An effort called “Operation Dry Water” begins today (Friday) as federal, state and local law officers look to prevent drunken boating. The Iowa D-N-R’s boating law administrator, Susan Stocker, says officers make their presence known on the state’s lakes and rivers in the operation that runs through Sunday. “Last year we were able to check approximately 11-hundred boaters and we contacted more than 354 vessels that were out there,” Stocker says.

Stocker says boating drunk can have severe consequences for you and your passengers. “More than 71 percent of our boating fatalities in 2014 involved alcohol. So we are stepping up the effort….in order to curb the intoxicated boater who wants to operate a boat,” Stocker says. Twelve people were arrested on the Mississippi River for operating a boat while under the influence, and Stocker says it once again a focus for Operation Dry Water.

“We will continually find that area with a lot of D-W-I arrests,” Stocker says, “and so we need to realize and put it into perspective, it runs the whole length of the state. So, we are talking all they way north-east from Allamakee County all the way to the south-east. So, that’s why we have a lot of D-W-I arrests on the Mississippi River.” The one dozen arrests for drunken boating on the Mississippi last year were part of 41 overall arrests. Eight people were arrested at Coralville Lake last year, five at Clear Lake, four on the Des Moines River and three at Saylorville Lake.

There is a simple step you should take to keep things safe. “Make sure that you do have a designated driver — just like if you were driving a car you would have a designated driver — to operate a boat. And or, wait until you are done for the afternoon to enjoy a beverage on the shore,” Stocker says. The blood alcohol level for boating while intoxicated was reduced in 2001 from point-one (.10) percent to point-zero-eight (.08) percent to make it the same level as driving a car while intoxicated.

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Denny Heflin

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WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa (AP) — Iowa farm equipment maker Kinze Manufacturing says it must lay off 215 workers as business has slowed because of the impact of low grain prices on farmer purchases. The privately held company based in the eastern Iowa near Williamsburg makes planters and grain carts.

The company released a statement that says it had earlier this year implemented a 30-hour work week in an effort to avoid permanent cuts, but current demand for its products does not support full staffing. Office and factory workers are affected. Remaining workers will return to a 40-hour work week.

Deere and Co., another major farm equipment maker laid off 910 workers in its Iowa factories and 500 in Illinois in January.

w/ Kate Olson

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The U-S-D-A’s latest report on the number of egg-laying hens is showing the impact of the outbreak of bird flu with the flock at its smallest level since 2004. Iowa is the nation’s largest egg producer and the U-S-D-A says total eggs produced in Iowa dropped 28 percent this May compared to last year. The U-S-D-A’s Gregg Thessen says that type of drop would have raised concern in any other year.

” If we wouldn’t have known that there was a disease outbreak, obviously it would have been pretty stunning. But it hasn’t been a secret that there’s been a disease outbreak. So we pretty much knew that it was coming,” Thessen says. What’s not known is how long the flu outbreak will persist, though new reported cases in Iowa have slowed dramatically in June.

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Host Bob Bebensee and Brian Smith, Conservation Officer for Cass and Adair Counties.

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A food drive benefitting the 4-H Food Stand at the Cass County Fair is underway in Atlantic. The Fair takes place July 23rd through the 28th. Liz Denney, Food Stand Coordinator, says that creates a fast need to get their grocery list put together. Denney says people have, in the past been very generous in their donations, and she hopes that continues this year, as well.

She says they’re working to generate a supply of groceries for the food stand, with local grocery stores and businesses setting-up receptacles and other ways to contribute. Fareway and Hy-Vee grocery stores in Atlantic are participating in the effort. Fareway has a cart placed in the store with a list of the items needed and people can purchase those items. Simply tie the bag shut and place them in the cart (to be picked up weekly). Hy Vee is “selling” Clovers and Blue Ribbons ($1 and $5 respectively)…which are then displayed in the store. Proceeds from the sales will go toward the purchase of items needed for the fair (by the Food Stand committee).

Drop-off boxes for food items are available at Rex Pharmacy, KJAN and Simply Hair.
Homemade goods are also welcome at the food stand. Such as a two-crust, fully-baked pie, brownies, cakes, fresh garden produce that is not cut-up, or any salad ingredients.

Gluten free dessert recipes are also welcome. And, financial donations to the 4-H Food Stand may dropped off the ISU Extension/Cass County Center, in Atlantic, or at Simply Hair. Volunteers are also an integral part of the Food Stand. She says they have about 450 volunteers who work in shifts. If you can donate time to work a few hours, let her know.

Call Liz Denney at 712-254-0561, if you can set aside some volunteer time. Food stand hours Thursday through Tuesday morning, July 23rd through the 27th, are 6:30-a.m. to 10-p.m. The final Tuesday of the Fair, which is Sale Day, the hours are from 6:30-a.m. until 10-a.m., with breakfast being served.

The daytime menu includes Windsor Chops, Lamb and Ham balls, Roast Beef, Chicken and Noodles and during their evening they’ll serve hot beef sandwich, with hot pork sandwiches being offered as an option, Friday and Saturday evening.

Montgomery County 4-H and Extension held “Outdoor Day Camp” for all area youth in grades 4-8 on Tuesday, June 9th at Viking Lake State Park from 9am – 3pm. With 10 excited youth signed up for the busy event, the day began with get to know you games. Youth were then divided into small group. One group focused on fishing; youth learned about their poles, how to bait, cast and even got to try out their fishing luck in the lake.

The second group was kayaking; youth learned about water safety, how to paddle,
and got to play around in the kayaks on the water. The third group focused on leaf identification; youth learned a few common Iowa trees, looked for their leaves, and identified other leaves they found around the park. Participants enjoyed a lunch grilled on site along. The warm afternoon consisted of several more small groups.

The first group learned about the environment and make wildflower seed bombs; the second group went on a nature scavenger hunt; the third group learned about solitary bees and created nests to put out to help the bees in our areas; and the last group was outdoor cooking where youth learned about cooking with a Dutch oven and cooked banana smores! Youth finished the day with some team building activities and some outdoor games.

If there is anything you would like to learn more about, see a presentation on, or attend a workshop for, Hallie Peck, with Montgomery County Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, says they are always open to ideas and would love to hear your interests!

Peck says a special “thank you” goes to Johnson Controls and their program, Blue Sky Involve, where they helped with funding the program, in addition to the volunteers who helped to make this day camp possible! For any other questions regarding 4-H contact Hallie at the Extension Office (712) 623-2592 or email hpeck@iastate.edu.

No injuries were reported to the drivers of two vehicles that struck cattle on the road in Union County, late Wednesday night. The Sheriff’s Office says at around 11:35-p.m., a 2002 Chevy pickup driven by 64-year old Dwight Ingram, of Winterset, hit a cow on N. Cherry Street (Union County Road P-33), causing $1,500 damage to the vehicle. The cow, owned by Richard Downing, of Creston, was valued at $3,000.

About 10-minutes later, a van driven by 21-year old Jonathan Zollman, of Bedford, was traveling on the same road at about the same location, when it struck three black angus cattle on the road. Damage to the 2002 Dodge Caravan was estimated at $3,500..or, a total loss. The cow and two calves were valued at $3,000.