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Reynolds to return to India in 2025 to build trade ties

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 3rd, 2024 by Jim Field

Governor Kim Reynolds says her recent 10-day trade mission to India is just the beginning of positioning Iowa companies, Iowa products and Iowa itself as partners in the world’s fastest growing economy.

Peter Tokar (TOH-kar) — president and C-E-O of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce — was part of the delegation.

Tokar and state officials are not revealing the name of the company. India only allows genetically modified cotton seeds to be grown in the country and bars imports of corn and soybeans grown from genetically modified seeds. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says there may be opportunities to export dried distillers grain and soybean meal, however.

Naig was also part of the trade mission to India.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Skyscan Forecast – Thursday, October 3, 2024

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

October 3rd, 2024 by Jim Field

Today:  Sunny with a high near 81. East northeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tonight:  Partly cloudy with a low around 47. North northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Friday:  Sunny with a high near 74. East wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Saturday:  Sunny with a high near 89. Windy, with a south southeast wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

Sunday:  Sunny with a high near 74.

Monday:  Sunny with a high near 73.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, Weather |

Exira-EHK Cross Country Feeling Good Heading into Final Stretch

Sports

October 2nd, 2024 by Christian Adams

The Exira-EHK Spartans Cross Country teams are feeling very good about their standing heading into the last weeks of the season. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams have multiple runners in the top 10 in the Rolling Valley conference with four meets remaining.

For the boys, they have five of the top 10 best times in the conference. Tim Reinhart, Ben Baggett, Cater Wiemann, and Josiah King have posted the seventh through tenth best times respectively.  Head Coach Kevin Brown is not only pleased with the way they’ve worked but also the way they’ve performed given their youth and inexperience.

Junior Austin Rasmussen has been Exira-EHK’s best runner this season. His best time of 17:43.00 currently ranks second in the conference. In addition to being a leader and helping his team gain five top-10 finishes this year, Brown says Rasmussen has a chance to do special things moving forward.

Unlike the boys, the girls group has been together for quite some time. Most of the girls on the team have been running cross country since middle school.  The Spartans’ girls have two top 10 finishes this year and like the boys have numerous runners with top 15 times. Ruby VanderWal, Gracie Bartz, and Kaitlyn Christensen all rank in the top 15, and Coach Brown knows that their experience has played a key role in their success.

Leading the way for the Exira-EHK girls this season has been the young sophomore Michelle Wilson. She ran her best time of 22:15.33 on September 24th which has her ranked sixth in the conference. Sophomore Leah Boysen isn’t far behind, with her best time of 23:58.71 placing her at seventh. Brown has not only appreciated their work throughout the season but also realized their potential for this season and for years to come.

The Spartans will be in action on Thursday when they compete at IKM-Manning. The meet is scheduled for 4:30 pm.

Posted in Sports |

Atlantic Cross Country Looking to Continue Tradition of Sending Athletes to State

Sports

October 2nd, 2024 by Christian Adams

The Atlantic Cross Country team is looking to continue its history of sending athletes to states with the cross country season winding down. The boys and girls teams have both had multiple top-ten finishes in their last three meets, with the girls finishing in fourth on September 24th while the boys finished ninth on September 19th. Preparing for a race and cutting your time might seem simple. However, Head Coach Daniel Vargason says that each athlete gets their own plan for preparation.

The girls team has been consistently improving throughout the season and has been gaining confidence. Atlantic’s girls have two top 5 finishes this year including a 2nd place finish at Clarinda back in mid-September. Hailey Huffman and Allison Middents have both been able to shave time off their runs while Hailey White, Bella Brock, and Elynor Brummer have all been consistent runners for the Trojans this year. After dealing with some early-season adversity, Vargason appreciates their ability to improve and compete.

Leading the way for the girls this year is the junior Katrina William. Her best time this year of 21:04.00 is currently the 11th best time in the Hawkeye Ten Conference. The difference between her and a spot in the top 10 is just five seconds. Vargason stated that her mindset, confidence, and hard work have allowed her to take off.

