Landowners who object to letting the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline run through their property are making their case to state utility regulators. The Iowa Utilities Board opened a public hearing on the company’s application for a pipeline permit this (Tuesday) morning. The hearing is expected to continue through next month. Lawyers spent part of the opening day arguing about what kind of questions they’re allowed to ask of landowners. Bret Dublinski (doo-BLIHN-skee) represents Summit Carbon Solutions.

Brian Jorde (JOR-dee) represents landowners who don’t want Summit’s pipeline on their property.

Utilities Board chairman Erik Helland is presiding over the hearing.

Helland and the other two members of the Utility Board are also asking questions of landowners. A lawyer for the state’s Office of the Consumer Advocate is also asking questions.

Landowners who object to letting the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline run through their properties are making their case to state utility regulators. The Iowa Utilities Board’s hearing on the company’s application for a pipeline permit began Tuesday morning. Marcia Langner (LANG-ner) of Ayrshire spent an hour and a half testifying about her concerns about the proposed pipeline route through her Clay County farm.

Langner says developers are using scare tactics when they say corn prices will tank if the pipeline isn’t built.

Nelva Huitink (NELL-vuh HOYT-ink) of Hospers says her family put a plan to build an automated milking facility on hold after learning Summit’s pipeline might run through their farm.

Huitink says the Dakota Access crude oil pipeline already occupies seven percent of her farm, drainage tile has been damaged and a sinkhole opened up a month ago.

Jessica Marson was the other landowner who testified on the hearing’s opening day. Her family farm is near Rockford, in Floyd County. She says Summit’s easement contract isn’t just for where the pipeline is buried, it would give the company access to the entire farm.

Marson says the Iowa Utilities Board should put Summit’s application on hold because North Dakota regulators haven’t approved the company’s plan to take liquid carbon to that state for underground storage.

The hearing will continues today (Wednesday) and ten more pipeline opponents are scheduled to testify. The hearing is expected to last for several weeks, perhaps to the end of September.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is joining the chorus of critics accusing the Biden Administration of releasing six-billion dollars to Iran in order to secure the release of five Americans being held hostage. Grassley and fellow Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina have sent a letter, asking the White House about what they’re calling a “secret deal” with Iran.

A New York Times report says President Biden negotiated the release of the hostages in exchange for unfreezing Iran’s assets in South Korea, transferring the near-six-billion dollars to an account in the central bank of Qatar (kah-TAR). In a tweet on Monday, Grassley said, “That’s a lot of money to fund more terrorism + will make taking Americans hostage more likely.” Grassley talked with Iowa reporters in a conference call on Tuesday morning.

According to the Times, Biden administration officials have declined to comment or to confirm details about the agreement. Grassley is incensed the U-S would negotiate with Iran, which he says is negotiating with terrorists.

Reports say three of the Americans were being held in Iran on unsubstantiated charges of spying. The other two are reportedly a scientist and a businessman.

All systems that were affected by Monday’s faulty fire alarm at the library have been checked and are functioning normally again. The library will re-open at 9 am on Wednesday, August 23 and follow regular hours.

The Iowa Utilities Board has begun its hearing on the Summit Carbon Solutions application to construct, operate and maintain a liquid carbon pipeline through Iowa. Critics of the project held a rally in Fort Dodge just before the hearing started. The proposed pipeline goes through Tim Baughman’s property in Crawford County.

According to Baughman, people who own 900 parcels of land along the Iowa route have not signed contracts granting Summit access to their land. The company is asking regulators to grant it eminent domain authority to force unwilling property owners to sign easements.

Steve Kenkel (KINK-ell), chairman of the Shelby County Supervisors, says the people testifying today (Tuesday) are seeking respect for their land and their livelihoods.

Summit has planned a two-thousand mile pipeline through five states, to ship liquid carbon from ethanol plants to underground storage in North Dakota. The company’s says the project will provide a financial boost to the ethanol and agricultural sectors.

The Griswold school board voted Monday night against pursuing a 4-day school week for the 2024-25 school year.

Superintendent Dave Henrichs said the process started last spring by getting feedback from patrons of the district and more recently, a survey of staff.  The survey asked about student performance issues and staff retention.  Henrichs said the survey results were mostly down the middle.

Henrichs said they will continue to watch what is happening in school districts in Iowa and Missouri who have made the change to see if the 4-day school week might make sense down the road.

The World Health Organization has identified the omicron subvariant E-G-5 as a COVID variant of interest. Nancy Wilde, the manager of infection prevention at UnityPoint Health, says however, the variant doesn’t appear to cause more severe illness.

Wilde says you will still want to take precautions to avoid getting sick.

She says you should check with your doctor for advice and to make sure you are up to date on your COVID vaccinations.

Classes for the fall semester started this (Monday) morning at Iowa’s three public universities, and it’s hard to be an incoming first-year student and avoid hearing about the dreaded “Freshman 15.” Women’s health internist Dr. Denise Millstine (MILL-stine) says weight gain is often caused by a change in activity levels and a change in eating habits when teens transition from high school to college.

Millstine offers a few tips to stay in shape, starting with making sure you’re eating right and getting plenty of rest.

Millstine says college freshman typically gain around seven or eight pounds their first year, not the dreaded 15.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says the Biden Administration has finally called for arbitrators to settle a dispute with Mexico over U-S corn imports. Ernst says she’s been pushing the U-S Trade Representative to take this step since last November.

In 2024, Mexico plans to ban the use of genetically modified corn in products like flour and tortillas that are made for human consumption. According to the U-S-D-A, about 90 percent of U-S corn is grown from genetically engineered seeds and Ernst says 16 million tons of Iowa-grown corn is exported to Mexico each year.

U-S officials say Mexico’s ban on genetically modified corn is not based on science and is a violation of the U-S-Mexico-Canada Agreement that took effect three years ago. Canada’s Trade Ministry is siding with the U-S in this corn dispute.

An investigation into three fights in Storm Lake in July has led to a total of 13 juveniles between the ages of 15 and 17 being charged.

Storm Lake Police says, all three fights occurred on the evening of July 11th. The two fights later that evening were retaliation from the initial fight, which resulted in a 15-year-old receiving a serious stab wound. The two later fights involved some suspects that weren’t involved in the first incident.

The juveniles, 12 males and a female all from Storm Lake, received various charges including participating in a riot and criminal mischief.