Poultry producers in Iowa are again on-guard for avian influenza after a wild duck in Montana was recently diagnosed with the illness. Iowa had more losses than any other state after a bird flu outbreak in 2015. The U-S-D-A’s chief veterinarian, Dr. Jack Shere, says producers statewide need to be watchful for any problems in their flocks.

Dr. Shere says, “The fact that this strain is being maintained in the wild bird population, maybe not at a high level, but that it’s out there, tells us and tells our poultry producers you better be vigilant, you better be on your biosecurity, you better be looking out for this and you’d better be watching your birds very carefully for any signs of sickness.”

Shere says ramping up biosecurity is one answer but that’s hard to do after an outbreak is already underway.  “Many times in these outbreaks, you’re behind the eight ball when you find it and you’re chasing and tracing behind where infection has already occured,” Shere says. “The best thing you can do is cordon it off and try to depopulate the animals quickly, which is what we found out in 2015.”

A large bird flu outbreak was reported recently in South Korea and 30-million birds were destroyed, boosting demand for the export of eggs from Iowa producers. It’s believed the disease is spread by migrating wild waterfowl like geese and ducks. Given the latest case in Montana, Shere says the U-S-D-A is continuing to monitor for the virus.

“Most of the samples that we take are hunter harvest survey testing,” he says. “We have a blanketed plan that blankets the high poultry producing states in the United States with samples, a certain number per state and we use that plan to test. We do also test if there’s a large bird die-off.”

During the 2015 bird flu outbreak, cases were confirmed at 77 Iowa poultry operations in 18 counties. It resulted in the destruction of more than 31-million birds and an economic loss to the state of one-point-two billion dollars.

(Radio Iowa)

A new Police Officer and City Clerk will officially be sworn-in Wednesday evening, during a regular meeting of the Atlantic City Council, which begins at 5:30. First up on the agenda (After approval of the agenda and related items), is Mayor Dave Jones, who will administer the Oath of Office to Police Officer Brock Thompson, who hails from the Cedar Rapids area and comes from a background of military service. Thompson, his wife Hilary and young daughter Natalie, will be settling in Atlantic. He’s one of two new Officers to join the City since the beginning of the new year. Officer Cameron Ward, from Griswold, was sworn-in early last month. Both men were hired as a result of openings created on the Atlantic Police force, with the promotions of two officers, and of Lt. Dave Erickson to Chief of Police.

The Mayor will also administer the Oath of Office to City Clerk Barb Barrick, who succeeds Deb Wheatley-Field. Deb retired after more than 35-years with the City. Her last official day was on Friday.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on closing certain streets for the May 20th Ba-da-Ba-da Bing Bang Military vehicle rally and cruise, that has been well attended since its inception two-years ago. The road closures are similar to those which took place last year along the route, which begins and concludes at the Armory (2nd & Poplar) and will result in temporary Atlantic Police Department traffic control efforts at several intersections along the way. The vehicles and their drivers will get a 30 minute break at 3-p.m. that day in the Wal-Mart parking lot, before returning to the Armory.

The Atlantic City Council will also hold a Public Hearing on a proposal to enter into a General Obligation Equipment Acquisition Loan Agreement and borrowing of money not to exceed $360,000. The funds will be used to purchase two major pieces of equipment for the Street Department (a new boom truck for $180k, and a new loader for $179k). The five-year contract, if approved, would be with TS Bank at an annual interest rate of 2.9%. The Council will act on a Resolution to approve the agreement following the hearing.

They’ll also hold a Public Hearing on the FY 2018 City of Atlantic Budget, which amounts to just under $12.5-million, a decrease from last year of 14.78%, or more than $1.847-million. The proposed Budget calls for a property tax increase of 1.48-percent. In addition, the Council will act on setting the date for a Public Hearing pertaining to the amending of the Code of Ordinances by repealing a Chapter and amendments with regard to Zoning and replacing it with an updated Zoning Ordinance that took more than five-years to revamp and an 11 page Executive Summary to cover it all.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa group has devised a strategy to keep monarch butterflies off the national endangered species list. The Des Moines Register reports that the 135-page plan issued Monday is aimed at helping farmers, backyard gardeners and others boost monarch butterfly habitat in Iowa. Nearly 40 agriculture, conservation, business, utility and government groups, calling themselves the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, pulled together the strategy.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering protecting monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act. Supporters of the protection say farming in the Midwest is among the reasons for monarch’s decline.

Steve Bradbury is an Iowa State University entomologist, and he says it’s unclear exactly how many habitat acres Iowa should add to help keep monarch butterflies off the national endangered species list.

A Red Oak man was arrested this (Tuesday) morning on an assault charge. Police say 36-year old Luke Daniel Rinehart was taken into custody at around 3:18-a.m. in the 300 block of 2nd Avenue, in Red Oak. Rinehart was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. He was being held without bond pending an appearance before a Magistrate.

A traffic stop Monday night in Adams County resulted in the arrest of a woman on multiple charges. 28-year old Trisha Mitchell, of Lenox, was placed under arrest at around 7:30-p.m., for OWI/1st offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Carrying Weapons, and Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs. Her bond at the Adams County Jail, was set at $5,300.

Police in Red Oak, Monday, arrested 35-year old Bobbie Jo Bruce, of Red Oak, on a Montgomery County warrant for Probation Violation. Bruce was taken into custody at around 3:50-p.m. and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where her bond was set at $5,000.

