(Lewis, IA) – Officials with the Cass County Conservation Department said Thursday, the Cass County Conservation Board is holding a Cabin Fever Escape program on January 24th. The program/open house will be held at the Outdoor Educational Classroom outside Massena, from 1-until 4-p.m.  There is no charge to attend, and all ages are welcome!

Cure your cabin fever by spending some time outside with family friendly FUN! Bring your mugs, sleds, dress for the weather, snowshoes, and cross country skis will be available! If you get cold, warm and tasty drinks and a movie will be playing inside our lodge! There will be no snow activities planned- birding hikes, as well!

Full Moon Snowshoe Night Hike

The Cass County Conservation Board is holding Full Moon Snowshoe Night Hike. The Full Moon Snowshoe Night Hike will be held at the Outdoor Educational Classroom outside of Massena, on January 31st beginning at 7-p.m. Come out for a great night hike, try to call in various species of Owls that may be in the park that night! Snowshoes (variety of sizes) will be available. If the sky is clear, a full moon will light the way for hikers. The event is FREE, but be sure and dress for the weather!

The event be a night hike with “NO SNOWSHOES- if there is NO Snow!”

Find the Outdoor Education Classroom by taking Highway 148 south of Massena, turn Left on Tucson Road, follow it East for about two miles, and then a right hand turn into the parking lot.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says the federal funding she’s designating for cancer screening tests and treatment will be quickly distributed. “If we’re good at what we do and we can demonstrate that we did get the money out the door, that these are stood up and we’re actually providing these services we have a chance to get additional money next year,” Reynolds said. Two weeks ago Iowa was awarded more than 200 MILLION dollars in federal funding to expand rural health care options.

Governor Reynolds announced during her Condition of the State message on Tuesday that 50 MILLION dollars of it will be designed for cancer-related care. “We have 250 proposals that they’re going through right now,” Reynolds said. “We will be able to start awarding contracts the end of this month. I was on a phone call with Dr. Oz just this week and he thought it was just amazing that we’d be able to turn it around this quickly.”

Dr. Oz is director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency that awarded the 209 MILLION dollar grant. Reynolds says her staff began developing grant application guidelines when the state submitted its original request for the federal funding months ago. Part of the 50 MILLION Reynolds has reserved to expand access to cancer screening and treatment will go toward equipping hospitals that are regional hubs for cancer patients.

“All the things that we can put together so that they can provide care for Iowans in rural Iowa,” Reynolds said, “so they’re not having to drive miles to get the treatment that they require.” Iowa has the second highest rate of new cancer cases in the U.S. and the only state where the cancer rate is rising. “I really hope that we can start to change the narrative by screening, prevention, treatment,” Reynolds said, “and then really making sure everybody has access to all of those regardless of income, insurance or zip code.”

Reynolds made her comments during an interview with Radio Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – A southeast Iowa medical clinic will be closing its doors next month. MercyOne says it will stop seeing patients at its Ottumwa facility on February 27th. In a letter to patients, MercyOne says it will inform them of a medical record transfer to its clinic in Centerville or another facility of the patients’ choice. MercyOne says it must “strengthen its ministry by expanding access where possible and consolidate or relocate services where barriers exist.”

In a Facebook post, a MercyOne healthcare provider said the news was a shock to staff as they were informed just hours before the public. MercyOne’s Ottumwa location is a 33,000 square-foot facility that opened in 2017.

ATLANTIC, IA – Cass Health Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Matt Weresh, a distinguished physician with more than 30 years of service in Iowa, announced his retirement effective May 2026. Dr. Weresh will complete his final orthopedic surgeries at Cass Health during the first week of April.

Dr. Weresh relocated his practice to Cass Health in 2017 and has since provided expert care in a wide range of procedures, from complex hip and knee joint replacements to general surgeries. He was a pioneer in the region—the first orthopedic surgeon to serve central Iowa with specialty training in trauma and fracture care, areas which remained primary interests throughout his career. His impactful work has been published in several national articles and presented at numerous conferences in the fields of hip, knee, and general trauma/fracture care.

Dr. Matt Weresh (CCHS submitted photo)

“Dr. Weresh’s impact on orthopedic care in this region cannot be overstated,” said Brett Altman, Chief Executive Officer at Cass Health. “His expertise, particularly in trauma and joint replacement, has served our community exceptionally well. While we will deeply miss his contributions and dedication, we are well-prepared for this transition and excited to announce a significant expansion of our orthopedic capabilities to meet the growing needs of our patients. Thanks to Dr. Weresh pioneering the way, Cass Health will be offering our most robust orthopedic care with six 5-star professionals much like Dr. Weresh.”

