(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday morning (Feb. 20, 2024) during a regular session, at the courthouse, in Harlan. According to the meeting minutes provided by Auditor Mark Maxwell:

Ruthann Grimsley was present as a Compensation Board representative to represent the Shelby County Compensation Board for their recommendation to the County Supervisors. The Compensation Board recommended a 1% increase in salary for the Sherriff. A 4% raise plus $1500.00 for the Board of Supervisors Chairperson and 4% for the other Supervisors. It was recommended by the Compensation Board County Attorney, Treasurer, Recorder and Auditor be increased by 4%. Also an additional $2000 to attempt to equalize pay with like population sized counties in Iowa for the Recorder, Treasurer and Auditor. As in the past the employee longevity scale was approved for elected officials also. The Board approved the recommend compensation as presented.

Representatives from the Harlan, Elk Horn and Irwin library boards were present to thank the Supervisors for Shelby Counties contributions from the Rural Basic Fund. A minimum levy amount is required by Iowa Code. Amanda Brewer from the Harlan Library was present to inform the Board of Supervisors that foot traffic has increased over 30% in the last year and checkouts by a similar amount. New improvements to the exterior of the Harlan Library are also being considered. Paulette Madson of the Elk Horn Community Library was also present to report to the Supervisors. The Elk Horn Library holds many after school programs and reading programs for local children as well as adult activities that permit children to attend with an adult. Local organizations lend support to the Elk Horn Library also.

Luke Wolken, Shelby County Environmental Health Director, presented his quarterly department report to the Supervisors, highlighting that his office is currently very busy with passports. Wolken also reported that Shelby County is one of five counties statewide that is eligible for approximately $50,000.00 in well plugging, and well rehabilitation projects.

The Supervisors were then told by Auditor Maxwell that the annex building is in the process of being repaired from a water line burst on the interior of the building. A claim has been filed with the County insurer and repairs are being made. The air conditioning unit at the Courthouse is scheduled to be delivered in March and installed in the April/May time. The Auditor then asked the Supervisors to consider and recommended approval of the following resolution:

Resolution 2024-16; A Resolution to establish future Election Official Pay in Shelby County

Whereas the Shelby County Board of Supervisors is responsible for establishing the rate of compensation and compensation for Election officials nominated by the Shelby County auditor to perform election duties as required by Iowa Code. Whereas changes have not been made in election officials pay for a period of six years and achieving the expected election efficiencies expected of Shelby County election officials that the County has enjoyed in the past is desired to continue. Now be it resolved that the County Auditor will be authorized to pay election officials as certified by said officials by claim or through the County payroll, as applicable to comply with reporting regulations for payment of election officials as follows:

*Precinct officials $12.00/Hour

*Precinct Chairperson and Co Chairperson $14.00/Hour

*Election Night Runners $60.00 per election

Be it further resolved that the above listed positions including be paid mileage at the current mileage reimbursement rate for all travel incurred to perform the above listed services. The resolution passed as presented.

The following resolution was then considered: Resolution 2024-17; A Resolution to Permit Home Working Reimbursements for the Shelby County Supervisors

Whereas the Shelby County Supervisors are elected officials and mandated by Iowa Code to fulfill their duties as County Supervisors. Whereas evolving technology allows for home office and cell phone use to fulfill the duties of County Supervisor. Whereas County Supervisors are currently reimbursed for travel expenses and mileage reimbursement from the county for completing their obligations. Whereas County Supervisors have added personal expenses with cellphones and home office expenses including computers, internet connections and office supplies that Shelby County does not currently provide. Currently no reimbursement program exists for home office work in Shelby County. Therefore be it resolved by the Shelby County Board of Supervisors declare that with receipts presented to the County Auditor’s office by County Supervisors for home office supplies, internet connections, and cellphone billings may be reimbursed up to $100.00 a month from the General Fund if receipts for the expenses are submitted to the Shelby County Auditor’s office within 60 days of the dated expense. The Resolution passed as presented.

Discussion on the budget for fiscal year 2025 was then held. Exploring the many avenues to the budget completion were discussed. The next regular meeting will be used to set the required dates, notices and postings while staying in compliance were discussed. The Board will be advised of the options before any final dates are set.

DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 20, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today announced that the Agency is investing $29,318,797 in 10 rural Iowa projects to expand business opportunities and hospital access and to support waste water sanitation planning.

“From hospitals to fire stations to supporting small businesses, USDA is investing in rural Iowa,” said Director Greenfield. “Under the leadership of President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary Vilsack, USDA is working with local leaders to build and grow their communities.”

The 10 investments were made through several USDA Rural development programs. Locally….

–City of Red Oak received a $30,000 grant from the Water and Waste Disposal Predevelopment Planning Grants program to develop a proposal for sewer improvements. This project will provide a plan, in coordination with engineers, which includes alternatives and recommendations to meet the rehabilitation needs of the city’s waste disposal system. Once completed, this project will support much-needed sewer upgrades to safeguard human health throughout this rural community in Montgomery County.

