(Radio Iowa) – University of Northern Iowa officials are raising money to renovate what U-N-I president Mark Nook calls “iconic spaces” on the Cedar Falls campus. “In 2026, when we turn 150 years old, the Campanile be 100 years old, the UNI-Dome will be 50 years old and the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center will be 26 years old,” Nook says.

The most recognizable of those three is the UNI-Dome, which Nook says isn’t just a regional center, but a facility that serves the entire state, with the state football playoffs, there are various ag and home shows that happen in there and concerts, so it really is a resource for the state, so it’s one we’ve got to pay attention to and make sure we keep up to date,” Nook says, “and after 50 years, it needs a little work.”

Part of the plan is to replace the bleachers with stadium seating. “Right now if you attend an event there, you’re sitting on 18 inches of aluminum with a pretty solid back behind you,” Nook says. “What we want to do is pull all of those out is replace them with stadium seats and cupholders, so you can be a little more comfortable when you’re in the venue.”

UNI photo showing top of the UNI-Dome.

UNI’s predominant school color is purple and Nook says the plan calls for the new seats to be purple. The surface of the indoor track is to be upgraded as well, “and make it also very UNI specific in purple and gray with our big logo on it,” Nook says. “One of the big improvements will be in the restrooms. Our current restrooms need some work.”

The plan is to add space to the UNI-Dome for new restrooms, which Nook says will free up space in the facility so crowds can move more easily. Nook made his comments during a recent “Iowa Press” episode on Iowa PBS.

(West Des Moines, Iowa) –  November 2022 unit sales of single-family homes were down 29.5 percent compared to November 2021, but not unexpected with the yearlong rise in home mortgage interest rates. Overall, year-to-date unit sales is only down 9 percent according to the Housing Trends by the Iowa Association of REALTORS® (IAR).

2,638 single-family homes and 332 Townhouse-Condo homes sold in November 2022. The national mid-term elections also typically play a part in home sale activity as well as overall economic factors such as inflation and unemployment. Despite all this, 2022 appears to be returning to a more normal state of activity compared to the last two years.

Another market indicator is the median sale price of homes. During the month of November, the median sale price of single-family homes was flat at $191,000 compared to $192,000 in November of last year. Townhome-Condo median sale prices proved to be the leader by seeing a 10 percent increase over November of 2021 and a 2022 year-to-date increase of just over 12 percent. The median sale price of a townhome-condo in the month of November was $219,950.

The number of homes for sale in 2022 appear to have finally started trending upward since the low count of 5,200 homes for sale in April/May. November for-sale inventory levels were close to 6,900 homes for sale bucking a trend of decreasing inventory ever since pre-covid years. We still have a way to go to bring our number of homes for sale back to more desirable level, but any increase in inventory is welcomed.

The average days on market continue to be around 32 days for single family and 44 days for townhome-condos but with holidays in the mix, this is a good sign that buyer activity is remaining strong. The winter months are the best opportunity to homebuyers to be able to negotiate compared to the spring/summer months when homes have been selling at or above list price. The average single-family home price during November sold at 97.5 percent of asking price.

The outlook for homebuyers and sellers across the state for 2023 is very promising. Expectations of mortgage interest rates settling to around 5 to 5 ½ percent for next year will give homebuyers confidence that they are not going to be priced out of affordability due to continued rising interest rates.

Homeowners that have been sitting on the sidelines also watching interest rates will be ready to finally jump into the for-sale market in 2023 adding much needed inventory for homebuyers.

2022 IAR President Byron Menke says for those asking “Is winter a good time to buy or sell a home?,” the months of November through January are good times before the spring market wakes up. Buyers can look for homes at a little slower pace and historically home prices are at their lowest during these months. Homeowners also recognize that they are also able to take advantage of lower purchase prices when they sell and become homebuyers.”

(Pottawattamie County, Iowa) – Officials in Pottawattamie County said Tuesday, that after serving in various roles for Pottawattamie County for over four decades, Lynn Grobe will retire from the Board of Supervisors on January 3, 2023. On Tuesday, January 3, 2023, Pottawattamie County will swear in new County Supervisors Jeff Jorgensen and Susan Miller, along with reelect Scott Belt. They’ll join Brian Shea, and Tim Wichman on the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors.

