The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Does your mom or dad take care of a loved one (perhaps one cares for the other)? Do you have a relative who cares for a loved one who is aging? Do you know what your parents or relatives are going through? Your family member is in a new role of caregiver when helping a loved one with things he/she cannot do because of aging or a medical condition’s disabling effects. How do you better support your relative during this time?

Caregiving Relationships: Conversations on Aging, is a program for adult children supporting their aging caregiver parents or other loved ones. The program will be held on Tuesday, October 18th, 2016, 6:30 – 8:45 pm at the Cass County Extension office, 805 West 10th Street in Atlantic.

Research shows that spousal caregivers are more likely to provide care with help from adult children than to accept help from community supports or non-family members. Kim Brantner, Human Science Specialist in Family Life, says“You are a son or daughter to your parent(s) regardless of age, but your role description can change when your parent is in the role of a caregiver. The program helps adult children learn to recognize how caregiving affects relationships. It helps them discover their role in making decisions about their parents’ later life.” It also helps adult children build talking and listening skills and gain ideas on how to start difficult conversations.

The Caregiving Relationships course is the first of several opportunities Cass County Extension is offering to address family caregiving and healthy aging issues in the coming year. The next learning opportunity is the Powerful Tools for Caregivers program, a series of six, 2-1/2 hour classes designed especially for family caregivers. The series starts on Thursday, November 3 and continues weekly on Tuesdays November 10, 17, December 1, 8, and 15. There is no class on Thanksgiving. The six week series will be also be held at the Cass County Extension Office in Atlantic.

There is no cost to attend the Caregiving Relationships workshop on October 18th, but pre-registration is requested by Friday, October 14th. For more information on either program, or to register, contact Cass County Extension at 712-243-1132 or email keolson@iastate.edu. A brochure with more information is also available on the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.

The City of Atlantic’s Planning and Zoning Commission will meet this evening in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall, to discuss Setback requirements set forth in the Zoning Ordinance, and other business related to the Zoning Ordinance Update. Their session begins at 5:30.

During the last meeting of the P&Z on Sept. 13th, the Commission heard from Rick Mendenhall, of Atlantic, who discussed his variance appeal with the board as it pertains to his property in the 200 block of Linn Street. The Commission tabled action on the matter until they could research more, the necessity of setbacks.

Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees spoke with City Administrator John Lund about setbacks, and recommended the Commission NOT reduce the setbacks that have already been established. According to McNees, the current setbacks of 6-feet in certain zones are somewhat less than what he would prefer, because in the event a structure catches fire, heat from the source expands, and can damage a nearby structure. McNees said there should be a minimum of 12-feet separation between two structures, with his preference being 20-feet. In any event, he says structures should not be placed closer together.

The Commission will have to consider safety, property rights and aesthetics when determining if any changes should be made to the Ordinance, with regard to setbacks.

Many Iowans are ambivalent about the choices in the presidential election but this will be the first time in the voting booth for thousands of young people — and they need to be encouraged. Carolyn Thiele, with the League of Women Voters in Omaha-Council Bluffs, says they’re spreading the message on sidewalks using spray chalk to remind everyone to register and vote in November.

“The league’s mission is to make democracy work better and that only happens if everybody’s voting,” Thiele says. “It’s just that gentle, fun reminder that yes, this is an important part of being a citizen in this country.” Art students helped to design the stencils for the chalk-painting project with slogans like “Be a voter!” and “Go vote!” in English and Spanish. Several area high schools are being enlisted to join the effort.

“The sophomores that are part of the Partnership 4 Kids are going to be doing a lesson on voting and after that, they’re going to be doing a service learning project where they’re going to help us put the chalk messages around their community,” Thiele says. “They’re also going to help us organize a voter registration drive in their high school so if there are any 18-year-olds, they’ll be able to register to vote and vote for the first time in November.”

Election Day is November 8th.

(Radio Iowa)

Authorities in Cass County are investigating an apparent rollover accident that took place late Monday night. According to dispatch reports, at around 10:45-p.m., deputies responded to a call saying a car was in the ditch just north of a bridge near Cumberland on 690th, between Oxford Road and the bridge. A woman was reportedly suffering from unknown injuries, but when deputies arrived there was no one around the vehicle.

Anita Rescue and Wiota 1st Responders were also called to the scene. No other details are available at this time.

Officials with the Iowa DOT’s Iowa Byways Advisory Council have selected the 26-mile long White Pole Road as one of three new Iowa Byways. The route was praised for its historic sense of place and for its unique experience that provides many opportunities for exploration and engagement. John Fisher, President of the White Pole Road Corporation, says “It’s very encouraging to receive such great feedback on our efforts. They believe our byway has great potential to impact even more visitor experiences as well as the economic benefits for each of our communities along the White Pole Road.”

The WPR joins the Bridges Byway in Madison County which connects the iconic covered bridges and the Jefferson Highway Heritage Byway between Northwood and Lamoni as a 2016 designation. The Iowa DOT will work with the new byway applicants over the next several months to assist with finalizing their route signage which will be installed by the 2018 tourist season.

The White Pole Road is a tribute to the original dirt road that once connected the five communities of Adair, Casey, Menlo, Stuart and Dexter. This particular stretch of road is important because it served as the nucleus to Iowa’s first certified route which stretched statewide from Davenport to Council Bluffs in 1914.

