(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Transportation is delaying a pilot project that would help with the rural housing shortage in the state. The D-O-T’s Craig Markley says the plan would use money from a program that has traditionally been used to build roads to support businesses and business development. He says it would use a small portion of the Rebuild Iowa’s Sound Economy or RISE program for a pilot program to build the streets and roadways that would support rural housing.

The state Transportation Commission has discussed the program and was set to vote on it today (Tuesday), but they have been asked by the Iowa Department of Economic Development to do some more study on the proposal. Markley says the idea came out of the need to get more people into the state to fill jobs.

“We need more truck drivers, we need more office workers, we need more population. One of the ways to incentivize that would be rural housing,” Markley says. Markley is not sure when the proposal might come back to the Transportation Commission.

(Radio Iowa) – Crude oil prices are starting to rise, which means gasoline prices will certainly follow, according to Meredith Mitts, spokeswoman for Triple-A Iowa. The weather is getting colder and refineries are starting to switch to the winter blends of fuel. “You might seen an increase at the gas pump soon,” Mitts says. “That would be a couple of cents that goes toward this specific factor. The good news is, in Iowa, the gas price average is roughly $3.04 which is well below the national average of $3.27.”

Mitts says many diverse factors are involved in setting crude oil prices, making it difficult to predict what may be coming. “When we’re seeing the difference in crude oil prices and what’s happening, it has to do with supply and demand,” Mitts says, “it has to do with the political climate, it has to do with what natural storms are happening in the areas where these oils are being mined and refined.” Triple-A says the cheapest gas in Iowa is being sold in Council Bluffs at two-99 a gallon, while it’s most expensive in Dubuque at three-14.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests. Last Saturday, at around 2:25-a.m., 25-year-old Omar Andres Rosario, of Bellevue, NE, was arrested on Bunge Avenue, for Public Intoxication (Bond $300).

On Thursday (Oct. 7), 28-year-old Patrick Allen Eggerling, of Avoca, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear. His bond was set at $7,000. And, on Oct. 6th, 38-year-old Kristina Kay Erwin, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Probation Violation (Bond $5,000).

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office said also, there were no injuries reported after 71-year-old Karla Schafer, of Corning, apparently swerved to miss a deer at 310th and Noyes, at around 9:34-p.m., Saturday. Her 2004 Dodge left the road for about one-quarter of a mile before getting stuck in/on-top of, a tree.

A teenage driver has died  during collision between an SUV and a semi tractor-trailer in northwest Iowa’s Sac County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, the accident happened at around 8:27-a.m. Tuesday (Today), as a 2011 Buick Enclave SUV driven by a 16-year-old female from Auburn, was traveling eastbound on Highway 175, coming out of Auburn.

A 2001 Peterbilt Truck driven by 50-year-old Matthew Lynn Dorscher, of Cumberland, was traveling west on Highway 175 and approaching Auburn, when the SUV crossed the center line of the road into the westbound lane, for reasons unknown. Dorscher tried to  avoid the collision by braking and driving onto the north shoulder, but the semi and SUV collided head-on.

The teenager, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene. Her name was not immediately released. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Iowa DOT, and Sac County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials with the CAM School District said Tuesday (today), there will be an informational meeting held on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at the CAM North Elementary gym in Anita, at 6:30p.m regarding the November 2nd bond election. All five of the CAM CSD Board of Education members may be in attendance. This is an informational meeting only and no action will be taken.

Des Moines, Iowa – Get ready for sticker shock on the bill for natural gas prices. Officials with MidAmerican Energy today (Tuesday) said the utility is telling Iowa customers that higher natural gas prices will impact their monthly heating bills this winter. The company said natural gas market prices have more than doubled from this time last year. MidAmerican said increased global demand coupled with both limited production and inventory have heavily increased the cost for the company to purchase natural gas.

MidAmerican said based on the market prices for natural gas over the last month, customers in MidAmerican’s service area can expect their total bills to increase by 46% to 96%. In a news release, Peggi Allenback, MidAmerican Vice President of Market Operations and Supply, said “We’re not seeing signs of supply challenges this winter, but we do expect to see higher customer bills because of higher commodity prices.”

Allenback says “We don’t mark up what we pay for natural gas, rather the cost of the commodity is a straight pass-through to customers. We purchase a portion of gas in advance at the best possible price, and in warmer months, when gas is generally cheaper, we store it for use in winter to help protect our customers financially. Despite these efforts, though, we want our customers to understand that natural gas bills will still be higher this heating season.”

According to MidAmerican, the higher market prices will affect a customer’s gas supply charge, which is the cost of the natural gas the customer uses. Market price fluctuations do not affect rates, which include fixed administrative costs, as well as costs associated with maintaining infrastructure and ensuring safety.

The company said actual bill impacts will vary by customer due to usage as temperatures get colder and market prices continue to fluctuate. MidAmerican offers budget billing to customers and offers tips on how to save energy.

The Iowa Energy Office recommends turning thermostats back 7 to 10 degrees for eight hours per day for an annual savings of 10%.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, approved by a vote of 3-to 2, a Bond Counsel Agreement with Ahlers Cooney. Supervisors Hartkopf and Pettinger voted against the agreement. On a related note, the Board passed by a vote of 3-2, with Hartkopf and Pettinger again the Nay votes, a Resolution setting October 29^th at 9-a.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing, on a revised proposition to authorize a loan agreement not to exceed $2-million, and the issuance of notes to evidence the County. The bonds would be used to pay for the addition of radios and the construction or addition of a radio tower, to increase the area of coverage for law enforcement and emergency communications through the ISIC System.

Originally, it was proposed the bond asking would not be in excess of $3-million, but the Board felt $2-million would be enough to cover any contingencies. Board member Steve Green on the origin of the $3.5-million original figure:

Board member John Hartkopf asked “How quickly will this technology be taken out?” He said he thinks it will be obsolete and that the future will not likely be emergency communications by radio, it’ll be something along the lines of a cell phone.

In his report to the Board, Cass County Conservation Director Micah Lee said “It’s been a super busy year at Cold Springs State Park.

He said they installed new playground equipment in September, including spring toys. The teeter totters and metal slide were removed at the suggestion of ISAC (Iowa State Association of Counties) representatives, because they are safety issues (Metal slides can cause burns. Teeter totters can cause lower body/spine issues when they hit the ground). Rubber curbing and pea gravel has been installed in the area help to prevent fall injuries.

The campground at Cold Springs will be closed at the end of October. Micah spoke also about the T-Bone Trail, but because of certain ongoing discussions, there wasn’t much he could say, publicly.

County Engineer Trent Wolken said his crews are still working on installing a box culvert on Indian Creek Road, north of Highway 6, and, their road maintenance work.