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RISE grants approved for Des Moines, Sioux City, Mt. Pleasant

News

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The State Transportation Commission approved millions of dollars today (Tuesday) for economic development road projects. The D-O-T’s Deb Arp presented a request from the city of Des Moines and its airport authority to add more funding to its previous request for the new airport terminal.

“This application requests an additional amendment to the scope and grant award to provide additional roadway improvements for public access to the new terminal facility. Commercial vehicle lanes will be accessible to all public passengers and to facilitate the growth of ride sharing and ride hailing transportation network companies hotel shuttles, taxi services and public transit services,” she says. The money comes from the Rebuild Iowa’s Sound Economy or “RISE” funds.

“The total amended RISE eligible roadway costs would increase by over seven million to 19-million-663-thousand-391 dollars, ” Arp says. “And the city of Des Moines has requested three-million-513-thousand-350 dollars in additional Rise funds.” The design of the roadway is expected to be complete in April 2025 and construction completed by July 2026. The city of Mount Pleasant submitted a RISE application for a new roadway project.

“Requesting a grant to assist in construction of approximately one-thousand-33 feet of Eugene Way located in the west side of town. The proposed RISE roadway will provide access to three lots totaling more than 13 acres for light industrial purposes,” she says. Mount Pleasant was awarded half of the cost of the roadway project which is estimated to be around 487-thousand dollars, the city will provide the other half.

Sioux City was approved for an award to build a roadway along Highway 75 on the northeast side of the city for a water park.”The proposed rise roadway will support tourism and provide access to the proposed Siouxland Splash Waterslide Park development to be developed by Frontline Development L-L-C,” Arp says. She says the award is based on the benefits the water park will bring. “An economic impact study expects over 150-thousand visitors to be attracted annually by the third year of operation, 12-thousand-547 overnight visitors and the creation of 55 jobs,” Arp says.

A commissioner asked if the award was to benefit just one business as other projects benefiting a single entity had not been funded. Sioux City business development coordinator, Chris Meyers, told the commission the city purchased 43 acres at the site with the hopes of developing the area around the water park as well. “The waterpark phase one is developing ten acres of that. And the waterpark developer has an option on the remaining 30 acres specifically for the intention of expanding the waterpark. And they would like to in the next year or two put up a hotel on the site as well,” he says.

The Transportation Commission approved the request of more than one-point-two million dollars ($1,250,957) or 50 percent of the project. Design of the roadway is expected to be complete by July 2024, with construction completed by December.

Consumer Connection: Insurance Needs for Spring Storms

News

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

By Sonya Sellmeyer, Consumer Advocacy Officer for the Iowa Insurance Division

Spring storms, characterized by heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and even tornadoes, pose significant risks to homes and properties.  From water damage to wind-related destruction, these seasonal hazards can lead to substantial financial losses.  According to the Insurance Information Institute, natural catastrophe losses in the United States during 2023 topped $79.6 billion.

A fundamental step in preparing for spring storms is a review of your homeowners policy and initiating a conversation with your licensed insurance agent to scrutinize the coverage.  This review should encompass the types and amounts of coverage in place, verifying they align with the potential risks associated with spring storms, and ensuring an understanding of the policy terms, exclusions, and limitations.

For optimal protection, homeowners should explore additional coverage options beyond the basic replacement cost policy.  Annual inflation adjustment is one consideration to ensure coverage keeps pace with the rising costs of materials and labor.

Extended replacement cost is another valuable option to consider. This coverage goes beyond the limits specified in the policy, providing an extra layer of financial protection by extending the dwelling coverage by 10-50% of the cost of rebuilding your home.  In the wake of a severe storm, where rebuilding costs may surpass initial estimates, extended replacement cost coverage can be crucial.

Building code upgrades represent coverage that address the need to comply with materials. Spring storms often expose vulnerabilities in structures, prompting the need for repairs to meet current safety standards. This coverage ensures that the financial burden of these mandatory upgrades does not fall solely on the homeowner.

