(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa legislature has sent the governor a bill that would likely expand the number of physician assistants practicing in Iowa — by creating a path to a multi-state license. If the bill becomes law, Iowa will enter a compact next year that would let P-As licensed in 14 states practice in any of those states. The neighboring states of Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin will be part of the compact. Senator Kara Warme of Ames says this kind of a reciprocal licensing arrangement is already available for doctors, nurses and mental health professionals.

Representative Austin Baeth of Des Moines is a physician.

According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, there are over 13-hundred P-As licensed to practice medicine in Iowa — and over half of them are working in rural areas. Two years ago, Governor Reynolds signed a law that removed the requirement that a P-A be supervised by a doctor in order to practice medicine.

(Jefferson, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, this (Friday) afternoon said the source of dark and murky water in a stormwater drainage ditch near the North Raccoon River in Jefferson, has been identified. On March 26, the DNR Field Office in Atlantic was notified of dark colored water observed in a stormwater ditch in Daubendiek Park on the southwest side of Jefferson, which drains to the North Raccoon River.

DNR field staff responded to the incident, and upon arrival observed multiple pockets of discolored water in the ditch. City staff constructed a berm in the stormwater ditch to prevent contamination from reaching the North Raccoon River, and pumped nearly 6000 gallons of contaminated water out of the ditch.

A stormwater drainage ditch with discolored water in Daubendiek Park in Jefferson.

On March 28, DNR staff received a phone call from a resident who reported seeing a Sloan Plumbing, Heating, A/C, and Septic vehicle dumping wastewater from its truck into a manhole at the north end of Kelso Park in Jefferson. Officials with Jefferson Public Works and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office contacted Chad Sloan, the owner of Sloan Septic, for more information. Mr. Sloan stated he directed one of his employees to dump in a manhole at that location due to the normal dumpsite being blocked by construction at the wastewater plant.

The employee unknowingly chose the storm sewer manhole instead of the wastewater collection system manhole. It is estimated that nearly 1000 gallons of septic waste were dumped into the storm sewer system.

The Iowa DNR, Jefferson Public Works and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the public for helping to identify the source of the contaminated water.

To report a release after hours, please call the DNR’s emergency spill line at (515) 725-8694. Quick reporting can help DNR staff identify the cause of an incident. The DNR website has more information about spill reporting requirements.

(Griswold, Iowa) – Firefighters from Griswold were dispatched this (Friday) morning to a semi tractor-trailer on fire west of Griswold, near the Pottawattamie County line. The incident was reported at around 10:40-a.m. near 51724 Highway 92. On their Facebook page, Griswold fire officials said when crews arrived, the semi-truck was fully engulfed in flames and the fire had spread to the ditch and a nearby field, due to high winds.

Carson Fire was also dispatched, but told to disregard. Officials say the grass/field fire was extinguished at around 10:54-a.m., with the remaining flames contained to the semi. That fire was extinguished about 10-minutes later.

No injuries were reported on scene. The truck was a total loss. (Photos from the Griswold Fire & Rescue Facebook page)

(Radio Iowa) – Volunteers will soon be listening for frogs and toads in Iowa wetlands as part of an Iowa D-N-R survey that’s been happening for 35-years. Program coordinator Stephanie Shepherd oversees the volunteers who listening for the ribbits and croaks to track what are some of the most vulnerable species in the world.

“They’re very sensitive to their environment, or they have a lot of stressors that are impacting them,” she says . She says the survey helps biologists monitor what’s happening in Iowa’s wetland ecosystems.

“They’re just really important part of those wetland systems and keeping them running and balanced,” Shepherd says. The frog and toad survey turns 35 this year, making it the state’s longest-running amphibian survey.

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa legal scholar who’s an expert on genetic privacy says Iowans who used the genetic testing company 23andMe might consider deleting their data and profiles, pronto, as the company filed for bankruptcy this week. U-I law professor Anya Prince says there may be cause for concern about how all of that genetic data the company harvested about you might be used — or misused.  “It’s really important for people to understand that, in the case of a bankruptcy, their genetic data is an asset of 23andMe that can be sold to a new company,” Prince says. “It’s really unclear what that new company will look like, what they would do with the data, and so for people who are worried about that, deleting their information from 23andMe’s databases now can minimize some of the harm.”

The company is insisting that all data collected from some 15-million customers nationwide is safe and secure, but Prince isn’t so sure. “23andMe has done some things that are helpful for privacy of people’s genetic information, but you have to understand that the privacy policy that everybody agrees to right now says that the data can be sold, and it says that the new company also has to comply with that privacy policy,” Prince says. “All that sounds great, except that the privacy policy also says that it can be changed at any time.” The company’s at-home test kits are easy to use and the reports sent back to customers based on their D-N-A often provide information about their ancestry and family members. Still, depending on the test, those genetic markers may also reveal predispositions to diseases.

