According to Cindy Meiners of the American Home Finding Association, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (known to most as WIC) is currently up and running “as usual”. WIC clinics are open for appointments and participants may use their WIC cards as they would normally use them.
“Because of the government shutdown, some may think that WIC has shut down,” Meiners says. “However, we are still open at this time.”
(COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa) – A partnership between MICAH House and Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa will give girls an opportunity to be a Girl Scout while living at the homeless shelter.
Founded in 1986, MICAH House is an emergency homeless shelter that serves families in Southwest Iowa and the Omaha-Metro area. MICAH House provides safe shelter, nutritious meals, case management services, adult education and budgeting classes, and a trauma informed play program (BUDDY Program) for children ages 1 to 10.
MICAH House is one of the first homeless shelters outside of New York City to host a Girl Scout Troop. Girls living at the shelter will have the opportunity to be involved in the program, while developing courage, confidence, and character. A $1,000 grant from the Pottawattamie Youth Council was awarded to get the troop started.
“We are thrilled about the partnership with Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa,” said Jaymes Sime, MICAH House Executive Director. “A troop at MICAH House will provide amazing opportunities for girls and I want them to know that being in the shelter is a life circumstance and it doesn’t limit their potential.”
“Every girl deserves access to a safe and friendly environment where she can stand up for what she believes in, and discover her own courage, confidence, and character.” stated Beth Shelton, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. “We are so excited to bring the Girl Scout experience to MICAH House.”
Before troop meetings begin on February 5, volunteer troop leaders are still needed. Volunteer applications can be found on the MICAH House’s website, themicahhouse.org/volunteer. Eligible volunteers will also complete orientation and training through Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. Help Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa and MICAH House change girls’ lives today. To support programs like this, donations are being accepted at girlscoutsiowa.org/donate.
The following is a news release sent to KBOE Radio from the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office:
On Friday, Jan. 19, at approximately 8:00 AM, members of the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 1000 block of 300th Street, in rural Mahaska County, regarding an assault.
As a result of the investigation into this matter, Sheriff’s Officials arrested 57-year-old Douglas Wade Pettyjohn of 507 3rd Street, Bussey, Iowa. Pettyjohn was charged with 1 count of Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree (a class C felony) and 1 count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (a simple misdemeanor).
Pettyjohn was taken to the Mahaska County Jail where he was incarcerated. He will make his initial appearance in the Mahaska County District Court on Jan. 20, 2018. The victim of his assault was an adult female.
** A criminal charge is merely an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
2017: Toby Keith sings “American Soldier,” “Made In America,” “Beer For My Horses” and “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue” at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., during an inaugural concert for president-elect Donald Trump. Lee Greenwood does “God Bless The U.S.A.” with Tim Rushlow, Richie McDonald and Larry Stewart.
2016: Big Machine releases Tim McGraw’s “Humble And Kind” to radio.
2012: Eric Church kicks off his first arena headlining tour in Fort Smith, Arkansas, with opening acts Brantley Gilbert, Sonia Leigh and The Cadillac Black, a band that’s later renamed The Cadillac Three.
2011: Jason Aldean earns a gold single from the RIAA for “My Kinda Party”.
2010: Shania Twain is featured as a guest judge on FOX-TV’s “American Idol” during the season’s third episode.
1993: Kenny Rogers and Trisha Yearwood perform in “The Presidential Inaugural Gala” a day before Bill Clinton takes office. Others on the bill include Fleetwood Mac, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Chuck Berry and Elton John.
1990: Reba McEntire’s first movie, the sci-fi picture “Tremors,” debuts, with Kevin Bacon in the leading role.
1963: Black gold, Texas tea and Flatt & Scruggs: “The Ballad Of Jed Clampett” goes to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart.
1946: Dolly Parton is born in Sevier County, Tennessee. First gaining attention as a duet partner with Porter Wagoner, she melds a big personality with talents in performing, writing and acting on her way into in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
1939: Phil Everly, of The Everly Brothers, is born in Chicago. Along with older brother Don, The Everlys’ harmonies become an influential sound, gaining them membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Meet The Round Guy’s newest bud, Buster Brown!
Buster is a three-year-old Staffordshire Terrier who Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter employees found with a bullet in his hind left leg, and shrapnel in his right leg. But he is still as smiley, loving, and good-natured as can be.
Visit Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter to fill out an application for Buster and to meet some of his friends – and be sure to put an order in for the delicious Valentine’s Day Caramel Apples fundraiser.
