(Radio Iowa) – Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz is scheduled to appear at a town hall event in Des Moines at 3 o’clock this (Friday) afternoon. Walz posted on social media: “If your Republican representative won’t meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will.” Second District Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says she’s not ducking the G-O-P agenda — or her Iowa constituents.

“I spent all day out in the district yesterday, and I have a record of doing town halls,” Hinson says. “I have already been public that I’m scheduling those right now, and anyone who wants to come to my future town hall meetings that I will be doing can do so by subscribing to our newsletter.” Reports say the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee warned vulnerable Republicans not to hold in-person town hall events after several viral instances where they were scolded by the members of the public. Hinson suggests she has nothing from which to hide.

“I gotta’ say I love that Tim Walz is leaving his budget deficit in Minnesota to come to Iowa to learn how we balance budgets here, because I think he’s taken Minnesota in the wrong direction,” Hinson says. “I’m certainly glad he’s not the vice president, and I’m glad to see that we are actually starting to move this country in the right direction.” Leaders of the Iowa Democratic Party are quoted as saying the Walz event in Iowa is sold out.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court says the Des Moines Police Department must turn over information on the use of force by officers. Harvey Harrison, the founder of the non-profit group Just Voices filed an open records request for the Des Moines Department’s 2020 use of force reports. Harrison said the group was trying to evaluate how the department overall uses physical and deadly force against residents, and their response to the George Floyd protests.

The City of Des Moines argued the reports are personnel records and exempt from the open records law. The Supreme Court ruled the deadly force reports detail the facts of what happened and are not evaluations of employees, and should be released.

(Radio Iowa) – The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors is working to assess the cost of the Mount Valley Township fire last spring and summer. The fire was fueled by peat, an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation in wetlands. It’s highly flammable and can burn underground and produce a lot of heat. Farm owner Mark Eaton conducted a burn on his land that led to nearby peat catching fire. Special chemicals were used to extinguish the fire and the price was well into six figures. Eaton and his wife told the board this week they were left out of the decision-making progress.

“Well, it’s kind of disappointing that you can just spend money and not even talk to talk to us,” she says, while he followed with: “You didn’t talk to us. We tried to talk. I asked in the meeting with 19 people there, ‘Is this gonna work, with the water?’ ‘Well, we don’t know.’ In the meantime, you’re spending $160,000 of my money pretty easy.” Supervisors Susan Smith and Bill Jensvold tried put some perspective on the situation, saying firefighters did their best to contain the fire as it spread.

“It was pretty tense for everybody. We were really nervous about people’s property, as you know, everyone was concerned,” Smith says. Jensvold adds, “There was a concern of gawkers being there. Technically you guys are landowners so technically you’re not, so whether they thought you were just someone that was there, being in a way, being a liability.”

After numerous attempts, the fire was finally extinguished by the Forest City Fire Department using Peat Fire X which penetrates deep into peat and muck. County officials say Eaton will have to pay for the chemicals used in fighting the fire.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with SWIPCO (the Southwest Iowa Planning Council), say that as part of the continued efforts to update the city’s comprehensive plan, the City of Atlantic will be holding small round table discussions on Monday, March 24^th from 5:30-to 7:30-p.m., at the Venue in Atlantic. The meeting will cover the topics of housing, infrastructure, recreation, and economic development.

Attendees will be split out into table groups based on the different topics to talk more in depth on the subject. If you have an interest in one of these topics, please consider joining the discussion to make your voice heard on issues and opportunities on that topic.

(Creston, Iowa) – Two people were arrested on separate charges in Creston. Wednesday night, 61-year-old Troy Eugene McKinney, of Creston, was arrested on a warrant for OWI/2nd offense. McKinney later posted bond and was released. And, Thursday night, 46-year-old Carrie Nawacy Pendegraft, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While License Suspended or Revoked. She was also later released on bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The driver of a car suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries during an accident Thursday afternoon, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, vehicles driven by 18-year-old Tyler Schofield, of Red Oak, and 19-year-old Kaytelynne Hagymasi, of Emerson, collided at around 1:50-p.m., at the intersection of 1st and Hammond Streets. The accident happened at Schofield was traveling south on N. 1st Street in a 2021 Dodge RAM pickup, and Hagymasi was traveling west on E. Hammond Street in a 2018 Ford Focus.

Authorities say Schofield failed to yield at the Yield sign, while attempting to cross the intersection, resulting in the collision. Hagymasi suffered minor injuries but was not transported to the hospital. Her car was totaled in the crash. Damage to the pickup was estimated at $4,000. Schofield was cited for Failure to obey a Yield Sign, and for having no valid driver’s license.

(Radio Iowa) – The Sioux City Public Schools Foundation is inviting the Class of 2020 to finally celebrate an event they never got to experience because of the COVID pandemic. Foundation Development Director Karen Harrison says they plan to hold a prom for the class with the theme of “Rewrite the Night.”

“No one may have been more affected than the class of 2020, who were gearing up for an important milestone such as their prom and their graduation, but their prom was canceled entirely,” Harrison says. “Students put away their unworn dresses and their tuxes they would never experience the fun of having a prom.” The students who were teens in 2020 are now over 21 and allows the prom to be held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino with a cash bar. “The event will give our 2020 grads a chance to rewrite the prom they never had complete with a live band Decoy, dancing, a photo booth, and, more importantly, lifetime memories with friends,” she says.

Foundation president John Soos says he hopes the alumni of East, North and West High Schools Classes of 2020 will turn out for the event. “What a great venue, what a great night plan for these kids, what a great way for us to reach out to our alumni and engage them with the district and with the foundation,” he says. He says alumni can attend solo, or bring a date to the event on June 28th.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s been on a weather rollercoaster for weeks and with colds, the flu, COVID-19 and R-S-V still rampant, Iowans are reminded to take care with the meds they swallow for stuffy noses, coughs and sneezes. Dr. Wendy Mobley-Buckstein, a pharmacy professor at Drake University, says if you’re taking over-the-counter cold or flu drugs, take heed if you’re also popping acetaminophen. “If you’re taking both of those things, then you’re increasing your risk of liver damage which is the penultimate of things that can happen,” Mobley-Bukstein says. “The biggest thing that we want to avoid is making sure the people are not exceeding that 4,000 milligram daily dose of acetaminophen.”

Mobley-Bukstein is a spokeswoman for the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition. More than 600 pain relievers and multi-symptom cold and flu medicines contain acetaminophen. She says it’s safe and effective when used as directed, but there’s a limit to how much you can take in one day, so reading labels is important. “It’s a very safe drug,” she says. “The biggest thing is making sure with the flu, with COVID still running around, people are really reaching for things, just making sure when you’re reaching for acetaminophen that they’re also looking to make sure that they’re not overdoing it.” Some studies show children get seven to ten colds per year, and meds that bring relief for a parent may not be appropriate for a third-grader.

Mobley-Bukstein says it’s a safe move to take only one medicine at a time that contains acetaminophen. “When you buy an over-the-counter product, on the back of the package now it’s going to say ‘active ingredients’ and then looking to see what is the active ingredient,” Mobley-Bukstein says. “It’s going to tell you how many milligrams are contained in there. Also, knowing what dose you should take, infants versus kiddos versus adults.”

Research shows the odds of taking more than the FDA-recommended maximum dose of acetaminophen in one day increases 24-percent during cold and flu season. The coalition’s website is Knowyourdose.org, a clearinghouse of information designed to educate consumers about the safe use of acetaminophen.