DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation for Harrison, Johnson, Mills and Pottawattamie Counties in response to severe storms and flash flooding that occurred on June 21 and continuing. The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and Disaster Case Advocacy Program. 

The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management website https://homelandsecurity.iowa.gov/assistance. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim.   

The Disaster Case Advocacy Program addresses serious needs related to disaster-related hardship, injury, or adverse conditions. Disaster case advocates work with clients to create a disaster recovery plan and provide guidance, advice, and referrals to obtain a service or resource. There are no income eligibility requirements for this program; it closes 180 days from the date of the governor’s proclamation. For information on the Disaster Case Advocacy Program, contact your local community action agency or visit iowacommunityaction.org.    

You can find a copy of the proclamation here.  

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Democrats’ nonpartisan “Green for Greenfield” fundraiser held on Sunday, June 23 raised more than $2,000 dollars for the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation to assist Greenfield tornado recovery.
The nonpartisan event was attended by 40 people–including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents–and featured personal stories and community updates from Susie and Willard Olesen, long-time Greenfield residents. Susie and Willard shared harrowing stories from the May 21 tornado, an EF5 that reached windspeeds of more than 300 miles per hour.

They also shared stories of hope, including a story about long-estranged friends setting aside political disputes to collaborate on recovery efforts. The couple gave updates on ongoing cleanup and recovery efforts, and expressed deep gratitude for all support, emphasizing that many people and businesses will continue to need support for months to come.

The event was held at the home of Dave and Barb Chase, and food was catered by The Flour Mill. Randy Burk provided music.

Susie and Willard Olesen

Donations to the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation can be made online at https://www.greenfieldiafoundation.org/ or by mailing checks to the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation, P.O. Box 13, Greenfield, Iowa, 50849.

For more information or to volunteer for upcoming events and activities with the Cass County Democrats, contact County Chair Denise O’Brien at 712-249-3197 or casscountyiadems@gmail.com or follow the Cass County Democrats on Facebook
@CassCountyIADems

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (KCRG) — A North Liberty woman is facing charges after police found a body inside her car after a crash in Minnesota, KCRG reports. Margot Lewis, 32, is charged with interference with a dead body. Authorities said they found the body of 35-year-old Liara Tsai, of Minneapolis, inside Lewis’s car following a crash near Rochester, Minnesota on Saturday, June 22. Tsai had reportedly died before the crash happened.

No one has been charged in Tsai’s death yet. KTTC in Minnesota reports authorities are still trying to determine the connection between the victim and the suspect in this case. Tsai had blood coming from a neck wound and had been wrapped in a blanket.

KTTC reports Tsai loved music and had moved to Minneapolis from Iowa City at the beginning of the year because of its strong transgender community.

LENOX, Iowa – On June 26, 2024, the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted a forensic autopsy on the male suspect involved in the robbery of the Iowa State Savings Bank in Lenox, Iowa, on June 24, 2024.

The suspect has been identified as Steven Trent Sapp, 45, of Hooper, Nebraska. Sapp died as a result of a single gunshot wound and his death has been ruled as a suicide.

Previous Iowa Department of Public Safety statement:

June 24, 2024

LENOX, Iowa – At approximately 1:30 p.m. today, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office responded to a bank robbery call at the Iowa State Savings Bank in Lenox, Iowa.

Reports indicated that a male subject entered the bank demanding money and then left on a motorcycle. The subject was pursued into Adams County, but fled at a high rate of speed. The subject lost control and crashed into a farm field. The subject then fled on foot.

Several law enforcement agencies, including the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa State Patrol, converged on the area and attempted to locate the subject.

As law enforcement narrowed in on the subject’s location, the male fired one round, causing a fatal self-inflicted wound.

