(Glenwood, Iowa) – Two people were arrested on drug charges Monday, in Glenwood. According to the Glenwood Police Department, 31-year-old Cody Smith, and 38-year-old Courtney Vcelik, both of Glenwood, face charges that include: Gathering; Possession of a Controlled Substance; and Keeping a premises for controlled substance.

Smith was additionally charged with Possession of Marijuana. His total bond was set at $9,000. Vcelik was additionally charged with possession of a controlled substance 3rd offense and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her total bond was set at $12,300.

SPENCER, Iowa (KCAU) — A 15-year-old girl was arrested in Clay County after allegedly making threats against Okoboji High School.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said in a release that the FBI reached out to the sheriff’s office Monday about “some concerning messages” that were sent on Snapchat.The FBI said that Snapchat informed them that a 15-year-old juvenile who lives in Clay County made a threat to Okoboji High School in a Snapchat message to her friends.

The sheriff’s office investigated the incident and arrested the teen on charges of threat of terrorism, a class D felony. The teen was later released to her parents.

Authorities are still investigating the incident.

The FBI, Clay County Attorney’s Office, and Milford Police Department assisted the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest Iowa Business Council survey finds “a significant increase in optimism” about the economy among some of the state’s largest employers. The council represents 21 Iowa-based companies that employ over 160,000 people, with a combined payroll of over $10 billion.

“While we do represent big business, keep in mind all of our companies have engagements from a contract basis or a client basis or other sort of strategic partnerships with small and medium sized firms all across the state,” said Iowa Business Council president Joe Murphy, “so it does really give us a great sense of where the state is heading from an economic standpoint.”

The survey indicates over the next six months that vast majority of Iowa Business Council members will either hire more employees or don’t expect to make changes in their workforce, “meaning a lack of layoffs, which is obviously good thing,” Murphy said.

“We’ve had some seasonality adjustments in the labor force and some softening in the labor market with respect to ag manufacturing, but our members are very positive about future employment opportunities in this state and are constantly looking for people to hire up and down the spectrum of occupations.”

Iowa Business Council president Joe Murphy (IBC photo)

The survey found almost 70% of Iowa Business Council members plan to make capital investments in infrastructure or technology over the next six months that are higher than what was spent on physical assets in the last half of 2024, “which is a really important metric,” Murphy said. “This is about investment in Iowa, investment in Iowa communities and firms across the state and that really gives us a good sense of optimism and a good sense of momentum heading into 2025.”

Over 60% of Iowa Business Council members expect sales increases in 2025. Surveys of Iowa Business Council executives during the first, second and third quarter of 2024 reflected a general sense of uncertainty about the economy, but Murphy said that evaporated during the survey conducted in December. “We’ve got some very clear indication now at the federal level of where policymakers are going to go. We have a very clear understanding of where policymakers in Iowa want to go,” Murphy said. “And I think also from a national market perspective or business perspective, we’ve got some certainty around federal rate making and the markets in general.”

The Federal Reserve, for instance, has signaled it will cut interest rates a half a point in 2025.

The following companies are Iowa Business Council members: Alliant Energy; Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Casey’s General Stores, Inc.; Collins Aerospace; Corteva Agriscience; Deere & Company; Fareway; HNI Corporation; Hy-Vee, Inc., Iowa Bankers Association; Kent Corporation; MercyOne; MidAmerican Energy Company; Pella Corporation; Principal; Ruan Transportation Management Systems; The Weitz Company; UnityPoint Health; Vermeer Corporation; Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa; and Workiva.

(Radio Iowa) – Most Iowans know if you eat right and exercise, it’s good for your health, but researchers at the University of Iowa want to take that common knowledge to the next level. Lucas Carr, a professor in the U-I’s Department of Health and Human Physiology, says they’re studying the feasibility of testing all patients’ physical activity levels during every clinical care visit.

“We found that it’s a really simple process, only a couple of questions that we ask, and it takes less than 30 seconds to do it,” Carr says. “Secondly, we wanted to demonstrate the value of this information. Patients who were active had a reduced risk of up to 19 different diseases, which are all diseases that we know are related to physical activity.” The U-I study links regular physical activity to a significantly reduced risk of multiple chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes.

“People should take their physical activity seriously, and hopefully healthcare organizations are taking the time to ask patients about their activity,” Carr says, “and if patients are in need of some help, that they’re helping facilitate connecting them to resources.” He says one’s physical activity level should be gauged during visits to the doctor’s office like all other vital signs.

“They’re always going to measure your heart rate, they’re always going to measure your blood pressure and your temperature,” Carr says. “Physical activity sometimes gets asked, but it’s not consistent across most hospital systems, and so that’s what we want to do, is make sure that it is consistently asked of every patient at every visit.” Most of us are used to being given a prescription as a remedy for whatever ails us, and Carr suggests if the patient isn’t being physically active, that they be written an “exercise prescription.”

“There are free resources available on the American College of Sports Medicine’s website,” Carr says. “Basically all it is is a single document that a provider can fill out that helps a patient identify a few basic exercise goals, including how many days per week would they want to exercise, for how many minutes and at what intensity.” Most of the country’s hospitals do not quiz patients about their physical activity, and Carr says no hospital system in the Midwest is doing so, either.

