Shouldn't we care more?
Plus, my view inside debate night
I feel like I should start this column like this: my dad, cousin, aunt and my mom’s cousin. They all died from cancer. Last week, a high school friend did, too. And this week a fellow journalism student from college died. F- cancer.
The Progress — The positive is that 48 states in the country have declining cancer rates, according to the Iowa Cancer Registry. Two states do not: Iowa is one of them.
In fact, Iowa has the second fastest rising cancer rate in the country…for the third straight year. I don’t see candidates for office talking about it in TV commercials. I haven’t seen any campaign mailers that we got at home mention this…or commit to try to find the reason (s) for it.
Here is my story on Iowa’s growing cancer rate, including our issue with alcohol.
The Problems — The Iowa Cancer Registry’s 2024 Cancer Report showed that adults drink too much (binge drinking is way too high in the state), obesity is too high, too many people still smoke, and people don’t exercise enough. Are pesticides in this ag-heavy state a contributor?
Here is the 2024 Cancer in Iowa Report
The Solutions? — Two state representatives — Austin Baeth, a Democrat from Des Moines, and Hanz Wilz, a Republican from Ottumwa, pledge to push legislation next session to address the rising cancer rate.
More money for research? More resources for awareness? More focus on prevention?
They haven’t announced their plan yet. Let’s see if their colleagues agree that this is a crisis that merits attention. Let’s see who else joins the Iowa Cancer Consortium in prioritizing why cancer is on the rise, how we help more Iowans become survivors and what we can do to prevent our neighbors from ever having to enduring this battle.
Inside Iowa Politics — Dr. Mary Charlton is a key figure in Iowa who is determined to raise awareness of the state’s cancer rates. She explained how the Iowa Cancer Consortium will now address this challenge on the county level, what changes she has made personally to reduce her cancer risk and what she wants the state’s policymakers to change.
Watch the latest episode of “Inside Iowa Politics” here.
Scrambling — A northeast Iowa town hoped that a revamped plant would bring 400 jobs and infuse new life into the community of 7,000 people. But the new owners’ business plan collapsed, and farmers in three states were screwed. Strangers are now rushing in to save hundreds of thousands of chickens.
My latest American Farmland Owner podcast looked at how this happened and what it means for the tri-state region. This was a one-of-a-kind situation…hopefully.
Prime-Time — Iowa’s 1st Congressional District matchup between U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the Republican seeking her third term, and Christina Bohannan, the former state representative trying for a second time to win this seat, could be one of the races to watch on election night.
I did a story on the prominence of one issue in this race. Watch that here.
The Group — I write this column as part of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. Check out the latest work from other columnists here.
Thank you to the new (and returning) supporters. Your financial support allows us to do this. We appreciate you!
And thank you for your suggestions for questions for the 1st District congressional candidates. We were able to work some of those into the debate.
What was it like to be on the panel for the live debate between Miller-Meeks and Bohannan?