(Radio Iowa) – The D-N-R wildlife biologist who tracks pheasant numbers says the winter and spring weather should offset each other to set up for a good fall season. Todd Bogenschutz uses a model of bird survival based on past weather information. He says the winter was mixed for pheasants. “The northwest part of the state had relatively normal to just slightly below normal winter. The eastern third definitely had more snow than normal. The southeast had several ice layers, and in January and February, I was told humans could walk on top of it without breaking through,” Bogenschutz says.

He says the drought conditions actually help pheasants this spring during nesting.He says a dry spring is usually good for the birds.  Bogenschutz says the number of birds will vary by region. He says they should be good in the northwest part of the state and not so good in the eastern part of the state — so he expects the overall numbers should be as good or better than last year. Bogenschutz says the hatch is over and he’s already been hearing reports of birds. He says he’s had reports recently of young pheasants up the size of a meadowlark — which is about what he would expect.

Bogenschutz says they will know for sure how well the pheasants have fared when they do their August roadside survey.

Cumberland Fire and Rescue Chief Brad Penton, Tuesday, posted on social media that their new ambulance has arrived, decked out in bold. vivid colors. Penton said “We would like to thank the everyone in the community for your continued support throughout the past few years for the donations.”

He offered “Special thanks to the following businesses that sealed the deal on making this purchase happen—Cumberland Telephone Company, 21st Century Coop, Houghton State Bank and JBG Farm Corporation. Without everyone’s help, large purchases like this are very difficult to make.”

Photo via Cumberland Fire and Rescue Facebook page.

(Radio Iowa) – A new, 10-point-two million dollar cargo facility at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids has officially opened. United Parcel Service has signed a 10-year lease on the nearly 40-thousand square facility and will use it to sort and distribute U-P-S packages. U-P-S has been operating at the Cedar Rapids airport since 1983. It will be moving out of a facility that’s about one-fifth the size of the new cargo handling area.

Construction on the new facility on the west side of the Eastern Iowa Airport began in 2019 and was financed with state and federal grants as well as money from the Cedar Rapids airport’s commission.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA – A Nebraska man was sentenced Tuesday by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for knowingly possessing a firearm as a prohibited person.

According to court documents, on May 17, 2020, Matthew C. Banfield, age 36, of Omaha, was in possession of a Springfield 45 caliber handgun. Banfield fired the weapon at various stationary targets in a rural location located in Pottawattamie County. Prior to this date, Banfield had been convicted of a felony. During his possession of the firearm, Banfield knew he was a prohibited person based on his prior felony convictions. Banfield pleaded guilty to the gun charge on January 8, 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.
The Council Bluffs Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Southern Iowa Fugitive Task Force investigated the case.

(Radio Iowa) – A group called the “Spirit of Okoboji” is offering half a million dollars to buy the Milford airport and redevelop the land into a sports complex. Milford Mayor Steve Anderson says an airport is an important asset for the community. “Can we move the airport? If we can, can we get state funds? Can we get federal funds? Does it all have to be done individually by the city or can this be done with a private group? All those things are being evaluated,” he says.

The airport is owned by the City of Milford and managed by the city’s airport commission. The property is a mile northwest of Milford’s central business district. Anderson says city and county officials are reviewing options to determine how viable the proposal from the Spirit of Okoboji group would be. “Looking at all the plans, looking at all the concepts,” he says. “There’s a lot of information coming out right now about how soon you can shut down an airport and is there an option of maybe doing this in baby steps.”

In May, an attorney for the Spirit of Okoboji told Milford’s City Council that the group would like to develop baseball and soccer fields as well as volleyball and basketball courts on the airport property that could tournaments to Milford.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Lottery has broken several records already with one month remaining in the fiscal year. Lottery CEO, Matt Strawn, says the amount of money turned over to the state set one of the records. “Through May, the Iowa Lottery produced nearly 95 million dollars in proceeds. This represents a 30 percent increase in year-over-year proceeds performance,” Strawn says.

Strawn says the proceeds are well past the record $92.8 million for a full 12-month fiscal year. “These record proceeds are the result of Lottery sales that have surpassed 400 million dollars for the first time in the Lottery’s 36 years,” according to Strawn. “Through the first 11 months of the fiscal year, Iowa Lottery sales totaled 417-million-183-thousand-750 dollars. This represents a 24.5% increase in year-over-year lottery sales performance. This also eclipses the previous 12-month record for lottery sales — which was $390.8 million in F-Y 19.”

Strawn says prize payouts increased along with sales. “Through May, players won prizes totalling 265-million-864-thousand- 725 dollars. This pace has already surpassed the record $241.9 million in prizes that were paid to players in F-Y 19,” Strawn says.

Strawn says the pandemic is behind the massive increase in sales. “When Iowans found lottery tickets as a safe local entertainment option as they spent considerably more time at home. We of course anticipate that as consumer behaviour continues to normalize — Iowa Lottery sales in the coming years and in the immediate future — will return to more modest growth,” he says.

The increase in sales was driven by the sale of scratch tickets — which has surpassed 300 million dollars through May.