(Radio Iowa) – Missouri and Big Sioux River paddlefish license and tags are now on sale now through January 7th. Southwest Iowa D-N-R fisheries biologist John Lorenzen says most people come away happy.”I don’t have the exact numbers in front of me, but it is fairly successful, especially you know in the Missouri River, there’s going to be pockets of deeper water where people are going to find these fish,” he says. “They’re not going to be evenly distributed across the whole river.”

There’s going to be pockets of deeper water where the fish are going to congregate. “With modern electronics, you know, it’s going to be easier for people to find fish nowadays than what it was in the past. And so it there’s certainly catchable. It’s not like a, you know, a golden ticket that you’re going to buy, and probably, you know, not cash in on it. If you buy a tag, you do have a really good chance of catching one,” he says.

He says you should seek out someone who has go after paddlefish before. “Like anything in the outdoors, people with more experience are typically the more, you know, successful ones. So if you’re new to it and you want to give it a try. If you head out with somebody who’s already done it in the past, has all the right equipment, you’re probably going to be more successful than just going out on your own for the first time,” Lorenzen says.

The license sales run through January 7th and if there are leftover licenses, you will get a chance to buy another one.

(Radio Iowa) – It’s a happy holiday for many Iowans, but some of us are alone and feeling there’s little to be joyful about. New studies are finding people who are lonely and obese may be at risk for larger problems with their physical and mental health. Jennifer Linse, an advanced practice social worker, says cases of loneliness often escalate in Iowa during the wintertime as more of us become socially isolated by the cold weather.

“If people are wanting to talk about loneliness or explore their feelings or experience with loneliness, I would certainly encourage them to connect with a counselor to talk about that,” Linse says. “Also, through counseling, we can help people get connected to resources or find some social supports that they’re already involved in to help with that feeling of loneliness.” Even when we’re surrounded by other people, Linse says it’s easy to be overcome by loneliness, as we crave that contact.

“From the minute you’re born, you’re born to connect with other people,” Linse says. “Really, that’s our human experience, to be connected with others around us. We are social beings, so that’s really the essence of why this is so important — it’s that human connection.” People who are overweight may face discrimination which can leave them with an emotional scar, something Linse says can be difficult to overcome.

“There’s this idea in our society of what the ideal person is, the way we look, the way we speak, and that includes our body image,” Linse says. “So in our society, we hear people talk and experience something that we may call fat-shaming, and that can make people feel very lonely.” We don’t often hear health care professionals recommend Facebook as a solution to anything, but in this case, Linse says it might provide some benefit.

“Typically when we think about social media, we find it to be a very isolating experience because we’re looking at it very surface level,” Linse says, “but there are groups and activities happening online that can connect you with others. For some people, it’s just sort of dipping your toe into being with others in your community.” Instead of reading a book at home, for example, she suggests taking the book to a library or coffee shop where you might interact with others.

Linse is an employee assistance program consultant at Emplify Health by Gundersen, which has clinics in Fayette, Decorah, Waukon, Lansing, Postville and Calmar, and a hospital in West Union.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham says in today’s economy — and with a limited pool of workers as Iowa’s population ages — state incentives for manufacturers are being focused on the quality of jobs that would be created rather than on the number of jobs.

“What we’re really interested in…is automation,” Durham said, “because if we’re going to increase productivity, if we’re going to make ourselves continue to be relevant, when we know that we have this very shrunken pipeline coming in from talent, we have to do things differently.” Automation is having a big impact in the pharmaceutical industry, for example, and Durham says she’s visiting companies in places like India that are making prescription and over-the-counter medications.

“I know the tariff stuff has been challenging on one hand, but I will tell you as the Trump Administration is resetting the table on our on trade agreements it is having an impact because they all know that if they want to do business in the United States they need to have a presence in the United States,” Durham said. ” and when you think about it during COVID when you couldn’t get amoxicillin for your grandkids because we don’t manufacture that here any more and we have outsourced it to countries that are not our friend, we need reclaim all of that.”

Durham says automation not only increases productivity and improves work flow, it improves safety in industries like food production. “You can see that a lot of the stuff that’s being automated are those things where they tend to have more worker comp claims because it’s highly repetitive,” Durham said, “or basically injury prone.” Durham says manufacturing plants will still need people, but will have more limited staff and the state is preparing for a future dominated by artificial intelligence and automation.

Durham made her comments at the Iowa Taxpayers Association annual symposium.

(Northeast Monona County, IA) –  A collision between a pickup truck and an SUV, Christmas night east of Mapleton, resulted in the death of the female driver of the SUV. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at around 7:40-p.m. on 130th Street, east of Walnut Avenue, east of Mapleton.

