(Radio Iowa) – Iowans know all too well that natural disasters can strike at any time during any month and the Internal Revenue Service is urging us to plan ahead for the worst. I-R-S spokesman Michael Devine says one of the first things to do to prepare for an emergency like a tornado, fire or flood is to create a disaster plan. “This needs to be reviewed over time because your situation changes, whether in your personal life or in your business,” Devine says. “If you don’t have a plan, go to our website, irs.gov, and there are disaster loss workbooks that you can download and they’ll give you a very good start.”

There is a host of important documents that Iowans need to keep in a secure location — which might just be in your kitchen.  “You need to know where your original documents are, your tax returns, your birth certificates, your marriage certificate, insurance policies, titles,” Devine says. “One of the best ways to do it is to put them in a double-sealed bag, two zip-lock bags, and put them at the bottom of your freezer.” Photos after various disasters often show the heavy refrigerator remains in place when the rest of the house is in ruins. Safety deposit boxes are secure, but Devine says a bank may not be the best place to store a valuable document.

“Take a picture of it or scan it, put it on a flash drive or a CD, so you have access to it rather than having to worry about getting into the bank,” Devine says. “If you look at what’s happening in Louisiana, they may not have power for days or weeks and until the bank gets power, they can’t open the doors.” Devine says you could also shoot video of your possessions and email them to yourself just to have on hand for insurance purposes.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa man overcome by fumes at an open pit manure lagoon at a hog site in Kossuth County this weekend has died. Emergency personnel responded to a hog site 4 miles south of Algona around 10:15 a.m. Saturday on the report of a man who had been overcome by fumes. The Algona Fire Department used breathing apparatus to remove the victim from the immediate area by the lagoon and immediately transported him to Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona where he was airlifted to MercyOne North Iowa in Mason City.

The victim, identified as 33-year-old Randy Dean Meyer of Whittemore, died Monday morning. Kossuth County Emergency Management and the Iowa DNR are monitoring the lagoon near the hog site, as an odor was emitted throughout the weekend. Officials say while the odor is strong, there is no threat to those living nearby or passing through the area.

Ames, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports a former high school coach in Albia, 36-year old Aaron Koester, was arrested last Friday in Indiana, following an investigation by the Albia Police Department and the Division of Criminal Investigation. Koester who is from Indianapolis, Indiana, was extradited to the Monroe County Jail in Iowa, on September 5th. He remains held there on a $200,000 bond.

Koester faces multiple felony counts of sexual abuse against a minor. The charges against him include two counts of Sexual Abuse in the 2nd Degree (Class B felony) and two counts of Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree (Class D felony). These charges are not the result of interactions Koester had as a coach.

This investigation is on-going and additional charges are possible. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Albia Police Department at (641) 932-7815.

(Southwest Iowa) – Pottawattamie County Community Foundation announced Tuesday, Elizabeth Smart will be the Featured Speaker at the Impact for Women Summit on October 28th.  As the Women’s Fund of Southwest Iowa initiative continues to grow and build tangible solutions for issues facing women and their families throughout our communities, Pottawattamie County Community Foundation is hosting the inaugural Impact for Women Summit on Thursday, October 28 at Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs.

The hybrid event that will be a mix of in-person and virtual attendees, will include special guest speakers, Debi Durham, Director of Iowa Economic Development Authority and Iowa Finance Authority, and Dawn Oliver Wiand, Executive Director of the Iowa Women’s Foundation, to address the observable and real gap in funding of women’s initiatives and childcare in southwest Iowa. The event will conclude with keynote speaker, Elizabeth Smart – a survivor, New York Times best-selling author, and national advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs, and national legislation.

My Story, by Elizabeth Smart

The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth Smart was abducted on June 5, 2002, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately, the police safely returned Elizabeth Smart back to her family on March 12, 2003, after being held a prisoner for 9 grueling months. The Founder of the “Elizabeth Smart Foundation”, she has also helped promote The National AMBER Alert, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions.