Sonya Sellmeyer, Consumer Advocacy Officer for the Iowa Insurance Division

Review the policy for the coverage of your home’s roof. Insurance companies may change the coverage allowed under your policy as the roof ages.  For example, the actual cash value of your roof declines as it ages, and this coverage may only cover a portion of your claim based on the roof’s age and condition.  Check your declarations page and policy for roof coverage information.

Damage caused by flooding is often a standard exclusion in home, renter, and property insurance policies.  Water and sewer backup coverage is different from flood insurance.  While some homeowners policies include these provisions, neither are automatically included as part of a regular homeowners policy and will need a special endorsement to provide coverage.

Read all letters and policy renewal information received from the insurance company, as these may contain policy and coverage changes.  Verify any changes in coverage for exterior surfaces such as siding, gutters, downspouts, soffit, fascia, and windows due to cosmetic versus functional damage.  Call your agent if you have questions on any coverage changes.

A spring check up of your homeowners policy, and a collaboration with your insurance agent is pivotal in ensuring that the right amount and types of coverage are in place to protect against the financial aftermath of spring storms.

House panel dismisses ethics complaint over vote for private school money

News

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House Ethics Committee has unanimously dismissed a complaint alleging Republican Representative Dean Fisher of Montour has violated House rules by voting to commit state funding to private schools and helping start a new school.

Fisher backed last year’s law that created state-funded Education Savings Accounts to cover private school tuition and other expenses. He’s board president of the Tama Toledo Christian School that’ll open next year.

“(Fisher) claims he held up his campaign promises to his constituents…and he claims the complaint is politically motivated and simply a difference of opinion on legislation signed into law,” Representative Anne Osmundson of Volga, House Ethics Committee chair, said during today’s meeting in explaining Fisher’s response to the complaint.

All six Republicans and Democrats on the ethics panel voted to dismiss the complaint.

“I am concerned about what the complainant has stated. It just gives me a bad feeling overall,” Representative Monica Kurth, a Democrat from Davenport, said. “However, I don’t think it rises to a point of being a violation of the ethics code.”

Representative Stanley Gustafson, a Republican from Cumming, is another member of the panel. “I don’t think that Dean Fisher’s personal interest was necessarily the driving force behind the effort to have vouchers for a private school,” Gustafson said.

House rules say members should abstain from voting on bills that are a conflict of interest due to personal gain, but teachers in the legislature, for example, routinely vote on state spending for schools because the bills have broad benefit.

Barbara Kalbaugh of Dexter filed the complaint against Fisher and spoke with reporters at the statehouse. “Fisher’s actions are self-dealing and self-servicing,” Kalbaugh said. “Some would say they’re corrupt and the House Ethics Committee is letting him get away with it and that’s shameful.”

Fisher released a written statement after the committee vote.

“This complaint was clearly just a politically-motivated attempt to smear me,” Fisher said. “It’s wrong to attempt to use the mechanisms of government to attack someone you simply disagree with on policy.”

Fire risk is so high, it’s ‘like pouring gasoline on the ground’

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Warm temperatures, dry conditions and gusting winds are combining to make conditions extremely dangerous for open burning in many areas of Iowa, with burn bans active in 22 counties.

In southwest Iowa, Glenwood Fire Chief Matt Gray says his department tackled a ditch fire along Interstate 29 on Monday afternoon, but as crews were working to contain the blaze, the winds shifted and the flames quickly spread into a nearby cornfield.

“A bunch of the stuff that was leftover from the previous harvest, the corn and stuff like that, was so dry and with the speed of the wind, it was all we could do to keep it contained,” Gray says. “It got up on a levee and burned through that. There was a bunch of high brome grass in there that burned and there were several trees that caught fire.”

Gray says they requested mutual aid from the Oak Township Fire Department as well as from Malvern once the fire spread. Ultimately, he says the blaze consumed between five and eight acres. Despite recent precipitation, Gray says conditions are still ripe for brush fires.

RED — 22 active burn bans, BLUE — 12 recent ban lifts.

