(Radio Iowa) – Pedal power is having a remarkable impact on Iowa’s financial health, as well as the physical and mental health of the state’s cyclists, according to a new study from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. Luke Hoffman, the non-profit’s executive director, says cycling and the use of bike trails in Iowa contributes nearly one-and-a-half BILLION dollars to the state’s G-D-P every year.

“1.4 billion is the total statewide economic impact of recreational bicycling in Iowa,” Hoffman says, “and that is from the 900,000 riders who every year, from a variety of folks who ride a bike one time to ride a bike multiple times per week, are having that impact.” Hoffman calls Iowa “the world capital of trails” with two-thousand miles of multi-use trails. Cycling, he says, supports Iowa’s local economies, workforce, talent attraction and retention, rural revitalization, and quality of life.

“A trail is greater than the sum of its parts, right?” Hoffman says. “It’s not just a few inches of concrete, it’s not just several miles of trail. It’s a vibrant, connected, living, breathing system, because of all the stories and memories that people have there and all of the health savings and economic impacts that are coming out as a result.” According to the study, Iowa’s bicycle retail sector generates 56-million dollars in economic impact each year, supporting workforce development with 800 jobs statewide.

The report says cycling also improves health outcomes and quality of life, with active cyclists showing a 28-percent reduced risk for breast cancer, 77-percent reduced risk for colorectal cancer, and a variety of other physical health benefits.  “The study showed that those who are frequent cyclists, meaning that you bike several times per month, experienced a 49% reduction in chronic mental health conditions,” Hoffman says. “I just think it’s something that really is part of the spiritual fabric of Iowa, and what makes it a great place to live, work and play.”

Cycling and trail use rank among the top 50 industries in the state, according to the study, which found bicycle-related tourism generates 13-million dollars in Iowa annually. Trail construction and maintenance investments have a 24-million dollar economic impact, supporting rural revitalization with 260 jobs, mostly in construction. A similar Coalition study done in 2012 pegged the economic impact of cycling and trails in Iowa at almost 365-million dollars.

(Denison, Iowa) – Officials with the City of Denison have Red Taged the Donna Reed Theater Due to Safety Issues with the Upper Parapat (part of the exterior wall). Denison Building Inspector Chris Flattery spoke with our sister station KDSN in Denison, about the matter.

(Photos via the KDSN Facebook page)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Cass Health have announced the February session of “Healthy U,” will be presented by Dr. Rick Rinehart. The session will be held at Noon February 25th, in Conference Room 2. Dr. Rinehart will be focusing on ear, nose, and throat concerns for older adults during this presentation.

Dr. Rinehart is a board-certified Otolaryngologist Head and Neck Surgeon with more than 20 years of experience. He was born and raised in Iowa and did his undergraduate studies at Iowa State University. He then completed both medical school and his residency at the University of Iowa. He served as a Clinical Assistant Professor in ENT for the University of Iowa and instructed ENT residents in Des Moines for over a decade. In 2013 Des Moines Magazine presented him with the “Best Doc” award in his field as voted by his ENT peers. Dr. Rinehart provides clinical care in the Cass Health Surgery Clinic and performs surgeries locally as well.

Dr. Rick Rinehart (CCHS photo)

Space for the session is limited! A free boxed lunch is provided for all attendees, so reservations are required. Call 712-243-7479 to reserve your seat. For more information about Healthy U, visit casshealth.org/healthyu.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors held their regular weekly meeting today (Tuesday, Jan. 28th). During their session, the Board received a weekly update from Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert.

The Board also received a report from Becca Laughlin, with the Southwest Iowa Art Tour. The organization held its 11th Annual Tour September 20th through the 22nd, 2024, at gathering places in Red Oak, Essex and 18 other locations. One of the gathering places, where all the artists come together, was at Five One 8, in Red Oak.

She said the tour usually draws around 200 people that sign-in from many zip codes. Becca Laughlin said “Red Oak…is I would say, our ‘Poster child for the Southwest Iowa Art Tour,” because of its success in drawing artists and attendees at the tour locations. She thanked the Board of Supervisors for their support last year, which amounted to $1,000. The same amount was requested in the next budgeting year.