For more information on the White Pole Road Development Corporation, visit www.whitepoleroad.com and to learn more about Iowa Byways, visit www.iowabyways.org .

Voting is underway to determine the cover of the next Iowa Travel Guide. This marks the fifth year that followers of the Iowa Tourism Office on Facebook are choosing the photo. Iowa Tourism Office spokesperson Jessica O’Riley says voting for the 2017 Iowa Travel Guide cover started Monday and will continue through next Tuesday (October 18th) morning.

“This year there are four different options to choose from; the world’s crookedest street in Burlington, family fun along the Turkey River in Elkader, a thrilling roller coaster – the new one at Adventureland, or art at the Art Museum in Sioux City,” O’Riley says. The winning cover will be announced on Wednesday, October 19th.

The Iowa Tourism Office distributes more than 100,000 copies of the Iowa Travel Guide each year. It can be found at Iowa’s welcome centers or ordered online: http://www.traveliowa.com/aspx/cms/SVContactForm.aspx?formid=1

(Radio Iowa)

LINK TO VOTE ON FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/IowaTourism/app/303561899745219?brandloc=DISABLE&app_data=chk-57fbfdfd67f88

LINK TO COVER OPTIONS:
https://iowa.webdamdb.com/bp/#/downloadqueue/hz1SkQBKOTMECyIA/source/0

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds are hitting the campaign trail in hopes of giving Republican legislative candidates a boost. Branstad and Reynolds are campaigning on Tuesday and Thursday.

GARNER, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa company is recalling the cookie dough it sold to Blue Bell Creameries and other food companies because it may be contaminated with listeria bacteria. Dough-maker Aspen Hills notified customers about the recall Sunday. The Garner, Iowa, based company doesn’t sell directly to consumers. Aspen Hills did not say the companies or states where the dough was sold.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — This year will go down in the Iowa history books as the third wettest among 144 years of records. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources in its monthly Water Summary Update says the statewide average precipitation in Iowa was 45 inches, nearly 10 inches more than normal for the 2016 water year, which is measured from Oct. 1, 2015, through Sept. 30, 2016.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A fraternal organization in Davenport is handing out 1,300 dictionaries to third-grade students throughout the local school district. The Quad-City Times reports that the dictionaries from Davenport Elks Lodge 298 also come with a coloring book and bookmark. Longtime Elks member Earl Oelerich visits the schools, telling the students to stay in school, avoid drugs and use scholarships to fund their college education. The project has continued for 15 years so far.

Iowa’s Joni Ernst is now the only Republican woman serving in the U.S. Senate who has not called for Donald Trump to step aside or vowed not to vote for him. Ernst says it’s because she’ll be voting for the entire 2016 Republican ticket. “I am voting for my Republican Party and I’ve told others I’m not fighting for Donald Trump,” Ernst told Radio Iowa. “I am fighting for my country.” Ernst sent a tweet Saturday morning, denouncing the contents of a vulgar 2005 recording of Trump that was published this past Friday. Today (Monday), Ernst repeated her criticism.

“I will not condone Donald Trump’s actions. I do not excuse them,” Ernst said. “But this is bigger than Donald Trump and it is about the direction of the country.” Ernst says she “will not advise anybody to vote for Hillary Clinton.” “And I will not support her and I feel that my party, regardless right now of who’s at the top of the ticket…has better ideas and a better direction for our country than those of the Democrats,” Ernst told Radio Iowa.

The Republican candidate in Iowa’s second congressional district announced today (Monday) that he will NOT vote for Trump OR Clinton. Chris Peters, the Republican running against Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack, has run in previous elections under the Libertarian Party’s banner.

(Radio Iowa)

A southwest Iowa manufacturer is celebrating a milestone. Johnson Controls is announcing it produced its 15-billionth PowerFrame grid at its Red Oak production facility. Lee Fellers is controller at the plant and says the grids are an essential part of the automotive batteries, which are made elsewhere by the company. “The PowerFrame grid is the lead grid that goes inside a car battery, or rather an automotive battery, that really provides most of the power to the battery,” Fellers says. “The grids that we make here is a process that was pioneered by Johnson Controls about 13 years ago, for this plant when this plant opened up.”

Powerfram grid manufactured at Johnson Controls Red Oak plant

Fellers says company officials recently discovered the Red Oak facility was nearing the landmark. “We keep track of what we produce constantly,” Fellers says, “and we keep track over time how we’re doing production-wise. So, we’ve just been monitoring this. A few months ago, we realized we were going to be hitting 15-billion grids for this plant very soon. So, we really started dialing in and figuring out when this would happen and were able to identify the grid as it came off the line the other day.”

He says it’s a big occasion because you don’t often see that type of number in most manufacturing settings. Fellers says the milestone is a testament to the company’s production process, as well as its workers. “We’ve got good engineering staff, good quality staff, great operators that really understand our equipment, understand what we’re all about and what we’re trying to achieve in producing these grips for automotive batteries,” Fellers says. “So, it really comes down a lot to the people and the dedication they’ve shown to making a good quality product while continuously improving our ability to output in higher quantities and increasing quality.”

Company officials say the PowerFrame grid is 66% more durable and more corrosion-resistant than other grid designs and provides 70% better electrical flow and other grid technologies. The grid’s manufacturing process also uses 20% less energy and produces 20% fewer greenhouse gases than other manufacturing methods. Opened in 2003, Johnson Controls’ Red Oak operations currently employees 60 people.

(Radio Iowa)