A Hancock native, Grobe graduated from Oakland High School in 1961, then earned a bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Nebraska Omaha. He served three years in the United States Army, before returning home to assist his dad on the family farm. He and his wife, Carolyn, still reside on the farm south of Hancock. With help from his son, Preston, farming continues to be a family passion.

Grobe has truly lived a life of service. He is one of the founding members of Iowa West, serving in varying capacities since 1984. He has served and still serves today on several other boards throughout the area, including Hancock United Methodist Church, Hancock American Legion, Western Iowa Development Association, Golden Hills, Southwest Iowa Planning Council among others.

Lynn Grobe

“Public service has always been an important part of my life,” said Grobe. “I like helping people, and although I’m retiring from Pottawattamie County, I’ll continue to help our area any way I can.”

Grobe’s contributions to Pottawattamie County are vast and include his time as County Supervisor from 2009 until his retirement. That timeline includes serving alongside County Auditor Melvyn Houser, who was a County Supervisor for seventeen years before becoming Auditor in 2017.

“It’s been a real pleasure working with him for several years,” said Houser. “He’s always had a keen interest in taking care of county roads and doing what’s best for our rural communities and small towns. He’s been a great asset for us.”

When asked about his time with Pottawattamie County, Grobe sees considerable potential for the area to continue building momentum. “Our leaders do a great job, even with a lot on their plates,” said Grobe. “We’re currently seeing an expansion of the courthouse, which will help us better-serve residents. A new Public Health building hopefully comes soon. There are a lot of things to look forward to in Pottawattamie County.”

For Board of Supervisors Chairman Tim Wichman, Grobe’s approach to life is one he hopes inspires others. “It’s easy to see what’s important to Lynn Grobe,” said Wichman. “Family, home, and community are areas he’s prioritized and served. I think that’s something we can all admire, and Pottawattamie County is better for having him. We wish him the best.”

(Treynor, Iowa) – Officials with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday evening, said a serious injury accident occurred at around 7-a.m. today (Tuesday), near Treynor. According to the report, at around 7:02-a.m., Deputies and Treynor Fire and Rescue personnel were dispatched to the intersection of State Highway 92 and 290th Street, for a vehicle versus semi collision, with injuries.

Upon arrival, first responders found a 2006 Saturn Ion, driven by 24-year-old Zachary Dickerson, of Treynor, had struck a 2004 Wilson Cattle Trailer, operated by 68-year-old Dannie Schnepel, also of Treynor, that had become disabled in the roadway. Dickerson was extricated from his car by Treynor Fire, and transported to Nebraska Medicine Trauma Center, with life threatening injuries.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol, and the Iowa Department of Motor Vehicle Enforcement. The collision remains under investigation by the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office Technical Collision Investigation Unit.

(Radio Iowa) – Healthcare facilities and pharmacies are continuing to see shortages of antibiotic medications as hospitals are reporting high levels of kids getting sick with viral infections like the flu and R-S-V. The executive director of pharmacy for UnityPoint Des Moines, Brian Benson, says they’re being careful to make sure they’re saving medications like amoxicillin for bacterial infections — because it doesn’t work on viruses.

“We’re not trying to not get drugs or not treat patients. It’s really, we’re making the best decisions we can based on you know, the, the bug, if you will, that’s causing the infection and we’re really trying to make sure that we, we have things on hand for patients that really need it,” he says. He says they’re able to get by on the supply they have, and patients can help by understanding how things are treated.

“If it’s, you know, suspected to be viral, you’re not going to get an amoxicillin to treat the viral infection. So maybe, you know, maybe not demanding an antibiotic,” Benson says. Benson says parents can prevent the spread of all infections by keeping their kids home when sick.

(reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Ames, Iowa) – The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) annually honors an individual who has contributed a great deal of time and effort in promoting the beef industry in Iowa. The 2022 recipient of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association Hall of Fame award is Dr. John Lawrence, of Ames. Lawrence was nominated for this prestigious honor by a group of producer and allied leaders for his service and engagement through many Iowa beef industry evolutions throughout his career.

