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Grassley 46%, Franken 43% in Des Moines Register Iowa Poll

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll released this weekend shows Republican Senator Chuck Grassley with a three percent lead over Democratic challenger Mike Franken.

The poll of likely voters was taken from October 9-12t. Forty-six percent of those surveyed said they supported Grassley. Forty-three percent said they supported Franken.

Seven percent said they were undecided or plan to skip voting on the U.S. Senate race. Franken was still unknown to about a third of those surveyed. Nearly two-thirds said Grassley’s age was a concern and that includes 37 percent of the Republicans questioned, who said they’d vote for the 89 year old senator.

Franken, on Twitter, said he’s in a :virtual tie” with Grassley and “on the cusp of something historic.” The Iowa GOP’s chairman says the Iowa Poll has “underestimated the strength of the new Republican coalition.”

On Sunday evening, the Iowa Poll results in the governor’s race were released, showing Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds at 52% and Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear 35%. Libertarian candidate was the choice of four percent of those surveyed.

Opening of five Lake Red Rock recreation areas to be delayed in 2023 for infrastructure upgrades

Posted on by Sam Parsons

KNOXVILLE, Iowa –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, announces delayed openings of the Howell Station, North Overlook and Whitebreast campgrounds and the Fifield and North Overlook recreation areas at Lake Red Rock. Those sites will delay opening until June 1 for the 2023 recreation season.

The delays are needed at Howell Station, North Overlook, and Fifield to facilitate water line upgrades. At Whitebreast campground, the delay will facilitate shoreline protection due to lake erosion. The projects are made possible through recent federal infrastructure investments that will address deteriorated infrastructure conditions at Lake Red Rock.

To compensate for the late openings, the Wallashuck Campground will open for an extended period during the recreation season beginning April 20, 2023. All other recreation areas at Lake Red Rock will be open during their regularly scheduled dates. Reservations can be made by visiting: www.recreation.gov or calling 1-877-444-6777.

For more information, please contact the Lake Red Rock Project Office at 641-828-7522.

United Way of Mahaska County’s Winter Coat Drive Begins Today

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Sam Parsons

Today through November 14, you may find drop-off boxes at different locations throughout the city of Oskaloosa in which you can donate some of your lightly used winter clothes for United Way of Mahaska County’s Winter Coat Drive.

For the drive, United Way of Mahaska County is accepting new or gently used coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and other winter outerwear. Distribution will take place on November 18 and 19 at Penn Central Mall. See the flyer below for more details.

 

CMT Honors The 2022 Artists Of The Year

Posted on by Bob Ballard

The 2022 CMT Artist of the Year special aired Friday from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, celebrating this year’s honorees Kane Brown, Cody Johnson, Luke Combs, Walker Hayes and Carly Pearce along with Breakout Artist of the Year Lainey Wilson.

Alan Jackson was also honored with the Artist of a Lifetime award, and took the stage to perform his hit single “Chattahoochee,” which got the star-studded audience on their feet. “I think I’ve made more videos than anybody in the world,” Jackson shared in his speech. “I think I made about 60 of them.” Talking about all the stunts he did in his videos he joked, “After ‘Chattahoochee,’ I was the first action video artist, I believe,” adding, “I always believed that videos are important to music.”

The night also featured a tribute to Loretta Lynn, who passed away earlier this month, with Martina McBride and Tanya Tucker sharing their love of the legendary singer. “She was ahead of her time and paved the trail for all of us women in country music,” Martina shared. “She wrote her own songs at a time, and that was not the norm. She sang about things no one else dared to sing about – giving a voice to a whole generation of women,” adding, “And maybe the most remarkable thing about her, and there were a lot of remarkable things about her, was the way she met us and made us artists feel.”

The tribute culminated in her sisters Crystal Gayle and Peggy Sue Wright performing Loretta’s classic “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” with much of the audience singing along.

  • But that’s not all. Of course, the night featured some great performances to celebrate this year’s honorees including:
  • Walker Hayes chose to do something different as part of his celebration, teaming with Ciara for a new take on his track “Y’all Life.”
  • Honoree Luke Combs was not on hand to accept his award because he was attending a fundraiser at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s house, and thanked CMT from there via video. Instead, Riley Green performed in his place, treating the audience to Luke’s hit “The Kind of Love We Make.”
  • First time honoree Carly Pearce performed a stripped-down version of the title track to her hit album “29,” which earned a standing ovation. “I wrote this album not to chase anything except to survive,” she shared. “When I think about everything that has happened in my life, I want anybody who’s struggling to know that you can get through and overcome anything,” adding, “I was at the bottom, and I got up, and I chose to get through this situation.”
  • Breakthrough Artist of the Year Lainey Wilson treated the crowd to her hit “Heart Like A Truck.” “All I have ever wanted is a chance,” she shared in her acceptance speech. “Whether you let me play your bar or you sat down and wrote a song with me, whether you took a meeting with me and passed on me. It don’t matter I still took that as a chance. That’s all I ever wanted. Country music is truly my life.”
  • Kane Brown, celebrating his third time as CMT Artist of the Year, performed his hit song “Like I Love Country Music,” name checking such artists as George Jones, Johnny Cash, and Brooks & Dunn. “This is awesome. It honestly feels so amazing just to be recognized,” he shared. “I just feel like Nashville is our home, we’re just one big family, and that is what I love about country music. I feel like everybody supports each other.”
  • Cody Johnson performed a powerful rendition of his song “Human,” sharing in his acceptance speech, “I believe in country music. I believe in what I grew up on, adding, “As long as I have a voice. As long as I have a bit of energy in my body, you’re going to get every bit of it towards country music.”

