Tag: iowa

Rising cancer rates in Iowa linked to agricultural chemicals like glyphosate, atrazine and chlorpyrifos

Iowa is grappling with a stark and troubling reality: the state has recently been identified as having the fastest-growing cancer rates in the nation. This alarming increase in cancer rates has prompted a closer examination of environmental factors contributing to this troubling trend. A 2024 report by the Iowa Department of Public Health reveals that cancer rates in rural areas of the state, where pesticide use is more intensive, are significantly higher compared to urban regions. The study highlights that communities with heavy agricultural activity have seen a rise in cases of leukemia, lymphoma and breast cancer.

Iowa’s cancerous frontier dominated by glyphosate, atrazine, nitrates, chlorpyrifos

Iowa has seen a dramatic rise in cancer diagnoses, with 486 new cases per 100,000 people in 2024, surpassing the national average of 444 cases per 100,000. The estimated number of new cancer cases this year stands at 21,000, with approximately 6,100 deaths expected. This surge in cancer rates is particularly concerning given that Iowa’s cancer incidence now outpaces other states facing their own unique health challenges, such as industrial pollution, smoking and high obesity rates.

The state, known for its expansive agricultural landscape, relies heavily on pesticides to protect crops and maximize yields. The state’s agriculture sector uses a variety of chemical treatments, including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. The most commonly used pesticides in Iowa include glyphosate, atrazine and chlorpyrifos.

Glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide, is used extensively in the cultivation of corn and soybeans. Glyphosate disrupts the shikimate pathway of gut microbes and has been linked to an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.

Atrazine, another herbicide, is frequently applied to control weeds in cornfields. Atrazine has been associated with endocrine disruption, which may increase the risk of certain cancers. Studies have found atrazine is responsible for alterations in the HPG axis, damaging reproductive function. It also has estrogenic effects, leading to  aromatase activation, including inhibition of PDE4 and altered hormone secretion — precursors to breast cancer.

Chlorpyrifos, an insecticide, is employed to combat pests in a variety of crops. Chlorpyrifos, although banned for residential use, is still permitted in agriculture and has been linked to developmental and cancer risks.

Nitrates, which are key ingredient in fertilizers used across Iowa, are linked to colorectal cancer.

In addition to herbicides, insecticides and fertilizer, radon — a naturally occurring radioactive gas — also poses a significant risk. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and is particularly problematic in Iowa, where levels are six times higher than the national average. Radon can seep into homes undetected, further exacerbating health risks for residents.

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Iowa vaping bill draws opponents from retailers, health care groups

An Iowa bill that would add requirements to manufacturers of vaping and e-cigarette products has two surprising allies standing together in opposition: vape shops and health care organizations.

House Bill 682 and its companion legislation, Senate File 2402, would require vaping manufacturers who sell products in the state to include them on a new registry. The registration fee is $100 per product. Retailers could only sell products listed on the registry.

David Scott of Altria, a manufacturer of tobacco and related products, said the bill does not prohibit the sale of any legal product. What the bill does is prevent illegal products from overseas.

“China have over 50% of the (products) that are illegal,” Scott told a House Ways and Means subcommittee this week. “Three out of the five youth brands are illicit but they are still being brought in.”

The Food and Drug Administration created a similar registry on the federal level. In January, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the FDA’s decisions were made arbitrarily and capriciously and that the agency should reconsider its guidelines. Scott said the FDA admits it doesn’t have the resources to monitor the products.

“If you are not on the directory, the FDA has no idea what the ingredients are in your vape,” Scott said. “They have no control of your marketing and we have no idea of the manufacturing process.

Iowa is one of 23 states considering bills that would require a vaping product registry, according to Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association, an organization opposing the bills.

Sarah Linden, owner of Generation V in Council Bluffs and Davenport, told the subcommittee that the bill would put a strain on her business.

“It would eliminate 99% of the vapor products on the market,” Linden said. Retailers said vape users will find other ways to get their product if it is unavailable in their stores.

Retailers have an unlikely ally in health care organizations. The American Cancer Society is listed as “against the bill” in lobbyist declarations. The American Heart Association is undecided. CAFE Iowa Citizens Action Network, an organization that advocates for tobacco control policies to reduce its use, is also against the bill.

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Cops Arrested Him for a Fictitious Traffic Violation Because He Flipped Them Off

On a Friday night in July 2018, Des Moines police officers Ryan Steinkamp and Brian Minnehan saw Domeco Fugenschuh, a 22-year-old black man, driving west on Hickman Road. Steinkamp and Minnehan, both white, were assigned to a “special enforcement team” focused on illegal guns, drugs, and gang activity. They had no reason to believe Fugenschuh was involved with any of that, but they decided to follow him anyway because he “sat up slightly” and “turned his head to stare at the officers” as he passed them.

