Council Bluffs, IA) – Volunteers for local southwest Iowa fire departments went above and beyond in the aftermath of recent tornadoes that damaged homes and businesses in Pottawattamie County.  According to Jacob Nelson with the Minden Volunteer Fire Department, his colleagues immediately sprang into action checking on residents and their homes, ensuring safety, assisting with gas shut offs, and clearing streets among other duties. Several first responders did so even though their own homes were directly affected, according to Jacob Nelson with the Minden Fire Department.

“Our first responders -in the following hours, days, and weeks – put their lives on hold, taking time from work to assist in the daunting task of cleanup efforts and ensure our residents felt cared for,” he said. “We are so proud to call this our hometown.”

To recognize and support these efforts, the Iowa West Foundation board of directors approved a $10,000 grant to each volunteer fire department that aided in the disaster response. In addition to Minden, 10 other southwest Iowa departments responded including Avoca, Carson, Crescent, Lewis Township, McClelland, Neola, Oakland, Treynor, Underwood, and Walnut. IWF also awarded a $4,000 grant to Shelby County Volunteer Fire Department for their response in Shelby County.

“The Minden Fire Department is beyond grateful to all those who came from all over the county, state, and country to assist in clean-up efforts,” Nelson said. “The outpouring of support for our community is something magical and brings tears to our eyes. There are so many people, businesses, and entire communities to thank.”

Iowa West Foundation’s contribution to local fire department’s is in addition to its commitment of $50,000 to match donations to the Community Foundation for Western Iowa’s Southwest Iowa Disaster Relief fund.

“We’re fully committed to bolstering the immediate relief efforts in the affected regions and aiding those who have been impacted. Our dedication extends beyond the immediate crisis, as we remain steadfast in our commitment to stand by these communities and their residents throughout the rebuilding process,” said Brenda Mainwaring, President, and CEO of the Iowa West Foundation. “It’s inspiring to witness the outpouring of support from individuals rallying to assist their neighbors, and the Iowa West Foundation is privileged to play a role in supporting these commendable endeavors.”
About the Iowa West Foundation

The Iowa West Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the Midwest. It has awarded more than $550 million to nonprofits and governmental agencies throughout southwest Iowa. Funding for the grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association, which receives contractual fees from casino operators, Ameristar and Harrah’s. The Foundation targets resources into programs and projects that focus on belonging, financial stability, opportunity, and wellbeing.

(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand says auditors have identified major concerns about how a city clerk in a small southwest Iowa town handled city funds.  “Cities have multiple accounts,” Sand says, “and if funds are not properly attributed to the accounts where they are due, then you can end up in a messy situation like this.” In August of 2022, Doris Loy was fired from her job as city clerk of Lorimor, a town in Union County with fewer than 400 residents.

The state auditor’s report shows there was a quarter of a million dollar deficit in the town’s General Fund budget — and Sand says auditors found Lorimor residents were being overcharged for natural gas service and had paid 44 percent more in property taxes than was called for in city records. The report also cites Loy’s request for back-pay after she was fired. “Someone asking for payouts when they are terminated and the basis that they are asking for that on is a handbook where electronic evidence shows it was edited just shortly before that person was terminated,” Sand says. The report identified over two dozen concerns about Loy’s bookkeeping, like checks getting signed before she had authority to do so. “This is a red flag,” Sand says. “That just shouldn’t ever happen.”

State Auditor Rob Sand, speaking at a recent news conference in his statehouse office. (RI file photo)

Auditors could not find two computers the city acquired about eight months before the clerk was fired. Loy has recently been city clerk in the small communities of Woodburn and Patterson as well. In 2013, Loy was fired after working for about a decade as city clerk in Grand River. A special investigation by the State Auditor’s office in 2013 found Loy was responsible for mishandling 27-thousand dollars worth of city funds.

SHENANDOAH, Iowa – A new memorial honoring Veterans from Page County, Iowa, will be dedicated during a 10 a.m. ceremony at Rapp Park Recreation Area in Shenandoah, Iowa, on June 15th, 2024. The public is invited to attend the free event. The memorial is located at 1769 State Highway 48 – Rapp Park & Recreation Area, in Shenandoah. The Veteran Memorial Rock is located at the West end of the park between the campground and the lake.

The memorial consists of a large Veteran rock with an inscribed plaque, new flag poles and several benches constructed by local community school students. The Page County Veterans Memorial at Rapp Park Committee is hosting the ceremony. The memorial’s genesis occurred at the Shenandoah VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in 2023 when Kala Varellas, a VA Whole Health coach, hosted a discussion with a local Veteran about his desire to see a memorial honoring local area Veterans. Following the discussion, Varellas met with several community members, including the then director of Page County Conservation — who is also a Veteran — who decided to pursue having a Veteran rock placed at the park. He said they “just kind of ran with it.”

The initial idea soon developed into a larger community project with numerous individuals and organizations donating their time and resources to the final design and installation of the memorial. Varellas said this included Schildberg Construction – Braddyville Iowa Quarry, which offered a discount on the rock; Wallick Family Trucking, which donated the delivery of the rock; and Benefiel Towing, which donated the unloading of the truck and the movement of the rock to its current location.

Other donors included the Essex and Shenandoah High School shop classes, which built the benches; Twin Oaks Landscaping, which donated three trees and hours of landscaping maintenance work; Page County Conservation, which donated money for the purchase of the rock, a flag, flagpole, and accompanying plaque; and a local area Veteran who donated money for the purchase of two flags and flagpoles.