DES MOINES – Today, Gov. Reynolds announced a new $6.5 million investment in communities to bolster tourism and quality of life through Destination Iowa. The grant initiative, which launched in 2022 with federal funding, became a state-funded initiative following approval from the Iowa legislature this year.  

“Destination Iowa has inspired communities statewide to dream big about projects that will give tourists a reason to explore and newcomers a reason to call Iowa home,” Governor Reynolds said. “This initiative has advanced 46 projects across the state so far , activating more than $480 million in total investment. Support from the state will open this opportunity for even more communities to boost tourism and quality of life while raising the profile of our state.” 

The IEDA Board approved the Destination Iowa program guidelines and procedures at its monthly board last Friday. Funds will be awarded to projects investing in vertical infrastructure such as land acquisition and construction, recreational trails and water trails. The goal is for Iowa communities to make strategic investments that create or support lasting opportunities to attract visitors and enhance quality of life amenities for residents, thereby boosting local economies and attracting talent.   

Priority will be given to applicants that have not been awarded money from the federally funded Destination Iowa fund or other programs intended to support community attraction and tourism projects after July 1, 2018. Eligible applicants include cities, counties and not-for-profit organizations.  

The program will follow a two-step application process. Pre-applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from October 23, 2023 through January 31, 2024 via a form on IEDA’s website.  For those applicants invited to apply for the full application, the final application deadline is March 1, 2024. 

IEDA will designate a grant committee to review applications and make funding recommendations to the IEDA Board for consideration at the April 2024 monthly board meeting. For more information, visit www.iowaeda.com/destination-iowa-state.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report four arrests, including the arrest of two men on separate drug-related charges. On Saturday (10/28), 18-year-old Addam Aaron Belt, of Carter Lake, was arrested for Failure To Appear (FTA) on a Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charge. His bond was set at $500. And, 35-year-old Johnathon Wayne Graham, of Fremont, NE, was arrested Sunday morning, for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $1,000.

Two men were also arrested on separate OWI charges in Mills County: 35-year-old Deangelo Octobius Riley, of Red Oak, was arrested Sunday morning for OWI/1st offense. And, Sunday evening, 45-year-old James Joseph Springhower, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Bond for both men was set at $1,000 each.

Most of us have heard how dangerous distracted driving can be, and how the number-one distraction is our phones, but distracted -walking- can be equally as deadly, especially with Halloween tomorrow (Tuesday). Elizabeth O’Neal, a professor in the University of Iowa’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health, says parents should tell their kids to leave their phones alone while they’re trick-or-treating, or else they may get so distracted, they endanger themselves in traffic.

Most parents have drilled into their kids’ heads to look both ways before crossing a street, but O’Neal says that’s only two-thirds of a vital lesson.

When trick-or-treating — and every day — O’Neal says we need to cross roads at a place where drivers are expecting pedestrians to be.

It’s said there’s safety in numbers, and there’s more visibility in numbers, but O’Neal says if your costumed kids are trick-or-treating in a group, they may be more prone to tricks, and trouble.

If the kids protest and don’t want adult chaperones, parents can keep tabs on the location of their little goblins by using G-P-S phone trackers or Apple Air Tags.

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting and homicide that started on Sunday night. The incident started Sunday after 7:30 p.m. when officials got a 911 call reporting a shooting at 2595 Old Highway 141 near Hornick. Deputies responded to the scene and learned there was a victim of a shooting on the property.

The suspect was located on the property and deputies began speaking to him. That lasted several hours into early this (Monday) morning. At approximately 2:45 a.m. the homicide suspect fired multiple shots at tactical teams who were attempting to take the suspect into custody.

Additional details are expected later this afternoon.

(Radio Iowa) – A new pilot program in a southwest Iowa county will let drivers get some traffic tickets dismissed if they complete a defensive driving course. Fremont County Attorney Peter Johnson says the program is being done in collaboration with the National Safety Council’s Nebraska Chapter. “Most drivers aren’t getting tickets all the time. Sometimes it’s just a temporary lapse in judgement and it’s a minor traffic violation, but we know the effect that can have on people’s licenses and insurance rates,” he says, “so we want to give people an opportunity who through taking a class, through getting educated, would qualify to (have their tickets) be dismissed.”

An individual with a traffic ticket in Fremont County would be eligible to take the course once every three years. “We think just a refresher course on the rules of the road and safe driving techniques will be beneficial to the community at large,” Johnson says.