Cass Health has been proactively planning for Dr. Weresh’s retirement and is expanding its orthopedic team to offer more comprehensive services. This strategic expansion ensures continuity of high-quality care and introduces new specialized expertise.

Currently, the orthopedic team includes Dr. Dan Hatz, Dr. Caliste Hsu, and Zachary Hollingsworth, PA-C. Dr. Hatz provides comprehensive orthopedic care including hip, knee, and shoulders. Dr. Hsu specializes exclusively in hand and microvascular procedures including carpal tunnel release, arthritis management, and traumatic injury repairs. Hollingsworth is a dedicated physician assistant to the orthopedic team, specializing in surgical and inpatient follow-up care, assisting in orthopedic and general surgeries, and coordinating comprehensive patient evaluation and clinical orders.

Cass Health also recently partnered with MD West ONE, the region’s largest private practice for orthopedics, neurosurgery, and spine care. Four physicians from MD West ONE will begin practicing at Cass Health in February 2026:

• Dr. Todd Sekundiak, Dr. Kimberly Turman, Dr. Charles Rosipal, and Dr. Jordan Lacy.
• Dr. Todd Sekundiak is a nationally recognized leader in joint replacement, who specializes in minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgeries, including the innovative “Jiffy Knee” procedure.
• Dr. Kimberly Turman is an expert in arthroscopy and reconstructive surgery of the knee, shoulder, and hip, and has a particular passion for sports medicine.
• Dr. Charles Rosipal has advanced fellowship training in shoulder instability and rotator cuff repair.

Additionally, Neurosurgeon Dr. Jordan Lacy will return to Cass Health. Specializing in complex spine conditions, Dr. Lacy provides expert diagnostics and surgical procedures for back and neck health. “This next chapter of orthopedic care at Cass Health is really exciting for us and our patients. We are deeply grateful for Dr. Weresh’s service here, and we look forward to working with a team that continues his legacy of excellence,” said Altman.

(Red Oak, IA) – Police in Red Oak, today (Thursday) arrested a man on an active Montgomery County warrant. 65-year-old Terry Joe Halvin, of Red Oak, was taken into custody in the 100 block of W. Coolbaugh St. at around 12:30-p.m. on the warrant for Probation Violation.

Halvin was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

(Ames, IA) – A man who authorities say failed to use a crosswalk, was struck by an SUV early this (Thursday) morning, in Ames. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 47-year-old Joshua Benjamin Kutcher, of Ames, was struck at around 4:14-a.m. by a 2020 Buick Enclave when he entered the traveled lanes in the 400 block of Duff Avenue. The SUV was traveling northbound when the collision occurred.

Kutcher was transported by ambulance to Des Moines Mercy Hospital. The accident remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – A particularly nasty flu season is peaking in Iowa and several hospitals in the state report admissions spikes and flooded emergency rooms. One Des Moines hospital even postponed all elective surgeries that require overnight stays. Brian Simmons, infection preventionist at Emplify Health by Gundersen, is urging Iowans to learn how to identify the key symptoms of the flu versus a cold so they’re not unnecessarily contributing to overcrowded E-Rs.

“The main difference when you’re looking at — do I have influenza, do I have the common cold — is going to be that fever, having a high fever or the chills or body aches,” Simmons says. “Usually if you have those body aches and a fever along with a sore throat, cough, runny nose, that seems to be more of having the influenza.” If there’s just a sore throat, runny nose and sneezing, it’s likely just a cold. While some areas are seeing a rise in cases of R-S-V and COVID-19, Simmons says colds and the flu seem to be the worst, at the moment.

“The best thing really to do if you get either one is stay home and rest,” Simmons says. “Stay hydrated, drink plenty of fluids, just lay low for a little bit and rest your body, let your body’s immune system take over and fight those illnesses.” The four UnityPoint hospitals in the Des Moines metro area report a tenfold increase in the number of patients testing positive for the flu in recent weeks, with several hundred cases confirmed since late December.

A C-D-C report says about 300-thousand Iowans get the flu every year and, along with complications from pneumonia, it kills about one-thousand of them each year.

Emplify Health by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.

(Radio Iowa) – Federal health officials say an untold number of Iowans have gotten sick after using a weight loss powder that’s now subject of a nationwide recall. Reports say at least 45 people have come down with salmonella food poisoning in Iowa and 20 other states. The Associated Press says at least a dozen had to be hospitalized, but there were no deaths reported, and there’s no break-down by state.

The A-P story says the F-D-A and C-D-C attribute the poisonings to the Super Greens brand of diet supplement powder. Superfoods Inc., which makes Live it Up-brand Super Greens powder, is recalling some of its products. That includes the original and wild berry flavors with expiration dates of August 2026 to January 2028.

Related illnesses are reported in 21 states: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.