(Radio Iowa) – Iowans studying to become Certified Nursing Assistants are now able to take part of the C-N-A exam online. Larry Johnson, Junior — director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — says it means students don’t have to travel to a community college to take the written test. “With the changing workforce, with changing technology we saw the demand, and wanted to make sure it was available for Iowans,” Johnson says.

Iowa’s multiple-choice test for Certified Nursing Assistants has 100 questions. Johnson says the state hired two companies to administer the online test and ensure the person taking the test is the person who’d get the certification if they pass. “Iowans studying to become Certified Nursing Assistants are now able to take part of the C-N-A exam online. Larry Johnson, Junior — director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — says it means students don’t have to travel to a community college to take the written test.

“With the changing workforce, with changing technology we saw the demand, and wanted to make sure it was available for Iowans,” Johnson says. Iowa’s multiple-choice test for Certified Nursing Assistants has 100 questions. Johnson says the state hired two companies to administer the online test and ensure the person taking the test is the person who’d get the certification if they pass. “The individual has to be in a room by themselves, have a computer with internet connection and then they have to scan their phone,” Johnson says, “so that way the proctor can make sure that they are in the room by themselves and it is the actual person taking the test that they say it is.”

The online option is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It went live in early June and Johnson says some have already signed up and taken the test online.  “Health care is a great profession and appreciate all the people that work in long-term care and as a CNA,” Johnson says, “and this is just one more option to get people certified so that Iowans can get the care they need.” An in-person clinical skills evaluation is still required for all aspiring C-N-As, too.

During that part of the exam, a nurse observes students doing things like taking a patient’s vital signs and following hand washing guidelines. The latest federal data indicates there were over 22-thousand C-N-As working in Iowa three years ago and, as the population ages, there will be increased demand for C-N-As in nursing homes and hospitals.

“The individual has to be in a room by themselves, have a computer with internet connection and then they have to scan their phone,” Johnson says, “so that way the proctor can make sure that they are in the room by themselves and it is the actual person taking the test that they say it is.” The online option is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It went live in early June and Johnson says some have already signed up and taken the test online.

“Health care is a great profession and appreciate all the people that work in long-term care and as a CNA,” Johnson says, “and this is just one more option to get people certified so that Iowans can get the care they need.” An in-person clinical skills evaluation is still required for all aspiring C-N-As, too. During that part of the exam, a nurse observes students doing things like taking a patient’s vital signs and following hand washing guidelines.

The latest federal data indicates there were over 22-thousand C-N-As working in Iowa three years ago and, as the population ages, there will be increased demand for C-N-As in nursing homes and hospitals.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources confirmed the recovery of a body Thursday evening from Clear Lake in Cerro Gordo County. The individual, identified as Dennis Blume, 54, of Fonda, Iowa, was located around 5:30 p.m. after an extensive search.

Authorities received a 911 call at approximately 1:30 p.m. reporting an unoccupied fishing boat circling on Clear Lake. DNR Water Patrol officers responded quickly and made contact with the witnesses who reported the incident. The witnesses were able to stop the boat, which contained the victim’s belongings.

Emergency personnel from the Clear Lake Fire Department, Ventura Fire Department, and the Iowa DNR conducted a coordinated search using sonar equipment locating the boat owner’s body at 5:30 p.m. The Clear Lake Fire Department utilized underwater drone technology to recover the victim’s body from the lake.

The incident remains under investigation.

JOHNSON COUNTY, Iowa [KCCI-TV]  — Three more people have been diagnosed with measles in eastern Iowa, Johnson County health officials say. The three new cases are household contacts with the initial measles case, an unvaccinated child who was exposed during international travel, identified in Johnson County last week. The new cases include two unvaccinated children and one unvaccinated adult.

Johnson County Public Health officials say they are continuing to monitor individuals who were exposed after the initial case. There have now been six cases of measles identified in Iowa this year. In May, officials identified the first case of the disease in Iowa since 2019. Currently, there is a multistate measles outbreak across the United States. As of June 12, there have been nearly 1,200 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. this year.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services says the vaccine is 97% effective against measles, but only 84% of 2-year-olds in Iowa are vaccinated — well below the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks.

Officials say anyone who has been exposed to a measles case and has symptoms should contact their medical provider or go to an emergency room, but tell them you have been exposed to measles ahead of arriving.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — One person is in custody after they “entered the stage area during event activities” Thursday afternoon during the National Speech and Debate Tournament at the EMC Expo Center in Des Moines. According to a news release from the Des Moines Police Department, the male’s “behavior prompted safety concerns and the immediate area was evacuated.”

Authorities say it happened just before 3 p.m. and officers working the event took the person into custody. “No weapons were seen or have been recovered at this time,” according to DMPD. “No injuries have been reported at this time.”  The area was safely cleared and participants were allowed back into the events center before 4 p.m. and the schedule resumed at 5:15 p.m.

It’s the 100th anniversary of the National Speech and Debate Tournament. Organizers expected more than 10,000 people from schools across the United States and around the world to attend the five-day event, which opened Monday and ends Friday.

Shelby Young with the National Speech and Debate Association provided the following statement:

This afternoon, an unidentified attendee entered the stage during the Humorous Interpretation Finals, interrupting the round. The individual has been subdued and removed from the premises. There were no weapons involved, and no threats were made. The hall was evacuated and there are no reported injuries. The rest of the venue has been swept for any potential threats by members of law enforcement. We understand the concerns people have, and we want to assure everyone that this is an isolated incident. 

