(Radio Iowa) – A northeast Iowa company, accused of creating hazardous waste, has reached a monetary settlement with the U-S Environmental Protection Agency. DCW Casing in Oelwein allegedly made the hazardous waste, in violation of federal rules. The company makes a blood product. DCW settled with the EPA by paying a civil penalty of slightly more than $80,000, plus bringing the facility into compliance with federal rules.

Two other businesses in the country have made similar settlements. They are located in Kansas City, Kansas, and Vinita Park, Missouri.

(Iowa DNR News) – The impact that a cold and snowy Iowa winter and driest spring since 1994 had on pheasant nesting success will likely be seen when the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conducts its annual roadside pheasant counts between Aug. 1-15.

The statewide survey is conducted by Iowa DNR staff who drive 218, 30-mile routes on gravel roads at dawn on mornings with heavy dew. Hen pheasants will move their broods to the edge of the gravel road to dry off before they begin feeding, which makes them easier to count. Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist for the Iowa DNR, says “We had a cold and snowy winter from early January till February, which hurts hen survival, then a warm up, and a good March and April – the dry spring was a positive for nest success – so the model says our pheasant population we will likely be status quo to a slightly increasing. It will be interesting to see the survey results. The conditions for the survey are important as the accuracy of the counts depend on the dew conditions when the routes are run. While the drought conditions have eased across most of Iowa, we are still fairly dry.”

The August roadside survey has been conducted over the same routes since 1962. In addition to pheasants and quail, the survey collects data on partridge, cottontails and jackrabbits. Results will be posted online at www.iowadnr.gov/pheasantsurvey in early September. Iowa’s pheasant season begins Oct. 30.

Welcome Home ceremonies are planned for July 31, 2021 to honor approximately 250 Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division. Times and locations are listed below.

Des Moines

Approximately 100 Soldiers will be honored at a formal ceremony on July 31, 2021, starting at 12:15 p.m. at the Des Moines International Airport. The ceremony will be livestreamed on Facebook @IowaNationalGuard.

Fort Dodge

Approximately 80 Soldiers will be honored at a formal ceremony on July 31, 2021 starting at 1:00 p.m. at the Fort Dodge Airport. The ceremony will be livestreamed on Facebook @Iowaredlegs.

These Soldiers supported multiple overseas locations in the U.S. Central Command theater of operation. CENTCOM is comprised of 20 nations in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, including Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. Iowa Army National Guard Soldiers departed from armories in Spencer, Estherville, Charles City, Fort Dodge, Storm Lake and Johnston to support this mission in August of 2020.

An additional 70 Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers assigned to Battery C, 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, will also be welcomed home from Alexandria, Minnesota.

(Adair, Iowa) – Discussions between City officials in Adair, residents of the community and others, are scheduled to take place three separate dates and times, in August. The talks are with regard to the construction of a new Community Center, which the city has been without for the past several months after the old building was sold to accommodate a new Dollar General store. The City completed moving a house from a lot at 4^th and Stuart Streets, and the site prepared to become the Adair Community Center.

Adair Mayor John Larsen says the City wants to get back to having a place for special events.

The current site was chosen because it is centrally located and has access to adequate parking. The new building will be constructed with steel, and feature a special attraction the kids are excited about.

The City of Casey has a similar building, which Larsen says has seen a lot of use. A project like a new Community Center doesn’t come cheap. I but Mayor Larsen said they are working on getting a $250,000 Iowa Community and Tourism grant in order to keep the project off the tax roles as much as possible, but there are some conditions for getting the grant.

The City has already set aside $400,000 for the project, but they need to raise a significant amount of additional funds from the community at large, in order to show strong local support for the project. The budget – including a Splash pad – is over $1-million. If the grant request is approved and private fundraising is successful, the City should be positioned to begin construction on the project in the fall. All gifts (which are tax deductible) should can be dropped-off at City Hall, or send a check to: City of Adair, 320 Audubon Street, Adair, IA 50002. Donations are tax deductible.

The deadline for the City to turn in its grant application and proof of community support, is August 27th, but they will continue to take any funds you wish to contribute. Informational & update sessions will be held: Wednesday, August 11th; Wednesday, August 18th; and Monday, August 23rd. All informational meetings will start at 5:00 p.m. at the Adair City Hall.

The broadcast News at 8:06-a.m., from Ric Hanson.

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The 7:07-a.m. broadcast News with Ric Hanson.

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Brenda Marco (Montgomery County S/O booking photo)

A traffic stop late Tuesday night in Red Oak, resulted in the arrest of a woman from Pottawattamie County. Authorities say a vehicle driven by 53-year-old Brenda Lee Marco, of Council Bluffs, was pulled over at Highway 34 and N. 4th Street in Red Oak. During an investigation, Marco was arrested for and charged with:

• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Possession of Heroin/1st offense.
• Unlawful possession of prescription pills.
• Possession of Meth/2nd offense.
• Possession of Marijuana/3rd offense.
• and Driving While Suspended.

Marco was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Congressman Randy Feenstra has gotten language included in a House ag bill for wildfires and hurricanes that would also cover the 2020 derecho-related losses. “I am very pleased to see the committee come together working on this bipartisan legislation for our farmers and our producers. I am also so very pleased to see the legislation include production losses caused by high winds and derechos,” Feenstra says. Feenstra has been pushing for several months to get the derecho coverage after the derecho caused the loss of 850-thousand acres of crops.

“This was the most costly thunderstorm in U-S history — costing about seven-point-five BILLION (dollars). I am very pleased that our committee is continuing these efforts to ensure that Iowa farmers and farmers across the country receive disaster relief they need to offset these massive losses by these events,” Feenstra says. Feenstra is a Republican from Hull.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Gov. Kim Reynolds, Tuesday, issued a statement with regard to new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. In a press release, Reynolds said “The Biden Administration’s new COVID-19 guidance telling fully vaccinated Iowans to now wear masks is not only counterproductive to our vaccination efforts, but also not grounded in reality or common sense. I’m concerned that this guidance will be used as a vehicle to mandate masks in states and schools across the country, something I do not support.”

Scientists cited new information about the ability of the delta variant to spread among vaccinated people. The CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status.

Reynolds went on to say, “The vaccine remains our strongest tool to combat COVID-19, which is why we are going to continue to encourage everyone to get the vaccine,” Reynolds said. “I am proud that we recently put new laws in place that will protect Iowans against unnecessary government mandates in our schools and local governments. As I have throughout this pandemic, I trust Iowans to do the right thing.”

The new guidance from the CDC follows recent decisions in Los Angeles and St. Louis to revert to indoor mask mandates amid a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations that have been especially high in the South.

Nearly half of all Iowa counties, including Cass-Adair-Audubon-Adams, have levels of COVID-19 transmission high enough to be included in new indoor masking guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The federal agency updated its guidance to recommend that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors while in areas with “substantial” and “high” transmission rates of COVID-19.

According to the agency’s map, which covers transmission data collected through Sunday, 46 Iowa counties were in either of those two categories.

Iowa’s largest county, Polk, home to its largest city, Des Moines, was not included among that list as of Tuesday. However, a number of other counties have either “substantial” or “high” transmission rates according to the agency.

Those counties with high transmission rates (in this area) include: Adair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Dallas, Harris and Ringgold. Montgomery County has a “substantial” transmission rate.