(Radio Iowa) – Tomorrow (Wednesday) will mark the third annual Shop Iowa Day, where some 750 small businesses in the state offer pre-holiday discounts on more than 8,000 thousand unique Iowa products through a single website.

Cherie Edilson is the CEO of Member Marketplace, which is managing the ShopIowa.com platform for the Iowa Economic Development Authority. She calls this an online celebration of Iowa’s small businesses.

“It is a sale through the ShopIowa.com platform where you can explore businesses from all 99 counties,” Edilson says. “We have boutique retailers. We’ve got food-based businesses, games, home decor, just tons of products from businesses right here in Iowa that are eager to get eyes on their businesses and get new sales ahead of the holiday shopping season.”

While the event coincides with one of the Amazon Prime Day sales, Edilson hopes Iowans will consider keeping it local instead by supporting their neighbors across town or across the state. Plus, there are day-long deals.

“We have a sale happening, 30% off sitewide, to be able to buy products from all corners of the state, add them to the cart with one checkout and buy and shop local Iowa businesses online,” Edilson says. “Several businesses are also putting their products on sale, so they’re doing additional discounts in addition to what Shop Iowa is offering for the day.”

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, around 67 cents of every dollar spent locally stays in the community, helping to strengthen local economies. About half of the merchants featured on ShopIowa.com also have brick-and-mortar stores in Iowa, and Edilson is sure they’d appreciate you shopping in-person as well.

“That’s part of the requirements from IEDA. They need to either be a retail business in Iowa or a handmade-in-Iowa small business,” Edilson says. “So you can discover businesses in your community that you’ve never been to before and go in and shop them in-person and discover what’s that business that you’ve driven by several times? And now you can discover their shop online and it gives you a reason to go in store next time as well.”

There’s also a place on the site where you can sign up for a chance at a $500 shopping spree.

(Radio Iowa) – The 14th annual climate statement from dozens of Iowa scientists suggests it’s never been easier for individuals to help reduce carbon emissions. Drake University Environmental Science professor David Courard-Hauri  is part of the Iowa Climate Educators group. “This year we wanted to address the question that we get asked more than any other, which is: ‘What can I do about climate change?'” he said.

The report from nearly 200 climate scientists at 32 Iowa colleges and universities cites rapidly improving technology that reduces carbon emissions as well as tax breaks for electric vehicles, solar power systems and more efficient appliances. “We want to be clear that the solution is bigger than individual action and we need leaders at all levels to enact policies if we want to avert even greater disasters than we’ve seen all around us this year,” Courard-Hauri said.

Emma Stapleton Thornell of the University of Iowa’s Department of Internal Medicine researches how exposure to air pollution impacts the lungs. She’s part of a campus-wide initiative to recognize teams of students, faculty and staff who come up with solutions to reduce the impact the climate has on human health.

“It’s been a great way to feel like you’re actually doing something about climate change,” she says, “and because of the scope of the problem that’s been delineated, you know, any step is a good one and an important first step.”

The group’s report notes 2023 was the hottest year since global temperatures measurements began and Iowa’s past winter was the second warmest in 152 years of record keeping and June brought historic flooding to areas of the state.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department was called this (Tuesday) morning to Cappel’s Ace Hardware in downtown Atlantic, to investigate the theft overnight, of a log-splitter and two gas-powered snowblowers. The machines were secured outside the store when the theft occurred at around 10-p.m., Monday. Surveillance video still-frame images from inside and outside of the store show a blue Ford long-box pickup and three people who were allegedly responsible for the thefts. The unidentified suspects made two trips to the hardware store to grab the machine.

Cappels is asking anyone with information about the thefts to contact the Atlantic Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – The state Transportation Commission approved a change today (Tuesday) to a state program used to help communities build roadways for business development. The D-O-T”s Deb Arp says the change allows the Rebuild Iowa’s Sound Economy or RISE program to be used to relocate businesses in disaster areas. “That is limited to communities that experience state and federally recognized emergency events and where existing businesses have expressed interest in permanent relocation, and documentation of business interest in relocation has been provided with an application,” Arp says.