The boys team has been a bit of a different story than the girls this year. After struggling out of the gate, Vargason challenged the squad to be better, and they responded. However, where health and numbers were a problem on the girl’s side, the amount of runners on the boy’s side helped push each other to improve.

Luke Irlmier has been the leading runner for the boys team.  His time of 18:34.00 currently ranks 14th in the conference. However, he is less than a minute off of a top 10 place. Vargason says his ability to push himself has been one of Irlmeier’s biggest assets.

Atlantic has just two meets left before the Hawkeye Ten conference meet. They will host their last meet of the regular season on October 10th but are in action on Thursday at Shenandoah with the Boys scheduled at 4 pm with the girls set for 4:30 pm.

Posted in Sports |

Atlantic Police Dept. receives $125,000 COPS Grant for hiring an extra officer & SRO

News

October 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – An official with the Atlantic Police Department, Wednesday evening, announced that the department was selected as a recipient of the 2024 Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) hiring grant. The department was one of five entities in Iowa approved for the grant, which will be distributed over a period of three-years.
Chief Devin Hogie reports “We will receive $125,000 to utilize over the span of three years to help employ an extra APD officer. The officer will be hired to fill the role of School Resource Officer and will be working as a liason between our department and the Atlantic Community School District.” After the grant funding ends, the City and the School District must commit to funding the program for a fourth year.
“Our immediate focus,” Hugue says, “will be working with the school to finalize the needed agreements for this position and we hope to open this position for hire in the coming weeks.” Fund raising efforts for the SRO’s vehicle, equipment and uniform, continues. As we previously mentioned, Camblin Mechanical recently presented a check for $5,000 intended for the SRO fund. In addition, officials with the Trevor Frederickson Foundation donated $2,000, and the Elbow Room donated to the cause, as a way to thank the department for their help during RAGBRAI. Funds from an upcoming Atlantic Rotary Club Auction/Raffle will be added to the SRO position fund.
This past June, the City of Atlantic and the Atlantic Community School District agreed to collaborate on hiring a School Resource Officer. The School Resource Officer will be an employee of the City and a member of the Atlantic Police Department and will work in all of the school district’s buildings.

Posted in News |

Denison receives $20k Housing Readiness Assessment Grant from the State of Iowa

News

October 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES— Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority have announced $190,000 in grants were recently awarded to 10 rural Iowa communities through three Empower Rural Iowa Grant programs. The grant awards will support rural initiatives including housing, child care and business/community growth.
Five cities each received $20,000 Rural Housing Readiness Assessment Grants to study housing needs through a partnership with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The City of Denison, for example, is working to address overcrowding in affordable housing units.
The Rural Child Care Planning Grant was awarded to four recipients to support the use of data and analysis — in partnership with the national nonprofit organization First Children’s Finance — to determine the specific needs and solutions for their area. Hardin County Conservation received $20,000 to rally residents around a learning center that will use Calkins Nature Area in Iowa Falls to provide learning opportunities for kids ages two to five.
In addition, one $10,000 grant was awarded through the Building Ownership & Organization by Strengthening Teams (BOOST) program, which aims to assist passionate community and business leaders in developing intentional plans for next-step growth. Keokuk County Economic Development will meet with a BOOST team of experts to receive personalized recommendations, which grant funding will be used to implement.
Empower Rural Iowa grants are funded through an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature for Empower Rural Iowa initiatives. Applicants, who are required to provide a financial match, were scored based on criteria that included economic need, partners, readiness, and strategic goals.
Programs must exist in and benefit a community in Iowa with a population of 20,000 or fewer and not contiguous to a city with a population of 40,000 or greater. A full list of the 2024 Empower Rural Grant recipients is available here.

Posted in News |

Governor likely to reveal her choice for lieutenant governor after Nov. 5

News

October 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says it’s more than likely she’ll decide who to pick as Iowa’s next lieutenant governor AFTER the November election.

