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Bill lets counties decide property tax break for timber, fruit tree orchards

News

April 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – County officials could decide if property owners in their county may continue getting a tax exemption for land with timber or fruit trees on it under a bill in the Iowa Senate.The bill, which changes the state’s forest preserve program, won House approval with just the 51 votes required for passage. Representative Austin Harris, a Republican from Moulton, was the only lawmaker who spoke in favor of the bill.

“This bill is about local control, leaving it up to the counties to decide whether the Forest Reserve program in their county works for them or not,” Harris said. Under current Iowa law landowners who agree to maintain at least 70 fruit trees or at least 200 trees per acre do not pay property taxes on that ground. The Iowa Farm Bureau has long argued the program is unfair to other property owners and in previous years bills called for repealing or reducing the property tax break. This year’s bill gives county boards of supervisors the power to eliminate the tax exemption in their county.

“Leaves it up to our local elected officials that this program impacts and the citizens,” Harris said,” it leaves it up to them to make that decision.” Representative Chuck Isenhart, a Democrat from Dubuque, says the bill gives county officials a green light to raise property taxes on 60-thousand landowners who have enrolled more than 800-thousand acres in the program. “In 1906 the Iowa legislature passed a landowner property tax incentive we now know as the Forest and Fruit Tree Preservation Act to reduce or eliminate property taxes to incentivize landowners to hold their poorer lands in timber for erosion control, watershed protection and game cover,”Isenhart said, “and we have been presented with no evidence that this program is not achieving those goals.”

Isenhart was the only critic of the bill to speak in House debate. If the property tax exemption were eliminated in each of Iowa’s 99 counties, landowners with timber or fruit tree orchards enrolled in the program would owe 12-point-seven million dollars in property taxes next year.

APRIL 2024 BIRTHDAY CLUB

Birthday Club

April 1st, 2024 by Lori Murphy

April 1:

  • Karen Miller of Atlantic (winner)
  • Clint Mathisen of Massena
  • Joy Miller of Atlantic (winner)
  • Bruce Nelson of Atlantic

April 2:

  • Bennett Blake of Atlantic (winner)
  • Randy Rush of Atlantic
  • Kenny Hinson of Atlantic
  • Lynette Herrick of Wiota

April 3:

  • Lola Ehen of Atlantic (winner)
  • David Smith of Atlantic
  • Dianna Essington of Atlantic
  • Nancy Freeman of Atlantic
  • Sarah Kirke of Omaha, Ne

April 4:

  • Miley Kelly of Griswold (winner)
  • Diane Breach of Atlantic
  • Dorothy Peters of Marne
  • Wendy Petersen of Atlantic

April 5:

  • Bobbie Jo McNees of Atlantic (winner)

April 6:

  • Lyriq Dodson of Atlantic (winner)
  • Blake Burris of Jasper, Indiana

April 7:

  • April Meyer of Atlantic (winner)

April 8:

  • Kristin Templeman of Wiota (winner)

April 9:

  • Lily Knudsen of Marne (winner)

April 10:

  • Alan Lillard of Atlantic (winner)
  • Lindsey Thomas of Atlantic
  • Donna Skow of Atlantic
  • Joy Hansen of Brayton

April 11:

  • Debbie Denison of Atlantic (winner)
  • Vickie Tibben of Audubon
  • Keith Grabill of Audubon
  • Asa Lucas of Atlantic

April 12:

  • Gary Wiechmann of Atlantic (winner)
  • Mara Mae Myers of Atlantic
  • Matt Amdor

April 13:

  • Lisa Shotwell of Exira (winner)
  • Beth Lauritsen of Exira
  • Mary Ann Huegerich of Exira
  • River Meyers of Exira
  • Martha Baier of Atlantic
  • Hana Holtz of Atlantic

April 14:

  • Nancy Zellmer of Atlantic (winner)

April 15:

  • Roux Dailey of Atlantic (winner)

April 16:

  • Donna Zellmer of Atlantic (winner)
  • Elinor Elsberry of Atlantic

April 17:

  • Sadie Schultes of Exira (winner)

April 18:

  • Debbie Leistad of Atlantic (winner)
  • Marjorie Frisbie of Walnut
  • Sara Paulsen of Exira
  • James Hickman of Atlantic

April 19:

  • Carolyn Dix of Atlantic (winner)
  • Doris Christensen of Audubon

April 20:

