as 20 feet of water and levels are not expected to subside by the time bicyclists come through.

Riders are now slated to leave Boone eastbound on U.S. Highway 30, turn south on Quill Avenue, then meet up with the original route after about 3 miles. The new route will decrease the day’s distance by 3 miles. This year’s ride begins July 22 in Onawa and ends July 28 in Davenport.

Mercy Medical Center of Sioux City has become one of the first Iowa hospitals to treat a patient with the world’s smallest pacemaker. Doctor Roque Arteaga of CardioVascular Associates implanted the bullet-sized device into the 79-year-old male patient. He says this type of pacemaker does not have a wire lead to attach to the patient’s chest, so the surgery is less intrusive and is done through a catheter.

“The whole device is through the vein, implanted into the heart muscle and provides all the pacing therapies that the patient requires,” according to Arteaga. The Medtronic Micra T-P-S device is comparable in size to a large vitamin. Doctor Arteaga says the actual implant procedure takes less than an hour and the pacemaker, despite its size, is self-powered.

“It has a miniaturized batter, and depending on how much the patient uses the device, can last anywhere from nine to 13 years,” Arteaga says.The patient can usually go home from the hospital the same day after four to six hours of recovery time. The pacemaker is used to treat Bradycardia, a condition characterized by a slow or irregular heart rhythm that causes dizziness, fatigue and fainting spells.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa health officials are investigating an increase in people becoming sick from the parasite Clycospora. The Iowa Department of Public Health issued a news release Thursday saying the illnesses appear to be connected to consumption of salads from McDonald’s restaurants. The department says the Illinois Department of Public Health has noted a similar increase in cases.

The Iowa department says it has identified 15 Iowa residents who ate McDonald’s salads in late June to early July prior to getting ill. The department says McDonald’s is also investigating and has been fully cooperating with health officials.

Cyclospora is a parasite commonly found in developing countries. The intestinal illness is caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the microscopic parasite. The main symptom is watery diarrhea lasting a few days to a few months.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports seven arrests so far this week. On Tuesday, 31-year old Patricia Ann McGinnis, of Glenwood, was arrested on a warrant for Disorderly Conduct. The following persons were arrested Wednesday:

• 24-year old Shawna Marrie Watson, of Glenwood, was arrested on a warrant out of Pottawattamie County Corrections.
• 27-year old Cody Keen Blystone, of Red Oak, was arrested at the Douglas County, NE jail, on warrants for Burglary 3rd, Theft 3rd, Burglary 2nd and Theft 3rd.
• 42-year old Corey Ray Shew, of Glenwood, was arrested Wednesday at the Douglas County, NE jail, on a warrant for Failure To Appear on a Driving while Barred charge.
• 47-year old Ann Kristine Harding, of Red Oak, was arrested the Montgomery County Jail on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Report to Jail to Serve Sentence on an original Poss. of Prescription Drugs charge.
• 33-year old Brandon Heath Smith, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for FTA re: Violation of Probation and Violation of Probation.
• And, 33-year old Jessica Dawn Whetsel, of Glenwood, was arrested Wednesday night for being an Accessory after the Fact.

Police in Council Bluffs say a central Iowa man was arrested this (Thursday) morning on a robbery charge. 29-year old Nathan A. Redman, of Colfax, faces charges that include 1st Degree Theft and Robbery in the second degree. He was also arrested on a Probation Violation warrant. His arrest was the result of an incident that occurred at around 7:45-a.m., when an unnamed man exited his work truck at the Highway 6 and Interstate 80 construction site. A short time later, Redman entered the truck and fled the construction site.

The victim and a witness located the stolen truck in the parking lot of Kmart in the 2600 block of East Kanesville. When the victim approached the truck in an attempt to recover the vehicle, Redman fled the scene striking the victim with the vehicle. The witnesses followed the truck to the 1500 block of Indian Hills Dr. where Redman fled on foot.  Officers set up a perimeter and a police K-9 began to track the suspect. The K-9 tracked him to a residential area about a mile to the south west. Redman was apprehended by perimeter officers in the area of Arnold and Adrian Ave. He was positively identified as the suspect by the victim and witness.

The Council Bluffs Police department wants to thank the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this case.

CHESTER, Iowa (AP) — Sheriff’s officials say a man was killed when a crane boom collapsed onto him, pinning him to the ground, in northeast Iowa. The Howard County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the boom fell on 57-year-old Timothy Brandau at his business in Chester on Wednesday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

An official cause of death was not provided and sheriff’s officials haven’t said what caused the boom to fall.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday, signed a letter to the Iowa Department of Transportation, in opposition to the possible closure of some or all of the DOT’s District 4 Construction Office in Atlantic, and the consolidation of the office into Council Bluffs. Adair County Supervisor John Twombly is the chairman of the MATURA Board, the region’s primary agency for services striving to eliminate the causes and conditions of poverty.  MATURA is the designated Community Action Agency for the counties of Madison, Adair, Taylor, Union, Ringgold, and Adams.

