Apr 1 2024
Gazette Daily News Podcast: April 1, 2024
Featured Stories- 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 planEpisode TranscriptWelcome to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast for Monday, April 1, 2024.This podcast provides the latest headlines from the Gazette newsroom. I’m BeckyLutgen Gardner.First, Cancer in Iowa: Iowa is changing how it looksfor cancer clusters. That includes screening tests, proposed policies, andpersonal advocacy to help move the needle in the fight against Iowa’s highcancer rates.In 2023, Iowa’s cancer rates soared to the second highest in the country.The Iowa Cancer Registry has investigated 150 suspectedcancer cluster cases since 1994.But only one investigation near Wellman resulted in aconfirmed cluster finding.Researchers now want to reverse the clusterinvestigation process by identifying locations with known contamination and thenstudying cancer rates nearby.The CDC also has new cancer cluster guidelines recommendingtracking communities to see if the disease develops over time.Gary Streit helpedco-found the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in 1977. And then wasdiagnosed in 2016 with prostate cancer.Within months, he had surgery to remove his prostate. Every year, heparticipates in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life to fundraise forfighting 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 formore screening tests to detect and treat cancer earlier. Though few are gainingtraction with lawmakers, they’re proposing policies that help prevent cancer.And they’re assuming another powerful role: advocates who can raise awarenessand demand change, all in the name of keeping Iowa’s population safer andhealthier.Finally, Iowa’s state parks will no longer have park rangers undera new alignment plan being executed by the Iowa Department of NaturalResources.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 toa specific state park or parks. Iowa DNR spokeswomanTammie Krausman said, “Under alignment, State Park Managers and NaturalResource Technicians will exclusively handle state park operations, allowingDNR’s sworn peace officers to solely focus on law enforcement tasks,” But park advocates say the change will mean reduced lawenforcement presence at state parks, which, in the summer, become hubs ofactivity that can involve overconsumption of alcohol, unsafe boating andcriminal activity.Dawn Bill is president of Friends of Pilot Knob, a group that supports
