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Vilsack urges state to be “more aggressive” on water quality funding

Ag/Outdoor

April 17th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says he cannot comment on the lawsuit alleging boards of supervisors in three northwest Iowa counties failure to manage ag drainage districts has contaminated central Iowa’s drinking water supply. “But it is appropriate for me to talk about conservation and the role of USDA in all of this and I think what might surprise…many Iowans is how much conservation is actually taking place today in Iowa,” Vilsack says.

Since January of 2011, the U-S-D-A has awarded over two-point-two BILLION dollars to Iowa farmers to help finance conservation projects to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus run-off into rivers and streams. “The reality is that this is a very complicated situation,” Vilsack says. “It’s going to take time, but I am absolutely convinced that people are committed to better soil health and better water quality.”

Vilsack suggests the federal government is doing its part to stimulate conservation measures on Iowa farmland, but the state government could and should be “more aggressive” in its support of water quality initiatives. Vilsack sugests something similar to the “Vision Iowa” program he iniatated 15 years ago when he was governor .

“Let me just make a suggestion to our friends in the legislature and the governor: we did a great thing with Vision Iowa. We took gaming revenues and we put them on the table and we said to communities across the state: ‘What would you do if you had this money available to spur economic opportunity, tourism attractions, whatever?’ And people responded and we saw the landscape of this state change,” Vilsack says.
“I think it’s time that we do that with water. There’s no reason why we can’t do something similar and then that could leverage significantly greater sums from the federal government.”

Vilsack points to the Republican governor of Michigan, who has committed 45 million dollars in state money for a single water conservation project. Vilsack made his comments during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs tonight (Friday) on Iowa Public Television.

(Radio Iowa)

Google seeks $1 billion expansion of Council Bluffs center

News

April 17th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Google Inc. wants to expand its Council Bluffs data center spending an additional $1 billion and doubling the size of its staff to 70. The California company is asking the state for an additional $19.8 million in tax refunds bringing its total tax incentives to more than $36 million. The company received nearly $17 million in tax incentives to build the first phase of its data center in exchange for a promise to employ 35 people. Google’s total investment in Iowa will come to around $2 billion.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority is to consider the project expansion, today (Friday). Microsoft is spending about $2 billion to build two data centers in West Des Moines and Facebook has invested about $1 billion in two Altoona data centers.

 

Grain bin accident in Audubon County

News

April 17th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Atlantic Fire and Rescue personnel, along with crews from Audubon, Exira and Harlan responded to an incident at a grain bin northeast of Audubon Thursday afternoon. According to officials, the accident happened just before 1-p.m. There’s very little in the line of information available early this (Friday) morning, but on the Harlan Fire Department’s Facebook page, officials said “Unfortunately the outcome wasn’t as good as we had hoped.”

Atlantic, Exira and Harlan crews provided mutual aid to the Audubon Fire Department in handling the incident, with Atlantic providing its aerial truck. We hope to have more information later this morning, on KJAN and on the web at kjan.com.

Red Oak man arrested for probation violation

News

April 17th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Deputies in Montgomery County, Thursday, arrested 36-year old Kale Allen Wenberg, of Red Oak. Wenberg was taken into custody at around 4:45-p.m. in the 400 block of West Washington Street, on a warrant for Probation Violation. Wenberg was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

And, the Red Oak Police Department reports 25-year old Jessica Faye Davis, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 3:30-a.m. today (Friday). Davis was taken into custody near the intersection of N. 1st and E. Hammond Streets. She was brought to the Montgomery County Jail where Davis was being held on $1,000 bond on an OWI charge.

KJAN listening area forecast: Friday, 4/17/2015 (NWS/Dsm)

Weather

April 17th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

(Updated 3:52-a.m. CDT FRI APR 17 2015)

EARLY THIS MORNING…MOSTLY CLOUDY. PATCHY FOG. NORTHEAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

TODAY...PARTLY SUNNY. PATCHY FOG THROUGH MID MORNING. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE MID 70S. SOUTHEAST  WIND NEAR 10 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 20 PERCENT.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE UPPER 50S. EAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 70 PERCENT.

SATURDAY…SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING…THEN THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 90 PERCENT.

SATURDAY NIGHT…THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE LOWER 50S. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 70 PERCENT.

SUNDAY…SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE  MORNING…THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 60S. WEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 70 PERCENT.

SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF  SHOWERS. COLDER. LOW IN THE UPPER 30S.

MONDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 50S.

 

Iowa early News Headlines: Friday, April 17th 2015

News

April 17th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

(Audubon, Iowa/ KJAN) – A man from Central Iowa is dead and two other men were injured during a collision Thursday evening, about two-miles north of Audubon. The Iowa State Patrol says the driver of a 2013 Chevy pickup, 42-year old Kurt Robert Sulzman, of Polk City, who was wearing his seat belt, died in the crash that happened just after 7-p.m. on Highway 71 at the intersection with 170th Street.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Google is asking for an additional $19.8 million in tax refunds from the state to double the size of its Council Bluffs data center staff to 70, a $1 billion investment for the California company. The Iowa Economic Development Authority is to consider the project expansion Friday. Microsoft is building two data centers in West Des Moines and Facebook has invested in two data centers in Altoona.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief veterinary officer says the poultry industry may have to live with a deadly bird flu strain for several years, which could be devastating. Iowa’s first case of the H5N2 strain of avian influenza showed up earlier this week. Dr. John Clifford says that new cases should drop close to zero once the weather warms up but there is likely to be a resurgence this fall.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The city of Des Moines has appealed an Iowa Department of Transportation order to remove its automated speed camera on Interstate 235. A DOT report said Des Moines’ camera location had a low crash rate before the cameras went up, contrary to rules dictating that cameras target “high-crash or high-risk locations.” But the appeal claims the site has the highest level of traffic flow in the state and complies with DOT regulations.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gannett Co. has hired an Iowa native as president and publisher of The Des Moines Register. Thirty-nine-year-old David Chivers replaces Rick Green, who is now president and publisher of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Chivers most recently worked as chief digital officer at Jostens, which sells yearbooks and class rings.

