(Radio Iowa) – One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to quit smoking, and a survey finds 70-percent of Iowa smokers want to quit, while 50-percent will try to quit in the year ahead. There are mixed messages circulating about how vaping can help smokers to kick the habit, messages that are blatantly false, according to Erika Sward, spokeswoman for the American Lung Association in Iowa. “We know that smokers are confused,” Sward says. “Smokers want to end their addiction and not be held hostage by nicotine and tobacco products.” The U-S Food and Drug Administration has not found any e-cigarettes to be safe and effective in helping smokers quit, she says, and the Lung Association is urging smokers to step away from all tobacco and nicotine products, and not switch to vaping.

“The Lung Association believes that every smoker can quit, and can quit for good,” Sward says. “We know that it’s hard, but if smokers want to talk to their doctors or call 800-LUNG USA or call 800-QUIT NOW, they can work with someone who is an expert at helping people end their addictions for good.” State health officials say about 17-percent of Iowa adults smoke and 10-percent of high school students. Surveys also find about five-percent of Iowa adults use e-cigarettes, while up to 22-percent of Iowa 11th graders vape. Breaking the addiction can be very difficult and the advice of a professional may be key.

Sward says, “Every person takes a slightly different approach to how they can be most successful at quitting, and that’s why it’s important to work with someone with that experience, including the American Lung Association, to find the exact way they can be most successful in improving their health.” Studies show the average smoker has to try seven times before they quit smoking for good.

http://Lung.org

(Radio Iowa) – State Ombudsman Bernardo Granwehr recently issued his annual report on the complaints and inquiries to his office for 2024. “My office opened over 57-hundred cases, which is a slight decrease from fiscal year 2023 but still the fourth highest number of cases in the history of the office,” Granwehr says. The top two years for complaints came during the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022. He say complaints were up dramatically during the pandemic, but had been increasing even before it. “It’s also a 41 percent increase from 2014 — so about a decade ago — I always like to look back to see where we came from. So business is still booming, obviously in our office,” he says.

One thing that has stayed the same is the type of complaints they receive. “About half of our complaints are corrections or jails related, and about ten percent are human services, and the rest just run the gamut from state and local governments, about 24 percent, about a quarter of our complaints are state government, and about 18 percent are local government,” Granwehr says. Granwehr says they have to make sure that those who file the complaints have exhausted any options to have the issue resolved before his office can review it. “When they have the opportunity to do so, we will go ahead and be able to evaluate that grievance process to see if it worked effectively,” he says. “But obviously, if they haven’t availed themselves of the sort of administrative process that the of the agency that they’re complaining about, then we have less to evaluate.”

He says he is glad to see things return to a more normal situation after the big increase in issues during the pandemic. “With the pandemic being kind of in the rear view mirror, the COVID pandemic, we have been able to move out of triage mode a little more and really dig into complaints,” he says. Granwehr has been the Ombudsman for three years and says one of the big accomplishments thus far is to the agency’s website redone. “I’m happy to say that obviously traffic is up. People are taking advantage of the resources on that website, and then also, complaints are being filed through the complaint form, online complaint form there at a clip, I think it’s 71 percent increase,” Granwehr says.

You can see the full year end report on the Ombudsman website at: ombudsman.iowa.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Economic Development Authority director Debi Durham says growth in Iowa’s economy not only depends on the state’s tax and regulatory climate, but on community development.  “What is community development? That’s housing. That’s quality of life That’s placemaking,” Durham says. “All of those things that never used to rise to the importance of just this business climate, but I will tell you today they are equally as important.”

Population trends illustrate the importance of making Iowa communities attractive for newcomers — or Iowans considering a return to the state. “Iowa’s greatest challenge, and I’ve said this year after year after year — pre-COVID and after-COVID, is we have a population issue,” Durham says. “We have slow population growth — we are seeing some nice, positive trends — but we have an aging population.” Nearly a third of Iowans are over the age of 55 and growth in Iowa’s population lags neighboring states.

Durham says driver’s license data shows where people moving into Iowa are coming from, like southern California. For the second year in a row, more people from the Omaha metro have moved into Iowa than have Council Bluffs and moved to Omaha.  “It’s quicker to get to downtown Omaha if you live in Council Bluffs and Council Bluffs is not the same community (it was years ago),” Durham says. “If you’re not been there, they have invested heavily in placemaking and quality of life.”

The Pottawattamie Arts, Culture and Entertainment organization was formed in 2016 to expand and promote activities in the Council Bluffs area. Durham says arts and culture projects — as well as recreation opportunities — like Iowa’s expanding network of bicycle trails — make Iowa communities more attractive to newcomers.

(Radio Iowa) – Composting can be an environmentally friendly way to take care of holiday waste. Jennifer Trent with the Iowa Waste Reduction Center says there are some things that will draw unwanted pests. “You want to avoid fats, oils, grease, and dairy because that’ll bring in crows and hawks and raccoons,” she says. Trent also cautions against composting gift wrap.

“Don’t put wrapping paper in your compost pile because it has a lot of dyes and possibly heavy metals in it, so that would be toxic to any compost that you’re using,” Trent says.

She says cardboard and food leftovers are ideal compostables.