“Life insurance companies can charge higher premiums based on genetic information,” Prince says, “so if that 23andMe data got shared with a life insurance company, you maybe would face higher premiums based on your genetic information.” Also, law enforcement might be able to access your genetic data without a warrant, which could have all sorts of implications. Should Iowans skip doing any D-N-A tests? Prince says it comes down to a personal choice.  “I, for example, am an extremely private person, and so I would be less comfortable with that sort of data being shared,” she says. “It’s really important to remember that when this is outside the healthcare setting, it’s not protected by our health privacy law, HIPAA.” That stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

When 23andMe went public in 2021, its market value rocketed to nearly six-billion dollars. In the first nine months of this fiscal year, the company reported losses of 174-million.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – A search warrant executed Thursday evening at an apartment in Clarinda resulted in the arrest of two people on drug and child endangerment charges. Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports his officers executed a search warrant at an apartment located at 800 W. Tarkio Street. Officers seized methamphetamine and marijuana. Taken into custody was 28-year-old Richard Daniel Rodriguez and 26-year-old Mileena Jade Villanueva, both of Clarinda.

Rodriguez was arrested for felony distribution of methamphetamine, providing a place for gathering for the use of controlled substances, failure to have a drug tax stamp and child endangerment. Villanueva was arrested for child endangerment and providing a place for gathering for the use of controlled substances. Rodriguez and Villaneueva Gray are currently in custody at the Page County Jail pending formal charging decisions by the Page County Attorney’s Office.

A five-month-old child was taken into protective custody at the home and placed in the care of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

“All defendants are presumed innocent under our system of criminal justice until found guilty in a court of law.”

(Harlan, Iowa) – Fire officials in another southwest Iowa county have requested and were granted a Burn Ban Proclamation. The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency reports a Burn Ban for the County is now in effect until further notice, as a result of abnormally warm and dry conditions, low humidity, strong winds and tinder vegetation. That combination of elements can contribute to extreme fire behavior, which can put property and lives at risk.

As of Friday, March 28th, including Shelby- a total of nine counties in this area are under a ban on open burning. The others include: Audubon; Guthrie; Pottawattamie; Adair; Mills; Montgomery; Union and Page Counties.

For more information on Burn Bans in Iowa, see the State Fire Marshall’s website .

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A Pottawattamie County man was cited following a collision in Red Oak, Thursday. According to Red Oak Police, 59-year-old Robert L. Hutchison, of Council Bluffs, was driving 2026 GMC pickup truck in the left lane of eastbound on Oak Street at around Noon, Thursday, when he realized he was in the wrong lane. When he put his vehicle into reverse, the pickup struck a 2011 Chrysler driven by 19-year-old Emily Stevens, of Red Oak, causing a total of $3,000 damage. Neither driver was hurt, and both vehicles were driven from the scene of the accident, just west of the intersection of Oak and N. Broadway Streets.

Hutchison told police he didn’t see the car because it was in his blind spot. Red Oak Police cited him for Improper Backing and Improper Lane Change.

(Radio Iowa) – This is Severe Weather Awareness Week, and National Weather Service meteorologist Peter Rogers says it is important to know what is happening when a thunderstorm warning is issued. Rogers says there are a couple of factors that go into those warnings. “Hail that is the size of a quarter or larger, which is about the diameter of a quarter. And wind gusts that are at 58 miles an hour or higher,” he says. He says the speed of the wind is key.

“That’s generally when you start to see branches about the size of your wrist starting to break off. And obviously, the stronger the wind, the more potential damage and destruction you can see,” Rogers says. “On the hail side, an inch in diameter, that is when you start to see potential impacts to roofing material or you vehicle being dented. Those are king of those baselines when we start to issue thunderstorm warnings.” Rogers says straight line winds, including derechos, have become more common in the Midwest. “In our eyes at the Weather Service, whether the wind is spinning or moving in a straight line, if it is strong enough to start breaking things we want people to be paying attention, ” he says.

File photo from the July, 2024 derecho that toppled an 80,000-bushel grain bin in Luxemburg, Iowa (Photo by Luxemburg Fire Dep’t)

And take the same proactive action, again with regards to whether it is a tornado or not.” Rogers says its important to heed the warnings for thunderstorms and be prepared to react.

(Radio Iowa) – Due to budget cuts by the City of Sioux City, a long-running multicultural fair planned for this weekend could be the last. The Sioux City Human Rights Commission hosts the event that showcases music, dance, food and art from African, Asian, Native American and Hispanic cultures. Executive Director Karen Mackey says the city council recently voted to slash almost 40-percent of the funding requested for next fiscal year. “A wonderful event for 34 years. It’s been a great run, but if we actually do lose $140,000, we can barely afford staff,” she says. “We won’t be able to afford doing an event like that.” The free multicultural fair takes place at the Sioux City Convention Center Sunday from noon until 4 P-M with a focus on showcasing the metro area’s diversity.

“It matters a lot to many people in this community. It’s really the one time that you see just how diverse we are,” Mackey says. “We tend to live in our little silos and often they look like us, but on that one day, you’re seeing a lot of different people.” In addition to hosting the festival, the primary role of the Sioux City Human Rights Commission is to help investigate claims of discrimination in the workplace and with housing. “As long as we’re still available to fully investigate cases in a timely manner, that’s my focus,” she says, “so that’s more important than hosting this event, and perhaps someone else will take it up.”

Mackey says she plans to take a pay cut, in addition to reducing the hours for the commission’s four other employees. She believes city officials wanted to force her to retire. Mackey hopes the city council will reinstate the budget before it is certified for the new fiscal year.