(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’ll be voting in favor of the trillion-dollar infrastructure bill when it comes up for a vote this (Tuesday) morning. Grassley, a Republican, says the bill is truly a bipartisan measure which he says will make a “significant investment” in Iowa’s future. “I often hear from Iowans in my 85 county meetings I’ve been in so far this year about the need to fix Iowa’s aging infrastructure,” Grassley says. “We finally have a bipartisan package that delivers critical improvement for Iowa’s roads and bridges, locks and dams, and airports.” The legislation includes 65-billion dollars for improvements to broadband and Grassley says many Iowans in rural corners of the state are in dire need of better access to high-speed internet service.

“I think the emphasis upon broadband is because telehealth has come into vogue because of the pandemic,” Grassley says, “and distant learning and a lot of families haven’t been able to access this.” Before he decided to vote “yes” on the 2,700-page bill, Grassley said he had concerns that it might include new social programs and not enough “traditional, physical infrastructure,” things like roads and bridges. He says he no longer has those worries about “liberal priorities” being contained in the massive measure.

“There’s no mileage tax, no Green New Deal, no amnesty for undocumented immigrants in this bill,” Grassley says, “and the only reason I emphasize that is because there’s a lot of talk about that stuff being in this bill.” After the infrastructure bill is passed, Democrats will move on to the three-point-five trillion dollar budget bill, which he says is sure to contain some of those social programs. Grassley says he and the rest of the Republicans will likely vote against the budget, which he says will “further feed the fires of inflation.”

(Carroll, Iowa) The Iowa Transportation Commission met in Carroll this (Tuesday) morning, and approved an application from Audubon County for a RISE (Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy) grant. The Commission also approved RISE settlements with the Cities of Ames, Boone and Grimes. For Audubon County, up to $261,253 from the county share of the RISE Fund was approved for an Immediate Opportunity grant to assist in the paving of approximately 285 feet of 100th Street, grading 173 feet of 100th Street, and intersection improvements to County Road M-66 and 100th Street located south of Manning.  Officials say the project is necessary to provide improved access to the proposed expansion of Puck Enterprises, a liquid manure application equipment manufacturer, to support a commitment of the creation of 30 new full-time jobs out of 40 RISE-eligible created jobs and $7,565,413 in associated capital investment.  The project is anticipated to be completed by October 2022.

Iowa cities and counties are eligible for funding in the form of a grant, loan, or combination thereof.  Projects must involve the construction or improvement of a public roadway.  There are two RISE project types: 1) Immediate Opportunity, and 2) Local Development.

Projects funded by the RISE program promote economic development in Iowa through the establishment, construction, and improvement of roads and streets. The RISE program is targeted toward value-adding activities that feed new dollars into the economy and provide maximum economic impact to the state on primary or secondary roads, and city streets open for public use. While all counties and incorporated cities in Iowa are eligible to apply, funding is generally limited to industrial, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and professional office developments, with few exceptions.

More information is available HERE.

A pursuit in Creston early Saturday morning resulted in a crash. According to Creston Police a 2004 Ford F-150 pickup driven by 31-year-old Melvin Stewart Alexander, of Creston, was involved with a pursuit with officers at around 2:00-a.m. Saturday, when the pickup ran off the road, and in attempts to beat a train at a railroad crossing, struck a railway crossing arm. As Alexander was jumping out of the pickup, the vehicle struck a drainage tube off the Supreme Cleaners parking lot at Montgomery and Division Streets, before coming to rest.

Alexander was not injured in the crash. The pickup sustained $6,000 damage and was declared a total loss. Damage to the railroad crossing arm was estimated at $1,340, while the drainage tube owned by Supreme Cleaners, sustained $50 damage. The police report did not indicate if Alexander was arrested, or will face any charges, despite (according to the report) having operated the vehicle in a “reckless, erratic, careless and/or negligent manner,” and illegally driving around grade crossing gates.

Police in Red Oak report a man was arrested Monday on 13-counts of Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card (aggravated misdemeanors).  Authorities say 30-year-old Jeffrey Dwayne Currie, Jr., of Red Oak, was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.

Jeffrey Dwayne Currie, Jr.

(Red Oak) – A 14-year faces arson charges in connection with a house fire in Red Oak late last week. According to reports, the male juvenile was charged with 1st degree arson – a class B felony – following a joint investigation conducted by the Red Oak Fire and Police Departments, and the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office. His case was sent to the Juvenile Court System for further processing.

The blaze took place Friday afternoon at 604 Miller Avenue, in Red Oak. Firefighters arrived on the scene a little after 3 p.m. found fire in an upstairs bedroom. The flames were contained to that room, but the house sustained significant smoke and water damage. The home’s occupants safely evacuated before firefighters arrived. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and transported to the hospital to be checked out.

Firefighters from Villisca, Stanton, Essex and Elliott provided mutual aid. MidAmerican Energy, Montgomery County Emergency Management, Red Oak Police, the American Red Cross and Montgomery County Memorial Hospital also assisted Red Oak’s Fire Department.