Dr. John Lawrence, Vice President of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, will retire in March 2023. He’s been a livestock economist at heart even when his title changed. Always a cattleman, John was raised on a southwest Iowa crop and livestock farm. And always an Iowan at heart, it’s been his home except while he earned his Ph.D. in agricultural economics at the University of Missouri in Columbia, and served as extension livestock economist in marketing and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. In 1991 he returned to Iowa as the ISU extension livestock economist and assistant professor.

Dr. John Lawrence (ISU photo)

John continued as extension livestock economist as he advanced in his faculty position, and began adding administrative responsibilities which often overlapped. In 1998 he was named Iowa Beef Center director, a position he held until 2010. From 2004-2010, he was assistant director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. In 2010 he became associate dean of extension and outreach for the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and director of agriculture and natural resources extension. Seven years later he was named acting, then interim ISU Vice President for Extension and Outreach, and the following year was appointed to his current VP position.

Along the way he held several interim positions in addition to his full time role, including interim director for the ISU Beginning Farmer Center and Iowa Nutrient Research Center, and interim chair for the ISU animal science department. The constant through the decades has been his dedication to working with people. From early days on Iowa farms and at producer meetings, to advocating for livestock industry members at the state, national and international levels, John has been a strong supporter of Iowa agriculture and its people.

“John is a true believer in engaging Iowans. Without question, his commitment to building strong, sustained partnerships like the one we enjoy with the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association make him worthy of hall of fame status,” said Wendy Wintersteen, president of Iowa State University. “For more than 30 years, John’s devotion to the power of ISU Extension and Outreach to change Iowans’ lives for the better has been unwavering.”

John and his contributions have made him an important piece of the beef industry past, present and future, and thanks to John, that future is bright. The ICA would like to thank Dr. Lawrence for his commitment and sacrifice to Iowa’s cattle industry by inducting him into the ICA Hall of Fame.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Wellness Program Coordinator Brigham Hoege says the Atlantic Food Pantry has a message for Atlantic and Cass County Community: “2022 has been an eventful year for the Food Pantry with persistent food insecurity locally and nationally, and also a successful move to a new facility here in Atlantic.

“We want to express our sincere thanks for the extraordinarily generous donations to the Atlantic Food Pantry by the churches, community service groups, businesses, non-profit organizations, and individuals throughout the county who have contributed food and funds, sponsored food drives and collection boxes, and served meals to help those in need. The community has been truly generous in its support, as always.

“With food costs higher than in past years, client attendance numbers have remained steady around 75 households per week. During 2022 there have been approximately 3600 household visits to the pantry with supplemental food distributed to the 9000 individuals in those household visits. These totals include multiple visits by some households during the year, according to their need.

“The Pantry particularly expresses our gratitude to the organizers, contestants, and contributors who participated in the Scrooge Contest which has been fundamental to the pantry’s operation for so many years. Also, we want to acknowledge the community contributions of the Cass County Local Food Policy Council which has distributed live garden food plants and helpful food information to our clients and organized Mobile Food Pantry distributions periodically throughout the year. Our Pantry has also benefited in many ways from its affiliation with Food Bank for the Heartland, the large food bank in Omaha, which provides significant amounts of donated food for distribution in Cass County by its several pantries and other groups.

Thank You!

The Volunteers, Board, and Clients of the Atlantic Food Pantry”

(Radio Iowa)  – It’s the season of giving and many Iowans are wanting to make charitable contributions before the calendar year runs out — out of generosity and for the tax benefits. As you decide who should get a check, Bao Vang at the Better Business Bureau is encouraging us to do our homework to avoid being ripped off. “Watch out for charity name confusion,” Vang says. “Scammers want to trick you into thinking they are someone else, including a reputable, credible organization that you already have a special connection with.”

If you have any doubts, Vang says to do your research to ensure a charity is on the up and up, and don’t donate right away to anyone who calls. “Resist the pressure to give immediately and on the spot,” Vang says. “Rushing you is one of the most common tactics of scammers. When you feel rushed, pause, take a breath and think about the offer.”

If you think you’ve been scammed, go to the BBB’s scam tracker and report it.

On the web at bbb.org