(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has voted to shield farm chemical companies from lawsuits that allege the labels of products lack proper warnings about health risks. Bayer, the company that sells Roundup, faces thousands of lawsuits filed on behalf of farmers and others who’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Senator Mike Bousselot, a Republican from Ankeny, says Roundup’s label meets the legal requirements of the U-S government and other countries where it’s approved for use.

“No scientific agency in the world has concluded that glyphosate poses a carcinogenic risk,” Bousselot says. Senator Adrian Dickey, a Republican from Packwood, says this area of the law has become a playground for attorneys. “It’s about sue-happy attorneys and their latest attempt to make a lottery out of our legal system,” Dickey said. The bill passed on a 26-to-21 vote — the minimum number of yes votes required to clear the Senate.

Senator Molly Donahue, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, is among the critics who call the bill the cancer gag act. “This bill is a dangerous piece of legislation that places corporate interests above the health and rights of Iowans at a time when our state is grappling with rising cancer rates,” she said.

Similar legislation passed the Iowa Senate last year by a wider margin, but it didn’t come up for a vote in the House.

(Radio Iowa) – A recent University of Iowa study found almost half of all parents say they don’t monitor or restrict their teenagers’ internet and social media use, and a mental health care professional says that needs to change. Sarah Long, a psychologist at Gundersen Health System, says parents need to be actively aware of what their kids are doing on social media platforms.

“It’s not necessarily a crisis, because it absolutely has some potential benefits for kids and teens, but left unchecked, it could certainly become a crisis within individual families,” Long says, “just based on exposure that kids might have to content or people that their parents might not approve of, or ways that kids might be sharing information that parents really need to be aware of.” Misinformation abounds on the internet, Long says, as so many things that look legitimate are not factual at all.

“And so it’s very important that parents are aware of what their kids are accessing and how that’s impacting their education, their beliefs, things that they think are true around their own health or sexual health,” Long says. “Those are things that we certainly don’t want them finding misinformation online and assuming those things are true with great consequences.”

Image credit: Cookcenter.org

Parents should set guidelines before allowing their kids to launch social media accounts, she says, and they need to be up front about how they’ll much they’ll supervise.  “We certainly don’t want to take a one-size-fits-all approach with that either,” she say. “If your child is being very responsible in their use of social media, then we don’t have to breathe down their neck and read every single message that they send. But it’s like any trust situation, where that trust is earned, and if that trust is broken, then we need to back things off and re-earn that trust again.” If teens demand their privacy, Long says parents should respond that their safety is more important.

“Teens absolutely want their privacy, but they are also apt to sometimes make not-the-best choices,” she says, “and parents need to provide that same oversight as they would if they want privacy with their significant other or their friends, but haven’t always made the right choices.” Social media can be an important tool as teens enter college or the workforce, as it can be a great way to meet people and communicate, but Long says it’s important that they also be able to do the same things in person.

Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood report the arrest Tuesday, of a 24-year-old Glenwood man. William Ingels was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Child Endangerment. Ingels was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail, until seen by a magistrate judge.

(Radio Iowa) – An emotional moment in the Iowa Senate today (Wednesday) as Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver was honored with this year’s “Uncommon Public Service” award from the Herbert Hoover Presidential Foundation. Whitver, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor last spring, has been the top Republican in the senate since 2018. “The last year has been full of challenges for me, but almost daily someone asks how my family is doing. I tell them they’re praying for me. The kids are actually doing well. I’m thankful for every person that has been praying for us and helping us,” Whitver said. “…I’m honored and humbled to be recognized today and to be part of the Iowa Senate.”

Whitver’s parents, his wife and his mother in law stood beside him as he spoke. Senate President Amy Sinclair says the award recognizes people who have selflessly gone above and beyond their duty as a legislator.  “Even after a brain tumor diagnosis, he’s continued to serve with resilience and dedication,” she said. The award was established in 2007. Each year two state legislators are honored, one from the Senate and one from the House. This year’s award winner in the House is Representative Keenan Judge, a Democrat from Waukee. “It’s an honor to be standing here before you,” he said. “…I couldn’t be more humbled to tell you the truth, so thank you.”

Senator Jack Whitver (official photo)

Republican Representative Bobby Kaufmann says Judge has shown an ability to navigate complex issues. “A respected bipartisan legislator, he has constantly and consistently championed policies that improve the lives of Iowans,” Kaufmann said, “while fostering civility and cooperation among colleagues on both sides of the aisle.” The annual award is inspired by remarks President Herbert Hoover delivered in 1948 about uncommon men who provide vital sparks of leadership for the country. Hoover is the only native Iowan to be elected president.

(Radio Iowa) – A statewide tornado drill was held at 10 a-m today (Wednesday) as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week. National Weather Service meteorologist Peter Rogers says if you weren’t able to participate this is an excellent opportunity to review your safety procedures and ensure you’re prepared. Rogers says we often talk about having an emergency kit on hand in the winter, but it’s also important in spring and summer as well. “What would you do if you happen to need to be at your home for multiple days, if you got cut off, or, God forbid, if you actually had to evacuate your home? What kind of what kind of belongings would you want to bring with you?,” he says.