A limited number of in-person tickets are available for purchase on Pottawattamie County Community Foundation’s website for $50 each. Additionally, as a Covid-19 precautionary measure for individuals and businesses unable to attend in-person, PCCF will be offering $30 virtual tickets for guests to support the event from the comfort of their office or home, as well as join from across the state of Iowa.

For additional information about tickets and sponsoring this year’s Summit, visit the Foundation’s website at www.ourpccf.org or contact 712.256.7007

(Southwest Iowa) – Officials with the Pottawattamie County Community Foundation have announced that the Women’s Fund of Southwest Iowa, an initiative of the Foundation, has awarded $57,250 in funding to six organizations during its latest-and-largest grant cycle. Grants to Applied Information Management Institute (AIM), FAMILY, Inc., Mills County Public Health, Neola Betterment Corporation, Project Pink’d, Inc., and Senior Futures, Inc. will support programming and projects that are focused on improving the quality of life and well-being of women and families in southwest Iowa.

The grant recipients are as follows:
– Applied Information Management (AIM) was awarded $13,750 to help recruit and support women in their Southwest Iowa Tech Training Initiative, a program designed to help participants learn the technical foundation needed to gain access to the metro-area’s fastest-growing H3 (high-demand, high-skill, and high-wage) technology careers. The Southwest Iowa Tech Training Initiative annually serves over 100 individuals residing in the following Iowa counties: Pottawattamie, Mills, Montgomery, and/or Harrison County.
– FAMILY, Inc. was awarded $10,000 to support their Maternal Health Program, a program that provides nursing education and psychosocial support to pregnant women in Pottawattamie and Mills Counties who are on Medicaid through six weeks postpartum. The Maternal Health Program’s explicit goal is to make sure more babies can celebrate their first birthday (prevent infant mortality) and improve birth outcomes, and accomplished through family centered, community-based services.
– Neola Betterment Corporation received $10,000 to support First Street Cottages, an affordable and safe senior-friendly housing development in Neola, Iowa. Grant funding from PCCF will help subsidize the program cost of assisting senior citizens as they age-in-place with safe, senior-friendly housing and access to supportive services.
– Project Pink’d was awarded $5,000 to support Healing Heart Survivor Kits. Developed for breast cancer survivors by Project Pink’d survivors, the Healing Hearts program provides kits to individuals who have been newly diagnosed with breast cancer, with hopes of making treatment a little easier. A first within the region, each of the chemotherapy, radiation and surgical kits contain everything needed to make survivors more comfortable, and the personal touch of a hand-written note from a Project Pink’d survivor is sure to brighten their day. From 2019-2020, Project Pink’d provided over 1,489 kits to hospitals throughout Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska. Breast cancer survivors are faced with many unknowns throughout their treatment journey. While each mode of medical treatment is different and uncharted territory for the patient, Project Pink’d, Inc. wants survivors who are going through the battle to know they are not alone.
– Mills County Public Health was awarded $13,500 for their Wits Workout Curriculum, a brain health program developed by the University of Illinois Extension. Drawing on brain health and aging research, the Wits Workout program focuses on brain exercises for all adults ages 50 and older. The interactive program provides increased socialization and promotes intellectual engagement, all of which complement current aging brain health research.
– Senior Futures, Inc. received $5,000 to support the purchase of lawn and snow removal equipment to be used when providing services for low-income senior citizens in Harrison and Pottawattamie counties. The mission of Senior Futures, Inc. is to provide a multitude of services to the elderly and disadvantaged, including but not limited to: health services, home maintenance, repairs and chore services, transportation and escort services, and telephone reassurance services.

Donna Dostal, president and CEO of Pottawattamie County Community Foundation, said “Over the last year, the Women’s Fund has begun a wave of solutions-based impact because of the generosity of our community. We know that when we invest in the success and well-being of women in our communities, the benefits and outcomes have a positive effect throughout our region. During this funding cycle, we are pleased and excited to work with a dynamic group of nonprofit partners as they provide real solutions to create durable positive movement toward helping women and families throughout southwest Iowa.”