(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday) received funding requests from the Veterans Affairs Commission, County Recorder and Engineer. Each of the requests were taken under consideration for action during the budgeting process. Veteran’s Affairs Commissioner John Schildberg, III, asked the Board to approve an additional part-time employee to fill-in for an employee who is off-work, recovering from knee surgery. Wendy Lane has been filling-in, answering the phone, taking notes and making appointments, but none of the federal paperwork.

The Board approved the request. Lane will be paid $14 per hour, as Schildberg had requested. He said also, his budget request for the VA Commission is less than what it had been.

The Board then held a Public Hearing on an amendment to the FY 24 Adair County Budget. Having heard any spoken, nor received any written comments, the Supervisors closed the hearing and passed a Resolution approving the amendment, followed by passage of an Appropriations Resolution. Following the hearing, the Adair County Supervisors received an FY 25 funding request from County Recorder Janelle Schneider. Later on in their meeting, they passed a Right-of-way & temporary Easement Purchase Resolution, and received a FY 25 Budget request from County Engineer Nick Kauffman. Kaufman said with regard to the Easement Purchase Resolution, the rate the County pays has gone down.

He also discussed some issues they had this past weekend with three trucks breaking-down, and an additional truck mechanical issue popped-up Tuesday, but most of those issues have been repaired.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), received a report from County Engineer Karen Albert, who, as expected, said Secondary Roads Department crews have been very busy, both before and after the snowstorms.

She said one of their motor-graders has an engine problem and was headed for the shop.

They’ll get a loaner motor-grader as soon as possible. Karen Albert had some good news from FEMA and Homeland Security, with regard to a low water crossing project and alternate project funds.

The funds will be used to cover the cost of a new motor-grader. The Board heard from Montgomery County resident Jan Norris, who asked the Board to continue their consideration of a pipeline ordinance, especially with regard to a proposed carbon capture pipeline from ethanol plants.

And, the Board received an annual report and funding request from Wendy Mueller with West Central Community Action (WCCA), who said the organization provides Montgomery County with $1.2-million dollars in services. She said they are requesting the same amount of funding from the County as last year: $3,500.

The Board said Mueller runs a “tight ship,” and the benefits WCCA provides are a great return on the County’s investment. The budget requests were taken under consideration for action when the Board makes a decision during the budgeting process.

Wendy Mueller

(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand — the only Democrat in statewide office — is questioning the governor’s plan to overhaul special education programs and create a new division in the Iowa Department of Education to oversee Area Education Agencies.  “The idea that they’re going to move it to the Department of Education to improve oversight after this legislature and this governor gutted the auditor’s office, made a list of documents that we can’t look at in audits, does anyone really think they’re making that kind of a move to improve oversight?” Sand asks. “I doubt it.” Sand says he’s also concerned about what the governor’s plan means for the 34-hundred people who work in A-E-As.

“There’s a lot of loving, wonderful people around the state of Iowa who work at the AEAs. My mom was one of them. That was her career up in northeast Iowa, driving around as a physical therapies, doing what I would say is the Lord’s work, literally putting her hands on kids, helping them learn to walk, and she would come home levitating sometimes because her kid learned to walk today,” Sand says, “and she loved them just as much as she loved my sister and I.”

The governor says it’s time for a reboot because A-E-A spending has been on autopilot and the test scores of students with disabilities are far below the national average. The governor’s plan calls for A-E-As to focus solely on special education programming rather than the teacher training and other services they’re providing schools. The governor proposes that school districts get to choose whether to stick with their local A-E-A for special education services, switch to a different A-E-A, hire their own staff or work with a private firm to provide the services.

(Radio Iowa) – The wicked cold of winter has moved into the region, and it’s prompting an increase in flows upstream on the Missouri River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a statement that it increased the flows from Gavins Point Dam from 13,000 cubic feet per second to 15,000. The Corps says the increased flows downstream on the Missouri River will lessen the chances of ice jams forming. It also will replace some of the water that forms into ice.