After the cops followed Fugenschuh for several blocks, he expressed his irritation at the unjustified attention by giving them the finger. Steinkamp and Minnehan did not like that, so they continued following Fugenschuh and pulled him over for an invented traffic violation. During the stop, the officers handcuffed Fugenschuh, roughed him up, searched his car, and arrested him for the alleged traffic infraction. They also charged him with marijuana possession after the car search turned up a bit of pot and a portable phone charger that they mistakenly thought was a digital scale.

When Fugenschuh sued Steinkamp and Minnehan for a litany of constitutional violations, they argued that they were shielded by qualified immunity, which bars federal civil rights claims against government officials unless their alleged misconduct violated “clearly established” law. Last Saturday, U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Helen C. Adams rejected that defense, ruling that a jury should hear Fugenschuh’s allegations because it might reasonably conclude that Steinkamp and Minnehan ignored constraints that should be familiar to every police officer in the country.

The decision was a small victory for civil liberties, and the abuses that Fugenschuh suffered pale beside the sort of outrageous police conduct that tends to attract national attention. But this run-of-the-mill case nicely illustrates the wide discretion that the Supreme Court has given police officers to harass motorists for no good reason—leeway that cops nevertheless manage to exceed on a regular basis.

The facts of the traffic stop are mostly undisputed, conceded by the officers and/or verified by dash and body camera footage. Steinkamp and Minnehan pulled Fugenschuh over after he stopped at a red light, signaled a right turn, and turned onto 30th Street. When Steinkamp approached Fugenschuh’s car, he initially refused to explain the justification for the stop. Instead he ordered Fugenschuh out of the car and handcuffed him.

After Fugenschuh “asked numerous times why he was stopped,” Steinkamp claimed Fugenschuh had “cut off” a car that was moving north on 30th Street, as evidenced by the fact that the driver had applied his brakes. Fugenschuh disputed that account, which apparently irked Steinkamp, who “proceeded to bend Fugenschuh over the hood of the patrol car,” “pull his handcuffed arms up above his body,” and push his face into the hood of the car.

While frisking Fugenschuh, Steinkamp asked if he had insurance, at which point Fugenschuh began cursing at the cops. “You’re going to jail now,” Steinkamp responded.

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Man Who Destroyed Satanic Shrine In Iowa Capitol Charged With ‘Hate Crime’

Michael Cassidy, a Christian veteran who decapitated a Satanic shrine on display in the Iowa State Capitol building, has been charged with a ‘hate crime’.

Yes, really.

If you object to literal Satanic displays in public buildings you are now hateful.

Back in December, Cassidy, beheaded the caped figure placed in the building by The Satanic Temple, and threw the goat skull that was serving as its head in a bin.

Cassidy was quoted as stating that he took the action to “awaken Christians to the anti-Christian acts promoted by our government.”

Instead of simply charging him with misdemeanor damage to property or vandalism, the Des Moines Register reports that Polk County prosecutors charged the veteran with felony third-degree criminal mischief, arguing that the act was “in violation of individual rights” under Iowa’s hate crime statue.

A statement from the Polk County Attorney’s Office claimed that “Evidence shows the defendant made statements to law enforcement and the public indicating he destroyed the property because of the victim’s religion.”

Cassidy is raising money for his legal defense on his GiveSendGo page, which notes “Out of the millions of Christians in this nation, Cassidy was the first to act in bravery and conviction. He was not willing to see God reviled, especially in a building where lawmakers are supposed to honor Jesus Christ as King and look to his law for wisdom as they legislate with justice and righteousness.”

[ZH:] And of course, leftists have been tearing down statues all over the country with impunity.

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Ron DeSantis Blocks Disabled Parking Spots at Iowa Event When Its -12 Degrees Outside – Then Kicks Out Handicapped Man in Wheelchair Inside

As reported earlier – A disabled man in a wheelchair and a conservative podcaster, Matt Kim, were removed from Ron DeSantis’s campaign event on the eve of the Iowa caucuses. The reasons behind this unexpected removal remain unclear, sparking confusion and frustration among the individuals involved.

The incident, which was caught on video, shows the disabled attendee, who had just entered the venue, being promptly escorted out by security personnel.

When asked for an explanation, the security guard could only mention that he was “following orders,” leaving the disabled man visibly confused by the unexpected turn of events.

The individual was reported to be wearing a hat bearing the name of Brenden Dilley, host of The Dilley Show and a Trump supporter. Dilley took to social media to express his disbelief.

“Ron DeSantis just had a man in a wheelchair thrown out of his event because he was wearing a hat with my name on it, while he was listening to the speeches. Unreal,” Dilley wrote.

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Iowa school shooter at Perry High School confirmed by police to be student Dylan Butler, tied to ‘genderfluid’ and ‘transitioning’ social media posts

The suspect behind the Perry High School shooting has been reportedly identified as senior Dylan Butler, local outlet WHO 13 reports. Police confirmed the shooter’s identity. While several were injured, one boy, a 6th grader, was killed. The shooting took place in the morning prior to the start of the school day during a breakfast program.