MC BOS mtg 1-28-25 (Zoom screenshot)

The Montgomery County Supervisors discussed and then approved a payment to the Central Cost Allocation Plan. Auditor Jill Ozuna….

The payment they approved for FY2025 was $4,450. The Board then approved a Resolution abating the taxes on multiple parcels in the City of Villisca. The entire resolution and a list of the respective parcels can be seen in the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office. They passed also, a Resolution Transferring the Capital Funds Balance to Debt Service.

Ozuna said it will essentially not require as much from the taxpayers. The Supervisors then went into a Closed Session as allowed under the Code of Iowa, for the purpose of reviewing and discussing confidential records related to the election security assessment by CISA (the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), requiring confidentiality under state or federal law.

(Radio Iowa) – President Trump concluded his first week in office by firing 17 inspectors general from a long list of federal agencies last Friday night, which drew the attention of Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. It’s within the president’s power to take such action, but Grassley says Congress was supposed to have been given 30 days notice. Grassley says he wants to know why each of those inspectors was fired and why the notice wasn’t given, as required by law. Grassley says, “Yeah, I’m working on a bipartisan letter to the president trying to get an explanation.” Inspectors general are considered the government’s watchdogs, those who are to guard against waste, fraud and abuse. Grassley, a Republican, says he’s long championed the importance of transparency in government.

“IGs are not immune for removal, just that the president has to give Congress a 30-day notice and the rationale for removing people,” Grassley says, “and of course, they can be removed by the president, but the law must be followed.” Inspectors general were fired in federal departments including: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and several others.

“The whole idea behind the 30-day period of time is to make sure that we have continuity in the Inspector General’s Office,” Grassley says. “So the president has gotten rid of 17. He probably shouldn’t have done that without having a replacement.” During the first Trump administration, the president fired at least two inspectors general in 2020, prompting Grassley to hold up several of Trump’s nominees to various posts until the actions were explained. Grassley was asked if he’d be putting up similar roadblocks now, to uphold the system of checks and balances.

Grassley says, “Well, I think that I’m going to get this letter written and wait for a response before I take any further action.” Grassley could hold up several of Trump’s high-profile nominations this week, should he choose to do so. Grassley will chair a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing tomorrow (Wednesday) on the nomination of Pam Bondi as Attorney General, and later, the Senate Finance Committee considers Robert F. Kennedy Junior as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Also, the Judiciary Committee will vote on Kash Patel as F-B-I director on Thursday.

DES MOINES — Iowa 3^rd District Republican Representative Zach Nunn, Monday, introduced bipartisan legislation to require coordination between federal agencies and private companies to prevent ransomware attacks. The Public and Private Sector Ransomware Response Coordination Act, co-led by U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), will establish private-public partnerships to avert and recover from the rapid increase in ransomware attacks on U.S. financial institutions.

Nunn said when he worked on the White House’s National Security Council, he “Witnessed the fundamental need to prioritize cybersecurity. Bad actors continue to attack the United States’ critical infrastructure costing companies not only time and money but also leaving a bad taste in the mouth of consumers. “n order to address the evolving threat landscape, we must ensure critical infrastructure has the tools necessary to combat ransomware attacks and stay ahead of emerging threats.”

The United States has experienced a rapid increase in ransomware attacks because of the large financial payout and the relatively low risk and cost for the attacker. On average, a ransomware attack costs a company more than $5 million. From 2023 to 2024, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence noted that the frequency of global ransomware attacks increased by 67%. In 2023 alone, ransomware payments surpassed $1 billion. Preventing ransomware attacks requires a proactive, multi-layered approach to cybersecurity that combines technology, processes, and employee awareness.

Rep. Gottheimer said the “bipartisan legislation will bring government and industry experts together to develop a game plan that can reduce these attacks.”

In January of 2024, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) again emphasized the risks associated with evolving ransomware threats intended to disrupt critical infrastructure. CISA and the FBI urged public and private entities to implement cybersecurity defenses, conduct regular system backups, and enhance incident response plans.

