w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (8.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Cass County Conservation Department Director Micah Lee provided the Board of Supervisors with a quarterly report on his department’s activities, during the Supervisor’s meeting Wednesday morning, in Atlantic. Lee said he’s checking prices and trying to obtain additional information, with regard to the installation of a pit-style toilet facility at the Outdoor Classroom site southeast of Massena. If they don’t prove to be too costly, the latrine would be similar to what can be found at Lake Anita.

Lee reported also County Environmental Education/Naturalist Lora Kanning saw 2,152 people last quarter, and worked to acquire a Resource Enhancement and Protection-Conservation Education Program (or, REAP/CEP) grant from the Iowa Department of Education. The $6,000 grant will allow the conservation department to purchase bird watching equipment, such as spotting scopes and binoculars, for the Outdoor Classroom. There will also be another “Trunk” with trail and tracking information added to the classroom building for students and teachers to look at the utilize.

Lee said progress has been made also on signage used to identify the southernmost trailhead for the T-Bone Trail in Cass County. He said new ID signs have been installed along Olive Street to point people in the direction of the south trail head location along Dunbar Road. Additional signs are being ordered to further mark the parking site for the south trail head, which is kind of obscured by brush and trees.

And, Micah says they’re working with the Iowa DNR to provide another campground entrance for Cold Springs State Park near Lewis, to alleviate congestion with campers trying to maneuver in the area. The entrance would be from the south, off of Park Road. He says there wouldn’t be any major changes to the park to accommodate the entrance, other than modifying an old gate.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa has reached an agreement with a New York City-based online music retailer to refund a total of $40,000 in subscription fees to people who most likely didn’t know they’d enrolled.  The Des Moines Register reports that eMusic agreed to make its enrollment procedures more transparent and will pay the state $3,000 for consumer fraud enforcement

Attorney General Tom Miller says in a news release that some Iowans had been paying monthly fees for several years, including one person whose fees amounted to $1,600.  The agreement doesn’t indicate exactly how eMusic customers may have inadvertently signed up for the service.

There’s a big fuss being made over four tiny, fuzzy critters at one of the region’s largest tourist attractions.

Lions cubs at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha.

Four lion cubs are being seen by the public for the first time at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. Zoo director Dennis Pate says a total of five lion cubs were born there late last month. “It’s exciting for us because it’s been 18 years since we’ve had (newborn) lions, 1994,” Pate says. “It’s been a long, long time and a lot of work on the part of the animal department to get the right male in, bring two females in. The females came from Idaho. Not sure where the male came from — Mr. Big — he’s a really big African lion.”

Four of the cubs are on display in the zoo’s Cat Complex with their mother. One female cub was smaller and is receiving extra care. So far, she’s thriving in the zoo’s hospital and will be introduced back with her mother and siblings once she is strong enough. Pate says the litter of five cubs — three females and two males — were born on December 29th.  “They’ll be here for quite a while,” Pate says. “As they grow, I imagine we’ll move them over so they have the outside yard, a lot of room to run and play. They should be a lot of fun to watch as they grow up. By the time they’re 16 weeks old, they’re going to be moving around a lot. Come spring, summer, it ought to be the joy of Omaha to come down and watch these cubs play.”

The four cubs that are on public view now are very healthy, Pate says, as is the new mother. The zoo also has four African lion adults, one male and three females. African lions are listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. More information is available on-line at www.omahazoo.com

(Radio Iowa)

The City of Atlantic’s Planning and Zoning Commission discussed Tuesday, a proposal pertaining to a housing development, “Southern Heights II,” between 22^nd and 19^th Streets, west of Redwood.The discussion included the future of Plum Street, versus Southern Heights Drive, along with storm water runoff and drainage issues.

City Councilman Shaun Shouse is the Council’s liaison. He reported to the Council Wednesday evening there was ample information about why the developer thought the project was needed, and representatives from the Cass-Atlantic Development Corporation (CADCO) were on-hand to offer their support.

Shouse said some residents in the area also offered their input, which included their support for the project, and concerns about traffic flow from 19^th to 22^nd.   He said also, that John Lund, Assistant to City Administrator Doug Harris, reported to the P-and-Z Commission at the meeting, that he would look into other options to alleviate some of the traffic issues, and report back on those options during the next meeting. And, the developer indicated their intention to request the area be re-zoned in order to accommodate multifamily housing. If that is approved, additional details will be released concerning the site plan at a future date.

Authorities in Montgomery County are investigating numerous incidents of the theft. Officials with the Red Oak Police Department say a little more than half a dozen complaints have been received from residents of the community, with regard to vehicles being broken into, and items stolen from inside those vehicles.

One of the residents reported on Wednesday, that two  of her vehicles had been broken into. While that incident was under investigation, six other residents filed complaints about vehicle thefts. Authorities say they later received a call from a resident near Griswold who observed a black and gray plastic box on the Nishnabotna Bridge north of Red Oak on Highway 48.  Several items in the box were found to have been taken from one of the burglarized vehicles in Red Oak. Those items are being examined to see if they can reveal any evidence of who may have committed the crime.

Anyone with information into these thefts is urged to call Red Oak Police at 712-623-6500 or The Montgomery County Crimestoppers at 800-432-1001.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

After more than 75-minutes worth of discussion about an amendment to the County’s Zoning Ordinance that would change the Zoning Districts’ Permitted Principal Uses, the Cass County Board of Supervisors Wednesday approved the first vote on the matter. However, their approval came with the caveat that the Cass County Attorney review the wording as it stands, and comment on whether the words “Light Industrial” needs to be added to one sentence in the amendment. The question also remains, whether those two words will cause a conflict between the County, and Fagen, Incorporated, which has already purchased the former Amaizing Energy Ethanol site, and looks to use the property for renewable energy production.

Last Fall, Kathy Schowalter with PlanScape Partners, presented to the Board a proposal from Ron Fagen, CEO of Granite Falls, Minnesota-based Fagen, Incorporated, which pertained to the possible creation of a 25-million gallon Cellulosic ethanol plant on the Amaizing Energy site. During Wednesday’s meeting, Schowalter said while they had hoped a cellulosic ethanol plant would be operating on the site, that is by no means a certainty.

She said Fagen doesn’t have a buyer lined up for the site he purchased just yet, so it could become almost anything ag related, including a seed corn processor. But it would not become a CAFO – Confined Animal Feeding Operation. She said they simply don’t know what will “Come down the pike.”

Cass County Engineer Charles Marker expressed his concern that two words apparently left out of the amended ordinance may leave a loop hole for heavy industrial operations to locate in a Light Industrial Zone, not just at the Amaizing Energy site, but anywhere in the County. He said he ordinance as worded does not specifically say a site will be used for “Light Industry.” Instead, it says “Industry which uses renewable energy,” which he says, becomes an “Administrative problem.” That means any industry, heavy or not, which uses renewable energy as a means of production, could apply under article 17 of the ordinance.

Zoning Administrator Rich Hansen said the Zoning Commission, which forwarded its recommendation to the Supervisors for their approval, would have no problem with a slight re-wording to the amendment, prior to next week’s second hearing and vote by the Supervisors. But Supervisor Chuck Rieken questioned whether the Board has the right to delete or add language to an amendment without making sure the legalities are taken care of. That means consulting with County Attorney Dan Feistner.

The Board then approved the Zoning Commission’s initial recommendation, with the stipulation legal counsel provide input for the next hearing.