The Iowa West Foundation, headquartered in Council Bluffs, has announced $4.1 million in grants for the third quarter of 2013. The grants will be used to assist 39 nonprofit organizations and governmental entities with funding for area projects. (Below is a list of the recipients, the grant purpose & amount):

• ALS in the Heartland Inc., new patient services for “Lou Gehrig’s” disease in southwest Iowa, $7,670

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands, community-based mentoring in Mills and Pottawattamie counties, $40,000

• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands, general operating support for Council Bluffs club, $140,000

• Carson, Iowa, Business Club, improvement to the community’s Dreamland Theater, $5,000

• Carstens 1880 Farmstead Inc., preservation projects at historic farm site near Shelby, $15,000

• Children’s Imagination Station Daycare & Preschool, motor skill equipment at Denison facility, $3,625

• Children’s Square U.S.A., replacement of windows at Council Bluffs Children’s Center, $32,000

• City of Council Bluffs, support of events for 2014 LoessFest at River’s Edge Park, $250,000

• Council Bluffs Community School District, renovation of a site for a collaboration with Heartland Family Service, $407,500

• Council Bluffs Goodfellows, program to assist local families during holiday season, $45,000

• Council Bluffs Trees Forever, plantings along new trail in eastern part of city, $8,220

• Creighton University, expansion of financial education program in Council Bluffs, $70,126

• Eckels Memorial Library, additions to the library collection in Oakland, $2,500

• French Icarian Colony Foundation, continued development at site of French Icarian Village near Corning, $20,000

• Grist Mill Fine Arts Council Inc., roof replacement of community fine arts center in Macedonia, $5,000

• Heartland Family Service, substance abuse case management in southwest Iowa, $143,000

• HELP Adult Services, health equipment services in southwest Iowa, $2,000

• Historical Society of Pottawattamie County, restoration of a historic downtown jail and a former train dining car, $26,625

• Humanities Iowa, cultural speaker programs in southwest Iowa, $4,500

• Inclusive Communities, human relations workshops for southwest Iowa youth, $10,000

• Iowa Legal Aid, legal education services for southwest Iowa families and foster care youth, $76,134

• Iowa Newspaper Foundation, newspapers in southwest Iowa school libraries, $18,500

• Iowa West Foundation Streetscape Initiative, city of Council Bluffs streetscape maintenance, $444,000

• Iowa Western Community College, information technology internships in collaboration with local businesses, $101,187

• Joslyn Art Museum, “Museum to the Classroom” program for Pottawattamie County schools, $20,000

• Justice For Out Neighbors-Nebraska, legal consultations in southwest Iowa on immigrant issues, $25,000

• Keep Council Bluffs Beautiful Inc., “CURB” – improvements in local neighborhoods, $60,000

• Macedonia Historical Preservation Society, expansion of Pioneer Trail Museum in Macedonia, $50,000

• Midlands Community Foundation, Honor Flight to Washington D.C. for Korean War veterans of southwest Iowa, $30,000

• Montgomery County Family YMCA, wellness equipment at the Red Oak facility, $32,500

• New Community Development Corporation, construction job training programs at community college in Council Bluffs, $140,000

• Omaha Children’s Museum, student field trips from local schools, $45,000

• Omaha Zoological Society, multi-purpose preschool classrooms at Henry Doorly Zoo, $100,000

• Pottawattamie County Community Foundation, support for donor outreach and foundation operations, $175,000

• Pottawattamie County Conservation Board, acquisition of natural area in eastern part of county, $210,000

• Pottawattamie County Development Corporation, support for Council Bluffs downtown revitalization fund, $800,000

• Pottawattamie County Firefighters Association, equipment upgrade fund for volunteer fire and rescue departments, $175,000

• R.E.S.P.E.C.T.2, theater programs in southwest Iowa schools on healthy relationships, $8,500

• Tabor Historical Society, preservation of the historic Rev. John Todd House in Tabor, $35,000

• United Way of the Midlands, human services programs in Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area, $360,000

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farmers in many states are surprised at the abundance of corn coming from their fields, and record harvests are likely in many states. In southeastern Nebraska, farmer Ben Steffen says his first field brought in 168 bushels an acre, above the average of 140. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates this year’s harvest will break the 2009 record of 13.1 billion bushels.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa National Guard has laid off 100 state employees and canceled more training due to the ongoing partial government shutdown. The state Department of Public Defense employees received notice yesterday afternoon that they would be temporarily laid off for up to 60 days beginning today. Officials say this immediate action is in lieu of a 30-day temporary layoff that was scheduled to begin on October 18th.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Catholic college in Dubuque has launched a campaign to pay its professors better. Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports Loras College in Dubuque kicked off the campaign yesterday to raise $75 million.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — About 200 families from the Des Moines area received food and household supplies thanks to the Salvation Army of Des Moines and an Oklahoma City-based organization. A truck loaded with groceries and household supplies was unloaded yesterday afternoon at a Salvation Army center, where the items were given to pre-selected families.

On the heels of a Public Safety Commission meeting held Sept 23rd,  the Cass County Board of Supervisors next Wednesday will discuss the possibility of privatizing Emergency/Public Safety Communications. When informed by KJAN News about the Board’s agenda item, Cass County 9-1-1 Director Rob Koppert said he wasn’t aware it would be brought up at next week’s meeting, and as far as he knew, neither was anyone on the Commission. The topic was brought up at the September meeting by Supervisors Board Chair Mark Wedemeyer, who also sits on the Public Safety Communications Commission.

Koppert said at that meeting that he wasn’t aware of any firms in Iowa or around the region that would handle 9-1-1 calls in the private sector. In fact, there are very few instances across the country, where emergency dispatch services have been turned over from County-run operations to a private provider. One such case is Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, NJ., which in January, 2013, agreed to hired iXP Corporation out of Cranbury, NJ, to handle its 9-1-1 dispatches.  iXP was awarded a two-year, $719,400 contract to run police dispatch for the community, whose population as of the 2010 Census was nearly 33,500. It was estimated the move would save the county $1.1-million over a period of 5-years.

Another is Sandy Springs, GA, an incorporated suburb of Atlanta with 94,000 residents, which has its 9-1-1 dispatch center also operated by iXP. The theory behind privatizing the service is to save a County money, but there are many questions that remain, including: A private firm’s hiring practices – would current dispatchers with knowledge of the county be utilized?; Where would the facility be located?; Will the service be as efficient as the current system? And more.

Koppert said he will find out along with the rest of us, what next Wednesday’s discussion will cover, and to what extent the County will pursue the privatization of emergency/public communications.