ATLANTIC, IOWA – Regional Planning Authority 13, the transportation planning region for Cass, Fremont, Montgomery, and Page counties designated by the Iowa Department of Transportation, seeks applications for projects that support trails and other off-road, non-driver infrastructure through its Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). Eligible entities within the four RPA-13 counties are encouraged to apply.

“From establishing bike paths, to preservation of historic transportation facilities, or a safe route to school sidewalks, there are multiple possible uses for the TAP program funding,” said SWIPCO Grants Specialist Tammy DeBord, an RPA-13 administrator. “If your city or county is planning one of these projects, now is the time to apply.”

The TAP funds are available to local governments, transit agencies, school districts and local education agencies, as well as tribal governments and natural resource or public land agencies. Non-profits responsible for administering local transportation safety programs are also eligible to apply.

Past projects boosted by RPA-13 TAP grants have included the Troublesome Creek Connector from Atlantic’s baseball facilities to the Schildberg Recreation Area, trail construction in and around the city of Red Oak, and the Wabash Depot Trail Head in Shenandoah.

Officials with RPA-13 have set a deadline of March 25, 2022. Projects must meet certain requirements, including a demonstrated relationship to transportation, a 20-year maintenance commitment, and a commitment of at least 20 percent of eligible costs. Potential applicants should contact Tammy DeBord at SWIPCO with questions and to obtain the application, which is also available on the SWIPCO website, www.swipco.org. DeBord can be reached at tammy.debord@swipco.org or by calling toll-free 866-279-4720.

(Radio Iowa) – The number of new reported COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in Iowa is falling, but experts say it’s vital more parents get their children vaccinated against COVID-19, and stay up to date on other routine vaccinations. Joel Waddell, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, says he’s seen a decrease in routine childhood vaccinations against measles, whooping cough and H-P-V.

“What is very frightening to me is that we won’t get those numbers back up to the pre-pandemic vaccination level,” Waddell says. “And then we’re going to start seeing outbreaks of measles, whooping cough that can be even more deadly for kids than COVID.” Coronavirus is linked to an increase in multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare but serious condition that can affect a child’s organs. Waddell says some parents are hesitant to vaccinate their children due to worries about long-term impacts, but he says those concerns are groundless.

He says, “In the history of vaccines — so, a couple hundred years now — of every vaccine that’s ever been licensed out there, there’s never been a case where a side effect from a vaccine only showed up years to decades later. Never.” According to state data, less than a quarter of Iowa’s five- to 11-year-olds have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

[12-p.m. News] (Anita, Iowa) – A collision early this (Monday) morning between a semi and an SUV in Adair County, claimed the life of a man from California. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Freightliner semi driven by 27-year-old Jasvir Sood, of Fresno, CA, was traveling west on I-80 near mile marker 70, when the tractor-trailer struck the rear of a westbound 2008 Honda Pilot driven by 36-year-old Milinganyo Bwami, of Omaha. The accident happened at around 12:20-a.m.

The Patrol says following the collision, the SUV came to rest upright in the north ditch. When the semi entered the north ditch and rolled onto the driver’s side, Sood, who was not wearing a seat belt, was partially ejected from the cab and died at the scene. Bwami, and his passengers: 45-year-old Wabiwa Yungu, and two juveniles, aged 12- and 15, all from Omaha, were injured. The four occupants of the SUV were wearing their seat belts.

They were transported by Adair EMS to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines.

Republicans in the legislature have released their state spending plans for the budgeting year that begins July1st. House Republicans propose a one-point-eight percent overall increase in general state spending. House Appropriations Committee chairman Gary Mohr of Bettendorf says it includes a 31 million dollar increase in spending at the state supported universities and community colleges. “We want to cut taxes, but yet we want to provide services to the people of Iowa, but we want to do it in an ongoing, sustainable way,” Mohr says, “and this is doable.”

House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, says the House G-O-P budget plan also includes 19 million extra for public schools to hire bus drivers, cooks and other staff. “We’re doing some other things within the budget with other investments on worker training, other things like that to make sure that we’re trying to address this workforce shortage that we’re seeing across the state,” Grassley says.

Republicans in the Senate are proposing a state spending increase of a little less than one percent. Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver of Ankeny says overall budget negotiations are starting far earlier than usual — alongside debates on tax policy and last week’s decision that set the level of state spending on public K-through-12 schools. “It’s a budget that does what I’ve said for a long time which is allow us enough room to continue to invest in priorities, while continuing to work on the tax reforms that we’ve been doing.” Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls says these spending levels are inadequate.  “They’ve been really clear that they want to do this huge tax cut that’s primarily going to benefit the wealthy,” Wahls says, “and they’re willing to cut or underfund state services to pay for it.”

Wahls says increased state spending on higher education is critical and he points to the waiting lists at Kirkwood Community College for health-care related training.

(Radio Iowa) – Investigators in Cedar Rapids are trying to determine what sparked a fire at a high-rise apartment building there early Sunday morning. Fire Chief Greg Smith told K-C-R-G T-V a fire like this is unusual. “It’s probably the most impactful high rise fire — actually true high rise residential fire — since I’ve been on the department for 28 years or so,” Smith says.

Crews went door to door from the 7th floor and above to clear out the facility. Cedar Rapids Fire didn’t have an exact number of those evacuated from the Geneva Tower during a news conference on Sunday. Geneva Tower is an income-based housing property. It mainly houses seniors and adults with disabilities. The department said two people suffered serious injuries. At least another seven people were transported to the hospital for observation. Chief Smith says they do train for these circumstances and that helped them respond. He says the crews work their muscles to it is just like football players practicing and he says the crews constantly train for the many elements they have to face.

Geneva-Towers-KCRG

Resident Ethel Brown talked with K-C-R-G T-V about the evacuation. “It was scary after I got back down here. I am on the sixth floor, I am on a walker, thank God the fire department helped me down,” she says. Resident Melissa Long says they had to get out quickly. “All of a sudden here’s the cops banging on doors — you didn’t have time to do nothing — you’ve got to get it and go,” Long says.

Firefighters say the management of the high-rise building is working with contractors to look at the damages and clean the building. Cleaning and repairs will need to meet specific standards before people can move back into their apartments. The fire department says Geneva Tower is a concrete structure, which means it holds the fire in the original apartment. The Fire Department is working with the Salvation Army and Red Cross to help those displaced.