(Grinnell, Iowa) – (updated/edited)  The driver of a pickup truck died and one other person was injured, during a collision this (Thursday) morning on Interstate near Grinnell. According to the Iowa State Patrol a semi carrying an oversized load blew a tire near mile marker 185 on eastbound I-80, at around 7:15-a.m.

The semi pulled-over and parked on the shoulder of the interstate. A Ford F-350 pickup serving as a pilot vehicle, was parked behind the semi on the shoulder. The driver of the pickup, 55-year-old Brenton Fregia, of Troutman, NC, was outside of the vehicle attending to the semi with a flat tire.

An eastbound semi struck the rear of the pickup and the disabled semi. Brenton Fregia was critically injured and later died at the hospital in Grinnell. A woman who was injured in the crash was also transported by Grinnell EMS to Unity Point Hospital in Grinnell.

(Creston, Iowa) – A collision early this (Thursday) afternoon in Creston between a car and a motorcycle caused a total of $5,500 damage, but no one was hurt. The Creston Police Department reports that at around 12:30-p.m., a Honda Accord driven by 33-year-old Stacia Mongar, of Creston, was stopped at the intersection of Prairie and Sumner Streets, when Mongar realized she forgot something at home.

She was in the process of backing her car up to a driveway to turn around, when her vehicle struck a 2019 Honda motorcycle, operated by 20-year-old Gannon Greenwalt, of Creston, was he was stopped behind the car. The car backed over the motorcycle, but Greenwalt was able to jump-off and avoid injury.

The report did not mention any citations being issued.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday), released a report on arrests from the past week. Most recently…

On Thursday, June 19th: 64-year-old Marlene Sue Rush, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI-1st offense. Rush was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and later released on her own recognizance; and, 42-year-old Joseph Lee Reynolds, of Atlantic, was arrested on charges that include 2 counts of theft in the 5th degree (< $300), 4 counts of theft in the 2nd degree (> $1,500 < $10,00), 8 counts of theft in the 3rd degree (> $750 < $1,500), and 2 counts of theft in the 4th degree (> $300 < $750). Reynolds was transported to the Cass Country Jail where he was booked and held.

On Tuesday, June 17th, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 31-year-old Edward Arnold Parrott, Jr, of Council Bluffs, for felony Forgery and Theft in the 5th Degree against an older individual. Parrott was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on his own recognizance.

Last Sunday (June 15th), 22-year-old William Aleczander Freimark, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. He was later released on his Own Recognizance.

On June 12th, Cass County Deputies arrested 24-year-old Jeg Charles Updike, of Greenfield, for OWI/1st offense. He was later released on his Own Recognizance.

And, there were two arrests in Cass County on June 11th: 62-year-old Louie Mitchell Hahn, of Atlantic, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Hahn was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on his own recognizance; and, 64-year-old Gary Joe Buboltz,  of Lewis, was arrested for driving under suspension. Buboltz was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on bond.

(Radio Iowa) – A new report ranks Iowa’s health system 18th out of the 50 states. The report by the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund finds Iowa has low rates of drug overdose deaths and adults who go without care because of the cost, but it shows Iowa also has some of the nation’s highest obesity rates.

The fund’s Sara Collins says current federal proposals to add work requirements to Medicaid could cause Iowa’s uninsured rate to rise, as most people on Medicaid already work. “The reporting requirements will be the thing that really does lead to people dis-enrolling and becoming uninsured,” Collins says. “People really have no other options.”

While Iowa placed 18th overall, the report ranked the state 11th for access and affordability. The report found Iowa’s uninsured rate dropped from more than 12-percent in 2013 to about seven-percent a decade later. Collins says proposed cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid at the federal level could reverse that trend. “As we make it harder for people to access both of those, we’re likely to see people just becoming uninsured because the reality is, they still don’t have access to employer-based coverage,” she says.

Republican lawmakers proposed cuts to federal health programs to offset revenue loss from large tax cuts proposed under the budget reconciliation bill. Iowa lawmakers also passed Medicaid work requirements at the state level last session and are waiting on federal approval to implement them.

(Radio Iowa) – The countdown clock is again ticking toward a weekend launch for Iowa native astronaut Peggy Whitson and her record-setting fifth space mission. First set for liftoff June 8th, there’ve been multiple delays due to bad weather at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and mechanical issues on both the Falcon 9 rocket and the docking area on the International Space Station. The launch of Ax-4 is now scheduled for early Sunday morning at 2:42/Central time.

Whitson is commander of the Axiom Space mission along with three crewmates from India, Hungary, and Poland. Whitson, who grew up on a farm near Beaconsfield, has spent 675 days in orbit, so far. She holds the record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut.

Ax-4 Crew (Axiom Space image)

The crew is scheduled to spend two weeks at the space station, conducting a series of some 60 experiments in biology, material and physical sciences, as well as technology.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is the nation’s top corn-producing state and Iowa farmers harvested over two-point-six BILLION bushels of corn last year — the second largest crop ever. Iowa State University ag economist Chad Hart says despite tariff challenges, U-S corn exports for the first five months of the year hit a three year high.

“The only big market where U.S. corn really isn’t moving is the Chinese market,” Hart says. “Almost everywhere else we’ve seen fairly sizable gains in sales and that holds when we look at soybeans as well.” The U-S-D-A has predicted a slight drop in soybean sales this year, but not as much as feared due to the lack of sales to China. Reports indicate corn exports remained well above average through early June.

“When you talk to farmers, there is some cautious optimism out there because they are seeing these additional sales,” Hart says. Hart says in June, it’s typically Brazil and Argentina that dominate global sales of feed grains. Iowa typically accounts for about eight to nine percent of all U-S agricultural exports. California’s the only state that exports more agricultural products.