Twombly says MATURA works with the Southern Iowa Council of Governments (SICOG), out of Creston. He says they got word of the potential move of the office to Council Bluffs, a plan he says the DOT has apparently been working on for some time. He says they’re especially concerned the lab for testing products used in the road construction will be moved to Council Bluffs. The Board thinks that’s a long drive to submit samples for testing, and they like the office where it is, because of its central location to the counties who use lab services.

Twombly says the letter in opposition was sent to a lot of DOT officials. Other organizations, including SICOG have followed suit. He says they’ve never seen an official word about the move, but they received a tip from an inside source. It’s his understanding the DOT will be going to the legislature for total move funding by 2019 or 2020. He says also the current District 4 Director is apparently housed in a Council Bluffs rental office and the person in charge lives in Nebraska. The office in Atlantic he says, is vacant. Twombly says it appears the DOT is “Trying to back door everybody.”

A DOT official in Council Bluffs was unavailable for comment this week.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa law approved this spring in the Republican-controlled Legislature would allow the conservative and politically powerful Iowa Farm Bureau to offer health plans that skirt requirements of the Affordable Care Act. But several months after a ceremonial bill signing, few details are available about how the plans will work for people with rising health insurance costs. It represents another attempt by GOP-controlled states to chip away at some of the federal rules imposed under the 2010 law championed by former President Barack Obama.

National health care experts have reacted skeptically, arguing it could be a moneymaker for the Farm Bureau but won’t help people most in need. An official for insurer Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which is helping run the plans, denies that they’ll provide skimpy coverage.

The Mills County Attorney’s Office reports that a Mills County jury, Wednesday, deliberated for less than an hour before finding a Nebraska man guilty on three counts of Sexual Abuse in the 2nd degree – all are Class B felonies. 27-year old Laron Dpree Hampton, of Omaha, was formally charged on June 26th, 2017 with the offenses. Sentencing in his case is currently scheduled for 8:30-a.m., August 27, 2018.  A felony charge of Sexual Abuse in the 2nd degree carries with it 25-years of imprisonment.

Mills County Attorney Naeda Elliott says given the nature of the offenses, Iowa Code [Section 902.12] states Hampton must serve at least 70% before he will be eligible for parole. Hampton must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors discussed several matters during their meeting, Wednesday morning. Among them, was paving the road to the Greenfield Municipal Airport. Adair County Auditor Mindy Schaefer said the gravel road is owned by the county, and there had been talk about paving it, but that’s very expensive. She said they also talked about putting down dust control, and possibly including paving of the road under an Urban Renewal Plan associated with the new wind farm in Adair County. Schaefer said John Schildberg mentioned that there had been interest by a couple of groups who wanted to hold a motorcycle rally or car show at the airport, but once they find out it’s a gravel road, they lose interest.

In other business, Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater recommended, and the Board approved, the hiring of Willie Tipling as a new Sheriff’s Deputy.Tipling will start August 1^st. Schaefer stressed he is an additional employee, not a replacement. They also passed a resolution for a Special Prosecutor Appointment. That person would only be used in the event County Attorney Clint Hight has a conflict of interest in handling a case, or is otherwise not available to handle a case or situation due to his case load. And, the Board discussed the possibility the District 4 DOT office in Atlantic may be moving to Council Bluffs in the future. Schaefer said the Board is opposed to the relocation because it will increase travel expenses for the County, when they need services provided by the Atlantic Office.

Another topic of discussion, was health and safety concerns with regard to two new wind farm projects set to be constructed in Adair County. Mid American Energy is constructing the Arbor Hill wind farm project which includes 125 wind turbines, and the Orient wind farm project, which includes 150 turbines with the option to add up to 100 more. Both are part of the company’s previously announced Wind XI project. MidAmerican officials say the 275 turbines, manufactured by Vestas Wind Systems, will add 550 megawatts of wind generation capacity for MidAmerican Energy customers – enough wind energy to power more than 230,000 average Iowa homes.

Adair County Supervisor Matt Wedemyer told KJAN News a man spoke before the Board, and brought along about 40 people with to listen. Wedemyer said MidAmerican is able to erect the wind farms because the County doesn’t have any zoning ordinances in the rural areas that would specify how tall, how many and other details about the wind turbines. He said the company is already moving dirt in preparation for turbine placement. He said also, there has never been an issue with any of previous three wind turbine placements in the County. 200-thousand acres have been leased for wind easements, he said, and they are financially beneficial for the land owner and the County. He said the County’s road use budget was at $3-million, but thanks to TIF revenue, the turbines help make that budget $15-million per year.

Wedemeyer could only speculate about what the concerns are people might have. He said he understands that some landowners and others may have concerns, but at this point, there’s nothing that can be done with the contracts between private landowners.