DES MOINES, Iowa, June 26, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today announced that USDA is investing $1,842,725 in 23 projects across the state to lower energy bills, expand access to clean energy, and create jobs for Iowa agricultural producers and rural small business owners with funding through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). USDA also unveiled the “Rural Energy Resource Guide” to make it easier for rural communities to identify federal funding for clean energy, including programs made possible by President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act.

“The investments we’re announcing today demonstrate how producers and small business are embracing clean energy systems to address the impacts of climate change and save money,” said Director Greenfield. “These investments are at the heart of President Biden and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack’s commitment to create jobs, lower consumer costs, and strengthen Iowa’s rural communities – building the economy from the middle out and the bottom up.”

The REAP project grants are part of a larger nation-wide announcement today.

REAP grants in Iowa

A full list of today’s REAP awards in Iowa may be found here and include these:

-Remington Seeds LLC, owner of a seed processing operation in Belle Plaine, Benton County, received a $553,351 grant to help install a 412 kilowatt solar array. This project is expected to save $97,782 per year. It will replace 570,666 kilowatt hours (82 percent of the business energy usage) per year, enough energy to power 52 homes.

–Dalton Ag Enterprises received a $575,000 grant to help install a 639.5 kilowatt solar array at its farm machinery and equipment manufacturing operation in Lenox in Taylor County. This project will realize $96,972 per year in savings and will replace 764,794 kilowatt hours per year (65 percent of previous use), which is enough electricity to power 70 homes.

-Schumacher Company LC, a farm machinery and equipment manufacturing business, received a $255,600 grant to install a 255.6 kilowatt solar array in Durant in Cedar County. This project will generate 347,249 kilowatt hours per year, saving $54,581 per year. This is enough electricity to power 32 homes.

(Radio Iowa) – Record numbers of travelers in Iowa and nationwide are expected to venture at least 50 miles from home over the long Independence Day weekend, according to AAA. Brian Ortner, the motor club’s Iowa spokesman, says it’s a happy coincidence that as the number of travelers is rising, the price of travel is falling. “It’s a 7% increase on numbers,” Ortner says, “and then cost-wise, it’s about 2% lower than we were last year.”

AAA projects almost 71-million people will be vacationing during the Fourth of July holiday, including more than five-million people in the seven-state region that includes Iowa. The majority of travelers — about 60-million nationwide — will be going by motor vehicle, as Ortner says gasoline prices are down. “Last year, the state average in Iowa on Independence Day was $3.35 a gallon,” Ortner says. “If we look at where we are currently, we’re at $3.18. That is a great number to see, that the average is lower.”

AAA graphic

The projections show nearly six-million people will be traveling by air over the holiday, which would also set a record. “Prices for air travel have decreased a little bit. They’ve gone down about 2% from last year,” Ortner says. “The other good sign is that hotel costs are going down and rental car costs are going down, so those longer trips are becoming more affordable as we move through the summer.”

Despite concerns about inflation, AAA estimates consumers will be boosting their spending over Independence Day weekend by five-and-a-half percent compared to a year ago.

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (KCRG) — A North Liberty woman who reportedly got cold feet just before meeting someone she met through a dating app was arrested after police said she falsely reported the man was threatening to assault her, leading to the man being detained for over an hour. KCRG reports, in a criminal complaint, police said 18-year-old Sumaya Thomas called 911 just after midnight on June 16 to report that her abusive ex-boyfriend was texting her, threatening to hit, punch, kick and stab her. She also allegedly reported that she was pregnant with the man’s baby.

However, officers found the man leaving the scene. He reportedly told officers he had only just met Thomas about a week ago on a dating app. They then changed from talking via the app to exchanging text messages. The man showed police the text conversation, which officers said corroborated his story. When officers interviews Thomas, they said she reported having known the man for two years and that she was pregnant with his baby, and that he had been abusive to her and wouldn’t leave her alone.

After a third interview, police said Thomas admitted to making the false reports because she got cold feet before meeting him and no longer wanted to. During the interview, Thomas reportedly told police she didn’t think officers would help, so she made up the events.