Special thanks to our Pet of the Week sponsor, Faux Paws Bakery in Pella, Iowa. Buster’s new family will get a $10 gift certificate to pick out some delicious doggie Dutch letters, squeaky toys, and other goodies that can be found at Faux Paws!
MAHASKA COUNTY – In response to the widespread level of influenza in the Oskaloosa community, the MHP Medical Group is now offering a flu vaccine clinic Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm by registering at door #4 on the MHP campus, until further notice.
According to Executive Director of Clinics Andrea Hagist, RN, MSN, people can stop by with no restrictions and no appointment, and insurance can be billed. “It’s not too late to get a flu vaccination,” Hagist said. “Health officials say that influenza will continue to circulate in the US and typically peaks in February. Getting vaccinated now will still offer protection for most of the flu season.”
Hagist said it’s always good practice to use the 3 Cs: Cover your cough or sneezes; Clean your hands often; and Contain germs by staying home when ill.
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, the predominant flu strain this season is AH3N2, which typically causes serious illnesses, hospitalizations and even death, particularly for those who are very young or old and those with weakened immune systems. The flu is a respiratory illness caused by viruses. It comes on suddenly and symptoms may include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches. Illness typically lasts two to seven days, and often puts healthy people in bed for days.
“Remember, serious illness from the flu is more likely in certain groups of people, including people 65 and older, pregnant women, people with certain chronic medical conditions and young children,” Hagist stressed.
“It’s also important to contact your health care provider as soon as possible after flu symptoms begin, especially if you are at high risk of complications and serious disease. If you start on anti-viral medications within a day or two of when your symptoms start, your risk of serious disease, hospitalization and even death can be significantly reduced.”
Twenty-three of country music’s rising female stars got together to make a powerful statement. “Time’s Up” is a collaborative message that adds to a swelling conversation about mistreatment of women in society.
The seed of the song was planted during the Golden Globes, where dozens of actors and actresses wore black to support Time’s Up, a legal defense fund set up to support victims of sexual harassment and assault.
Singer and Taste of Country RISERS star Kalie Shorr co-wrote the song, saying that she felt the weight of it all during those moments.
“It came together so easily and flawlessly because the amazing girls of Song Suffragettes were so passionate about the cause and willing to move around their schedules to make it happen,” Shorr says. She’s an original member of Song Suffragettes, a weekly all-female singer-songwriter round at the Listening Room in Nashville.
“Now the way it is / Becomes the way it was / Yeah you’ll always lose if you’re fighting love / Say good things come to those that wait / But we’ve waited long enough / Our time is here, our time is now, our time has come / And your time is up,” the Song Suffragettes troupe sings at the chorus.
“The team behind Song Suffragettes hustled so hard to make this project come to life making our idea a reality,” Shorr adds about the video-making process. “I have been so inspired by this whole reckoning that’s been happening and it just felt so obvious to connect that to what we do at Song Suffragettes.”
A full list of all 23 singers that appear in the music video is available here:
Kalie Shorr, Tasji Bachman, Chloe Gilligan, Savannah Keyes, Mignon, Gracie Schram, Tiera, Jenna Paulette, Emma White, Jordyn Mallory, Emma Lynn White, Regan Stewart, Kim Paige, Jenna McDaniel, Madison Kozak, Jenny Ray, Tenille Arts, Tristan McIntosh, Tia Scola, Alexis Gomez, Candi Carpenter, Trannie Stevens, Lena Stone (vocals only).