The first project under the new designation was also approved for Rock Valley. “The city is seeking to develop a new business park located outside the flood zone with access to U-S 18 the proposed rise roadway will provide access to 14 lots totaling more than 25 acres for light industrial purposes,” she says. Arp says the city has multiple letters of interest from local businesses impacted by the flooding, looking to relocate within the community by.

The Commission approved nearly one-point-five million dollars ( $1,482,758) for Rock Valley, which is 70 percent of the project. The Transportation Commission also approved some regular RISE funding. Sioux Center was approved for a roadway to help a business expansion.  “The proposed RISE roadway will provide improved access to a proposed expansion at Service Trucks International, a manufacturer of truck bodies and telescoping cranes, and assist in the creation of six full time jobs and an additional ten jobs within the next ten years,” Arp says.

This project is anticipated to be completed by July 2026. The city of Boone was given state funding for access to the Daisy Brands dairy. “The immediate opportunity component, providing direct access to the Daisy Brand site is tied to a job creation commitment of 217 jobs. The total project cost is three million-781-thousand-981 dollars. and at an 80 percent rise participation rate, the recommended award is three million-25-thousand-530 dollars,” she says. Arp says the company plans to expand. “Daisy Brands will construct a 700-thousand square foot manufacturing facility at the site to produce soft dairy products such as cottage cheese and sour cream. Production is anticipated to begin in 2027 and ramp up to full build out and job creation in 2032,” she says. 

She says the funding comes with the promise of hundreds of new jobs. “The proposed RISE grant will support a commitment to create 217 new full time jobs within three years of roadway completion, out of an anticipated 255 rise eligible jobs created at this facility through 2032, and almost 730 million dollars in associated capital investment.

The funding will help pay for a roadway that is expected to be completed by November 2026. There is also funding for a roundabout on U-S Highway 30 to provide access as well, and that project is still under development.

(Radio Iowa) – A region already battered by severe storms this season is preparing for another major hurricane to hit tomorrow (Wednesday), and American Red Cross volunteers from Iowa are in place to help evacuees take shelter from the anticipated powerful winds, heavy rains and flooding. Josh Murray, spokesman for the agency’s Nebraska-Iowa Region, says a few dozen Iowans left more than a week ago to help in the recovery from the first big storm. “There’s over 2,000 Red Cross volunteers in that area, all throughout the southeast following Hurricane Helene, including close to 30 from Iowa that are down there,” Murray says, “and yes, especially those in the Florida area where Milton is headed, they’re preparing for the next wave and what might come with that.”

It’s been more than a century since a Category 5 hurricane hit Tampa Bay, which is one of the nation’s fastest-growing metro areas with more than three million residents. “This is going to be a large evacuation. We’re going to have a large number of people looking for places to stay. So we have been working, that’s been really the focus the last several days, getting more shelters,” Murray says. “We already have several open in the area from Hurricane Helene. Those that remain open, those can hopefully welcome more people, but we know we’re going to need more.”

Milton is a very large storm system and as Florida interstates clog up with evacuees, hotels to the north and south are booking up, and Red Cross shelters will likely be in high demand. Murray says it’s a delicate guessing game as to where to open shelters so fleeing Floridians don’t have to travel too far, versus being too close to the storm’s fury for safety’s sake.  “We’ll watch the forecast really close. If there’s a little bit north, a little bit south, how far inland do we think it’s safe. We know it’ll still be a little dangerous inland, but maybe it’ll be safe enough that we can still house people there if you’re far enough inland,” Murray says. “We want to make sure it’s safe, definitely for our folks who are there, but also, obviously, the residents who are evacuating, we want to make sure we provide a safe location for them to go.”

Hurricane Helene survivors in a South Carolina shelter (Red Cross photo)

Iowans who would like to help the Red Cross to help others can call 1-800-Red Cross, or visit RedCross-dot-org. You can also text the word “Helene” to 90999 to make a donation.