“With the wind speeds and all the dry fuels laying on the ground. That’s basically like pouring gasoline on the ground, lighting it, and letting it go,” Gray says. “It’s very flammable, spreads fast, and with the wind, it’s just hard to control.”

Even in areas where burn bans are not in effect, Gray urges everyone to be extremely cautious, and that includes campfires, grills and farm equipment.

“Basically, you’re not supposed to be doing any open burning at all unless you have a burn permit signed from the fire chief who goes out and selects the area that you’re going to burn,” Gray says. “That’s the only way you can do any type of open burning right now.”

During burn bans, residents are reminded not to throw cigarettes from moving vehicles and to stop burning yard waste, piled tree debris, or other items. Violations of a burn ban can subject a person to criminal penalties and civil liabilities for any damages, losses, or injuries resulting from a fire.

Senator Grassley says President Biden’s budget is DOA

News

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley predicts President Biden’s just-released budget for fiscal year 2025 will need to be rejected in order to, in Grassley’s words, “rescue future generations from even greater economic harm.”

“It’s dead on arrival, D-O-A,” Grassley says. “It’ll never get a majority vote. I just think that it’s an outline that we start with, and presidents propose and Congress disposes.”

Grassley, a Republican, calls the administration’s fiscal and regulatory record “irresponsible,” saying it’s “wreaked havoc on our economy.” Were it to be approved, he says the Biden budget would be sure to yield severe long-term consequences.

“Its contents can be summed up in a single word, let’s say two words: very, very costly,” Grassley says, “three words, I guess.”

Grassley says the president’s spending plan will bring trillions of dollars in tax hikes, saying Biden is planning to let the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire next year.

Sen. Grassley (Radio Iowa photo)

“This would hike taxes for Americans who make less than $400,000 a year, a direct violation of the president’s pledge not to increase taxes on the middle class,” Grassley says. “In fact, you know, this would be the biggest tax increase in the history of the country.”

Grassley says the country needs to reverse course and address the ballooning national debt, though he says the Biden budget would drive up that debt by $16 trillion over the next decade.

“Somebody’s going to be asking me down the road here, ‘Grassley, what are you doing about the $50 trillion national debt we have?’” he says. “Well, we can’t let that happen, but it would happen if this president’s budget went into effect.”

According to Grassley, “thanks to Bidenomics, families will pay thousands of dollars more every year just to cover higher costs of living,” and he says the budget offers “crumbs” for the Pentagon by limiting defense spending so it won’t even keep up with inflation.

CAM School Board approves Mowing Bids, Natural Gas Agreement

News

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM School Board, Monday night, acted on approving various Board Policies to come before them for review, along with an AEA Purchasing Agreement for 2024-25, with regard to the Nutrition Program. Superintendent Paul Croghan said they also approved a mowing bid from A & B Construction.

Afterward, they held more discussion with regard to CAM School District facilities.

The CAM School District has gone from three buildings to two and is waiting for a final decision to go to one facility for all grades.

Croghan brought-up the topic of the FY25 School Calendar, but much of the information they need to come up with a plan is dependent on the Iowa Legislature, otherwise it’s in limbo.

 

Drake women prepare for the MVC Tournament

Sports

March 12th, 2024 by admin

The Drake women will begin a quest for a second straight Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title in the Quad Cities Friday afternoon. The top seeded and regular season champion Bulldogs will play the winner of Thursday’s game between Indiana State and Southern Illinois.

 

That’s Drake coach Allison Pohlman. One of the strengths for the Bulldogs is depth and that will be a plus when needing to win three games in three days.

 

Pohlman says the Bulldogs are focused on their first game and not the entire bracket.

 

Pohlman says one of their preseason goals was to win the tournament and return to the NCAA Tournament.

 

Drake is 26-5 overall and finished 19-1 in the Valley regular season race.

Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson talks roster management

Sports

March 12th, 2024 by admin

In the age of the transfer portal in college basketball Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson will be spending the next couple of weeks finding out who will be returning. Nearly the entire roster could return from a team that finished 19-14 after a loss to Indiana State in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

 

Jacobson says it may take a few weeks to determine what next season’s roster will look like.

