(Washington, D-C) – Officials in Washington, D-C have announced First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday, September 15. Additional details are currently not available, but will be updated in a later post. Dr. Biden is a community college educator, and bestselling author. She also served as Second Lady of the United States from 2009–2017.
Dr. Jill Biden (Official White House photo)
DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Administration, Friday, announced several staff changes:
Gov. Reynolds said “Pat played an important role on my communications team and I know he’ll excel in his future roles. Over the last two years, we’ve faced a pandemic, a derecho, civil unrest, and more. Being surrounded by an exceptional team has been more important than ever. I want to thank Paige and Pat for everything they’ve done. Paige has done an outstanding job as Deputy Chief of Staff and head of policy. We know that she has an incredible career ahead of her. I am proud to lead a team that has continually put Iowans at the center of our decisions. That’s how we will ensure Iowa continues to be the best place to live, work, and raise a family. “
Current Reynolds Staff:
The broadcast News at 8:07-a.m., from Ric Hanson.
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The broadcast News at 7:06-a.m., from Ric Hanson.
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(Radio Iowa) – Congressman Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, says NASA research on what’s called “sustainable aviation fuel” should examine the use of biofuels for airplanes and spacecraft. “When I questioned Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in our committee meeting in May, she told me directly that she believes biofuels and biofuel technologies have an extremely bright future in sustainable aviation fueling,” Feenstra says.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel — sometimes called biojet fuel — is a crop based alternative to jet fuel made only from petroleum. “This cleaner, more affordable of powering transit and lowering emissions in NASA’s future of clean air transportation is extremely essential and is needed,” Feenstra says.
During a U.S. House subcommittee meeting Thursday, Feenstra proposed and the panel approved adding language to House Democrats’ infrastructure plan that will require NASA research and development of “sustainable aviation fuel” to include biofuels. Also Thursday, the White House invited representatives of the ethanol and biodiesel industry to a discussion about wider use “sustainable aviation fuel.”
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa farmers who want to enroll in either of the two major U-S-D-A conservation programs have until month’s end to submit their paperwork. Kate Hansen, a policy associate with the Center for Rural Affairs in Nevada, says the deadline is October 1st. “It’s for both the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program,” Hansen says. “These are what we call working lands conservation programs. They’re administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and these are programs that help you implement conservation practices while you’re still working the land.”
Last year, Iowa farmers signed more than 12-hundred contracts for the two programs, known as C-S-P and EQIP. Hansen says the programs are similar but there are key differences. “EQIP contracts are typically more focused on a particular resource concern or maybe a singular practice,” she says. “CSP is a program designed to be operation-wide, so, a farmer in a CSP contract is going to be implementing multiple practices over a five-year period and addressing different parts of their operation.”
Farmers who are interested in signing up for these programs should contact the Natural Resources Conservation Service in their county.
(Audubon, Iowa) – Patrons of the Audubon Community School District are heading to the polls Tuesday, Sept. 14th, to cast their ballot on a Special Election for a Bond Referendum with regard to the district’s facilities. Voters are being asked to approve a Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS), that would allow them to bond for up to $7.6 million in additional funds — with just under $2 million of that going to refinance a 2013 bond now at lower rates — against the district’s one cent sales tax revenue. Superintendent Eric Trager said the change in the district’s RPS was needed to make sure that there would be enough funding to complete the $10.8 million middle school/high school renovation project.
The only other real change to the RPS is the expiration date, currently at 2032. The legislature extended the SAVE program through Fiscal Year 2052 so districts must extend their RPS in order to utilize the SAVE funds over that longer time period. School District patrons will also vote for a Board Member at Large to fill a vacancy term ending 2023. The candidate on the ballot is Anne Bomstad Miller.
The election will be Sept. 14 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Audubon Agri-Hall, or absentee at the Audubon County Auditor’s office 8 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. through Sept. 13. (Additional information on the RPS follows, below)
(Manning, Iowa) – Patrons of the IKM-Manning School District are being asked to vote Tuesday, Sept. 14th, $19.5-million General Obligation Bond, that if approved, would allow the district to address a series of facilities needs in both Irwin and Manning. School officials say three needs identified include: Safety and Security; Space and Capacity, and Long-Term investments.
The ballot referendum reads as follows: “Shall the Board of DIrectors of the IKM-Manning Community School District in the Counties of Audubon, Carroll, Crawford and Shelby, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $19,950,000 ot provide funds to renovate, remodel, repair, improve, furnish and equip, including HVAC/ventilation, safety and security improvements, and to construct, build, furnish and equip an addition to the Manning school building and improve the site; and to renovate, repair, improve, furnish and equip the Irwin school building?”
According to district administrators, the tax rate impact would amount to $118 per year on a home with a $100,000 assessed value. For agricultural property, it would be an additional $2.63 per acre/year, depending on where you live. The district’s tax rate would increase from $9.51/$1,000 of taxable valuation to $11.81, which is still one of the lowest tax levies in the area.
Out of 327 public school districts in the state, only 15 have a lower tax rate than IKM-Manning—placing the district in the bottom 5 percent. Officials say interest rates remain at historic lows at this time, and by moving forward now, they can take advantage of those low rates and significantly reduce the total cost of the proposed projects.
Polling stations open 7am-8pm on Tuesday, Sept 14th
For more information on IKM-Manning’s facility needs and the proposed solution on the ballot, visit https://www.ikmmanningbond.org.
Today: Partly cloudy to cloudy & warm. High 90. S @ 10-20.
Tonight: Fair to P/Cldy. Low 63. S @ 10-20.
Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy. High 82. NE @ 10.
Tom. NIght: P/Cldy to Cldy w/a slight chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low around 60.
Monday: A chance of scattered morning showers; P/Cldy. High 88. S @ 10-20.
Tuesday: Cldy w/a chance of shwrs & tstrms. High 81. NW @ 10-15.
Friday’s High in Atlantic was 86. Our Low this morning, 56. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 53 and the Low was 46. The Record High on this date was 96 in 1895 & 1936. The Record Low was 31 in 1955.
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State coach Matt Campbell says his team must execute at the critical times against Iowa. The ninth ranked Cyclones host the 10th ranked Hawkeyes today (Saturday) looking to snap a five game losing skid in the series.
Campbell says the first chore for the Cyclone defense is to slow down Tyler Goodson and the Iowa ground game.
The recent history of this series has been close games and Campbell says his players are used to these kinds of games.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says experience is an advantage for the Cyclones.
Ferentz says playing in a hostile environment will be a new experience for a lot of his players.
Ferentz says it is difficult to prepare for a road test.
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