The Iowa Democratic Party’s chairman says the party’s new NATIONAL leader has committed “in writing” to keeping Iowa’s Caucuses first in the presidential selection process. Tom Perez was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee Saturday night with the support of Iowans on the committee, including Iowa Democratic Party chairman Derek Eadon.

“He talks a lot about changing the culture of the DNC,” Eadon says. “He talks a lot about upgrading our technology, the importance of Iowa’s role as well as caucuses in this process.” Eadon and other officers from the Iowa Democratic Party met with Perez earlier in mid-February and got a personal commitment from Perez on the positioning of Iowa’s Caucuses. Perez, who grew up in Buffalo, New York, served as U.S. Labor Secretary during the last three years of the Obama Administration.

As the new leader of the Democratic National Committee, he will soon appoint a “unity commission” and the 2020 calendar for presidential contests will be on the agenda. “I imagine the Caucuses will come up during that,” Eadon says, “but you’re hearing a lot more talk about ‘super delegates,’ you’re hearing a lot more talk about the make-up of the DNC leadership as well.” Perez supported Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Perez asked a key Bernie Sanders supporter to serve as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and Eadon says that’s a significant move from Perez. “I think he’s a true change agent for the Democratic Party,” Eadon says. Perez, the new Democratic National Committee chairman, endorsed Clinton during an event in Sioux City back in early December of 2015. Last summer, Perez was rumored to be on Hillary Clinton’s list of potential running mates.

(Radio Iowa)

Republicans in the Iowa House are considering the repeal Iowa’s “bottle bill.” Grocers have long complained that filth comes into their stores along with the empties they must accept from customers who want their nickel deposits back. Later this (Tuesday) morning, the House Environmental Protection Committee will consider junking the “bottle bill” and having Iowans recycle empty pop and beer containers at the curb. Thirty-nine years ago, then-Governor Robert Ray AND Terry Branstad, who was a state legislator at the time, backed the “bottle bill” as a way to reduce roadside litter. Mick Barry, president of Mid-America Recycling, says Iowa now is among the top five states in the country for recycling.

“This is something Iowans like — 84 percent of people in the state of Iowa support the ‘Bottle Bill’ today,” Barry says. Supporters of getting RID of the “Bottle Bill” say the empties in the grocery stores are a health hazard, plus curbside programs could profit from having more aluminum, plastic and glass containers to sell. Barry points to data indicating curbside recycling is less effective.

“Nationally, we’re seeing 34 percent of glass recycled, 39 percent of aluminum beverage containers and 16 percent of plastic (polyethylene terephthalate or) PET soda and beer containers,” Barry says. Barry says due to Iowa’s “Bottle Bill,” nearly nine of every 10 aluminum soda and beer cans are recycled in Iowa, along with the vast majority of glass and plastic beverage containers.

The bill House Republicans are considering would no longer have consumers pay and then redeem a nickel deposit fee on containers with carbonated or alcoholic beverages. Instead, a new tax would be imposed on beer and pop containers. The one-cent-per-container tax would go into a new state-run fund to finance recycling programs. In addition, the state would impose a tiny tax on ALL beverages sold in the state, to raise money for the Keep Iowa Beautiful fund.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:00 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Early voting would be reduced under a bill approved by a House subcommittee that also requires voters to show identification at the polls. Rep. Ken Rizer, a Marion Republican, on Monday announced several changes he’d made to a voter identification bill, including a shortening of early voting from 40 days to 29 days. The panel later sent the bill to the full House State Government Committee.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa could effectively ban abortions under a GOP bill approved Monday that would declare life at conception, though it’s unclear if the bill has the necessary backing to clear the Senate. The legislation supported by 20 GOP senators and 1 independent would recognize “personhood” protection for fertilized eggs, effectively making abortions illegal in Iowa. The bill would not prohibit the use of contraception nor criminalize miscarriages.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An investigation by a state agency finds that Iowa’s professional licensing boards have become unaccountable to the citizens they are supposed to protect from misconduct. An Office of Ombudsman report says the boards enjoy a culture of secrecy that produces “lackadaisical investigations, apathetic board members, poor documentation of deliberations, and questionable outcomes.” The report examined the system of 36 boards responsible for regulating trained workers, from doctors to barbers.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man, who allowed his teenage child to invite several friends to his house for a party, provided them alcohol and then had sex with one of them after she was drunk, has been ordered to pay $127 million to the victim and her family. Polk County court records show 47-year-old James Lee Hohenshell of Bondurant pleaded guilty to lascivious acts with a child and providing alcohol to minors connected to his actions in August 2013. The girl he molested was 13.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A so-called personhood bill that would effectively ban abortion in Iowa has passed out of a legislative subcommittee, though it’s unclear if it has the necessary backing to clear the Senate. The measure was approved Monday as dozens gathered at the Capitol to support or oppose the bill. It now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The measure would recognize that life is protected from the moment of conception, effectively making abortions illegal. The bill would not prohibit the use of contraception. The legislation is co-sponsored by 20 Republicans and 1 independent in the Senate. It will need more support to pass out of the GOP-majority chamber.

If approved, the measure would likely be challenged in court. It’s among several bills seeking to restrict abortions in Iowa.