Henry County Health Center’s Diabetes Education is hosting the following classes in the month of November.

Monday, November 7– Prediabetes Class, Noon-1 p.m., Suite 25.

Tuesday, November 8– CGM Support Group, 2-3 p.m., Suite 25

Thursday, November 10– Annual Review Course, 1-3 p.m., Suite 25

Call HCHC Diabetes Education at 319-385-6518 by noon on Tuesday, November 8, to register. The day of class, register at the HCHC Registration Desk before proceeding to the class. The program is open to anyone who has Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and has completed the 10-hour diabetes classes.

Monday & Tuesday, November 14 & 15 – Two-day diabetes education class open to anyone who has Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. The class is 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. each day in Suite 25. There is a fee; however, many insurance plans cover the program. Directions will be given when you call HCHC’s Diabetes Education Center at 319-385-6518 to register by Friday, November 11.

Topics include meal planning; exercise; personal goals; eye disease; glucose monitoring; foot, skin and dental care; complications of diabetes; explanation of diabetes; medications; and behavior modifications. There will be time for questions.

The purpose of the program is to provide people who have diabetes and their families the latest information regarding the disease and to help them become aware that diabetes education is a lifelong process.

The HCHC Diabetes Education Center has earned Iowa State Certification. It has also been awarded Recognition from the American Diabetes Association, which assures that it has met the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs. HCHC’s Diabetes Education team offers Certified Diabetes Educators through the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators.

HCHC is prepared and committed to caring for you and your loved ones. Our current safety precautions require that facemasks be worn by all patients and visitors in clinical areas. No youth under the age of 14 are allowed to enter Henry County Health Center unless the child is a patient coming for an appointment. Please remember to social distance in the hallways, waiting areas and classrooms, cover your coughs and sneezes, and stay home when ill.

Iowa Wesleyan University is proud to announce that Xiaobin Dai, Assistant Dean for International Education, was honored with the 2022 Internationalization Achievement Award by Region IV of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. This award recognizes an individual, institution, organization, or group that is making strides, being innovative, and committed to comprehensive campus internationalization.

NAFSA is based in the United States and is the largest non-profit association dedicated to advancing international education by promoting international education opportunities, immigration training, and global teaching. NAFSA Region IV comprises North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri.

“I was delighted to see Xiaobin Dai receive this award and for Iowa Wesleyan to be recognized in this way,” stated Dr. DeWayne Frazier, University Provost. “The International Achievement Award is not only an outstanding honor for Xiaobin but a testament to all the efforts our faculty and staff have placed on being a campus with a global reach. To be recognized by our peers in the region makes it even more special for all of us.”

Currently, Iowa Wesleyan has a student body representing 40 countries on its campus in rural Iowa. The global diversity at the university significantly enhances the campus experience for its students and the community. Earlier this fall, Iowa Wesleyan was also ranked number one among all Regional Midwest Colleges from the 2022 U.S. News and World Report for the number of International students. This is the fourth consecutive year IW has led Iowa in this recognition.

Iowa Wesleyan University: As Southeast Iowa’s regional comprehensive University, Iowa Wesleyan University is a transformational learning community whose passion is to educate, empower and inspire students to lead meaningful lives and careers.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — On Friday, October 7, 2022, Jason Robert Wesely, age 39 of Salem, Iowa, pled guilty in federal court to Possession of Child Pornography. Wesely is scheduled to be sentenced on February 28, 2023. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. According to court documents, on or about June 4, 2020, Wesely knowingly possessed visual depictions of child pornography. Wesely knew that the visual depictions were of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, the depictions included minors who had not attained 12 years of age, and the visual depictions had been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce by any means including by computer and cellular phone. Wesely used his phone and a DVD to commit the
crime. IP addresses connected to a social media account used in the crime were tracked to Wesely’s residence in Salem, as well as his workplace at the National Guard in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the
announcement. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the United States Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which
was started in 2006 as a nationwide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children. Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexual abused are
encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.

Henry County Engineers Office announces Old Highway 34 road closure beginning November 9th. The road will be closed between Henry-Jefferson Ave east to Benton Ave for Box Culvert extension project. The project is estimated to take 3 weeks, weather permitting. Questions can be answered at 319 385-0762.

Plans are once again under way for resuming the long standing Swedish Smörgåsbord.  The local event has taken place at the Parish Hall in Swedesburg, IA on the first Thursday in December each year. That date this year will be December 1, 2022.