The Patrol says a 2013 Ford Escape SUV driven by 75-year-old Rosemary Barber, of Mapleton, was turning around on 130th Street to proceed back westbound, when the vehicle was struck on the driver’s side, by a 2018 GMC Sierra pickup. Authorities say there was fog and limited visibility at the time of the collision.

Rosemary Barber- who was wearing her seat belt –  died from her injuries after being transported to Burgess/Onawa Hospital by Mapleton Fire and Rescue. The driver of the pickup, 31-year-old Cody Clausen, of Schleswig, and his passenger, were not injured in the crash.

The Monona and Crawford County Sheriff’s Departments assisted at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – With the Christmas shopping done for this year, Iowa’s State Treasurer says it’s time to think of a more long-term gift for your kids. Treasurer Roby Smith says the latest toy or hot game may soon loose its luster. “Sometimes those gifts, you know, toys get put away in January,” he says. He says you should think about starting or contributing to a college fund for your kids or grandkids. Smith oversees the state I-Save 529 plan that allows you to save money for educational expenses. “This is a way to help pay for college trade, school apprenticeships or other qualified education expenses down the road. So it’s a gift that you’re giving for the future and to make your loved one better opportunities in the future. So we encourage people to do that,” Smith says.

Smith says friends and family can also make a gift to your child’s education account. “Let’s imagine you have an account for your child so you have access to the app so you download the app and then you would receive a you gift code and then you could text or e-mail it to a family member that wanted to give the gift,” he says. “Once they receive that code then they just log in to a secure website and they make the gift. On the website and it goes straight into the I Save 529 account of your child.” Smith says there are several options for how the account invests the money. “They can choose to go with a more aggressive account, they could go with an aggressive return, they could go with a more conservative return. It just depends on what they want to look at as far as their risk tolerance,” Smith says.

Smith says you can deduct contributions to the I-Save 529 plan from your state income taxes. You can find out more about the plan at: ISave529.com.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans will be sitting down to fabulous family feasts this holiday weekend. The amount and types of foods you eat can have a big impact on how you feel. Jade Williams, a nurse practitioner at Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City, says it can be a challenge -not- to overeat when you’re surrounded by loved ones and a wealth of culinary choices.

Williams says eating tends to be socially encouraged and if everyone else is noshing, you may find yourself having an extra helping, too.

The holidays can bring a combination of stress, celebration and nostalgia. When those things mix, Williams says it can create a “reward stacking” effect, making treats seem all the more irresistible, and too much of a good thing can upset one’s gut.

Try drinking a full glass of water before the meal, and make an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables, in addition to the holiday specialties.

(Radio Iowa) – The head of an organization that stocks food pantries in 55 Iowa counties says along with a surge in food pantry usage, her organization’s food budget has soared. Tami Nielsen started as a regional coordinator for the Food Bank of Iowa in 2016 and has been its President and C-E-O since June 1st.

Nielsen says Iowans can make about anything with a pound of ground beef, but the Food Bank of Iowa has changed its bulk buying due to the high price of beef.

The Food Bank of Iowa is one of six Feeding America food banks in the state — and the largest. It’s the main supplier for 700 food pantries in the state.

Nielsen made her comments during a recent appearance on the “Iowa Press” program on Iowa P-B-S.

(Radio Iowa) – Researchers discovered high concentrations of the H-5-N-1 virus in the raw milk and udders of infected cows after it spilled over into dairy cattle last year. A study shows the mammary glands of other animals, and humans, could be suitable hosts for the bird flu virus. Iowa State University veterinary pathology professor Todd Bell was part of the research team that discovered the “lock-and-key” mechanism allowing the virus to infect cells in cow udders.

Rahul Nelli (RAH-ool mel-EE) is lead author of the study that found the same receptors in the mammary glands of humans as there are in animals.

Bell says their findings show a potential health risk for farm workers and consumers of raw milk and cheese from goats and sheep.

Bell says more research and widespread testing are needed to understand how the virus spreads across species and through the environment. This could help prevent bird flu from evolving into something more dangerous for people.

(Radio Iowa) – The plane carrying the remains of two Iowa National Guard soldiers killed in Syria on December 13th landed early Wednesday afternoon at the Des Moines Airport. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

Howard’s funeral will be held Saturday morning at Marshalltown High School. Torres-Tovar’s funeral will be Monday. The time and location have not been announced. The Iowa National Guard has posthumously promoted both men to the rank of staff sergeant.