People who get tickets in Fremont County for minor moving violations, like running a stop sign or driving no more than 20 miles over the speed limit are eligible to apply to take a four hour course and get the ticket waived. There’s an eight hour course for more serious violations, but Johnson says county officials will review ALL applications – and some will not be approved. “There are other factors that we consider — whether the citation was issued in relation to an accident, whether there are other factual circumstances,” Johnson says. “…We kind of give it a once over to make sure that you are eligible and then if you are eligible we’ll let you know you are free to sign up for a class They do a quick screening as well to make sure you qualify with our standards.”

People who have a commercial driver’s license — even if the violation happened in a personal or private vehicle — are NOT eligible for the Fremont County program.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Environmental Protection Agency is fining an eastern Iowa company over alleged hazardous waste violations. The E-P-A says Red Star Yeast Company of Cedar Rapids will pay nearly 38-thousand dollars in civil penalties to resolve the case. The agency says Red Star didn’t follow federal regulations in producing yeast for baking and for industrial ethanol production.

The company’s also agreed to buy emergency response equipment for local responders, items including protective suits and boots, a thermal imaging camera, and chemical classifier strips. In addition, the E-P-A says Red Star will buy hazardous waste containment systems to be donated to the Cedar Rapids Fire Department and the Linn County Hazmat Team.

(Radio Iowa) – The kids may hate it, but Iowa parents could lay down the law that they’ll have to wear a coat over their costumes if they’re trick-or-treating tonight (Monday) or tomorrow night. Temperatures across the state are expected to dip some 20 degrees colder than normal, while wind chill factors may drop into the teens, according to meteorologist Rod Donavon at the National Weather Service. “While it’s going to be sunny today, we are expecting temperatures to remain pretty cold with highs in the 30s,” Donavon says. “That will be dropping off pretty quickly as we get into trick-or-treat time this evening, with temperatures dropping off in the 30s pretty quickly, and if anybody is out there beyond seven o’clock, you’d see some 20s out there.”

Some Iowa cities hold their trick-or-treating on Halloween, and Donavon says it may be even colder tomorrow night, as a system is approaching. “We are expecting a little bit more wind, which could add a little bit to the chill factor,” Donavon says. “High temperatures, we’re still looking generally in the 30s but as we drop into trick-or-treat time, we will be having temperatures in the 20s and 30s, and we will be looking at that wind basically in the 10-20 mile per hour range. It could drop some wind chills into the teens.”

Parts of Iowa had snow over the weekend, and Donavon says we’re nearly done with that, at least for now. “We did have some areas up across northwest Iowa that did have one-to-three inches of snowfall,” Donavon says. “With that, we did see some flurries across central Iowa this morning, but overall, generally dry conditions outside. We do have a chance of snow showers across far northeast Iowa later tonight into Tuesday morning, but otherwise mostly dry.”

The forecast calls for high temperatures back to near-normal in the low 50s by Friday.

(Radio Iowa) – A county official in northeast Iowa says the announcement that the proposed Navigator pipeline project has been cancelled is great news, but Delaware County Supervisor Shirley Helmrichs says she’s talking with other board members about updating the county’s ordinance regulating how close for-profit pipelines may be built to homes and buildings. “I’m going to pull out all the ordinances I have from other counties and go through setbacks and we’re going to make them large enough setbacks. It’s not going to be like a 50 foot setback,” Helmrichs says. “…We’re going to look at putting things in place rather quickly.”

Navigator’s proposed pipeline would have stretched through about 25 miles of Delaware County. Helmrichs says the cancellation has relieved a lot of stress among affected landowners. “It was like a breath of fresh air and a load of a lot of the landowners their backs,” Helmrichs says. “…They were so fearful somebody was going to take their property and not be able to make it functional and the fear of what would happen with that being so close to their homes.”

Helmrichs says she intends to have serious conversations with local legislators and urge them to forbid private, for-profit companies from using eminent domain to acquire land from unwilling property owners.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports two men were arrested on separate warrants last week. 28-year-old Joseph Daniel-Lee Dalton Bond, of Orient, was arrested Oct. 24th on a Polk County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault/Impeding the flow of air/blood. He was held for Polk County until his release on Oct. 26th. And, 20-year-old Cory Daniel Hansen, of Adair, was arrested Friday (Oct. 27), in Adair. He was taken into custody on a Dallas County warrant for Assault & Criminal Mischief in the 1st Degree. Hansen was immediately transferred to Waukee Police held on the warrant.

Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports also, 41-year-old Moises Plaza, of Des Moines, was arrested in Fontanelle on Oct. 23rd, for OWI/3rd offense, and Driving While Barred. He was released on a $5,000 cash or surety bond, a few days later. 49-year-old Billy Gene Hart, of Urbandale, was arrested by the Iowa State Patrol Oct. 28th, in Adair, for OWI/1st offense. He was cited and released from the scene.

And, 27-year-old Aurelio Shawn Sempek, of Johnston, was arrested by Adair Police on Oct. 28th, for OWI/1st offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. He was released Sunday on a $2,300 cash or surety bond.

(Ankeny, Iowa) – Dr. Stephanie Anderson, Superintendent  of the Riverside Community School District, reports member school districts of the Rural School Advocates of Iowa (RSAI) convened their Annual Meeting on Tues., Oct. 17, at 4:30 PM at the FFA Enrichment Center, in Ankeny. RSAI advocates on behalf of the students, parents and communities in rural Iowa to ensure all students have access to a great Iowa education, regardless of where they live. RSAI members include 187 Iowa school districts, several of which are among the largest geographic school districts in the state. All nine area education agencies, Iowa’s three Regents’ Universities and Des Moines Area Community College are affiliate members of RSAI.

Adequate School Resources: State Supplemental Assistance, or SSA, was a top priority for RSAI members, since this funding supports the very survival of rural schools. Last month, Gov. Reynolds announced Iowa’s Fiscal Year 2023 surplus of $1.83 billion in the General Fund, plus $902 million in reserve funds and $2.74 billion in the Taxpayer Relief Fund. Attendees discussed the impact on rural schools if additional tax cuts are made rather than directing a portion of the State’s combined coffers totaling over $4.6 Billion to public schools. Despite the state’s fiscal strength and high inflation, the Legislature set a modest increase of 3.0% per student last year. The state’s increases in revenues per student have lagged rural school costs of educating students in 13 of the last 14 years.

Dan Rold, the Riverside School Business Official, indicated, the continued underfunding of SSA, especially when compared to ever increasing inflation, has essentially resulted in an effective pay cut for school districts and staff.  This will continue to exacerbate already existing problems with school districts’ ability to attract and retain qualified staff.  Many districts have already been forced to dramatically increase salaries for staff at all levels and classifications in order to attract applicants for open positions.  Fund flexibility is an extremely temporary solution to this problem, as funds that are used for annual salaries will be unsustainable as those balances are depleted.  The other option is to completely abandon programs that the state itself considered high priorities only a few years ago, in order to permanently utilize those funds for general salaries.  Rold says the ultimate losers in all of this are the students, as they will receive a lower quality education than they otherwise would with adequately funded public schools.  The future negative societal impact of a lower quality education far outweighs the immediate financial benefit of withholding adequate funding for schools.

Staff Shortages: is also high on the list of priorities for rural schools who are struggling to recruit and retain great teachers, paraeducators, bus drivers and staff. Although adequate funding would help make school employees’ pay competitive with other jobs, it would not alone be enough. Attendees discussed the need for school leaders and state officials to change the culture of political speech; to restore education to a respected profession. Amanda Brandon, 6-12 Vocal and Band Teacher at Riverside shared, Staff shortages have led to increased workload and reduced specialized instruction for students as I have combined roles as a band, choir, and stage production teacher. It is affecting the overall quality of rehearsals, performances, and student engagement and may even lead to teacher burnout.

RSAI members also affirmed the following issues as priorities for the 2024 Legislative Session:

• Oppose expansion of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) to homeschool and support: 1) a level playing field, 2) oversight of ESA, and 3) funding to follow students to public school who withdraw from private school.
• Opportunity Equity, Increased Student Needs and Mental Health resources.
• Quality Preschool including 1.0 weighting for full-day programs.
• Extension of Whole Grade Sharing, Reorganization and Operational Sharing Incentives.
• Local School Board Authority rather than state-directed mandates.
• School Foundation Formula Equity to close the per pupil funding gap within 10 years.
• Bond Issue Elections limited to November (Oppose) and Simple Majority vote (support).
• Supported Area Education Agencies (AEAs) and the services they provide to rural schools.
• Resources: Position Papers on key issues and a Digest of the 2023 Legislative Session are available on the RSAI legislative website at: http://www.rsaia.org/legislative.html