Smörgåsbord has been an annual event since 1938 except for a couple years during World War II when rationing limited access to necessary ingredients to prepare the feast and of course the most recent two years due to COVID. The menu consists of traditional Scandinavian dishes such as, Fruktsoppa (Fruit Soup), Bruna Bönor (Brown Beans), Svenska Köttbuller (Swedish Meatballs), Potatiskorv (Potato Sausage), and deserts Rigrynsgröt (Rice Pudding), Ostkaka (a special custard like cake), Äppelkaka (Apple Cake), Lingonberries (shipped here from Sweden), and many other dishes too numerous to list.  All are recipes that have been handed down through generations.  The event’s purpose is charitable.  Every year all profits from the event is given to mission work, either in this community, or to national and internationally related missions. Countless hours of volunteer work have gone into preparing this banquet in the past and in keeping it on the calendar for over eighty years. Tickets will, as in the past, go on sale at 9:00 a.m. at the Swedesburg Parish Hall on Monday, November 7, 2022.  A limited number of tickets will be sold for each seating.  Those seatings are 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00, and the cost is $20.00 each.

Unselfish volunteers are needed each year to ensure the event’s success. “Working Groups” have been the key to this success. The working group consists of individuals setting up tables and other “heavy” jobs to prepare the hall, scheduling music and singers for some traditional Swedish entertainment, decorating, ticket sales and the ever-popular Bit O Sweden where visitors can purchase Rye bread, Lingonberries or other baked goods to take home with them and enjoy another day. Last and equally important is the kitchen, dining room and serving area preparations.  Anyone interested in assisting any of these working groups, obtaining tickets, or for additional information contact the Swedesburg Evangelical Lutheran Church office at 319-254-2216 or office@swedesburglutheran.org .

The Swedish American Museum, located just a block east of the Parish Hall, will be open to further the Swedish experiences for visitors. Tickets for the event are also available at the Museum. Stop in or call 319-5-254-2317 to reserve tickets or for more information.

JOHNSTON – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate gathered his ‘Election Security A Team’ for a news conference Thursday to reassure voters of the many steps taken to provide a secure election. Leaders of state and federal agencies were on hand at the Iowa National Guard’s Joint Forces Headquarters to provide information on what they’re doing to ensure a safe, smooth, and accurate voting process on November 8. The State of Iowa has received national awards for its election cybersecurity efforts and was recently named one of the top three states in the nation for election administration.

“I can’t emphasize this enough: The integrity of the vote and the safety of voters are my top priorities,” Secretary Pate said. “Pre- and post-election audits, paper ballots, and Voter ID are just a few of the many protections in place. Iowans, we’ve got your back, so go out there, make your voice heard, and be a voter.”

Secretary Pate also reassured Iowans they will be able to cast their votes safely and if anyone tries to impede that process in any way, election officials have local law enforcement on speed dial.

“Intelligence and law enforcement communities at all levels of government have been tasked with ensuring our elections are safe and secure,” Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens said. “Iowans respect and actively exercise their right to vote and do so with civility and integrity. We take our responsibility to protect this right seriously and will be aggressive in deterring any criminal effort to compromise our system of government.”

The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will assist in monitoring Election Day activity.

“The State Emergency Operations Center is where we coordinate Iowa’s response to disasters and emergencies,” said John Benson, director of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “We believe utilizing this facility to monitor election activity and share information on Election Day will give us the ability to quickly respond, if necessary, to threats to the integrity of the election process.”

The State of Iowa is also working with the federal government to ensure elections are protected at every level.

“Iowans should feel very confident when they go to the ballot box, that their vote will be counted as cast,” said Phil Kirk, regional director from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “They should have every confidence in the integrity of Iowa’s elections. And they should have confidence in the state and local election officials and their partners in the federal government who’ve been working in solidarity to ensure the security and resilience of our elections.”

Secretary Pate also works with fellow state agencies to ensure top level cybersecurity protections.

“In support of this year’s election, the Department of Management, Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) will be monitoring cyberthreats jointly with the Iowa National Guard. The State of Iowa Security Operations Center will provide 24-hour-a-day cyberthreat monitoring and heightened support during this year’s elections,” said Shane Dwyer, Chief Information Security Officer, the Office of the Chief Information Officer.

The Iowa National Guard’s Joint Task Force Cyber has also been a valuable ally in the effort to protect Iowa’s elections.

“To assure the integrity of the State of Iowa’s electoral process, the Iowa National Guard has been directed to provide electoral security assistance to the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office for the midterm election cycle. We are proud to once again serve our state and community by defending our election cyberspace domain,” said Captain Brett Leighton, Iowa National Guard Joint Task Force Cyber, Team Lead.

Secretary Pate and other speakers also urged Iowans to be leery of election misinformation and disinformation. Instead, turn to trusted sources for election information, which are the Secretary of State and county election officials.

“And I’d like to make a request to every voter who goes to the polls on Election Day: Be nice to the poll workers and treat them with respect. They stepped up to provide a civic duty and are putting in long hours. It’s an important job and they’re doing it because they care about our elections,” Secretary Pate said.

Polls will be open across Iowa from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Tuesday for the November 8 general election. Voters should visit VoterReady.Iowa.gov or their county auditor’s website to find their polling place and other election-related information.