Gazette Daily News Podcast: Monday, Apr. 1, 2024

– Cancer in Iowa: Iowa changing the way it looks for cancer clusters

– Cancer in Iowa: Here’s how Iowans are battling the state’s dire cancer rates

– Iowa will no longer have park rangers under plan

Episode Transcript

Welcome to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast for Monday, April 1, 2024. This podcast provides the latest headlines from the Gazette newsroom. I’m Becky Lutgen Gardner.

First, Cancer in Iowa: Iowa is changing how it looks for cancer clusters. That includes screening tests, proposed policies, and personal advocacy to help move the needle in the fight against Iowa’s high cancer rates.

In 2023, Iowa’s cancer rates soared to the second highest in the country.

The Iowa Cancer Registry has investigated 150 suspected cancer cluster cases since 1994.

But only one investigation near Wellman resulted in a confirmed cluster finding.

Researchers now want to reverse the cluster investigation process by identifying locations with known contamination and then studying cancer rates nearby.

The CDC also has new cancer cluster guidelines recommending tracking communities to see if the disease develops over time.

Gary Streit helped co-found the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in 1977. And then was diagnosed in 2016 with prostate cancer.

Within months, he had surgery to remove his prostate. Every year, he participates in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life to fundraise for fighting cancer. Last year, he walked 30 miles to raise more than $100,000.

He says of his advocacy, “If I broke my arm, I’d tell people about it. People need to get past the stigma — have to get past the fear.”

Other Iowans are fighting cancer in their own ways. They’re calling for more screening tests to detect and treat cancer earlier. Though few are gaining traction with lawmakers, they’re proposing policies that help prevent cancer. And they’re assuming another powerful role: advocates who can raise awareness and demand change, all in the name of keeping Iowa’s population safer and healthier.

Finally, Iowa’s state parks will no longer have park rangers under a new alignment plan being executed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The department confirmed that rangers at Iowa’s 69 state parks will gradually be classified as conservation officers assigned to one or more counties rather than assigned to a specific state park or parks.

Iowa DNR spokeswoman Tammie Krausman said, “Under alignment, State Park Managers and Natural Resource Technicians will exclusively handle state park operations, allowing DNR’s sworn peace officers to solely focus on law enforcement tasks,”

But park advocates say the change will mean reduced law enforcement presence at state parks, which, in the summer, become hubs of activity that can involve overconsumption of alcohol, unsafe boating and criminal activity.

Dawn Bill is president of Friends of Pilot Knob, a group that supports Pilot Knob State Park in north-central Iowa.

She says, “Anywhere there is alcohol, law enforcement presence needs to be known. Especially when you’re out in the middle of nowhere.

Even though the Iowa DNR is making changes according to an alignment plan, when The Gazette asked for a copy, Krausman said the plan was still a draft, which makes it not subject to public disclosure under Iowa’s open records law.

As sworn law enforcement officers, park rangers have been jacks-of-all-trades for decades who do everything from repairing buildings and overseeing mowing to educating the public about invasive species and cracking down on out-of-control parties at campgrounds.

The Iowa DNR told rangers in 2022 that they had to move out of 26 state-owned houses in state parks, saying the upkeep was too costly. That meant instead of being on-site for busy weekends, rangers could live as far as 20 miles away.

Up to 16 million people visit Iowa’s state parks annually. The Gazette reported in March that the parks need more than $100 million in repairs to fix leaking roofs, rotting shelters, and outdated sewage lagoons. In recent years, Iowa DNR Director Kayla Lyon has not asked the Iowa Legislature for additional funding.

Monday’s weather: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 47. Monday night showers are likely, mainly before 1 am. Low around 36. Breezy with wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Tuesday has a 30 percent chance of showers before 1 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.

You can find a link to each of the stories featured in today’s episode in the episode’s description or at thegazette dot com.

Thank you for listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast. I’m Becky Lutgen Gardner.