  • Sheri Fletcher of Atlantic (winner)

April 21:

  • Jenna Andersen of Audubon (winner)

April 22:

  • Dawn Marnin of Anita (winner)
  • Brynn Lamp of Atlantic

April 23:

  • Roger Sinow of Gray (winner)
  • Raelynn Weisenborn of Exira
  • Wayne Rush of Walnut
  • Doug Dittman of Atlantic

April 24:

  • Donna Willoughby of Atlantic (winner)
  • Lane Alan Myers of Atlantic
  • McKinley Sandbothe of Atlantic
  • Christine Newman-Waters of LeVeen, Az
  • James Henningsen

April 25:

  • Ann Huegerich of Exira (winner)
  • Carolyn Landon of Exira
  • Dave Erickson of Exira
  • Brittany Knudsen of Atlantic
  • Leanne Sorensen of Brayton

April 26:

  • No birthdays submitted

April 27:

  • Connie Sorensen of Exira (winner)
  • Marlow Ehrenfrid of Atlantic

April 28:

  • Sherry Kramer of Atlantic (winner)
  • Sarah Becker of Atlantic
  • Mariah Stockwell of Elk Horn

April 29:

  • Mitch Munch of Exira (winner)
  • Dov Lower of Atlantic

 

Deadline approaching to claim 2020 tax refunds

News

April 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A deadline is coming up for those who may have unclaimed tax refunds from 2020. I-R-S spokesman, Christopher Miller, says there is a chunk of unclaimed money out there. “The I-R-S estimates there is nearly 11 dollars million waiting for around 10-thousand people in Iowa who did not file a 2020 tax return,” he says. There is a three-year deadline for each tax filing year for you to claim your refund. The deadline for filing for 2020 refunds is May 17th, which gives you a little more time as the normal tax filing deadline was extended by the pandemic.

“So we issued a notice at that time letting folks know that the regular deadline for taxes had been postponed to May 17th which is why it’s the deadline to get those old refunds,” Miller says. Miller says the pandemic left a lot of people in different situations and that is why they may not have filed a return in 2020.

“Perhaps these folks that fall into this category had a part-time job or a small job, and they made money but didn’t make enough to legally require them to file a tax return. So they didn’t,” he says. “But what they may not realize is if your employer was withholding money from your check for taxes, you could get that back in the form of a refund.”

Miller says many low and moderate-income workers also may be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit for 2020 as well.

WEEK OF APRIL 1, 2024

Trading Post

April 1st, 2024 by Lori Murphy

WANTED:  Looking for 3-4 sections of grain bin stairs.  Call Eric 712-789-1255.

FOR SALE: 5-7 gallon air tank………..$25.00.  2,500 lb. winch with a remote. Works great, only used twice. ……$50.00 firm.  Heavy duty engine stand on cast iron wheels………$75.00.  Call 417-876-7103 (Kimballton area).

FOR SALE: 7 drawer Walnut dresser. Newly refinished. Asking $10. Call 712-304-4550

FREE: Firewood. Stacked and ready to go. Pick up at 900 4th Griswold.

WANTED: Cheap riding lawn mower.  Call 712-243-4016

FOR SALE: 3 point pull driver for fencing for steel and wood poles. Alice Chalmers Tractors. Asking $3,200. Also have machinery for the Alice Chalmer tractors. Call for more details. 712-355-1566. Located in Council Bluffs

WANTED: Looking to haul old appliances like furnaces & more off your property. Within a 50 mile radius of Griswold area. call 402-689-5954

FOR SALE:  Hoover carpet cleaner with hoover shampoo, less than a year old.  $60.  Located in Elk Horn but will drive to Atlantic if you are buying it.  Also, have a 2 year old cat to give to good home -striped grey and his orange younger brother -1 yr old,  both neutered.  531-530-9492.

FOR SALE:  2013 EZGO electric  golf cart for sale. Black with chrome wheels. Comes with radio, 12 can cooler, windshield and charger.  Very clean.  $4,950.   712-789-0741   Griswold area.

FOR SALE:  3 Rain barrels, make an offer; Free wall cabinet. Call 243-4308.

