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Lack of biofuels bill remains glaring hole in accomplishments of 2021 session

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation says the state legislative session that ended last week was a great one for agriculture, with one exception. Craig Hill praised the move by lawmakers to shift the burden of paying for the state’s mental health program away from county property taxpayers, since farmers own a significant portion of the state’s land. “There’s only a couple other states that actually pay for mental health service with a property tax,” Hill says. “Shifting, dollar for dollar, costs of mental health services away from property tax to the general fund was a goal that we’ve had.”

Hill says another legislative win this session included more funding for Iowa’s water quality programs. “Those dollars that were appropriated a few years ago to address water quality with our nutrient reduction strategy, we extended those,” Hill says. “We had some new opportunities for beginning farmer tax credits, some expansion there.” Hill says there was a big legislative disappointment in the 2021 session, one that would have benefited corn and soybean growers. “The one that we made progress on but we didn’t complete and that was to expand the use of biofuels, both ethanol and biodiesel,” Hill says. “We’ll be back next session, working away at that one.”

Overall, Hill says Iowa lawmakers did a good job in approving a budget that leaves the state sitting in a good position following the pandemic.

Red Oak Police/Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports

News

May 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 1:50-p.m. Tuesday, of 31-year-old Dylan Thomas Griffith, from Red Oak. Griffith was taken into custody in the 300 block of Market Street, for Failure to Appear on an original, OWI charge. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.

And, Police in Red Oak, Tuesday afternoon, arrested 56-year-old John Wayne Goodall, of Red Oak. He was taken into custody on an active warrant for FTA on an original charge of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a Class-C Felony. Goodall was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $20,000 bond.

Goodall

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the area: Wed., May 26 2021

Weather

May 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Updated 5-a.m.)

Today: Mostly sunny. High 79. Northerly winds shifting to the East at 10 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy to Cloudy w/showers & thunderstorms (some may be severe). Low 60. SE @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy w/showers & thunderstorms, especially in the morning. High 68. N @ 10-15.

Friday: P/Cldy to Cldy. High 64.

Saturday: P/Cldy. High 68.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 82. Our Low this morning, 52.  We received .09″ rain. Last year on this date (May 26), the High in Atlantic was 76 and the Low was 63. The Record High was 100 in 2018, and the Record Low was 30, in 1901.

PASTOR JOEL SUTTON, 55, of Manning (Svcs. 5/29/21)

Obituaries

May 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

PASTOR JOEL SUTTON, 55, of Manning, died Monday, May 24th, at the Manning Regional Health Care Center. Funeral services for PASTOR JOEL SUTTON will be held 10:30-a.m. Saturday May 29th, at the United Methodist Church in Manning. Ohde Funeral Home in Manning has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the United Methodist Church in Manning, on Friday, May 28th, from 4-until 8-p.m.; Visitation will resume 9:30-a.m. Saturday, at the church.

Burial is in the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter, at a later date.

PASTOR JOEL SUTTON is survived by:

His parents – James (Diane) Sutton, of Eddyville.

His wife – Sheila Sutton, of Manning

His children – Megan Sutton, of Lorimor; Shea (Steven) Sutton, of Albia;  Taylor McDonald, of Johnston; Kate Sutton, of Manning, and Ian Sutton, of Manning.

His brothers – James (Phyllis) Sutton, of Eddyville; John (Max) Lizama-Sutton, of Benencia, CA., & Chris (Angie) Sutton, of Eddyville.

7 grandchildren, and Mother-in-law, and Sheila’s sisters.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of Guthrie & Dallas Counties

Weather

May 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
705 PM CDT Tue May 25 2021

The National Weather Service in Des Moines  has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
  Southeastern Greene County in west central Iowa...
  Northeastern Guthrie County in west central Iowa...
  Southwestern Boone County in central Iowa...
  Northwestern Dallas County in central Iowa...

* Until 745 PM CDT.

* At 705 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Lake
  Panorama, or 11 miles northeast of Guthrie Center, moving east at
  35 mph.

  HAZARD...Quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected.

* Locations impacted include...
  Perry.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

Mills County man arrested on a Tennessee warrant

News

May 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

A Mills County man was arrested Tuesday on a warrant out of Tennessee. The Glenwood Police Department reports 57-year-old Jerry Crump, of Glenwood, was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

Page County man escorted from courthouse after being unruly

News

May 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports that on Monday morning, his deputies assisted in escorting an unruly person from the District Court room and the Page Courthouse. The incident took place during a hearing. Palmer says a district court judge ordered 38-year-old Matthew Sherman Olson, of rural Coin, to be removed, during a protection order hearing, because he became agitated and angered over the events, and the outcome of the hearing.

Shortly after Olson was removed from the Courtroom and Courthouse due to his behavior, he allegedly violated the protection order and harassed the protected party. Clarinda Police Department handled the alleged violations as the protected party lives in the city limits of Clarinda. Warrants were issued by a Page County Magistrate for Olson’s arrest.
Olson contacted the Sheriff’s Office and threatened to shoot anyone that came to his door. After several attempts to negotiate Olson’s surrender, the Iowa State Patrol Tactical team was called for assistance.

Matthew S. Olson

A perimeter around Olson’s residence had been set by the Page County Sheriff’s Office with portions of the roadway being blocked by the Page County Secondary Roads Department. This was done prior to the arrival of the Iowa State Patrol Tactical team.

After several hours of negotiations and Olson displaying a long gun outside of the residence, Olson exited his residence unarmed and surrendered to Law Enforcement at approximately 7:35 PM. Olson was transported to the Page County Jail where he is currently being held on No bond for the Violation of the protection order. He also currently has a charge of Harassment 1st Degree with a bond of $2000.00. Both of these charges were filed with the court by the Clarinda Police Department. More charges from this incident will be filed today on Olson.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office was assisted with this incident by the Clarinda Police Department, the Page County Secondary Roads, the Clarinda Ambulance Service, and the Iowa State Patrol.

