The Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services, has finalized its policy for free and reduced price meals for students unable to pay the full price of meals served under the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program and the Afterschool Care Snack Program. State and Local school officials have adopted the following family size and income criteria for determining eligibility:

Households may be eligible for free or reduced-price meal benefits one of four ways:

1. Households whose income is at or below the levels shown are eligible for reduced price meals or free meals, if they complete an application for free and reduced price school meals/milk. Households may complete one application listing all children and return it to your student’s school. When completing an application, only the last four digits of the social security number of the household’s primary wage earner or another adult household member is needed.
2. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households, students receiving benefits under the Family Investment Program (FIP) and students in a few specific Medicaid programs are eligible for free or reduced price meals. Most students from SNAP and FIP households will be qualified for free meals automatically. These households will receive a letter from their student’s schools notifying them of their benefits. Households that receive a letter from the school need to do nothing more for their student(s) to receive free or reduced price meals. No further application is necessary. If any students were not listed on the notice of eligibility, the household should contact the school to have free or reduced price meal benefits extended to them. If you feel you would qualify for free meal benefits and received notification qualifying for reduced price benefits, complete an application for free and reduced price meals. Households must contact the school if they choose to decline meal benefits.
3. Some SNAP and FIP households will receive a letter from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) which will qualify the children listed on the letter for free meals. Parents must take this letter to the student’s school to receive free meals.
4. SNAP or FIP households receiving benefits that do not receive a letter from Iowa HHS must complete an application with the abbreviated information as indicated on the application and instructions, for their students to receive free meals. When the application lists an assistance program’s case number for any household member, eligibility for free benefits is extended to all students in a household.

Eligibility from the previous year will continue within the same school for up to 30 operating days into the new school year. When the carryover period ends, unless the household is notified that their students are directly certified or the household submits an application that is approved, the students must pay full price for school meals and the school will not send a reminder or a notice of expired eligibility. An application cannot be approved unless complete eligibility information is submitted. Applications may be submitted at any time during the year. If a family member becomes unemployed the family should contact the school to complete an application. Households notified of their student’s eligibility must contact the school if the household chooses to decline the free meal benefits.

Foster children are eligible for free meal benefits. Some foster students will be qualified for free meals automatically through the state direct certification process. Their host family will receive notification of these benefits. Families that receive this notification from the school need to do nothing more for their foster students to receive free meals. If a family has foster students living with them and does not receive notification and wishes to apply for such meals, instructions for making application for such students are contained on the application form. A foster student may be included as a member of the foster family if the foster family chooses to also apply for benefits for other students. Including students in foster care as household members may help other students in the household qualify for benefits. If the foster family is not eligible for free or reduced price meal benefits, it does not prevent a foster student from receiving benefits. Special Supplement Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants may be eligible for free or reduced price meals based on a completed application.

When known by the school, households will be notified of any child eligible for free meals if the children are enrolled in the Head Start/Even Start program or are considered homeless, migrant or runaway. If any children are not listed on the notice of eligibility, contact the school for assistance in receiving benefits. If households are dissatisfied with the application approval done by the officials, they may make a formal appeal either orally or in writing to the school’s designated hearing official. The policy statement on file at the school contains an outline of the hearing procedure. School officials may verify the information in the application, and that deliberate misrepresentation of information may subject the applicant to prosecution under applicable state and federal criminal statutes. Households should contact their local school for additional information.

There will be no discrimination against individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) in the school meal programs.

Nondiscrimination Statement: This explains what to do if you believe you have been treated unfairly.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
email: program.intake@usda.gov

The Creston (IA) Police Department reports three recent arrests:

7-22-2024 2:15pm: Zackary Charles Huddleson, 33, Afton was arrested at the Creston Union County LEC. Huddleson was charged on a Union County Warrant for Assault causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness. Huddleson was taken to the Union County Jail where he was later released on $1000 cash or surety bond.

7-22-2024 10:47pm: Robbie Allen Dohrn, 59, 508 S Birch was arrested at the intersection of Elm and Fremont. Dohrn was charged with Driving Suspended. Dohrn was cited and released on Promise to Appear.

7-23-2024 1:16am: Charles Arthur Hulett, 54, 1706 Osage was arrested at the intersection of Highway 34 and Osage. Hulett was charged with OWI 1st Offense and Carry Weapons while Intoxicated. Hulett was taken to the Union County Jail where he was later released on $2000 cash or surety bond.

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – City council members approved a request to adopt plans, specifications, and estimated cost for the second phase of a project to reconstruct the roof of the terminal building at Sioux Gateway Airport. KTIV reports the council passed the item 4-to-0. Phase 1 design and construction is already done. Phase 2 addresses the west airfield secure side of the terminal building. Phase 2 will also address the need for drainage and any retrofitting or replacement of the drainage system. A public hearing is set for August 19th. Bids will be received on August 27th. The estimated cost of phase 2 is about $441,000.

The city council also approved a request asking the assistant city manager to apply for an FAA grant to pay for terminal improvements at Sioux Gateway. The grant will cover up to $3.74 million of the project with a 5 percent local match. The project includes the replacement of a passenger boarding bridge and seven remaining HVAC units at the terminal building. All work is contingent upon the airport getting the grant funding. The total estimated cost of the project is $3.6 million.

