Barb Phelps, SHIIP/SMP Counselor with Henry County Health Center, will receive a Governor’s Volunteer Award. Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg will personally announce awardees during a special recognition ceremony held on June 25^th (2pm-5pm) at Ankeny High School (1155 SW Cherry St, Ankeny, IA 50023).

Barb will be honored with a 5-year service award by Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP). Since 2019, Barb has completed 790 Counseling Appointments appointments and spent more than 764 hours providing guidance to individuals, families, and caregivers on how to navigate their Medicare and identify plans and resources that work for them.

“Iowans take great pride in their deep and rich commitment for serving others—it’s in our DNA,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Iowa nice is the foundation of our state–you see it everywhere you turn– Iowans volunteering their time to help others and improve their communities and our state. It truly is an honor to be able to recognize these individuals for their meaningful acts of generosity through the Governor’s Volunteer Awards and inspire others to do the same.”

Kristin Griffith, SHIIP-SMP Director, shares “SHIIP-SMP Counselors are some of the best volunteers and people you could ever work with. They care deeply about their community members, and consistently go above and beyond to provide unbiased and trustworthy information helping individuals and their families navigate the complexity of Medicare.”

Kirsten Heerdt, Volunteer Services and SHIIP Site Coordinator at HCHC, also shared her congratulations – stating, “Barb is a delight to work with and has made a huge impact on her clients by saving them thousands of dollars in medication costs.”

Coordinated by Volunteer Iowa, the Governor’s Volunteer Award program—now in its 40^th year—provides an easy way for Iowa nonprofits, charitable organizations, and government entities to honor their volunteers with a prestigious, state-level award. A complete list of award recipients and an electronic copy of this news release are available at volunteeriowa.org

The Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report has been released and Mike Naig, the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, has commented…

“Summer officially begins this week, and Iowans can expect temperatures that match the season. After the frustrating planting delays, crops seem to be catching up nicely,” said Secretary Naig. “Both corn and soybeans will continue to benefit from the forecasts indicating unseasonable warmth with above average chances for rain through the end of June.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

Despite some isolated rain showers, warm temperatures and mostly dry weather resulted in 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending June 16, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Primary field activities were finishing up corn and soybean planting and re-planting. Other field activities included cutting hay and spraying crops.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 12 percent short, 77 percent adequate and 10 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 14 percent short, 75 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus.

Corn emergence is nearing completion at 95 percent. Corn condition rated 74 percent good to excellent. Eighty-six percent of the soybean crop has emerged, almost 2 weeks behind last year and 1 day behind the 5-year average. Soybean condition rated 74 percent good to excellent. Oats headed reached 74 percent, 2 days behind last year but 1 week ahead of the average. Nineteen percent of oats were turning color, 6 days ahead of last year and 13 days ahead of the 5-year average. Oat condition rated 81 percent good to excellent.

The State’s first cutting of alfalfa hay reached 89 percent complete, 6 days behind last year. Hay condition rated 80 percent good to excellent. Pasture condition rated 75 percent good to excellent. Some cattle feedlots remain muddy.

Rep. Taylor Collins released the following statement in response to a federal district court judge granting an injunction of Iowa’s illegal immigration law:

“Instead of protecting our borders, the Biden administration is focused on stopping the State of Iowa from enforcing the laws that they refuse to enforce themselves. Millions of individuals have entered the country illegally since Biden took office and he continues to do nothing to stop it. In fact, if the Biden administration would do its job, the State of Iowa would not have to take these steps to protect our citizens. I fully support Attorney General Bird appealing this decision as soon as possible.”

A heat advisory remains in effect through this evening, and for good reason.

Afternoon highs in the low to mid 90s will combine with humid conditions to produce heat indices between 95 to near 100°F at times!

This heat is no joke, and it is important to take care of yourselves and others. If you must be outside today, drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen and light-colored clothing, and take breaks in the shade or in air conditioning. Check in on people who are most vulnerable to the impacts of heat. NEVER leave a child or pet unattended in a parked vehicle as temperatures inside can quickly soar to 120°F or higher!

It looks like the temperatures will remain in the 90s through Saturday, with Sunday finally bringing much needed respite with a high of 86.