“People undersell the value of physical activity. We want to make sure that people fully grasp how important it is to maintain an active lifestyle,” Carr says. “Our bodies were designed to move, and if healthcare providers can be a part of that conversation, that’s always a good thing.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Healthy Cass County invites all community members and stakeholders to its upcoming meeting, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 13th at 12 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Cass County Community Building, located at 805 W 10th St., Atlantic, IA.

The gathering is part of Healthy Cass County’s ongoing mission to promote health and wellness throughout the region. The January meeting will focus on critical topics aimed at addressing mental and physical health challenges in the community, as well as fostering collaboration among stakeholders.

Key Topics to be Discussed:

• Factors Influencing the System: Exploring ways to promote culturally appropriate mental and physical health services.
• Therapy in Schools: Addressing the integration of therapy services in schools, with a focus on accessibility, cost, and reducing stigma.
• Cost for Therapy: Examining financial barriers to accessing therapy and potential solutions.
• Stigma Surrounding Therapy in Different Cultures: Stigma and promote inclusivity in accessing mental health services.
  

  Healthy Cass County logo

Healthy Cass meetings are open to the public, and all are encouraged to attend. Whether you are a local resident, business owner, health professional, or community leader, your voice matters in shaping a healthier future for Cass County.

If you’re interested in learning more or signing up for updates, please reach out to Grace McAfee at mcage@casshealth.org or call 712-250-8170.

(Des Moines, Iowa/KCCI) — A lawsuit has been filed against the Des Moines Register for “misleading subscribers” with its final 2024 Iowa Poll that showed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris leading Republican nominee — and eventual election winner — Donald Trump among likely voters just days before the election. KCCI-TV reports the Center for American Rights, a Chicago-based nonprofit law firm, filed the suit in Polk County on behalf of a West Des Moines resident who “felt like the Register was disserving him and other readers when [the poll] ran and when its results were compared to the final outcome.”

In a news release, the center states it is seeking certification as a class action lawsuit on behalf of all Des Moines Register subscribers. The complaint filed in Polk County alleges there are approximately 40,000 Des Moines Register subscribers on Sundays, the day the results of the final poll were published. The poll showed Harris with a lead of 3 percentage points among likely Iowa voters. Trump won the state with 57% of the vote to Harris’ 43%.

The lawsuit alleges the Register “utterly failed to live up to” its mission statement of being a trustworthy news organization and says the Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer ignored red flags that should have indicated the results would be inaccurate. It cites a section of Iowa Code about consumer fraud.

President-elect Trump filed a similar lawsuit against the Register regarding consumer fraud last month.

(Menlo, Iowa/KCCI) – Authorities in Guthrie County confirm a 73-year-old woman died this (Tuesday) morning in a house fire. The blaze in Menlo was reported at around 9:35-a.m. Firefighters from Menlo and Stuart responded to the scene in the 400 block of 3rd Street. The woman’s name  has not yet been released. The fire remained under investigation.

(Clarinda, Iowa, 1/7/25) – Page County Attorney, Carl M. Sonksen, reports the following activities in the Iowa District Court for Page County for the week of December 23, 2024. The Honorable Richard H. Davidson, District Court Judge of the Fourth Judicial District presided. All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Steven James Baker, age 19, of Clarinda, Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Possession of Controlled Substance – Marijuana. Baker was ordered to pay a fine of $420, surcharges, court costs and court-appointed attorney fees.

Rae Ann Huntley, age 48, of Shenandoah, Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to 2 counts of Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug. Huntley was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with all but 48 hours suspended on each charge. She was placed on probation for 9 months and ordered to complete a substance abuse evaluation. Huntley was also ordered to pay a fine of $430 on each charge, court costs and court-appointed attorney fees.

Curtis Andrew Sokolowski, age 19, of Clarinda, Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Possession of Controlled Substance – Marijuana. He was ordered to pay a fine of $430, surcharges, court costs and court-appointed attorney fees.

(Radio Iowa) – At least half of the homes in Iowa have radon gas levels above the E-P-A’s action level according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Ben Huntley, the Environmental Health Specialist for Emmet County, says radon is a radioactive gas formed by the decay of uranium in the soil. “It’s invisible, tasteless and odorless. It works its way through the soil to the surface where it can permeate through gaps in the foundation or insulation of homes and then it becomes entrapped inside of them.” Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U-S.

“It’s the leading cause of cancer among non-smokers,” Huntley says, “which equates to over 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year due to radon exposure.” The rate of new cases of lung cancer IN IOWA is significantly higher than the national rate. According to the Iowa Cancer Registry, most counties in the United States have stable or declining rates of lung cancer, but in Greene, Clark, Appanoose, Van Buren, and Winnebago Counties in Iowa new lung cancer cases are still rising. “In Iowa here we are in what EPA calls ‘Zone 1’ for radon which has the highest potential to have a radon level of greater than 4p/CiL,” Huntley says. “p/Ci is a unit of measurement for radioactivity. The higher the number, the higher the radiation.” Huntley says if your home has high levels of radon, there are systems available to get the gas out.

“The primary one would be to use a vent pipe system and a fan,” Huntley says, “which would pull the radon from beneath the house and vent it out through the roof.” Starting this month — which is National Radon Action Month — the Iowa Department of Human Services and the American Lung Association are offering free radon test kits to Iowa residents while supplies last. Go to www.radioiowa.com to find a link to the American Lung Association’s website, which shows two types of test kits are available.