Four Project Awards From the Rural Business Development Grants program.

Four Project Investments From the Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants program, including…

–City of Audubon in Audubon County received a $2,800,000 loan to build a fire station. This project will construct an 11,700 square foot pre-engineered metal building with four apparatus bays, workspace for staff, and equipment and supply storage areas. Once completed, the project will allow fire and rescue vehicles direct access to the main highway to minimize response times during emergencies and promote the safety of residents and travelers.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court is considering a Sioux City case involving the right to talk to a lawyer when you are taken into custody.

The case involves Faron Starr who was taken into custody in 2022 after a stabbing and the alleged theft of guns in a separate break-in. The district court ruled his confession was inadmissible after police refused to let him make a call during questioning. During oral arguments before the Supreme Court Monday evening,

Prosecutor Thomas Ogden told the justices officers didn’t allow Starr’s call as the guns were missing. “We’re talking here about a delay and the delay is justified by the officers making an effort to locate the firearms. I think that if it became clear to them that that effort was not going to bear fruit then the statute would direct them to permit the phone call,” he says. He says there are exceptions for such instances.

Chief Justice Susan Christensen asked how this case was different from other cases. “In your typical shooting law enforcement probably doesn’t have reason to believe that the gun has been abandoned in an area where it represents a threat to public safety,” Ogden says. He says they didn’t know if the guns were left where a child or someone else could get them.

Faron Starr. (Woodbury Cty Jail photo)

Starr’s Attorney Lucas Taylor says his client’s rights were violated. “This case is about police misconduct period. This is not a case about the safety application to the public safety exception,” Taylor says. Taylor says it was six hours before Starr was apprehended. He says there is a very narrow public safety exception, and cited an example of where the exception might be used.

“A situation where we have a suspect who was witnessed with a firearm, who then leads law enforcement on a pursuit that lasts a matter of minutes. And then that suspect is apprehended without a firearm, leading to strong circumstantial evidence that firearm was discarded haphazardly, and where that firearm might be just laying out in public view,” Taylor says. Starr pled not guilty and the case is pending the ruling by the Supreme Court.

The justices will consider the oral arguments and make a ruling at a later day. Starr is currently in jail on an unrelated murder charge.

(Radio Iowa) – A new report estimates 21,000 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, an increase from last year, while the projected number of Iowans who will die from cancer this year is falling. Iowa Cancer Registry director Mary Charlton, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa, says they’re focusing on raising awareness about alcohol-related cancers in this year’s report.

“We’ve seen estimates that only about 40% of the general public know that alcohol is a carcinogen and a risk factor for cancer,” Charlton says. “In Iowa, we rank fourth among all the states in our rates of alcohol-related cancers and we also rank fourth in binge drinking.” While drinking any alcohol can increase one’s cancer risk, she says heavy drinking and binge drinking pose the greatest risks.

For the second straight year, national rankings show Iowa has the second highest rate of new cancer cases in the county, behind only Kentucky. Smoking is a key risk factor and Kentucky’s smoking rate has fallen while Iowa’s rate is rising. Charlton says several other cancers are contributing to the rankings.

Iowa Cancer Registry graphic

“Breast cancer is one of the biggest drivers of our higher rate. Iowa has the ninth highest incidence rate of breast cancer and it’s rising faster here than in most other states,” Charlton says. “Prostate cancer is another one. We have the fourth highest incidence rate among black males and the seventh highest rate among white males, and rates are rising faster here than most other states.”

The report finds Iowa’s cancer mortality rates are dropping slowly, while the state’s number of cancer cases is rising, thanks in large part to early detection screenings and treatments.

“We estimate there’ll be 21,000 new cancers diagnosed among Iowans this year, and that’s an increase of 200 from last year,” Charlton says, “and we estimate that there will be approximately 6,100 cancer deaths among Iowans this year, which is a decrease of 100 from last year.”

Since the registry’s annual report was first published in 1973, Charlton says the number of cancer survivors has grown, with nearly 169-thousand Iowans now having a history of cancer. The most prevalent types of cancer in Iowa are staying steady.

“No, it hasn’t changed from last year. It’s still breast, prostate, lung and colorectal making up roughly half of all cancer cases in Iowa,” Charlton says. “If you add melanoma, that’s the fifth highest, that’s well over half of our cases. In terms of cancer deaths, lung cancer continues to be the most common cause of cancer deaths, accounting for nearly one out of every four cancer deaths in Iowa.”

The annual report allows doctors and researchers to focus on how to prevent and treat cancer, she says, and it provides Iowans with the knowledge they need to get advance screening and improve survival rates across the board.

See the full report here: https://shri.public-health.uiowa.edu/

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has passed a that would establish a 135-dollar fine for motorists caught lingering too long in the left hand lane. Senator Mike Klemish of Spillville says under current Iowa law, drivers are to mostly stay in the right hand lane unless they’re passing another vehicle. “Any vehicle driving less than the normal speed of traffic must be driven in the rightmost part of road,” Klemish says. “The bill strengthens these provisions already in Iowa Code by requiring all vehicles to drive in the rightmost lane unless undergoing certain driving procedures.”

