ANTHON, Iowa (AP) – A Woodbury County family plans to build an arena and center for rodeos and other events. The Sioux City Journal reports the multilevel structure would include a horse arena, bleachers, stalls, chutes, a tack room, an office, concession area, a kitchen and storage areas. The plans submitted to Woodbury County planners also say there would be nine apartments on the upper level.

The center planned by Patrick DeRocher and Cynthia DeRocher-Anderson would sit about 2 1/2 miles north of Anthon. Anthon Mayor Allan Pithan says the center could provide a boost to the town by bringing more people to the area. Elsewhere in Woodbury County, a $16 million Ag Expo & Learning Center is planned at the Sioux City site of a former John Morrell plant.

Iowa ranks 50th in a new study that ranks the states based on the projected rise in the percentage of Alzheimer’s disease cases that’ll be diagnosed in the next several years. Carol Sipfle, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Iowa Chapter, says the report is a little misleading, as Iowa’s population is already much older than many other states. “Relative to other states, we have a higher rate of Alzheimer’s disease in this population,” Sipfle says. “So, as we look toward the future, we’re not going to see a dramatic increase because we’re already at a higher level, relatively speaking, compared to other states.”

While some states may see a rise of 40 and even 50-percent, Iowa’s only projected to see a 14-percent increase in Alzheimer’s cases through 2025, according to the rankings from 24-7 Wall Street. While she doubts it’ll be a selling point for tourism or getting people to move here, Iowa’s ranking is the lowest among the 50 states. “It puts us in a good situation,” Sipfle says. “We’re tackling Alzheimer’s disease as much as we can because of our high percentage of people age 65 and older. We’re working to spread the word about resources that’re available.”

While there’s no sure-fire way to prevent the memory-stealing disease, Sipfle say several things are proven to help slow its progression. They’re all focused on a person’s physical and mental health. “Anything you might do to keep your heart healthy, exercise and watch your blood pressure and cholesterol, eat heart-healthy foods, all of those things are good for your brain,” Sipfle says. “We also advise them to stay mentally-active by learning new things and doing things like crossword puzzles and Sudoku and learning new skills and taking on new hobbies.”

In addition, she says it’s also important to stay socially-engaged. About 64-thousand Iowans are now living with Alzheimer’s. A 14-percent increase would take us to 73-thousand cases by 2025. The state with the highest projected increase in cases is Alaska with an expected rise of nearly 55-percent over the next eight years. Arizona, Nevada, Vermont and Utah round out the top five with projected increases of at least 40-percent each. Joining Iowa at the bottom of the list are: North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and New York, all in the teens.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Spencer councilwoman wants to run against U.S. Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s 4th District. Leann Jacobsen announced her intention Thursday to join the Democratic race. Former baseball player J.D. Scholten announced his candidacy in last month.

Jacobsen says in a news release that she wants to help turn around things in the northwest Iowa district, where she says “the qualities that have made living there so attractive – great schools, good jobs, bright futures – are beginning to slip away.”

She says her priorities if elected would be to create jobs and improve rural communities so young people are more inclined to stay rather than seek opportunities elsewhere. Jacobsen co-owns three Spencer businesses.

The Republican King was first elected to Congress in 2002.