2014
A Yoplait ad featuring Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love A Rainy Night” has its first airing on TV
2009
Capitol releases Lady Antebellum’s “I Run To You” to radio
2006
Sugarland appears on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.” Kristen Hall is absent, a sign of her departure, which the group announces within days
2001
Three weeks after its release in New York and Nashville, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” reaches movie theaters across the U.S. The soundtrack features Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, The Whites and Ralph Stanley, among others
1991
Garth Brooks occupies the #1 position on the Billboard country singles chart with “Unanswered Prayers”
1968
Keith Anderson is born in Miami, Oklahoma. A member of the MuzikMafia, he attains a gold album with his 2005 debut, “Three Chord Country And American Rock & Roll,” and earns a handful of Top 5 hits, led by 2008’s “I Still Miss You”
1952
Ricky Van Shelton is born in Grit, Virginia. A smooth and powerful vocalist, Shelton earns a reputation for revitalizing country staples such as “From A Jack To A King” and “Statue Of A Fool,” winning the CMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year in 1989
1939
William Lee Golden is born in Brewton, Alabama. He joins The Oak Ridge Boys in January 1965, aiding their leap from gospel to country to pop. A baritone with a mountain-man image, he leaves the group in 1987, but returns 10 years later. They join the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015
1926
Ray Price is born in Peach, Texas. Nicknamed the “Cherokee Cowboy,” he is instrumental in the growth of the country shuffle and the use of recorded strings. His legacy includes “Crazy Arms,” “For The Good Times,” “I’ve Got A New Heartache” and a plaque in the Country Music Hall of Fame
1905
Maurice “Tex” Ritter is born near Murvaul, Texas. A successful silver-screen cowboy, he builds a music career on top of his acting, with the theme to “High Noon” and several recitations. He joins the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1964
(MAHASKA COUNTY, IOWA)– In 2010, a landowner in Mahaska County discovered the thirteen-thousand-year-old femur of a woolly mammoth lodged in the bank of a stream. The surprise find launched a massive dig that eventually uncovered bones from three different mammoths. Today, this groundbreaking discovery is being celebrated with Mahaska Mammoth: Woolly Dreams, the latest children’s book published by the Write Place.
Woolly Dreams tells the story of Woolly, a little mammoth who dreams of becoming a brave explorer. One day, Woolly meets a stag moose calf named Murphy, and the two become best friends. Together, Woolly and Murphy go on an adventure and face the dangers of living during the Ice Age. The book was written by Laura DeCook, Linda Fox, and Mary Jane Sullivan—all are members of Friends of Mahaska County Conservation, the organization sponsoring the book. It was illustrated by Karen Phelps, a former naturalist and current Director of Benton County Conservation.
DeCook, a naturalist with the Mahaska County Conservation Board, was first inspired to write a children’s book when she was digging for bones at the Mahaska County mammoth dig site. “I was thinking of ways to make the mammoth bones and digging experience educational for the public,” she said. “I mentioned the idea of writing a children’s book to Mary Jane Sullivan, a dig volunteer and retired elementary teacher, and she had the same idea. We knew we could make the book become a reality. Linda Fox joined us and brought in her creativity and experience as a children’s librarian.”
When DeCook, Fox and Sullivan were writing the manuscript for the book, they did a lot of research into what Iowa’s landscape and ecosystem were like ten thousand years ago. They used knowledge from the dig site and information found online and in other scientific literature to build the bedrock of Woolly Dreams.
“We hope readers will enjoy this children’s story, as well as the facts about woolly mammoths and what Iowa was like during the Ice Age, which are included throughout the book,” said DeCook. “There are also photos and information about the mammoth dig site in Mahaska County.”
In addition to opening a window into Iowa’s prehistoric past, Woolly Dreams raises awareness about the Mahaska County Environmental Learning Center, which is currently under construction at Caldwell Park near Oskaloosa. The center is expected to open by the end of summer 2018. A life-size skeletal replica of a woolly mammoth will be on display, as well as other exhibits about woolly mammoths and nature in Iowa. To learn more, visit the Mahaska County Conservation Board website, www.mahaskaconservation.com.
All proceeds from Woolly Dreams go to the Friends of Mahaska County Conservation; they are used to help fund projects and educational programs at the Environmental Learning Center. Woolly Dreams is available for purchase online at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com.
(OSKALOOSA, Iowa) – William Penn University staff, faculty and students will ring in the start of the spring semester with the Dean’s Convocation on Thursday, January 18, at 11:15 a.m. in the main gymnasium of the Oskaloosa campus. William Penn welcomes Chicago native, Christina Fernandez-Morrow, as the keynote speaker.
Fernandez-Morrow moved to Des Moines in 2001 after accepting a public relations position with State Farm Insurance Co. She has worked in the non-profit world for most of her career and launched the Latina Leadership Initiative of Greater Des Moines, the only agency in the state that focuses on leadership development for young Latinas.
While in Des Moines, Christina helped start a number of community organizations, including the Young Professionals Connection and Art Noir, where she was instrumental in kicking off their inaugural Hair Ball fundraiser. She was a founder of Iowa’s Latino Heritage Festival. Most recently, she started the Warren Morrow Latin Music Festival, named for her late husband who was also an active Des Moines resident and Latino advocate.
Among her recognitions for her community service, Christina was LATINA magazine’s Next Generation Latina award winner, featured in the Des Moines Registers’ “13 People to Watch in 2013”, and a 40 Under 40 award recipient.
Christina is currently serving as an educator at Des Moines University, where she creates live patient-simulated clinical examinations for medical students.
