FV HEALTH CENTER EXPANSION
The Floyd Valley Health Care expansion project is making swift progress. The exterior looks nearly complete, but CEO Dustin Wright says inside, there’s still lots to do.
Some remodeling will take place after the new space is complete.
One plus to the project is that it combines all the therapy services into one place.
Wright says they have been able to avoid supply chain issues, except for one thing…
The 10.3 million dollars project is still on schedule to be completed by June, 2023.
BOMGAARS DONATION
Bomgaars of Le Mars recently gave a donation to the Floyd Valley Foundation. Bomgaars held a Ladies Night on October 23rd with a portion of the proceeds from that evening being donated to a local cause. Bomgaars was able to provide a check for $759.00 to the Floyd Valley Foundation. Amy Harnack, Floyd Valley Foundation Manager, was presented the check by Le Mars Bomgaars Manager Tom Sauer.
SAFE ROADS
The Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa Department of Transportation are combining forces to promote highway safety. The public safety campaign is called What Drives You. Their message is: buckle up – slow down – drive sober – and pay attention. With just two days to go in 2022, 335 people have died in traffic crashes on Iowa’s highways. That’s down from 348 in 2021. The deadliest month was July, when 41 fatalities occurred. The What Drives You campaign will use social media, overhead message signs, events, and other outreach efforts to help you understand why safe driving decisions matter to you and those you care about.
SMOKING SURVEY
One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to quit smoking, and a survey finds 70 percent of Iowa smokers want to quit, while 50 percent will try to quit in 2023. There are mixed messages circulating about how vaping can help smokers to kick the habit, messages that are blatantly false, according to Erika Sward, spokeswoman for the American Lung Association in Iowa. She says the Lung Association is urging smokers to step away from all tobacco and nicotine products, and not switch to vaping. Sward says hard — but if smokers want to talk to their doctors or call 800-LUNG USA or call 800-QUIT NOW, they can work with someone who is an expert at helping people end their addictions for good.
ISU VET LAB
Construction of the front end of a new Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Ames is scheduled to conclude in 2023. Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen says they will still need an additional 70-thousand square feet for laboratory testing, research, and support functions and she is asking the governor and the state legislature to provide 62-and-a-half MILLION dollars over the next four years to complete the project. The existing facility was built in 1976. About 30 faculty and staff processed about 35-thousand tests a year. There are now 160 faculty and staff crowded into the existing building and this year they will process more than one-point-seven million tests — the largest caseload in the U-S.
ORGAN DONORS HONORED
Two Iowans who donated their organs and tissues will be recognized on this year’s “Donate Life” Rose Parade float in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. The Iowa Donor Network says Amanda Wilken of West Des Moines, and Emily Bohnsack of Wilton will both be honored. The 23-year-old Wilken died in 2018 in a car accident, she was 23. Bohnsack died in a 2010 car accident at the age of 16. The Donor Network will pay for Wilken’s and Bohnsack’s families to travel to Pasadena to help decorate the float and watch the parade live. To find out about organ donation — go to www.IowaDonorNetwork.org.
FARMLAND INVESTMENT
The annual Iowa State University survey finds more farmland sales in the last two to three years compared to five or six years ago. But survey manager, Wendong Zhang (When-dong John), says the farmland turnover rate is still very low and the buyer profile has only changed slightly.
He says the increase hasn’t been that pronounced.
Zhang says the area with the highest land values has the most local buys.
Zhang says this is due in part to the large number of cattle owners in the area that need farmland to spread the manure on from their operations. He says that the desire to expand operations pushed up land in O’Brien County — which edged out Sioux County by 15 dollars for the most expensive farmland acres. Both topped long-running value champ Scott County.
O’Brien County averaged 15-thousand-931 dollars an acre to Scott County’s 15-thousand-968. He says a majority of the farmland on the auction block is coming from estate sales or retired farmers.
Zhang says other states like Illinois probably attract more of the investor interest because they have fewer restrictions on corporate land ownership than Iowa.
THE FLU GAME
A University of Iowa researcher whose two-year-old son died from influenza in early 2020 has helped develop an online game to teach children about the flu and the importance of vaccines. U-I biology professor Maurine Neiman is co-creator of the game, “Flu’s Clues,” where players try to determine which countries around the world are seeing flu outbreaks. Once outbreaks are identified, players return to their virtual lab to work on creating a serum for the vaccine. The game also contains important lessons about viruses in general, such as how to identify symptoms, determine differences between the flu and other viruses, and learn how vaccines are made.