(reminder) Marilyn Ehrsam, 92, of Greenfield (Svcs. 5/29/21)

Obituaries

May 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

MARILYN EHRSAM, 92, of Greenfield, died May 29, 2020, at the Good Samaritan Society in Fontanelle. A brief, public Memorial Service for MARILYN EHRSAM will be held 11-a.m. May 29th in the Greenfield Cemetery. (In case of inclement weather, the service will be held at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fontanelle) Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield is in charge of the arrangements.

A light lunch will be served at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fontanelle, following the memorial service.

The Online condolences may be left to the family at www.steenfunerals.com.

Memorials may be directed to the E.E. Warren Opera House in Greenfield or to the Greenfield Public Library.

MARILYN EHRSAM is survived by:

Her daughters – Ann McGowan, of Johnston; Patricia (Richard) Hogan, of Marion and Sue Rohner, of Greenfield.

Her son – James (Daveane) Ehrsam, of Greenfield.

Her sisters – Norma Donnellan, of Greenfield, and Eleanor Bricker, of Waukee.

Her brother – Hans Johnson, of Broken Arrow, OK.

7 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; one great-great granddaughter; many nieces and nephews.

Planting slowed by rain, corn emerging

Ag/Outdoor

May 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Wet weather slowed planting last week — while the corn and soybeans already in the ground are emerging. The weekly U-S-D-A crop report says there were only two-point-four days suitable for fieldwork during the week. Just three percent of the corn was planted last week and it is now 97 percent complete. That is two weeks ahead of the five-year average. Three-quarters of the corn has now emerged. The report shows 89 percent of the soybean crop has been planted — an increase of six percent during the last week. The overall soybean planting is 15 days ahead of average. More than one half of the soybeans planted have emerged.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs awards Rural Revitalization Grants

News

May 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs today (Tuesday) announced $600,000 in grants for historic preservation projects in or near Creston, Decorah, Elkader, Keokuk and Muscatine. Iowa’s Rural Heritage Revitalization Grants will help rural communities preserve their history and foster economic development through the preservation of historic properties. The grants are funded by the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Park Service and administered by the State Historic Preservation Office, which is part of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

The City of Creston is receiving a grant amounting to $114,800, for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Station Project.  The city will use funds to rehabilitate the exterior of the 1899 Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Station, one of the oldest and largest active train depots remaining in Iowa. The project will address significant masonry deterioration resulting from age and exposure to the weather. Today, the building serves as city hall, a senior meal site, an art gallery and an Amtrak station. The preservation of this building will draw positive attention to the important history of railroads in Creston and Iowa.

The Department of Cultural Affairs created the grant program last fall, after Iowa became one of just eight states to receive funding through the National Park Service’s Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants program. The federal program was named in honor of an influential preservationist in Vermont and designed to support states, tribes, local governments and nonprofit organizations that own properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

With Tuesday’s announcement, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs expands its support for historic preservation, community development and creative placemaking efforts alongside other programs such as Iowa Great Places, Iowa Cultural & Entertainment Districts, Certified Local Governments, Local History Network and Cultural Leadership Partners. All of these programs help communities leverage local history, art and culture to promote tourism and economic growth.

Here are the other recipients of Iowa’s Rural Heritage Revitalization Grants:

Recipient: Clayton County; Project: Inn at Motor Mill near Elkader; Grant Amount: $125,000…Clayton County will rehabilitate the circa 1870 stone inn at the Motor Mill Historic Site. Plans include flood-proofing the main floor and installing new mechanical systems. The interior will be rehabilitated to include meeting rooms, office space, and guest rooms for overnight accommodations, a throwback to the building’s original purpose.

Recipient: City of Keokuk; Project: Keokuk Union Depot; Grant Amount: $112,798….The city of Keokuk will restore the windows, doors and exterior masonry of the central tower section of the 1891 Keokuk Union Depot, designed by the renowned Chicago architectural firm Burnham & Root. The brick walls will be cleaned and repointed or reconstructed. Terra cotta decorations will be cleaned or restored, and sandstone window sills will be restored or replaced. The deteriorated below-grade sandstone mudsill will be replaced by longer-lasting reddish-brown granite to reduce future brickwork deterioration. Replacement sashes and doors will be milled to reproduce the originals, finished in their historic colors, and glazed with restoration glass.

Recipients: City of Muscatine and the Muscatine Art Center; Project: 1929 Japanese Garden at the Laura Musser McColm Historic District; Grant Amount: $122,402…The Muscatine Art Center will restore the historic 1929 Japanese Garden at the Laura Musser McColm Historic District. Although Japanese-style gardens were popular in the United States from the 1890s through the early 1940s, most were destroyed during World War II. Spared this fate, the Japanese garden in Muscatine is one of the few remaining from this era in the Midwest. This project will preserve the garden’s historic features and character while improving its function as a public space. The project will repair the garden’s water system, replace vegetation, and provide better access and interpretation. The treatment plan is based on research using historic photographs and other primary sources.

Recipient: Winneshiek County; Project: Winneshiek County Courthouse in Decorah; Grant Amount: $125,000….This project will help preserve the Winneshiek County Courthouse, one of few remaining American Renaissance Beaux Arts-style rural courthouses in Iowa with its central tower intact. Exterior work to the dome will prevent further water intrusion and damage to character-defining interior finishes including ornamental plaster, hand-painted murals, an art-glass dome, and intricately detailed woodwork. Ultimately, the work will allow the courthouse to remain the active center of county government, a showpiece in the Broadway-Phelps Park National Historic District and a significant attraction for tourism.