The Thursday morning shooting in the Iowa school around 25 miles northwest of Des Moines, Iowa saw three people injured, including school principal Dan Marburger who was rushed into surgery. The only reported death is that of the shooter, who appeared to have died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Butler allegedly had a TikTok account where he went by the username “tooktoomuch.” The student’s last post was him inside a bathroom stall with a duffel bag on the ground next to him. The still video featured the words “now we wait” with a song called “Stray Bullets” playing. Police are investigating these assets.

The account, which has since been wiped by TikTok, featured an anime girl as the avatar, with the biography only featuring the gay pride flag and identifying as a “dj.”

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An Iowa Man Published Body Camera Footage From His Arrest. The Cops Are Suing Him for Defamation.

An Iowa man published body camera footage of his arrest at the hands of two Newton, Iowa, police officers last year. Now, he’s being sued for defamation. 

In August 2022, 19-year-old Tayvin Galanakis was driving in Newton just after midnight when he was pulled over by police officers Nathan Winters and Christopher Wing. 

“How much have you had to drink tonight?” Winters asks Galanakis in body camera footage from the incident.

“None,” Galanakis responds. Winters incredulously asks, “What do you mean none?” Galanakis said, “Great, let’s do a test then.”

The footage then shows Galanakis undergoing a series of field sobriety tests. After Winters claims Galanakis failed them, he administered a Breathalyzer test, which showed that Galanakis had a blood-alcohol level of 0.00. Almost immediately after proving his sobriety, body camera footage shows Winters asking Galanakis about how much marijuana he had consumed.

“Despite previously claiming he could smell alcohol on Tayvin, Officer Winters now claimed he believed Tayvin was intoxicated due to his use of marijuana,” reads a legal complaint later filed by Galanakis. “Tayvin continuously told the officers that he did not use marijuana and that his placement on the William Penn [University] football team renders him unable to use marijuana because of his weekly drug tests.”

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Man charged with plot to assassinate Iowa governor over child labor law

A Washington state man who allegedly threatened to assassinate Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds over her party’s push to loosen child labor laws has been hit with federal charges, according to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

“I can… tell you that people from other States and like-mindedness are going to be coming to your area to assassinate you… you have been warned Kim Reynolds your death is imminent if you do not change back those child labor laws,” Ryan Christopher Kelly said in one of two messages sent for Reynolds back in April.

In another message, Kelly said, “Kim Reynolds is going to be dead at the end of the month. We’re going to come there and we’ll rip you apart limb from limb… Have a good day because it might be your last.”

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Iowa Bill Would Ban SNAP Recipients From Buying Meat

A bill introduced earlier this month in the Iowa Legislature — the country’s top red meat-producing state — would ban people on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from buying meat and a lot of other typical grocery foods as well.

The bill, House File 3, has 39 co-sponsors in the Iowa House and is led by House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican. Pat Grassley is the grandson of Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving member of the Senate Agriculture Committee — the committee that writes the farm bill, including SNAP rules, in Congress.

Under the bill, SNAP recipients would be restricted to buying foods that are approved under a separate USDA food-aid program, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. WIC requires aid recipients to buy from a specific list of approved items that includes staples such as infant formula, cereal, milk, bread, juices, canned foods and baby foods.

WIC doesn’t allow people to buy products such as packaged meat, or frozen or processed foods.

“I don’t think the 39 co-sponsors of this bill know just how restrictive this is, and that it would ban meat,” said Luke Elzinga, chairman of the Iowa Hunger Coalition, and the policy and advocacy manager for a network of food pantries run by the Des Moines Area Religious Council. “Under this bill, no ground beef, no chicken, no pork in the state of Iowa. I just can’t believe that they knew that was what it was when the bill was introduced.”

According to USDA’s Livestock Slaughter report released Thursday, Iowa remained the No. 1 state for commercial red-meat production for December, largely because of its dominant position in pork processing. The Iowa Legislature bill would basically prohibit SNAP benefits in the state from being used to buy any pork products.

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Former Iowa City schools counselor awarded $12 million after being wrongfully imprisoned for 6 years

Donald Clark won $12 million in a lawsuit he filed against the state of Iowa on Thursday, years after being exonerated and released from prison on false charges that he sexually abused a student while working as an Iowa City elementary school counselor.

A jury awarded Clark $8 million in past emotional distress damages and $4 million for future damages after he spent six years in prison starting in 2010. He was released in 2016 when his conviction was vacated. That year, the court found that his public defender, John Robertson, was ineffective and declared Clark not guilty, but also “actually innocent,” a legally important finding, according to a news release from Clark’s lawyers at The Spence Law Firm LLC.

The jury found that Robertson, who died in 2013, failed to investigate the prosecution’s case against Clark, and a “substandard trial performance led to his conviction and wrongful imprisonment.”

Mel Orchard III of Jackson, Wyoming, one of Clark’s lawyers, told the Press-Citizen on Friday that Clark was joyous when the decision was rendered. Clark and his lawyers spent five years suing the state since his original 25-year prison sentence was vacated.

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