(Radio Iowa) – The Des Moines City Council has given initial approval to an ordinance that sets a 50 dollar fine for those caught sleeping in public and refuse to leave places like doorways and alleys. Des Moines City Councilman Chris Coleman helped draft the plan. “When the police are asking them to move on, we expect people to obey the police and there has to be some penalty,” Coleman said. “We’ve made it the lowest possible penalty with a way to ensure that people who can’t pay the fine with won’t pay the fine.”

The ordinance also lets the city remove personal belongings from an illegal campsite three days after a notice is given. Des Moines and other cities have begun rewriting regulations after a U-S Supreme Court ruled last month that cities can ban sleeping and camping in public places. Sarah Schuler — the H-R director for a Des Moines ad agency — says she has begun talking with employees about safety outside their office in downtown Des Moines. “We all know that when we live in a city, that we’re going to face challenges,” she said. “We all understand that, but since COVID and since my time with Flynn Wright the incidents have really continued to escalate.”

Alan Callanan of Des Moines says the ordinance criminalizes homelessness. “People with fines and criminal records will have a harder time getting out of homelessness,” Callanan says. “Everyone on city council knows this will not solve the rising rate of homelessness in the city and across the country, but some on council clearly want the council to be able to further punish people who are already in a dangerous situation.”

Tom Hromatka, the treasurer of a non-profit that helps homeless people in Des Moines, says the homeless population in Iowa’s capital city has more than doubled in the past two years and the ordinance is a band-aid. “We need to aggressively seek long term alternatives and permanent solutions to this problem,” he said.

The Des Moines City Council must review and approve the ordinance in two more meetings before it takes effect. The A-C-L-U of Iowa has signaled it will go to court to challenge the ordinance.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected a request to reconsider its recent ruling that outlawing nearly all abortions in legal under Iowa’s constitution. A year ago, Governor Reynolds signed the law banning abortions after fetal activity can be detected, which is around the sixth week of a pregnancy — but even after the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling the upholding the law, it hasn’t taken effect because attorneys for Planned Parenthood asked the Iowa Supreme Court to rehear the case. Now that the Iowa Supreme Court has said no that, a lower court judge could make the law take effect yet this week.

A Polk County District Court judge issued the injunction last July that has blocked the law. Under court procedures, it has to be a Polk County District Court judge who lifts that injunction.

• June 22, 2024, Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued for Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Hancock, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth and Wright Counties.
• June 23, 2024, Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued for Palo Alto County.
• June 24, 2024, Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued for Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, and Pottawattamie Counties.

Des Moines, IA —  This evening, the Iowa Delegation to the 2024 Democratic National Convention met virtually to discuss the 2024 Presidential Nomination and decided to unanimously endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart, who also chairs the Iowa delegation to the convention, is excited to rally behind the Vice President’s campaign.

“This is a historic moment for our country and for Iowans. We’ve seen a swell of support in the last 24 hours since Vice President Kamala Harris announced her campaign for the White House. Not only has Vice President Harris broken national fundraising numbers –  here in Iowa, we’ve had a substantial number of people reach out asking to volunteer.

Iowans know what’s at stake this November. Our reproductive freedoms, our public schools, Social Security and Medicare, and our values are on the ballot. I’m proud to lead a united delegation in Chicago that will work relentlessly to elect more Democrats in Iowa and help get Kamala Harris elected as the next President of the United States.”

RAGBRAI is in full gear as day two brings the excited riders in to Atlantic by a 40-mile ride from Red Oak. These cyclists are from all over the country and bring in their own particular stories of what they’ve seen while on the route. Two riders who have been enjoying every second of RAGBRAI and the hospitality shown to them is John Snidarich from Minnesota and Gail Tisch from Wisconsin.

Tisch shared the unique sights and sounds she’s encountered while pedaling through Iowa.

For Snidarich the magic of RAGBRAI is not from the different vendors, but the people he’s been able to ride and connect with throughout the day.

Another individual who has felt the vibrant energy brought to Atlantic from RAGBRAI is volunteer Kim Phillips.

Phillips noted that with the thousands of people flooding inside downtown Atlantic, it creates an opportunity to meet a wide variety of individuals.

Day three of RAGBRAI will take cyclists 82 miles from Atlantic towards Winterset.

(Radio Iowa) – Many parks, trails, waterways and docks in northeast Iowa are reopening as early summer floodwaters recede, but safety for parkgoers remains a concern as bacteria and other contaminant levels in area rivers remain high. Lori Eberhard, park director for George Wyth State Park in Black Hawk County, says even though the rivers might look safer with the water levels down, the risk of illness for swimmers remains high.

“If our bacteria level’s high at the beach, I would still swim there before I would swim in the river after flooding,” Eberhard says, “especially when you have major flooding, it gets into those different systems all the way down the river, and that’s what’s in the water.” The Iowa D-N-R tests bodies of water weekly to track those levels, but contaminants are still elevated due to stagnation and sediment that comes with flooding. When hiking, Eberhard stresses caution even when the ground appears stable.

file photo

“There are low spots that still have water on them,” she says. “We don’t recommend going through flooded trails or water, because you don’t know what’s under there, you don’t know if there’s a hole or things like that. And now, with all the water along the trails, trees will just fall down.”

The D-N-R says around a dozen beaches at Iowa lakes are not recommended for swimming this week due to high levels of e-coli, algae toxins, or both.