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DNR seeks public input on administrative rule revisions to the chapter on special nonresident deer and turkey licenses to promote natural resources

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking informal comments on administrative rules for special nonresident deer and turkey licenses. Executive Order 10 (EO10), signed by Governor Reynolds on January 10, 2023, requires all state agencies to identify which administrative rule chapters will be retained or rescinded. The EO10 process includes public engagement with the opportunity for meaningful input.

The Iowa DNR has reviewed the following rule chapter relating to programs administered by the Customer and Employee Services Bureau: 561 Iowa Administrative Code (IAC) Chapter 12 (Special Nonresident Deer and Turkey Licenses). Based on the review, the DNR has revised this chapter to eliminate redundancies and improve efficiency and clarity. Additional changes include removing inconsistency on due dates for applications by allowing the coordinator to set dates, removing language about services provided by recipients of special promotional licenses, and removing reference to an electronic lottery system, as outdated.

The public is invited to provide informal comments on the proposed rule changes. The DNR will accept written comments through July 25, 2024. Written comments or questions regarding the proposed rules should be submitted to Denise.Roberg@dnr.iowa.gov. Comments should be made to specific portions of the rules.

After receiving and reviewing informal comments, the DNR will create a draft Regulatory Analysis and draft Notice of Intended Action. The DNR will host a formal public comment period for these drafts, followed by a public hearing, in September 2024.

Versions of the rules, including a “clean” copy and a version showing revisions, can be found on the DNR webpage: https://www.iowadnr.gov/About-DNR/About-DNR/Administrative-Rules.

Gov. Reynolds announces grant funding, education programs to support opioid prevention, treatment and recovery

News

July 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES—Governor Kim Reynolds today (Thursday) announced that Iowa’s opioid treatment and recovery providers can begin applying for $13 million in grants to expand or improve facilities or develop sober-living housing options in a statewide effort to better serve Iowans impacted by the ongoing opioid epidemic.
The governor announced the funding opportunities in May as part of a larger $17.5 million investment to help providers address increased demand for opioid-related services and meet the additional needs of Iowans.  “The battle against substance use disorder is all too familiar for families struggling through the opioid epidemic,” stated Governor Reynolds. “This funding for projects that support prevention, treatment and recovery can provide addicted Iowans a pathway to sobriety and a productive, fulfilling life.”
The $10 million Iowa Opioid Treatment and Recovery Infrastructure Grant will assist opioid treatment and recovery providers with physical infrastructure and capacity building. Grants can be used for new construction and expansion of current treatment and recovery facilities, as well as the rehabilitation of existing structures.
The application period for the Iowa Opioid Treatment and Recovery Infrastructure Grant is open now through September 30, 2024. More information about the program, including how to apply, is available at iowaeda.com/recovery-and-treatment-grant.
The Iowa Recovery Housing Fund includes a total of $3 million to provide grant funding to eligible nonprofit organizations for the development of sober recovery housing. The goal is to increase long-term housing security for persons in recovery from substance use disorder as well as survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
The Iowa Recovery Housing Fund application period opens July 29 and will remain open through October 31, 2024. More information about the program, including eligibility requirements, is available at iowafinance.com/irhf.
The grants leverage federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and will be administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA), and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
An additional $1.5 million will be used for programs that focus on opioid addiction prevention. Over the last several years in Iowa and nationwide, there has been a dramatic increase in the prescription rate of opioids for surgery patients as part of their post-operative pain management plan. Addiction can be an unintended consequence of patient overuse and misuse.
Iowa HHS will launch a $1 million education initiative for Iowa health care providers, with a focus on surgeons, to support alternative post-op pain management plans that are less reliant on prescribing opioids. Over-the-counter pain medications coupled with additional non-opioid pain management methods can be as effective and avoids the risk of introducing opioids. The goal of the project is to reduce the number of opioid prescriptions for surgery recovery and increase access to an opioid-minimizing approach to surgery and recovery. A request for proposal (RFP) will be issued by HHS on August 1, 2024, and the program will begin later this year.
Additionally, Iowa HHS will utilize $500,000 in ARPA funding to launch a comprehensive multi-media opioid overdose prevention campaign this fall. The campaign will leverage new and existing ads and public service announcements, and may include radio, newspaper, and bus ads; billboards; digital banners and social media; and community engagement and toolkits, with messaging focusing on the dangers of purchasing fake pills and the risks of fentanyl.
The remaining $3 million of the state’s investment in opioid prevention, treatment and recovery, will support the completion of the YSS Ember Recovery Campus in Cambridge, a residential addiction treatment center for teens age 12 to 18. The facility is scheduled to open later this year.