IA Public Info. Board dismisses News Telegraph complaint against Atlantic School Board

News

April 17th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Public Information Board has dismissed a complaint made by Jeff Lundquist, the publisher of the Atlantic News Telegraph, against the Atlantic Community School District, which was subsequently withdrawn. The Daily NonPariel reports the Telegraph had challenged the timeliness of information being released by the Atlantic Community School District. Lundquist said previously the paper was not receiving information until hours before public meetings, and the school district said it would address the complaint’s concerns.

The IPIB said also, it will continue to study a complaint made from Red Oak into what legally constitutes an “advisory body” and whether current guidance is conflicting. Charlie Smithson, executive director of the IPIB, asked to defer a compliant by Margaret Stoldorf against the Red Oak Community School District until the board’s May meeting. He said a bill before the General Assembly could still be acted on that would determine how the law applied to the complaint.

Stoldorf’s complaint includes five specific allegations, including challenging whether appropriate notice was given for a Jan. 5th meeting of the Red Oak School Improvement Advisory Committee and whether a subcommittee of school board members and others that met on Jan. 30th should have had a public agenda – both issues related to the status of advisory groups.

An attorney representing the school district said the Red Oak school board met its legal requirements and asserted that neither the Jan. 5th nor the Jan. 30th meetings fell under the state’s open meeting regulations.

The IPIB resolved several complaints against the Red Oak school board last year, and Stoldorf was one of those Red Oak residents who brought concerns to the state agency. Smithson said he wants to meet with both sides to ask what is going on and how to prevent continued complaints from the community. The Superintendent has since resigned, and a new administration will be in place.

1 dead, 2 hurt in a pickup vs. tractor accident in Audubon County

News

April 17th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

A man from Central Iowa is dead and two other men were injured during a collision Thursday evening, about two-miles north of Audubon. The Iowa State Patrol says the driver of a 2013 Chevy pickup, 42-year old Kurt Robert Sulzman, of Polk City, who was wearing his seat belt, died in the crash that happened just after 7-p.m. on Highway 71 at the intersection with 170th Street.

Officials say Sulzman was traveling northbound at the same time a John Deere tractor driven by 45-year old Cory David Handlos, of Audubon, was traveling southbound. The tractor was pulling a planter. After the vehicles collided, each ended up in the southeast ditch near the intersection.

Handlos, and a passenger in the pickup, 24-year old Caleb Shawn Deist, of Grimes, who was wearing his seat belt, were transported to the Audubon County Hospital by Audubon Rescue. Deist was later flown by helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. The accident remains under investigation.

Lackey, Carpenter spark St. Louis’ 4-0 win over Milwaukee

Sports

April 16th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — John Lackey threw seven scoreless innings and Matt Carpenter doubled twice, helping the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. Lackey (1-0) gave up five hits, struck out eight and walked one.

Lackey, who allowed a pair of two-run homers in six innings in his most recent start, faced the Brewers for just the fourth time in his career. St. Louis took a 2-0 lead on two doubles and two singles in the sixth inning.

 

Home Loan Financing Available Through USDA Rural Development

Ag/Outdoor, News

April 16th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Spring in Iowa is a time for new beginnings as trees, plants and yards awaken from the cold of winter. Spring is also a time when many Iowans make plans to begin a new chapter in their lives by purchasing a home. USDA Rural Development currently has $10 million available for loans for Iowans to purchase or refinance homes in rural Iowa through its Direct Home Loan Program. The program offers 100 percent financing, a 33-year loan term and payment assistance for eligible applicants. This funding will remain on a first come first served basis through September 30, 2015.

“Each year USDA Rural Development invests more than $200 million in loans and grants that provide rural Iowa residents with decent, safe and sanitary housing,” said Bill Menner, USDA Rural Development State Director in Iowa. “It’s through housing
programs like this one that we work to ensure that as many rural Iowans as possible
have access to adequate housing.”

Recently a rural Iowa family of seven was living in a rental property that was not
suitable for occupancy. They made an offer on a home that was move-in ready. USDA
Rural Development received their purchase agreement on March 19. Their loan closed
and the family moved into their new home just 19 days later on April 7. The family
is ecstatic with their improved living conditions, and their house payment is $80
less than what they were paying for rent.

To learn more about USDA Rural Development’s housing programs please call (515)
284-4444, email DirectIA@ia.usda.gov or visit www.rd.usda.gov/ia.

USDA Rural Development also has a loan and grant program to help eligible homeowners make essential repairs such as a new furnace, roof, siding, or accessibility improvements, Homes repaired with these funds must be located in communities of less than 20,000 people or in rural areas.

USDA Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.7 million Iowans living in rural areas and communities. Office locations include a State
Office in Des Moines, along locally, with an Area Offices in Atlantic.