Source: CMT

This day in Country Music History

Posted on by Bob Ballard
  • Today in 1968, Glen Campbell’s albums, “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” and “Gentle On My Mind” were certified gold.
  • Today in 1979, the album, “Willie Nelson Sings Kristofferson,” was released.
  • Today in 1989, the Kentucky Headhunters’ album, “Pickin’ On Nashville,” was released. It was certified platinum on the same date a year later.
  • Today in 1991, Country Music Hall of Fame member, Tennessee Ernie Ford, died in Reston, Virginia at the age of 72. Ernie made his mark as a country singer from the late 1940s until the late 1970s and hosted a TV series in the ’50s and ’60s.
  • Today in 1991, the Judds announced Naomi’s retirement from country music due to chronic hepatitis.
  • Today in 1997, Reba McEntire’s “Merry Christmas To You” album was certified double platinum.
  • Today in 1997, more than 2,000 people jammed an Aurora, Colorado church for John Denver’s funeral service. The singer died October 12th in a plane crash at the age of 53.
  • Today in 1997, rapper Warren G (Warren Griffin III) filed suit against Garth Brooks accusing him of trademark infringement over the use of the lower case letter “g” that Garth had been including in his logo for a few years. Garth’s attorneys had filed a similar lawsuit in a Nashville federal court two weeks earlier. Both claims were settled amicably in March 1998. Under the terms of the settlement, Garth continued to use the encircled letter “g,” while Warren G went on to use his trademark lowercase “g” with the words “funk music” next to them.
  • Today in 1998, the Wilkinsons make their first official appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. They had made an informal appearance on the Opry once before, when they joined Vince Gill onstage before they had a record deal.
  • Today in 2000, the albums “Southern Rain” by Billy Ray Cyrus, “American III — Solitary Man” from Johnny Cash, “Lost In The Feeling” by Mark Chesnutt and “Classic Christmas” from Billy Gilman arrived in stores. The compilation project, “Believe — A Christmas Collection,” which featured Clay Walker, Neal McCoy and others was also released.
  • Today in 2002, Lee Ann Womack’s single, “I Hope You Dance,” was certified platinum.
  • Today in 2002, after a mere seven weeks on the charts, the Dixie Chicks’ “Home” album was certified triple platinum. That brought the total record sales for the band to over 24-million.
  • Today in 2006, Tim McGraw received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His honor is located right in front of the Virgin Records store.
  • Today in 2006, Vince Gill’s boxed set, “These Days,” was released. It was considered unprecedented, as it featured four discs of entirely new material.
  • Today in 2011, Keith Urban’s single, “You Gonna Fly,” was released.
  • Today in 2014, Little Big Town was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. The band performed “Bring It On Home” and “Boondocks” and roped Vince Gill into joining them on “Why Me.”
  • Today in 2015, Don Henley’s solo project, “Cass County,” debuted in the top spot on the Billboard country albums chart.
  • Today in 2015, Charlie Rich and Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore joined the Memphis Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Cannon Center. Other inductees included Sam & Dave, Justin Timberlake and drummer Al Jackson Jr.
  • Today in 2016, Jana Kramer tallied a perfect score when she performs a tango to a Selena Gomez song on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.” Pitbull was a guest judge, seated on the right of regular Julianne Hough.
  • Today in 2017, Chris Young became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

As the causes of US inflation grow, so do the dangers

Posted on by Sam Parsons

WASHINGTON (AP) — What keeps driving inflation so high? The answer, it seems, is nearly everything. Supply chain snarls and parts shortages inflated the cost of factory goods when the economy rocketed out of the pandemic recession two years ago. Then it was a surge in consumer spending fueled by federal stimulus checks. Then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted gas and food supplies and sent those prices skyward. Since March, the Federal Reserve has been aggressively raising interest rates to try to cool the price spikes. So far, there’s little sign of progress. Thursday’s report on consumer prices in September came in hotter than expected.

AG Miller launches program for rural communities to prevent opioid addiction

Posted on by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced an initiative designed to prevent opioid addiction before it begins. The Billion Pill Pledge program, launched in conjunction with Goldfinch Health, extends education and resources to hospitals and providers in several communities across Iowa.

Deploying evidence-based approaches to pain management around surgery, the Billion Pill Pledge program aims to enact long-term change for Iowa communities.