Restrictions on Great Lake boat speed to end

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Dickinson County Emergency Management Commission will lift high water speed restrictions on the Iowa Great Lakes area this weekend. Dickinson County Emergency Management Coordinator Michael Ehret says some commissioners wanted to extend the five-mile-an-hour rule another week, but that was overruled.

“There were still concerns about the shorelines that were damaged. There’s also concerns about the economic impact that it’s having on the lakes area and tourism,” Ehert says. “There’s no level that we can set that’s going to please everybody. It’s just not possible.” A report from the Iowa Regents’ Lakeside Lab says more than 70 shorelines have collapsed due to the high water. Tourism officials in the region estimate tourism is down by 40 to 60 percent. Ehert is urging boaters to remain cautious.

Photo via Okoboji Online

“Everybody’s anxious to get out in the lake and have fun but just be careful and then be respectful of the lake shore property owners that had damages,” he says. Ehret says the rule would be reinstated if the area get high amounts of rain that bring the water levels back up.

The speed limit for boaters and jet skiers will end Saturday at 6 a-m.

(By Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)

Algona woman accused of embezzling from South Dakota agency

News

July 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – An Algona woman is accused of stealing $1.8 million in state and federal funds from a state agency in South Dakota. Sixty-eight-year-old Lonna Carroll is charged with two felony counts of aggravated grand theft.

Carroll was an employee of South Dakota’s Department of Social Services who retired in 2013. She’s accused of embezzling money intended for child care services between 2010 and 2013. Carroll was arrested Wednesday in Algona and is awaiting extradition to South Dakota. Her bond has been set at $50,000.

(Kossuth County booking photo)

According to South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, Carroll’s position within South Dakota’s Department of Social Services let her request payments and then intercept the checks. Jackley says staff in the agency discovered the scheme this past February, more than a decade after Carroll retired.

Spencer schools making flood-related adjustments

News

July 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – One of Spencer’s school buildings won’t be opening this fall due to flood damage and about 500 third, fourth and fifth graders who would have been starting school at Lincoln Elementary next month will attend classes in other buildings in the district. “We’re going to be cozy and tight in our buildings, but we’re going to be OK,” said Spencer Superintendent Terry Hemann.

Third and fourth graders will go to two other elementary buildings in the district. Fifth graders will go to Spencer’s middle school. “That comes after a lot of discussion and a lot of work by a principals to find the space for everyone that we’re moving,” Hemann said.

Classes start August 23 in Spencer. Online registration is underway through August 11.

“Additionally we will have an in-person day this year, which we haven’t done in a while, but we’ll have an in-person registration day on August 8,” Hemann said. “We’ll do that for anybody who needs a device to complete online registration. It’s kind of hard to do that on your cell phone.”

Last week, the head Iowa Department of Education said her agency was rounding up portable classrooms for Spencer and Rock Valley schools. Spencer’s superintendent said his district came up with its plan to shift students to other buildings in the district because there was greater need in Rock Valley schools for portable classrooms

Mills County arrest report for 7/4-7/16/24

News

July 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests and incidents that took place from July 4th through the 16th:

On July 4th, deputies in Mills County arrested 24-year-old Dominik Alexander Wiebusch, for  OWI/1st offense.  He was taken into custody at around 10:40-p.m. on I-29, at mile marker (mm) 28. Bond: $1,000.

July 5th: 50-year-old Lonnie Michael Downs, of Council Bluffs, was arrested near Bunge Ave. & I-29 at around 10:55-p.m., for Driving Under Suspension. Bond: $300.

There were two arrests July 6th in Mills County: 44-year-old Duane Paul Gosley, of Denver, CO., was arrested in the area of 195th Street at around 2:50-a.m., for Attempted Burglary/3rd; Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bond: $2,000; and 30-year-old Aimee Elizabeth Ramos, of Pacific Junction, was arrested at around 2:45-a.m. on I-29 (mm 35) for OWI/1st offense. Bond: $1,000.

Mills County deputies arrested 30-year-old Daevon Deshone Sanchez, of Omaha, NE., at the Sarpy County, NE Jail  on July 7th. He was wanted on a warrant for Probation Violation. Bond: $2,000.

On the 8th of July, 26-year-old Ashley Nicole Fitzwater – Homeless – was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. Bond: $10,000.

Two people were arrested July 12th in Mills County: 24-year-old Faith Leeann Clemmons, of Emerson, was arrested at the Pott. County Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. Bond: $5,000; and, 44-year-old Sarah Alayne Johnson, of Pacific Junction, was arrested on a warrant for Contempt of court. No Bond.

07-14-2024: 26-year-old Devin Donte Sattizahn, of Plattsmouth, NE was arrested at the Mills  County Jail on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Bond: $2,000.

