The Iowa Department of Public Health, Upper Midwest Center for Public Health Preparedness and Safeguard Iowa Partnership will present a free Webcast on Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. to provide the latest information related to the upcoming influenza season. Current information on high-risk groups, vaccine prioritization, use of personal protective equipment and the need for isolation and quarantine will be discussed. Participants will have the opportunity to submit questions to Iowa public health experts. Specific recommendations and guidelines will be provided for businesses regarding infectious diseases and protecting the work force. The Webcast will be rebroadcast on Oct. 21 from 3 to 5 p.m. and on Oct. 27 from 9 to 11 a.m. To register, visit www.safeguardiowa.org.

The Madison County Development Group has joined the Greater Des Moines Partnership. Madison County is the fourth-fastest-growing county in Iowa. Its development group was founded in 1994. Doyle Scott, former superintendent of the Winterset Community School District, recently was named executive director.

Don Soderquist, founding executive of the Soderquist Center and former chief operating officer of Wal-Mart, will be the keynote speaker at tomorrow’s Iowa Commercial Real Estate Association Expo. The event, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Meadows Events & Conference Center in Altoona, is intended to strengthen the business practices of professionals involved with commercial real estate through educational, networking and relationship building opportunities. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $125. For more information, contact Sue Clark at (515) 222-3191 or seclark@ccim.net.

Iowa’s $516.7 million action plan for disaster Community Development Block Grant funding was approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Gov. Chet Culver announced last Friday. The funding will be allocated toward buyouts, housing production, business assistance, infrastructure and flood plain mapping. See the full release.

Principal Financial Group Inc. will release its third quarter 2009 financial and operating results at 3 p.m. Nov. 2, the company announced today. On Nov. 3, Chairman, President and CEO Larry Zimpleman and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Terry Lillis will lead a discussion of results during a live conference call.

An Iowa Utilities Board hearing is set to begin today; it will focus on the Iowa Office of Consumer Advocate’s request to reduce electric rates for Interstate Power and Light Co. by $29.85 million annually. Interstate filed an application last March to increase its electric rates by $171 million annually, a 16 percent increase. Under Interstate’s proposal, its residential customers would see electric rates increase by 18.1 percent, small business customers by 17.7 percent and large industrial customers by 14.6 percent.