“The opioid settlements offer a new path forward in preventing future addiction and providing treatment resources to those who need it,” Miller said. “It’s our goal with this program to extend support to rural communities and, especially, to those within these communities who are at-risk or who have already been harmed by the opioid epidemic.”

The first phase of the Billion Pill Pledge program targets 10 hospitals serving rural communities across the state. The hospitals will be announced in coming weeks.

Surgery has long been known as a gateway to long-term opioid painkiller use and dependence. Patients who had no previous opioid use become addicted after being legally prescribed opioids after a surgery.  Advances in medicine make possible better surgery experiences for patients, improved pain management, and less use of opioids.

“We know so much more about surgery and pain management now than we did 10 or 20 years ago,” said John Greenwood, COO and co-founder of Goldfinch Health and the Billion Pill Pledge. “With a few practical changes to the way both healthcare providers and patients approach surgery, we can reduce the number of opioids prescribed for patients and introduced into our communities by over 50%. And we can have happier patients with better managed pain at the same time.”

The mission of the Billion Pill Pledge is to reduce leftover opioids after surgery in the United States by 1 billion pills each year, thereby avoiding those pills being possibly diverted to unauthorized use by others

Miller is using money from a settlement with consultant McKinsey & Co. to support the Billion Pill Pledge program.

This initiative joins another resource announced in September by Attorney General Miller. IowaOpioidHelp.com provides a pathway to recovery for Iowans with Opioid Use Disorder and their loved ones.

Last year, the Iowa Attorney General’s office signed an agreement with University of Iowa Health Care to develop a comprehensive, statewide opioid treatment program using $3.8 million in settlement funds.

Goldfinch Health is an Iowa City-based company dedicated to enhancing surgical outcomes, improving the surgery experience for patients, and reducing opioid use.

Ottumwa Trout Stocking October 21, 2022

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OTTUMWA — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will be stocking 1,500 rainbow and brook trout in the pond at the east side of Wapello street by the orange and blue playground equipment on Friday October 21, 2022  All Iowa fishing regulations apply at the pond.   There is a bag limit of 5 trout per day; the possession limit is 10.  There is no fishing derby for this stocking.

The Ottumwa Park Department has partnered with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to improve fishing in the ponds in Ottumwa Park.   The Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau has been involved in trout stocking in urban areas for over 30 years in an effort to introduce trout fishing to more anglers across the state.   More information about fishing in Iowa, including licensing and the urban trout-stocking program can be found online at www.iowadnr.gov.

Mahaska, Surrounding Counties Eligible for LFP Assistance Due to Drought

Posted on by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES, Iowa – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds ranchers and livestock producers that they may be eligible for financial assistance through the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) 2022 grazing losses due to a qualifying drought. The deadline to apply for 2022 LFP assistance is Jan. 30, 2023.

“Severe to extreme drought conditions in Iowa have resulted in significant economic hardships for our agricultural producers and livestock producers are no exception,” said Matt Russell, State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency in Iowa. “If you suffered 2022 grazing losses, you should contact FSA as soon as possible and file your LFP application for payment.”

For the 2022 program year, 36 counties in Iowa have met drought severity levels that trigger LFP eligibility, with Mahaska County, as well as every county that borders it, among those eligible. For LFP, qualifying drought triggers are determined using the U.S. Drought Monitor. Visit the FSA LFP webpage for a list of eligible counties and grazing crops.

LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers and contract growers who also produce forage crops for
grazing and suffered losses due to a qualifying drought or fire during the normal grazing period for the county.
Eligible livestock include alpacas, beef cattle, buffalo/bison, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats,
llamas, reindeer or sheep that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland
during the normal grazing period.

To expedite the application process, producers are encouraged to gather and submit records documenting 2022
losses. Supporting documents may include information related to grazing leases, contract grower agreements,
and more.

More Information

LFP is part of a broader suite of disaster assistance available through USDA. The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), which also has a Jan. 30, 2023, deadline, provides eligible producers with compensation for certain feed losses not covered by LFP as well as assistance with transporting water to livestock, feed and livestock transportation expenses.

Additional disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including the Farmers.gov Drought Webpage, Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool.

For FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service programs, including LFP and ELAP, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

Carrie Underwood Aims To Create An “Experience” For Fans With Her Shows

Posted on by Bob Ballard

Carrie Underwood kicks off her “Denim and Rhinestones Tour” tomorrow in Greenville, South Carolina, and fans can expect her to go farther than she has before.

“I feel like with every tour we get better and more confident, and we get to play a little more with production and things like that,” she shares. “So, I hope everybody can just expect to have a great time when they’re out in the audience.”

Carrie says when she was young she’s make sure to go out and get the artist’s album so she knew all the songs, noting, “I hope people kind of do that.”

And that’s not all. “I hope people wear their denim and rhinestones to the shows,” she says. “I think that’s gonna be a lot of fun looking out on the audience and just seeing all the bling and the fringe and the denim. I think it’s gonna be an experience, so I’m excited and I can’t wait.”

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