Adam Gregg, who’d been Iowa’s lieutenant governor since mid-2017, resigned in early September to take the top job at the Iowa Bankers Association. Reynolds says she didn’t have a lot of advance notice about Gregg’s decision, and then left on a 10 day trade mission to India. The governor indicated she and her staff are collecting the names of people she might consider, but interviews have not begun.

Reynolds says she’ll sit down with different people who she thinks might be a good partner.

Former Governor Terry Branstad chose Reynolds fas his running mate in 2010 and she took over as governor when he resigned to become U-S Ambassador to China. The person Reynolds chooses as lieutenant governor is likely to be her running mate in 2026, if she runs for reelection.

Posted in News |

State Auditor says $77,000 misspent by former Tama County Conservation director

News

October 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand has released a report that found nearly 77-thousand dollars was misspent by the former director of the Tama County Conservation Department. Stephen Mayne was hired for the job in March of 2021. Sand says on August 1st of last year, the agency’s maintenance staff found a bunch of Menards receipts for an account that wasn’t typically used by the county.

Staff in the state auditor’s office reviewed financial transactions for the 29 months Mayne held the position of director at Tama County Conservation.

The conservation department was involved in a number of projects in Tama County at the time and county officials told the auditor’s office Mayne was also remodeling his home and at least one other property. Sand says not all expenses and receipts were properly documented and couldn’t be located — so auditors were unable to determine if other purchases were improper.

The report has been forwarded to the Tama County Attorney, the Iowa Attorney General and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Posted in News |

Greater Greenfield Community Foundation and Nodaway Valley Schools Partner with Adventureland Resort to Bring a Spooktacular Experience to Greenfield Residents

News

October 2nd, 2024 by Jim Field

Greenfield, IA – The Greater Greenfield Community Foundation, in partnership with Nodaway Valley Community School District, is thrilled to announce an exciting collaboration with Adventureland Resort to bring a fun and unforgettable experience to the residents of Greenfield.
In the aftermath of the devastating EF4 tornado that struck on May 21, the Greenfield community has shown incredible strength and solidarity as they work to rebuild. Now, Adventureland Resort is offering a unique and generous way to lift spirits. Adventureland has graciously provided free tickets for EVERY student and EVERY resident of Greenfield to attend their 3rd Annual Phantom Fall Fest—the largest Halloween event in Iowa.

“In times of tragedy, most Iowan’s look for a way to help. This is a small way for us to give back,” Adventureland General Manager Mike Lusky said. “We want to provide this escape to those in Greenfield as a way to get away for a day and enjoy the rides and haunted houses that our Phantom Fall Fest event has to offer.”

The Phantom Fall Fest offers a full day of excitement with four scare zones, four haunted houses, night rides, spooky food, and drink options, making it the perfect Halloween event. The festival runs on select dates through Sunday, October 27.

“The Greater Greenfield Community Foundation and Nodaway Valley Community School District are incredibly grateful to Adventureland for their generosity in lifting spirits and bringing some much-needed joy to our community during Greenfield’s ongoing recovery,” said Jennifer Garside, Executive Director of the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation. “Our community has shown remarkable resilience and unity as we work through the challenges of recovery. While we’ve made great strides, there’s still a long road ahead, and Adventureland’s thoughtfulness couldn’t have come at a better time.”

Tickets will be distributed starting Thursday, October 3rd. Any Greenfield residents in need of additional tickets can pick them up at the Greenfield City Library during regular business hours.

Posted in News |

IOWA STATE SELECTED AS HOST SITE FOR 2026 NCAA CROSS COUNTRY REGIONAL

Sports

October 2nd, 2024 by Christian Adams

 Iowa State University has been selected to host the 2026 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Midwest Regional meet as announced by the NCAA on Wednesday afternoon.
This is the fourth time in program history that the Cyclones will host the regional meet, previously hosting in 1997, 2013 and 2017. Iowa State Cross Country Course also hosted the 2000 NCAA Championships and has hosted the Big 12 Championships four times (1996, 2008, 2018, 2023).

Posted in Sports |