(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-N-R has captured its second gray fox and outfitted it with a tracking collar as part of its study to figure out why the animal’s numbers have fallen. Wildlife biologist Vince Evelsizer says the loss of the woodland habitat and competition for den sites with other wildlife may be one of the causes. There have been fewer than 10 confirmed gray fox sightings in Iowa. Wildlife research technician, Dave Hoffman, says the G-P-S collars paired with trail cameras, will give them a lot of data to help them learn a lot of things about the wolves that they’ve never studied before in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – Four northwest Iowa organizations are co-sponsoring a “Winter Women in Nature Day.” Amy Heibult of the Dickinson County Nature Center says the event is scheduled for Saturday, January 11th.

One of the morning sessions is about something that comes from North American maple trees.

In the afternoon, participants can choose from one of two outdoor activities.

Registration for the event closes next Wednesday, January 8th. It’s sponsored by the county conservation boards in Clay and Dickinson County, the Iowa Lakeside Lab and I-S-U Extension. According to the Outdoor Recreation Association, 55 percent of Americans over the age of four engaged in some outdoor activity last year — an all-time high.

(Radio Iowa) – State agencies will continue going over their administrative rules this year to comply with an executive order from the governor as part of the effort to streamline government. Iowa Department of Transportation spokesman Stuart Anderson says they have specific instructions.

He says they got through about half of the rules this year, and will start on the other half in this new year.

There have been hundreds of rules to go through and Anderson says they’ve broken down by the various divisions in the department.

He says some rule chapters are more generic and they may be handled with multiple divisions doing that review. And he says they have one point person shepherding this whole process to make sure all the analysis is done in a consistent manner. Anderson says the changes made can very quite a bit.

Anderson says administrative rules only implement what Iowa law already says, and the laws aren’t changing, so it’s just a matter of how they define those processes to implement the law. The process is similar for other agencies across the state government as they review hundreds of rules.

(Radio Iowa) – New Year’s Day is a time for reflection, resolutions and renewal, but for some Iowans, it’s just another blah, boring winter day to hole up inside, which could be a sign of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. Christie Harris, wellness education specialist at Gundersen Health System, says some of us will feel depressed, low on energy, having no interest in anything, with a worst-case scenario being thoughts of death or suicide. In many cases, Harris says it’s a relatively easy cure.

That light therapy involves sitting under a special, high-intensity lamp for a period of time daily. Studies find between 35- and 50-million Americans suffer from SAD, and those who were susceptible to it one winter are likely to see it return. Harris says if you think you may have SAD, there are several questions to ask yourself.

Another indicator could be difficulty concentrating, or a change in sleeping patterns, where you’re tired all the time and find it hard to get out of bed in the morning, or just the opposite, having a difficult time falling or staying asleep. If any of the symptoms sound familiar, Harris says to seek professional help.

Some people can overcome SAD by engaging in physical activity which can boost their mood and energy levels, while others may benefit from practices like yoga, meditation, tai chi (ty CHEE), and deep breathing exercises. Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.

(Radio Iowa) – There’s a push to designate a 25-mile freeway that curves around the east and southwest sides of the Des Moines metro as an interstate. Ryan Moon is director of public policy for the Greater Des Moines Partnership, which represents chambers of commerce in 11 counties.

The bypass is actually a combination of two state highways.

Consultants often grade sites based on how close the property is to an interstate. The lobbying effort to get the Des Moines Bypass designated as an interstate is called Future four-35 (435) — and it would be called Interstate 435 because it has an interchange with Interstate 35. It also has an interchange on the north, in Altoona, with Interstate 80. Moon says there is some agricultural traffic on the bypass and that has complicated the argument it should be an interstate. Advocates are asking the state legislature to spend 250-thousand dollars on a study that would suggest alternative routes for farm equipment, like tractors, and slower-moving semis carrying huge loads of grain. Getting the interstate designation requires action at the state AND federal level.

Motorists who drive on the bypass may notice signs that it has been called the Purple Heart Highway. It’s one of 10 highway segments around the country that are named in tribute to men and woman of the military who have been awarded the Purple Heart medal.

(Radio Iowa) – New Year’s Eve is one of the most dangerous nights of the year to be on the road due to the risk posed by impaired drivers, and Iowans are being reminded to make responsible choices.

Katie Jensen, a wellness education specialist at Gundersen Health System, says if you’re planning to celebrate and welcome 2025 tonight, be sure to make arrangements now in order to get home safely.

Katie Jensen (Gundersen photo)

“If you’ve been drinking at all, having a plan ahead of time, even before you would go out, making that plan and figuring out, ‘Okay, how am I going to get home? Am I going to maybe only have one or two beverages, because I know I’m going to be here for a while,’” Jensen says. “Maybe only have one or two when you first get there, and then switch to something non-alcoholic the rest of the evening.”

There are multiple options, ranging from designating a driver to using a taxi or ride-sharing service. If you’ll be driving, Jensen warns of imbibing in any substances that might impact your ability to drive, even cold medicine that might make you sleepy.

“Anything that’s going to impair your focus, your concentration, is going to be something that you want to completely eliminate out of your system — or out of your car — before even getting on the road,” Jensen says. “So that could be drugs, it could be alcohol, it could even be texting and driving. That is another form of impaired driving, really, because you are taking your attention off of the road and onto something else.”

A recent study found more than ten-thousand people are killed in the U.S. every year by an alcohol-impaired driver.

“Really, making that one choice could affect not only your own family, but other people’s families as well,” Jensen says, “especially if you’re going to get behind the wheel and you’ve been drinking, or you’ve been doing other substances that would impact your concentration and focus.”

December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. Gundersen properties include clinics in Fayette, Decorah, Waukon, Lansing, Postville and Calmar, and a hospital in West Union.

(Radio Iowa) – The number of Iowa kindergartners who have received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has dropped in recent years. According to the latest data from the health policy organization K-F-F — 93 percent of Iowa kindergartners got the M-M-R shot during the 2019-2020 school year — and that dropped to 89 percent for the Iowa children who entered kindergarten in the fall of 2022. Dr. Nathan Boonstra, pediatrician at Blank Children’s hospital in Des Moines, says someone who has measles is highly contagious.

Measles can lead to other health issues, like pneumonia.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends the first M-M-R shot for children who are between 12 and 15 months old and the second shot between the ages of four and six. There have been 284 cases of measles reported in the U-S this year, but none in Iowa. There have been cases of measles in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and South Dakota this year.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood have arrested a woman on child endangerment and drug charges. 31-year-old Tasha Bojack, of Glenwood, was arrested today (Tuesday), on three-counts of Child Endangerment, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Her bond was set at $7,300.

(Rockwell City, Iowa) – Officials with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office in northwest Iowa  and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, are investigating a shooting that took place this (Tuesday) morning in the town of Pomeroy. Authorities say preliminary reports indicate an altercation that took place in an apartment, escalated into an exchange of gunfire involving numerous individuals.

Two of the persons involved were hospitalized for gunshot wounds. A report on their conditions was not immediately available. No names were immediately released.

All persons believed to have been involved in the incident have been identified and are accounted for. Authorities say the investigation continues, but no other persons are being sought at this time.

The shooting remains an active investigation. Law enforcement believes the incident was isolated and that there is no ongoing threat to the public.

The Calhoun County Attorney’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, along with the Manson and Fort Dodge Police Departments are assisting the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office and DCI in its investigation.