(Radio Iowa) — Iowans are encouraged to skip the elevator today (Wednesday) and opt for the stairwell instead as part of National Take The Stairs Day. Heather Johnson, a development manager at the American Lung Association of Iowa, says dozens of students and others at the Des Moines Area Community College fitness center in Ankeny will be taking the stairs — all day long. “They are going to have students, faculty and community members on their four stair step machines throughout the entire day from 5 AM until the facility closes at 10 PM,” Johnson says. “They are going to be recording the amount of steps.”

Stair climbing requires eight to 11 calories of energy per minute, so the daylong effort is expected to burn more than 40-thousand calories combined. “The point of National Take The Stairs Day is to promote health and fitness,” Johnson says. “We know that stair climbing burns two to three times more calories than any other exercise and it’s really great for your heart and your lungs.” Johnson says making little changes in our daily lives can help to make a big difference in our health. This day promoting exercise comes at the ideal time, when Iowans are in the midst of winter. “Being active is more difficult because it’s hard to go outside,” Johnson says. “Taking the stairs on the way to your office every day or when you go to the mall, places where you could avoid it, taking the stairs instead is a great way to stay healthy day-to-day in your everyday activities, and that’s really what Take The Stairs Day is all about.”

Most of our smartphones have an app that counts steps or stairs, or an app can typically be downloaded for free.

On the web at: https://www.lung.org/about-us/local-associations/iowa.html

Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County, Tuesday night, arrested a Red Oak man on a valid Page County warrant for Theft in 2nd Degree. 29-year old Corey James Dolph was taken into custody at around 9:20-p.m., and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. His cash-only bond was set at $5,000.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Ankeny leaders are taking steps to form the city’s first human rights commission and bring the Des Moines suburb into compliance with state law. The Des Moines Register reports that City Council members on Monday discussed a draft ordinance for a commission that would include five volunteer members. Iowa requires cities with more than 29,000 people to have such a human rights agency. Ankeny’s population passed that mark more than 15 years ago and now stands at around 65,000. City Administrator David Jones said city officials learned of the oversight only a few months ago.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — The frenetic chase for momentum in Iowa is underway among Democrats seeking the 2020 presidential nomination. Candidates such as Pete Buttigieg point to large crowds showing up for his campaign events in small towns. Others note late spikes in fundraising as proof they are gathering enthusiasm less than a month before the leadoff nominating contest. Energy could allow one of a cluster at the top in Iowa to break away in the final month or help another work his or her way into the pack. Just as easily, the look of momentum can paint a target on a candidate’s back and send him or her limping out of Iowa next month.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Republican legislative leaders say they aren’t planning to hold oversight committee meetings about problems at an Iowa care center for people with intellectual disabilities. Incoming House Speaker Pat Grassley says lawmakers are waiting to hear results of federal and state investigations into Glenwood Resource Center issues before acting. Grassley says House leaders were told last year by Iowa human services officials there was no need for an investigation. The federal inquiry announced in November appears focused on whether the state violated federal rights of residents through unnecessary experiments. Lawmakers and Gov. Kim Reynolds spoke about the issue Tuesday during the AP’s annual legislative forum.

MIDDLE AMANA, Iowa (AP) — A private utility providing water to 850 customers in east-central Iowa’s Amana Colonies has stopped using three wells because tests show a nitrate level above federal safety standards. The Amana Society Service Co. instead is using water from three other wells that have tested as safe. The Gazette reports that the company has warned customers to avoid giving tap water to infants or nursing mothers. Nitrate in drinking water has been linked to blue-baby syndrome. Officials don’t know why the nitrate levels rose in late fall. Spring usually is the season for elevated nitrate as melting snow washes fertilizer off farm fields.