(Radio Iowa) – New data shows slow but steady growth in the number of Iowans planning to buy products from Iowa’s medical cannabis dispensaries. About half a percent of Iowans who are 21 years of age or older had a state registration card and could buy medical cannabis products at the five state licensed dispensaries in April. A doctor, P-A or an advanced registered nurse practitioner has to recommend medical marijuana as treatment for an illness.

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, nearly 97-hundred patients had state-issued cards in April. That’s a 36 percent increase since May of last year. About 26-hundred Iowa caregivers have registered to buy cannabis products for someone who is too young or too ill to buy it for themselves. That’s a 26 percent increase in caregiver registrations from a year ago.

Some Iowans are driving to Illinois, where businesses opened in 2020 to sell recreational marijuana. Illinois law requires purchasers to be 21 and to consume the marijuana products at an Illinois residence.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor Sara Harris reports early (Absentee) voting for the June 7, 2022 Primary Election begins Wednesday, May 18th.  Voters may vote absentee in-person at the Cass County Auditor’s Office, 5 W 7th Street Atlantic, IA, during regular business hours through June 6, 2022. The Cass County Auditor’s Office will also be open for Primary Election business Saturday, June 4, 2022, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Voters may vote absentee by mail. Absentee ballot request forms may be requested from the Cass County Auditor’s Office by calling 712-243-4570 or by visiting https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/absenteeinfo.html. All absentee ballot request forms for a mailed ballot must be received in the Cass County Auditor’s Office before 5:00 p.m. on May 23, 2022. Requests received after that time will be rejected in accordance to state law.

Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. of the same day. Pre-registered voters are required to provide an approved form of identification at the polling place before receiving and casting a regular ballot. Voters who are not pre-registered – such as voters registering to vote on Election Day – and voters changing precincts must also provide proof of residence. A voter who is unable to provide an approved form of identification (or prove residence if required) 1) may have the voter’s identity/residence attested to by another registered voter in the precinct, 2) prove identity and residence using Election Day Registration documents, or 3) cast a provisional ballot and provide proof of identity/residence at the Cass County Auditor’s Office by June 14, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. (noon). Election Day Registrant attesters must provide an approved form of identification. For additional information about providing proof of identity and/or residence visit: https://sos.iowa.gov/voterid or phone 712-243-4570.

Absentee and special voter ballots will be counted at the Cass County Courthouse, 5 W 7th Street, Atlantic, Iowa 50022. Voting equipment will be used at the election. Public test of election equipment will be May 20, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. in the courthouse and continue until completion of the required test. Voters can find sample ballots on the Cass County Elections website: https://www.casscountyia.gov/county-government/elections/primary-elections/.

Any voter who is physically unable to enter a polling place has the right to vote in the voter’s vehicle. For further information, please contact the County Auditor’s Office at the telephone number or e-mail address listed here: Telephone: 712-243-4570; E-mail address: auditor@casscoia.us

The public is hereby notified that the post-election audit for the 2022 Primary Election will take place on Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 1:00pm in the Cass County Board of Supervisors Meeting Room. A listing of the candidates that will appear on the ballot are listed below. Please note that this is only one rotation and each precinct will have their corresponding ballot with their rotation posted as a sample ballot at the precinct. The list of candidates in the Cass County Primary can be found below:

LENEXA, KAN. (MAY 16, 2022) – The Biden administration, through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced that Council Bluffs, Iowa, was selected to receive $500,000 of the $254.5 million in Brownfields grants for 265 selected communities.  Council Bluffs was selected for cleanup of the Former Reliance Battery Site. These grants are supported by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides a total of $1.5 billion to advance environmental justice, spur economic revitalization, and create jobs by cleaning up contaminated, polluted, or hazardous brownfield properties. =Brownfield projects can range from cleaning up buildings with asbestos or lead contamination to assessing and cleaning up abandoned properties that once managed dangerous chemicals. Once cleaned up, former brownfield properties can be redeveloped into productive uses, such as grocery stores, affordable housing, health centers, museums, parks, and solar farms. 

The Brownfields program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 86% of the communities selected to receive funding as part of today’s announcement have proposed projects in historically underserved areas.  “With today’s announcement, we’re turning blight into might for communities across America,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA’s Brownfields program breathes new life into communities by helping to turn contaminated and potentially dangerous sites into productive economic contributors. Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are significantly ramping up our investments in communities, with the bulk of our funding going to places that have been overburdened and underserved for far too long.”

“EPA Region 7 is proud to announce the selection of the city of Council Bluffs for a Brownfields grant,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meghan A. McCollister. “The Brownfields program has a proven record of empowering communities through benefits ranging from local job creation to increased property values. This investment will uplift Council Bluffs and provide measurable and meaningful change to those who live in the community.” 

“The city of Council Bluffs is honored to be a recipient of an EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant,” said Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh. “This is a highly competitive, regional grant that we worked hard to obtain. This grant will have a positive impact on our community by transforming sites from hazardous to redevelopment assets that will enhance existing neighborhoods and improve the quality of life and attractiveness of Council Bluffs.” 

“A former battery plant site in Council Bluffs contaminated with lead and other hazardous materials will now be cleaned up with grant money I helped secure in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law late last year,” said U.S. Representative Cindy Axne (Iowa). “This kind of project to support redevelopment and clean up our environment at the same time is exactly why I was proud to vote for the infrastructure bill, and I am pleased to see this money continue to be used right here in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.”