“Obviously, food and water comes to the top of the mind, but then there’s a lot of other additional things that you’re probably going to want to have.” Rogers says it’s also important to coordinate with family members so you know each other’s whereabouts if a storm hits.  “Figure out where people are, what they need to do, where they need to go, and so those are all things that, again, would be a great thing to be discussing at this time of the year, before we get into the heart of severe weather season,” he says.

Rogers says plan now and you can avoid a lot of confusion and concern if severe weather does hit your home or neighborhood.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Auditor Mandy Berg reported to the Adair County Board of Supervisors this (Wednesday) morning, her office will be closed for one day next week.

Because the office will be closed Wednesday, the Supervisors agreed to move their regular weekly meeting (normally held on Wednesday), to Tuesday of next week. In other business, the Adair County Supervisors, during their brief session, approved a mowing contract with Mike Mangels for $25 per mowing, as needed. And, they approved Prussia Township clerk wages in the amount of $80 for Randy Christoffersen.

(Radio Iowa) – A newly-formed non-profit group is now working to help residents in a small northwest Iowa town rebuild their homes and lives after last year’s historic floods. The Hawarden United Foundation is a completely new concept for the community, according to board member Cy McMahon. “When the flood hit in June,” McMahon says, “we didn’t have any not-for-profit set up that was specifically designed to help the people of Hawarden in case of a disaster like this.” In the immediate aftermath of the flooding Big Sioux River, residents got help in the form of food and a place to stay, but the rebuilding effort is a long-term process. McMahon says many residents still need assistance.

2024 flooding in Spencer. (DOT photo)

“Our role as Hawarden United Foundation is taking cash donations, financial donations, and using those donations to help homeowners by building materials so that the volunteer groups can do the work and get more bang for their buck,” McMahon says. “So instead of having to pay a contractor for them to buy materials, we pay for the materials, and then we are having volunteer contractors, and so that has been a huge help.” He says the foundation has been working alongside World Renew to help homeowners rebuild. “It’s a volunteer group of skilled people who come in to help provide labor and expertise to fix up houses and all that the homeowners are responsible for, to come up with building materials that they use to help fix it up,” McMahon says. “Partnering with groups like that have made coming back possible.”

McMahon says anyone with home repair skills can still volunteer to help in the rebuilding effort. Donations can be made through the website Hawarden United Foundation-dot-com.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has passed a bill that would lower the legal age for carrying a handgun in the state to 18. Under current law, people who do not have a professional permit must be at least 21 years old in order to possess a handgun. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says the bill upholds the U-S Constitution’s Second Amendment AND the amendment voters recently added to Iowa’s Constitution on the right to keep and bear arms. “Unlike other countries, our constitutions are designed to restrict the power of government as opposed to restricting people,” Holt said. “This is an important step in honoring the rights of our young adults by getting government out of the way.” A recent federal court ruling struck down Minnesota’s ban on 18, 19, and 20 year olds from possessing a pistol or revolver.

“The idea that young adults age 18 to 20 are not mature enough to own a handgun is being rejected by the courts,” Holt said. “The courts are ruling that young adults have the same right to keep and bear arms as older adults.” The bill passed on a 79 to 18 vote. Representative Lindsay James, a Democrat from Dubuque who voted no, says she understands court decisions have set the stage for this type of legislation, but James says data about gun violence is a concern. “Death by gun is the second leading cause of death among children and teens,” James said. If the bill becomes law, 18, 19 and 20 year olds will still be barred from buying guns from federally-licensed gun dealers. Holt says that’s necessary because the National Instant Criminal Background Check System — called NICS — hasn’t caught up with a 2022 U-S Supreme Court ruling that expanded gun rights.

© Aristide Economopoulos/for NJ Monitor (Via the Iowa Capital Dispatch)

“This is a solution to respecting the rights of young adults to practice their Second Amendment rights,” Holt said, “while also working within the current restrictions in the NICS system.” The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board is holding a Native Landscaping Program next month. The program will be held in the Atlantic Public Library’s Community Room on April 5th, beginning at 11-a.m.

An additional session will be held at the Outdoor Educational Classroom (OEC), south of Massena, on April 5th, beginning at 2-p.m. Both programs are FREE, and all ages are welcome to attend. Conservation staff will be discussing different Native plants and how to incorporate them into your yard. Discover how to use native plants in your yard.

(Photo via raincampaign.org)

The OEC is located south of Massena. To get there, take Highway 148 south of Massena, turn left on Tucson Road and follow it East for about two miles, then turn right hand into the parking lot.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report a woman from Creston was arrested Tuesday afternoon, on an OWI charge. 50-year-old Amy Lynn Whitney was arrested at around 2-p.m., and charged with OWI/1st offense. She was transported to the Union County Jail, and later released after posting an allowed 10% of her $1,000 bond.