(Atlantic, Iowa)  – You are invited to join Cass County Conservation Staff at Atlantic’s Schildberg Recreation Area- Lake number 4 this Saturday, January 4th, 2025 for “Soiree with the Swans.” Conservation staff will be giving ten-minute presentations during the event, with regard to the Trumpeter Swans, every half-hour beginning at 11-a.m., with the last presentation at 2-p.m.

There will also be time to view the swans through spotting scopes and witness random swan feeding sessions. Hot chocolate, cookies, and other snacks will be provided free of charge with donations being accepted (for swan care).

The Schildberg Recreation Area is located on the northwest edge of Atlantic, Lake 4 is on the north side of Highway 83. Atlantic is celebrating 25 winters of the Trumpeter Swans wintering here. The Conservation Department says “This event is not to be missed!”

IF THE WEATHER IS “BAD” OR THE SWANS ARE NOT AT THE PARK…the program will be held at the Atlantic Public Library, from Noon until 1-p.m., Saturday, with hot chocolate, cookies, and other snacks available. The event is sponsored by the Cass County Conservation Board, Atlantic Parks and Recreation, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

(Oakland, Iowa) – A woman from Oakland died last week, after she was struck by a UTV that was operating on a sidewalk. According to the Pottawattamie County Sheriff”s Office, the accident happened at around 4:30-p.m. Thursday, Dec, 26th, at 570 North Highway Street, in Oakland.

An investigation determined 84-year-old Gene Fritz was heading home from a bar after having a couple of beers, and was often the case for him, he drove on the sidewalk because, he told Deputies, he can’t see well. Fritz said also, he “drives very slow.” He acknowledged he didn’t see 83-year-old Sandra Madron until his UTV struck her. He told authorities “she must have been wearing dark clothing.

Deputies found the woman laying on her left side, with a member of the Oakland Rescue Squad providing assistance at the scene. Deputies reported that Madron had a pulse but was experiencing very shallow breathing. The report says when the ambulance arrived, Madron stopped breathing, and CPR was initiated. She was transported to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs with CPR in progress.

Deputies conducted a traffic investigation and asked Fritz to undergo field sobriety tests due to his admission of drinking alcohol and being involved in the accident. Fritz complied with the tests and a preliminary breath test (PBT). Deputies also discovered that Fritz did not have a valid driver’s license and that the UTV was not registered for roadway use. Fritz was released to his son, while the UTV was impounded.

A little after 6-p.m., Thursday, deputies contacted Mercy Hospital and were told Sandra Madron died from her injuries.

The investigation is ongoing, and no citations or charges have been issued at this time.

(Radio Iowa) – A Worth County man is dead after what authorities are saying was an accidental drowning in Clear Lake on Saturday afternoon. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office says deputies responded shortly before 4:30 to a call on North Shore Drive and East Lake Street near the lake’s aerator system, with someone reporting seeing what they thought was a body floating in the area. A drone was deployed to check the open water and the report was confirmed.

Clear Lake and Ventura fire crews then recovered the body of 59-year-old Bradley Church of Joice. The Sheriff’s Office says the incident remains under investigation by their office as well as the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Authorities say foul play was not a part of the incident and have said the drowning was accidental in nature.

(Radio Iowa) – If you’ll be making a New Year’s resolution tomorrow (Tuesday) night, you may need to genuinely focus on making the change in order to keep the pledge. Alison Phillips, a psychology professor at Iowa State University, says our approach to making resolutions usually sets us up for failure. “I’ve seen two different statistics, one is that 80% of resolutions fail by the second week in February,” Phillips says. “The other is a bit less depressing and that’s 40% of us are still hanging on after four months. Either way, long-term efforts at changing our behavior generally fail.” Phillips, who studies behavior change and habit formation, says to focus on how to make changes that will lead to creating a better version of yourself.

“This is important because behaviors that do stick around are those that become part of our self-identity, it’s how we see ourselves,” Phillips says. “They’re usually things that we’re proud of, that we’re good at, and they make us feel like we’re competent at something.” Zero in on things you can become good at and that you see yourself doing and take pride in, she says, as those are the kinds of things people won’t give up on. “Habits form as you repeat them in a stable context,” Phillips says. “Pick a time that’s pretty regular that you could do it and that will help you form a habit more quickly. Also, pick something that you relatively enjoy. You might not like exercise at all but pick something that you hate the least and that you would be proud of yourself to do.”

Dr. Alison Phillips (ISU photo)

If better physical fitness is your target, Phillips says it’s important to aim for specific goals that focus on behavior and not on certain outcomes, like a number on the scale. “If you prefer bicycling to running, by all means, go for the bike,” Phillips says, “even if it’s in the gym and the stationary bike isn’t awesome, maybe try a spin class until the weather is nicer.” Everyone fails, she says, so plan ahead and rehearse how you will cope when you run into barriers. Also, social support is important, so in addition to having a workout buddy, make sure your family is on board, too, and will encourage you as you create new, positive habits.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Personnel and Finance Committee are scheduled to meet 10-a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31st, in the City Council’s Chambers at City Hall. On their agenda is:

• A Review of the original LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) documentation.
• An update on 11 Locust Street.
• Review and recommendation (to the full Council), with regard to a campground phone.
• Review and recommendation on Compensatory Time for the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Exempt Employees,
• A Closed Session with regard to potential land purchase or annexation, and,
• A Closed Session with regard to a personnel matter.