That means using the left lane only for passing, to avoid some obstruction in the right hand lane or to take an exit that requires driving in the left lane. The bill passed on a 38 to eight vote. Senator William Dotzler of Waterloo, one of the “no” votes, says it’s aggravating to have a slow moving vehicle in the left lane, but Dotzler says he’s concerned about the safety of bicyclists riding along the side of city streets that have two lanes of traffic in both directions. “If you’ve got a line of cars compressed in one lane, then as a driver you’re looking at the backside of those vehicles and you cannot see a bicyclist on the side of the road,” Dotzler said. “It’s dangerous.”

If the bill becomes law, police and state troopers could issue warnings for left lane loitering during the first 12 months, then the fine would take effect on July 1st of next year. Senators have unanimously passed another bill that would make it a felony to call 9-1-1 and falsely report a mass shooting, a hostage situation or some other allegation that would prompt a massive law enforcement response. They’ve been dubbed “SWATTING” calls — a reference to “Special Weapons and Tactics” of SWAT teams. Officials in Iowa and around the country say SWATTING calls are becoming more frequent.

(Radio Iowa) – Hundreds of Iowa millennials are being asked to volunteer for a new American Lung Association study which will try to determine how lung disease develops, how to catch it earlier, and how to prevent it. Dr. Ravi Kalhan, the study’s principal investigator, says they need Iowans between the ages of 25 and 35. “We’re looking for people who are healthy, young adults, because we think that’s the age at which people achieve peak lung health — that’s as good as it gets for someone who’s healthy and free of lung disease,” Kalhan says. “And then our goal is to really follow them forward and see why some people develop respiratory problems as time goes on and others don’t.”

This is to be the first-ever large-scale lung health study, with about 4,000 people being monitored nationwide at 35 medical centers, including at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Initially, Kalhan says those who are picked in Iowa will only need to make one trip to Iowa City. “What we’re asking people to do is make a single visit to get a bunch of tests done,” he says. “Those tests include a breathing test, a lung function test where someone blows hard and fast into a machine and we measure their lung capacity, a CT scan, a CAT scan of their lungs to get a really detailed picture of their lungs, some blood tests, and then also answering a bunch of questionnaires.”

Those questions would cover things like where they’ve lived, what they do for a living, and a family medical history. People would be compensated for their time, but Kalhan notes the big benefit is in a detailed assessment of one’s respiratory health, plus, they get to be a part of something much larger. After that one day of testing at the UI Hospitals, the rest of the contact would be remote, with questionnaires once every six to 12 months.

“And then our hope is, at some point in the future, maybe in three to five years, we’ll bring these people back to one of our centers for another in-person examination,” Kalhan says, “and keep in touch with them to find out how their life goes and whether they develop respiratory problems or not, and to better understand why some people develop lung disease and others don’t.”

To learn more or sign up, visit: Lung.org/LungStudy

(Radio Iowa) – The program manager at the Iowa Waste Reduction Center run by the University of Northern Iowa is now the president of the United States Composting Council board of directors. Jennifer Trent says the Council works to promote everything from compostable packaging to composting food waste. “The compost growth has been just incredible for the last years and when we had the fertilizer shortage that really propelled compost forward and a lot of these large compost manufacturers even community composters have seen quite a bit of growth and keeping up with it has been difficult,” Trent says. Trent says one projection has the compost industry growing by six-and-half percent by 2027, which equates to nine-point-five BILLION dollars.

She says Iowa has struggled to expand the compost industry here. “In my personal opinion and professional opinion, I think that’s wholly related to regulations that make it really difficult for businesses to grow and thrive,” she says. Trent says state regulations on businesses are permitted by rule and permitted. She says the permitted by rule leaves little room for companies. “You can only compost two tons of food and yard waste in combination per week. And that just simply isn’t enough to create a business and make money,” Trent says. “And so if you want to make money, then you have to become a permitted site. And the cost of that, Oh, my word is prohibitive.” She says they are trying to work with Iowa D-N-R and Department of Agriculture to get the the regulations changed so the compost business can grow in Iowa.

Trent says the compost can be used as a soil conditioner that acts sort of as a fertilizer, and can also be used to filter runoff water. “So that when that material enters into water sources across Iowa, it filters the contaminants, helping to create a greater water quality in rivers, lakes and streams across the state,” she says. There’s also composting on a small level in back yards across Iowa. Trent says this is something that’s also expanding. “Currently, we’re working with a lot of small rural public libraries o’clock across Iowa to provide compost programming. So we are definitely trying to do this. and it is making a huge impact from the first time we started doing this 12 years ago to now I see a huge uptick in the number of people that are interested,” Trent says.

She says people are learning that compost made from leaves and other waste can save them money when it is used in their gardens and yards. And Trent says composting on any level helps keep items from going to the landfill.