The Public and Private Sector Ransomware Response Coordination Act will bolster national cybersecurity by improving threat detection, information sharing, response, and threat suppression of ransomware incidents. The bill will require the Secretary of the Treasury to submit a plan to Congress to improve U.S. response to ransomware attacks on financial institutions, including:

• Better coordination between the federal government and the private sector when responding to these attacks

• Faster response time to large-scale attacks

• Additional policy proposals to bolster public-private partnerships to combat ransomware

(Radio Iowa) – After a 12-year run as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack will be the next C-E-O of the World Food Prize Foundation. Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s tenure as leader of the Des Moines-based organization is set to end January 31st. Vilsack will take over on March 1st. Vilsack has said his interest in the agriculture sector was rooted in his work as a Mount Pleasant lawyer representing farmers during the Farm Crisis. “As a mayor, as a state senator, as a governor and as secretary I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in, to encourage and support programs that will advance opportunities for farmers, ranchers and producers,” Vilsack says, “because I remember the pain of the Farm Crisis of the ’80s.”

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack (photo from Ag Secretary’s office)

Vilsack turned 74 in December and, during an interview with Radio Iowa last month, Vilsack indicated he did not intend to retire. “My hope is I get a chance to figure out ways in which I can continue to make a contribution. I don’t think I’m ready for retirement and I don’t think I’d be very good at it,” Vilsack said. “…I hope that I’m able to continue focusing on ways in which I can showcase the work of American agriculture, that I can showcase opportunities to expand rural economies and the farm economy to give small and mid-sized producers a chance. I also have been working extraordinarily hard on nutrition and food security issues both domestically and globally.”

The World Food Prize Foundation announced Vilsack’s hiring early this (Tuesday) morning.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Fire Department report crews responded to a spreading grass fire Monday afternoon. The fire on 197^th Street near Tamage Hill, was reported at around 3:10-p.m. The CFD says because the flames were spreading, they called for mutual aid from the Afton and Murray Volunteer Fire Departments. Despite their efforts, the fire moved into a salvage yard, engulfing vehicles and threatening nearby structures.

Fire officials said on social media, “Conditions continue to be dry and windy. The CFD has responded to several grass fires in the last week, so please use extreme caution with outdoor burning.” (Photos from the Creston Fire Dept. Facebook page)

They suggested also:

• Keep fires away from anything that can burn, like buildings, shrubs, and tents.
• Never leave a fire unattended, and closely supervise children and pets.
• Have a way to put out the fire, like a bucket of water, fire extinguisher, or shovel.
• Check for fire weather watches and Red Flag Warnings. Avoid starting fires in windy conditions.

(Radio Iowa) – Fort Dodge police charged a woman on Monday with intentionally setting an occupied house on fire. Thirty-four-year-old Megan S. Freeman of Fort Dodge was arrested and charged with arson in the 1st and 3rd degrees and harassment in the first degree. Firefighters were called to a residence on North 12th Street Sunday afternoon where flames were coming from the second floor of the building. The residence was occupied with no injuries reported.

Upon further investigation into the cause of the fire, it appeared to be suspicious in nature. Authorities determined that the Sunday fire was set intentionally. Freeman is being held in the Webster County Jail on a $29,000 cash bond.

(Radio Iowa) – A new University of Iowa study aims to better understand the experience a woman has between when she’s diagnosed with breast cancer and when she starts treatment. Loreen Herwaldt, a U-I professor of internal medicine, says there’s almost no research on this period, and many times, it’s not a straightforward process from diagnosis to treatment.  Herwaldt says, “Oftentimes there are detours that, ‘Oh, you need an additional test,’ or ‘We’ve just discovered this,’ and that can be very anxiety-inducing.”

Herwaldt says the goal of the study is to help improve patients’ experience during the stressful time. Herwaldt says her pilot study found patients reported a lot of worry and confusion during the period between being diagnosed and surgery.

“Sometimes they didn’t understand why they were having specific appointments or tests,” she says, “for example, one woman said, ‘I had no idea why I was seeing a plastic surgeon.'” According to the Iowa Cancer Registry, about three-thousand Iowans were diagnosed with new cases of breast cancer last year.