7-16-2024: 47-year-old Shannon Don Spangler, Springfield, ME, was arrested at the Pott. County Jail on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear on a charge of Eluding. Bond: $2,000.

07-17-2024: Glen Eugene Gallagher, of Omaha, NE, was arrested in Mills County on a warrant for Violation of Probation – Bond: $2,000.

Incident:

07-12-2024: A woman from Hastings, IA reported a Burglary in the 3rd degree. The incident in the area of 315th St. was reported at around 4:30-p.m.

Manure spill causes fish kill in O’Brien County

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

PAULLINA – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a fish kill at Mud Creek near Paullina in O’Brien County.

On July 17, the DNR Field Office in Spencer was notified of dead fish in Mud Creek, south of Paullina. Further investigation revealed Roorda Dairy of Paullina was land applying manure in a field, which entered a blown out tile that discharges to Mud Creek. The amount of manure released is unknown at this time. Dead fish have been observed for several miles in the creek.

The manure release has stopped. DNR staff from the Spencer Field Office and Spirit Lake Fisheries Office are onsite, and the investigation is ongoing.

Downstream water users should avoid using water from Mud Creek.

If you see dead or stressed fish at a lake or river, call the DNR’s 24-hour spill line at 515-725-8694 as soon as possible. Quick reporting can help DNR staff identify the cause of a fish kill and potentially stop a fish kill in progress.

SHIRLEY MARIE [Parrott] JORGENSEN, 92, of Audubon (Svcs. 7/22/24)

Obituaries

July 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

SHIRLEY MARIE [Parrott] JORGENSEN, 92, of Audubon, died July 17, 2024, at the Friendship Home in Audubon. Funeral services for SHIRLEY JORGENSEN will be held 10-a.m. Monday, July 22nd, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

The family will greet friends from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 21, 2024, at the Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Audubon.

Burial is at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon. A luncheon will be held in the church fellowship hall following the burial.

Memorial contributions may be directed to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church or the Friendship Home in Shirley’s name and may be mailed in care of Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O Box 201 Audubon, IA 50025.

SHIRLEY JORGENSEN is survived by:

Her sons – Frank (Vickie) Jorgensen, of Granger, and David (Kathleen) Jorgensen, of Des Moines.

Her daughter – Debbie Jo (Jeff) Hamling, of Council Bluffs.

8 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren; two special friends: Gloria Ahrens and Kevin Christensen, other relatives and friends.

Former Iowa NCAA champ Spencer Lee prepares for the Paris Olympics

Sports

July 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

The Paris Olympics will be a family affair for former Iowa NCAA wrestling champion Spencer Lee. The three-time NCAA champion will compete for the U-S at 125 pounds in the freestyle competition. Lee’s mother is from France.

Lee is looking forward to the Olympic experience in Paris.

Since qualifying for the Olympics Lee has spent most of his time training in Iowa City.

Lee has been training in Iowa’s new wrestling facility.

Lee begins competing in Paris on August eighth.

Iowa GOP delegate who’s a political science professor reflect on RNC

News

July 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowan at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee is not only a delegate, he’s a historian who has written a book about William Jennings Bryan and Hubert Humphrey — Democrats who run for president. Jeff Taylor, a political science professor at Dordt University in Sioux Center, was also a delegate at the G-O-P’s national convention in 2012. “Not only do I get new stories from this one, but the students are probably going to be able to relate to this experience a little more just because it’s happening right now,” Taylor said, with a laugh. “This fall and next year and the following year this is still going to be fresh in their mind.”

Taylor, who has a seat on the convention floor with the rest of the Iowa delegates, says he’s been observing the teleprompter on stage to see how closely speakers follow the script. “Some of the aspects of a highly disciplined, highly regulated, highly disciplined convention where the speakers are supposed to be staying on task,” Taylor says. “…I saw that in 2012 and it’s still the practice. The people who run the convention don’t want surprises, they don’t want any gaffes said from the podium. They want a united front and all that.” Taylor says that message has filtered down to Iowa delegates, too.

“We were encouraged to, especially in speaking to the media, to not to be negative, to not say things that would put our state in a poor light and while I appreciated that encouragement, I don’t think it would happen anyway,” Taylor says. “It seems like in terms of party unity, it’s there.” Taylor says that unity was illustrated when Trump entered the convention arena on Monday night and the crowd cheered, applauded and repeated Trump’s “fight, fight, fight” mantra. “It was the first time that most of us had seen him since the assassination attempt,” Taylor says. “That was an emotional moment, I think, for a lot of us as delegates.”

Taylor has been a state senator since 2021. He’s running for a second term this year and has no opposition on the General Election ballot.