 

Freeman Named B1G Freshman of the Year; 5 Hawkeyes Honored

Sports

March 12th, 2024 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa forward Owen Freeman was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a total of five Hawkeyes earned All-Big Ten honors, it was announced Tuesday by the league office.

Freeman was named the Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the league coaches along with Indiana’s Mackenzie Mgbako (Freeman was the sole honoree by the league media). The Moline, Illinois, native is the second Hawkeye in program history to earn the distinction, joining Jess Settles in 1994.

Senior Tony Perkins earned second-team All-Big Ten laurels by the coaches (and was honorable mention by the media) and junior Payton Sandfort was a third-team selection by both the media and coaches.  Sophomore Josh Dix (media), Freeman (coaches, media) and graduate Ben Krikke (media) earned honorable mention all-conference accolades.

Freeman was also selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team — Iowa’s first honoree since 2020 and seventh in the Fran McCaffery era — and Krikke was tabbed as Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient.

Freeman has been the Big Ten’s best rookie, leading the league in rebounds (203), blocks (56) and double-doubles (5), while ranking second in steals (30) and field goal percentage (.636) and third in scoring. Freeman is averaging 10.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He has been in double figures in 15 games with two 20-point contests.

Over the course of the season, Freeman earned nine Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, which are the second-most all-time in Big Ten Conference history.

Perkins has enjoyed a breakout senior season, ranking in the top 17 in the league in scoring (14.5), assists (4.9) and steals (1.7). He is one of seven players nationally to have 450+ points, 140+ assists, 130+ rebounds and 50+ steals. The Indianapolis native has scored in double figures in 27 games with eight 20-point games.

Sandfort has emerged as Iowa’s go-to scorer, leading the team in scoring (16.2 points) and rebounds (6.5). The forward has made a Big Ten-best 83 3-point field goals, while shooting 37.1 percent from distance. Sandfort made Iowa history in February, recording the first triple-double in program history, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks against Penn State. He has been in double figures in 25 games with a team-best 10 20-point games and four double-doubles.

Dix garnered honorable mention honors after averaging 8.9 points on 56.6 percent shooting and 44.1 percent from 3-point range. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native came on down the stretch, pouring in three 20-point games at the end of the regular season.

Krikke also earned honorable mention accolades after averaging 13.5 points and 4.7 rebounds during his first Big Ten season. The Valparaiso transfer has reached double figures in 21 games, including seven 20-point contest and has three double-doubles.

Iowa (18-13) heads to Minneapolis as the No. 7 seed for the TIAA Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes open play Thursday, facing 10th-seeded Ohio State at 5:30 p.m. (CT) at the Target Center. The game will be televised live on BTN.

Iowa vs. Michigan Marks Most-Watched Women’s Athletic Event in Network History

Sports

March 12th, 2024 by admin

CHICAGO, Ill. – For the first time in network history, the Big Ten Network had two women’s athletic events bring in over one million viewers. On Saturday, March 9, the semifinal matchup between Iowa and Michigan delivered 1,075,000 viewers, making it the most-watched women’s athletic event in BTN history. The game between Iowa and Penn State on Friday, March 8, saw 1,040,000 viewers tune in to the quarterfinal matchup.

The two tournament games rank as the second and third most-watched basketball games in BTN history. The all-time record of 1.2 million viewers was set during the 2022 men’s tournament in a game between Michigan State and Wisconsin on March 11, 2022.

The previous record for a women’s athletic event of 657,000 viewers was set earlier this year on Feb. 8, 2024, in a women’s basketball matchup between Iowa and Penn State.

For the third consecutive season, Big Ten regular season women’s basketball and the TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament were the most watched in Big Ten Network history. Viewership of the TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament on BTN was up +141% year-over-year, averaging 361,000 viewers per game.

2023-24 regular season women’s basketball coverage on the Big Ten Network averaged 101,000 viewers per broadcast, a year-over-year increase of +46%.

All viewership data is attributed to Nielsen Media Research.