(Radio Iowa) – State, federal and local agencies are coming together with farm industry groups for three one-day events to help those in agriculture who have been hit by the recent severe weather. FEMA’s Jessica Pugh said the Agriculture Recovery Center events are for those impacted by the storms. “They will kind of be walked through events designed as resource fairs to provide information on addressing agricultural needs that are not covered by standard programs within FEMA or the state of Iowa,” she says. The first one is Thursday from noon until 8 pm at the Treynor Community Center in Pottawattamie County. Pugh says there are a lot of different types of agriculture that have been hit by the severe weather.

“As an example, just recently we had a conversation about honey bee damage. There was a honeybee agribusiness that was impacted by the tornadoes and their business was obviously sustained physical damage, and it would not be covered by individual assistance or public assistance under FEMA,” Pugh says. She says you need to bring identification and verification of where you live.

“So your driver’s license or an I-D would be great. If you have damage, photos of the damage is always helpful. If you have your insurance documents that say what’s covered and what’s not covered, that’s also helpful so that we can look at what’s covered and what’s not,” she says. “And we’ll also have our individual assistance and Disaster Survivor Assistance programs on the ground for anyone who hasn’t been able to get with those programs yet.” Pugh says this is a great opportunity to access all the information in one stop.

“I would encourage you to come out even if you aren’t 100 percent sure that your items may be covered,” Pugh says. “We’d love to have a conversation with you and just see if things can be worked out.” The second Agriculture Recovery Center is set for June 18th in Union County at the Southwestern Community College in Creston. The place and time for the third event is still being finalized.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department reports a man from Oklahoma was arrested Tuesday night, in Stanton. Authorities say after a brief investigation, 54-year-old Michael A. McKay, of Sand Springs, OK, was taken into custody at around 9:20-p.m. in the 600 block of Halland Street, in Stanton. McKay was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where his Breath Alcohol Content (BAC) registered .148 %.

McKay was booked into the jail on a charge of Public Intoxication/1st offense. His bond was set at $300.

ORIENT, Iowa [KCCI] — For the first time in nearly a decade, a school district in Iowa is closing its doors for good. The Orient-Macksburg School Board voted Monday night to dissolve the district. During the school board meeting, officials said low enrollment, staffing issues and financial shortfalls all led up to the decision.

It’s still not clear where the 160 Orient-Macksburg students will attend in the fall of 2025. Moving forward the school board will have to form a committee to figure out how the school district will be divvied up and consumed by the surrounding districts.

The next step for students will be up to voters. Once officials come up with a proposal, people in each impacted school district will vote on the plan in a special election. If the proposal is voted down, the director at the Iowa Department of Education will make the decision.

The O-M District issued this statement late Wednesday morning on social media:

“While this was a difficult and emotional decision to make, during the regular school board meeting on June 10, the Orient-Macksburg Board of Education unanimously approved a motion to begin the process for dissolution. A dissolution committee consisting of seven members has been established as required by the dissolution process. Two election options are available for district patrons to vote on the dissolution question: September, 2024 and March, 2025. It is likely the vote would occur in March, 2025 because of the amount of decisions that need to be made prior to an election. If approved by voters, dissolution would become effective on June 30, 2025. In addition, the board is considering the creation of committees for memorabilia and the district facilities. As more information is available, additional communication will be provided. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 15, beginning at 5:30 p.m.”

GREENFIELD, Iowa — The Adair County community of Greenfield will host still RAGBRAI® riders in July as planned despite last month’s deadly tornado, according to event organizers. The 2024 route announced earlier this spring starts in Glenwood and ends in Burlington. Day three included Greenfield as the meeting town between Atlantic and Winterset.

That plan came into question after multiple tornadoes swept through Iowa this spring, including a May 21 tornado that destroyed more than 100 homes and killed four people in Greenfield. On Tuesday, organizers in a press release clarified the community’s status ahead of the ride, saying in-part:

“After careful consideration and many conversations with local officials and partners, we have decided to welcome the RAGBRAI community on this year’s ride,” RAGBRAI Greenfield committee co-chair Gina School said in a news release. “We have changed our theme for the day to Greenfield Strong, Rising After the Storm.” (read the full statement below)

RAGBRAI LI is scheduled to begin Sunday, July 21 and end Saturday, July 27. It’s among the shortest routes in ride history, but with 18,737 feet of climb, it’s the hilliest ride ever.