FOR SALE: Cabin in West Okoboji. Its 30”x 30″. 2 stories high. Underneath it has a double garage. Inside isn’t finished but everything else is done. H-International tractor with a wide front end. Asking $1,700. State of Art Westinghouse Hot Water Heater. Still in the crate paid $2,400, asking $700. 712-355-1566

FOR SALE: 12 Foot B-Bottom Fishing Boat with a trailer. Has a Trawling motor. New Battery. Everything works. Asking $600. Call 712-254-0825

FREE: One Full Size Mattress with Box Spring. One Full Size Queen Mattress with Box Spring. Call 712-249-3282. Located in Atlantic

FOR SALE:  A 26,000 lb 5th wheel hitch. Asking $400. We are located in Atlantic. My number is: 515-825-8659.

FOR SALE: Power smokeless indoor grill. Like new. Comes with a griddle plate and grill plate. $20. Also have several hardback books…some sports related, some president books. Make an offer. Call 712-243-4297

WANTED: 150th Centennial Exira Cookie Jar that was sold in 2007. Call 712-254-1214.

WANTED: Looking to buy a small pickup or trade for a 2002 Ford Explorer. Looking for a driver’s seat for a 2002 Ford Explorer. Looking for an owner manual for a Deluxe 4-wheel scooter. Call red at 712-243-4016.

Glenwood man arrested April 1st

News

April 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports a man was arrested today (April 1st), on an OWI charge. 18-year-old Ethan Kiefer, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, and possession of a controlled substance. Kiefer was released from custody after posting a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

Guthrie County Jail report, 4/1/24

News

April 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Guthrie County Deputy Sheriff/Jail Administrator Jesse Swensen, has issued a report on jail inmate statistics for the month of March, 2024. Swensen said March “Was a decent month.”  He said the County “Processed 71 inmates through the facility,” and “held 25 out of county inmates for different periods of time.” The holding of other inmates in the Guthrie County Jail, Swensen said, “Brought-in $26,140.”

You can see all the Guthrie County Jail stats by clicking on the PDF links below:

March Average Population

March Billing

March Monthly Summary

Waterloo looks into moving decades-old rail yard

News

April 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Waterloo leaders are considering moving one of the city’s rail-yards to help make the predominately-black Smokey Row neighborhood safer and more equitable. The Canadian National rail-yard creates noise and air pollution, which has driven down property values for generations. Waterloo’s community planning director Noel Anderson says a 750-thousand-dollar study to move the rail-yard could be the first step toward fixing the problem.”It’s a matter of looking at the larger impact on the whole neighborhood,” Anderson says, “and how eliminating some of these problems could help the larger area.”

The rail yard has been in the neighborhood for nearly a century and it physically divides residents there from the rest of the city. The average home in the Smokey Row area is priced at about 60-thousand dollars, less than half of the rest of the city. Anderson says the rail-yard also poses daily safety risks.”It’s an unsafe situation with having a very active railroad yard in an older neighborhood,” he says. “There’s a lot more pedestrians there than you’d find on the average.”

The two-year study is underway to see how feasible it could be to move the rail-yard to an industrial part of town.

Iowa woman heads to Washington to advocate for families

News

April 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) – An Iowa mother is overcoming her battle with addiction to get her son back. Now, she’s trying to help other mothers in the same situation. Katey Rascon says she was addicted to methamphetamine for six years. During that time, she was reported to the Iowa Department of Human Services.

She says she hit rock-bottom the day her son was taken from her. Since then, she’s managed to get clean and regain custody of her son. Now she’s heading to Washington, D.C. as part of the Strolling Thunder Rally, a nationwide event taking place on April 30.

Families will meet with lawmakers about the need to invest in children and families. Rascon says she wants to see changes with how DHS cases are handled, especially how visitations are scheduled.

Heartbeat Today 4-1-2024

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

April 1st, 2024 by Jim Field

Jim Field visits with travel blogger Sara Broers about her new guidebook, “Perfect Day Iowa: Day Trips, Weekend Getaways and Other Escapes.”

Play

Des Moines’ longest serving school board member dies during a battle with cancer

News

April 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — The Des Moines community is mourning the loss of the longest serving Des Moines School Board member on Sunday morning. Des Moines Public Schools was informed by family on Sunday morning that Teree Caldwell-Johnson passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer.

Ms. Caldwell-Johnson just stepped down on March 5 amidst her battle with cancer. She was the longest-serving member of the Des Moines School Board, going back to when she was elected in November 2006.

A biography of Ms. Caldwell-Johnson can be found on the district’s website, along with a video tribute for her after she had stepped down earlier this month.