The Corps plans to return winter discharges at Gavins Point to 13,000 once the possibility of ice forming on the Missouri River stabilizes.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report a Union County man was arrested Tuesday on numerous drug charges. Authorities say 44-year-old Ryan Wayne Feldhacker, of Creson, was arrested at 907 Davis Ave., in Corning. Feldhacker was charged with two-counts of a Controlled Substance Violation, seven-counts Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent Offense, three-counts Failure to Affix Drug Stamp, three-counts Gathering Where Controlled Substances are Used, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance Violation, and five-counts Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug. Feldhacker’s cash or approved surety bond was set $98,000.

Tuesday afternoon, Creston Police arrested 50-year-old Angela Denise Coke, of Creston. She was arrested at her residence on a charge of Theft in the 4th Degree. Coke was taken to Union County Jail. She later posted a $1,000 cash or approved surety bond, and was released. And, Tuesday evening, 19-year-old Brady Christoper Gross, of Creston, was arrested at 215 N. Division Street, on charges of  OWI/1st offense, and Open Container. He posted a $1,000 bond and was released from the Union County Jail.

AMES, Iowa – Jan. 9, 2024 – The Iowa Transportation Commission, Tuesday, approved more than $53 million in funding for 145 new public transit vehicles and four new public transit facilities. Six of the vehicles will be used to increase the number of vehicles available for public transit service, and 139 vehicles will replace older models past their useful life.

Funds will be used to support construction of two vehicle storage and operations facilities for Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Authority, one vehicle storage facility for River Bend Transit, and one operations and vehicle storage facility for Southern Iowa Trolley.

These funds are available through various federal formula and discretionary grant programs.

Projects were approved for 25 different public transit systems. Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023 Transit Program [Modified van or light duty Mid-sized bus] (Vehicle replacement) funding was approved by the Commission for five vehicles in Region 12 based in Carroll, three vehicles for Region 13, based in Atlantic, and four vehicles in Region 14 based in Creston.

Bus replacement grants were provided for the same three regions to purchase mini-vans and light duty buses. And, Bus & Bus Facilities Discretionary grants were awarded to the Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) – based in Atlantic, and the Southern Iowa Trolley – based in Creston.

Details are available HERE.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are working to keep their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight might be considering any of several new “break-through” drugs, but they’re not for everyone, despite what some celebrities may tout in tabloids. Rebecca Cripe, a registered dietician and nutritionist with Gundersen Health System, says the drugs are under the category of what are called G-L-P-1 medications, which it’s a type of hormone in the intestinal tract that tells us when we’re full.  “They’re originally used either at lower dosage or, Ozempic for instance, is used for people who have type 2 diabetes to help with blood sugar regulation, insulin resistance, but it also helps with appetite,” Cripe says. “It will lower your hunger and provide better fullness or what we call satiety. At higher dosages, some of these medications also help with weight loss.”

Cripe says these drugs are not a “silver bullet” and aren’t for someone who just wants to drop ten pounds. She says the medications are a helpful tool for specific patients, but those patients will also still need to change their lifestyles — eating less, eating better and exercising. “They’re made for people who have diabetes, so they have to have usually something specifically, like Ozempic, type 2 diabetes,” Cripe says. “Also, what insurance will cover is going to be for somebody who has type 2 diabetes, or some could have insulin resistance or pre-diabetes to qualify for it.” While the drugs may be empowering for some patients, Cripe says they’re not a “cure” for obesity. Also, to maintain the healthier weight, she says the meds may need to be taken for life, plus, there are side effects. Iowa’s obesity rate has risen significantly in recent years, with 37-percent of Iowa adults being rated as obese in a 2023 report.

“Obesity is multi-factorial, so it affects not only the person themselves, but their ability to interact with social components, their work environment, quality of life,” Cripe says. “It’s taxing from a healthcare standpoint as well, because usually if somebody does have obesity, they tend to have other what we call co-morbidities, other health issues.”

Gundersen properties include clinics in Fayette, Decorah, Waukon, Lansing, Postville and Calmar, and a hospital in West Union.