(Radio Iowa) – The calendar says fall but the thermometer says summer. Forecasters say much of Iowa’s southern half will see near-record high temperatures in the low 90s today (Friday) through Sunday. State climatologist Justin Glisan says it could be the start of a trend as the El Nino pattern is setting up, which may mean Iowans will be facing a warmer-than-normal winter ahead.

“We are getting a clear signal in the climate prediction outlooks for December, January, February, meteorological winter, which are showing elevated chances of warmer conditions across the upper Midwest including Iowa,” Glisan says. “This meshes well with previous years in which we’ve seen El Nino in wintertime and into early spring.” Glisan says it’s still too early to predict how much precipitation may fall in the winter ahead, including rain, freezing rain and snow.

“So we’ve had years in which we’ve seen above-average precipitation, we’ve seen years in which we’ve been below-average,” Glisan says, “so as of right now, not a clear signal in terms of precipitation, but definitely we’re looking at the potential for a warmer winter.”

While traditional calendars have winter starting on December 21st this year, the climatological winter Glisan referred to is from December 1st through the end of February.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – It’s that time of year once again, when the Cass County Conservation Board asks “When do you think the first Trumpeter Swan will arrive at the Schildberg Quarry?” Please call in your prediction (by November 10^th) to the Conservation Board at 712-769-2372, leave a message and return phone number if their staff are not in.

Duplicate dates will not be allowed. For example, if a caller predicts November 25th, no one else will be allowed to predict that arrival date. So, call anytime until November 10th to make your prediction! One prediction per family, please. The sponsors of this contest will determine the official arrival of more than 6 trumpeter swans to Lake 4, and if they arrive before the Nov. 10^th no more dates will be taken.

The winner will receive a Trumpeter Swan Prize from the Cass County Conservation Board. Sorry, this contest is only for residents of Cass County.

Trumpeter Swans have visited the Schildberg Quarry for, at least, Twenty-four out of the last twenty-five winters. Arrival and departure dates of the swans have been as follows:

1997/1998 December 18 – January 2

1998/1999 Nothing on record

1999/2000 December 25 – February 15

2000/2001 November 23 – March 6

2001/2002 December 25 – February 24

2002/2003 November 23 – March 15

2003/2004 November 26 – March 21

2004/2005 November 25 – March 18

2005/2006 November 17 – March 5

2006/2007 October 30 – March 9

2007/2008 November 22- February 14

2008/2009 November 18- March 12

2009-2010 November 19 – January 5

2010-2011 November 5 – February 10

2011/2012 November 17 – February 21

2012/2013 November 24– March 4

2013/2014 November 12- April 7

2014/2015 November 11- April 6

2015/2016 November 22- March 24

2016/2017 November 19- March 9

2017/2018 November 9- March 20

2018/2019 November 11- January 23

2019/2020 November 8- March 3

2020/2021 November 30- February 13

2021/2022 November 22- February 28

2022/2023 November 22- February 22

(Sidney, Iowa) – A woman from North Carolina died this (Friday) morning in Fremont County, when she was struck by a semi tractor-trailer. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2012 Kenworth semi driven by 44-year-old Jeffrey Hartley, of Glenwood, was leaving a parking/fueling area traveling eastbound. When Hartley turned south from a truck stop onto 211th Avenue north of Highway 2, the semi he was driving ran over 65-year-old Debora Lee Turbett, of Lexington, NC, as she was walking west across 211th.

The woman died at the scene. The semi is registered to Scales Sales and Service, out of Glenwood. The Patrol was assisted in their investigation by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Officials with the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency report the County will be going into a burn ban, starting Sunday, October 1st. The ban is being implemented due to a high fire danger, and water shortages around the county. The Shelby County EMA will update residents when the ban is lifted.

(Shambaugh, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the man whose body was discovered following a house fire Sept. 18th, in Shambaugh. The State Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on the victim, who was identified as 63-year-old Jimmy Wayne Blank, of Shambaugh.  The autopsy determined Blank died as a result of smoke from the fire.

The sheriff’s office was dispatched on Sept. 18th to a house fire at 409 Cinder Alley in Shambaugh. After fire departments from Clarinda and Braddyville extinguished the fire, Blank’s body was found during the investigation of the structure.

The State Fire Marshal along with the Clarinda and Braddyville Fire Department investigated the cause of the fire.

(Radio Iowa) – More than ten-thousand dollars was raised for an ailing firefighter at this week’s benefit meal in the Wright County community of Eagle Grove. Fire chief Tom Peterson says 21-year-old firefighter Lance Hennigar is having an expensive, major surgery next month and the department decided to hold a fundraiser. “We had fire trucks from all over the county show up and we probably served about 300 meals,” Chief Peterson says. “We had 30-some silent auction items donated, local industries and businesses donated for the fundraiser. We even had a fireman from Pennsylvania that was passing through and he stopped and had dinner.”

Hennigar’s kidney transplant operation is scheduled for October 10th at University Hospitals in Iowa City. He only has one functioning kidney and his mother already donated one of hers to her son. It could take six months to a year for Hennigar to heal. The 21-year-old has VATER syndrome which affects several parts of the body.

Lance Hennigar

Those who would like to contribute to the Lance Hennigar Fund can mail donations to the Eagle Grove Fire Department.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says the House continues to work to try and get a budget package done everyone can agree on to avert a government shutdown Saturday. ” I’m not given up until it’s 11:59:59. Right. I’ll fight until midnight tomorrow night to get something done,” she says. The Republican from Marion is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and says she has been focusing on conservative measures that cut spending. “We’re going to try to bring a continuing resolution or some sort of stopgap funding measure to the floor today that I think does that,” Hinson says. “It cuts wasteful spending, it funds the government for only about 30 days so we can continue to do our work and get these bills across and start those conversations.”

Hinson says she’s hopeful they will get something done by the deadline. “If it does indeed get to a point where we don’t have a solution, I will continue to work to make sure we’re having those conversations. But my priority is the next 24 hours continuing to push to get the government funded in a responsible way,” she says. Hinson says she voted against
the Ag F-D-A funding bill last night because it was not good for farmers.

“We passed legislation out of the House Appropriations Committee that cut wasteful spending at these agencies, while still investing in agriculture, and again, Iowa’s priorities,” Hinson says. “And last night’s bill goes beyond redlining waste in my mind, it undermines rural America. And I will not compromise when it comes to investing in Iowa agriculture, I will not allow this process to happen on the backs of our farmers.”

Hinson says there are 435 different congressional districts, and 435 different opinions right now in the House on how to get the budget bill done.

September 29, 2023 (DES MOINES, IA) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board has approved awards for two companies, which will assist in the creation of 123 jobs and result in over $29 million in new capital investment for the state. These projects are located in Camanche and Polk City. The board also approved innovation funding in support of two startups located in Ames. In addition, IEDA recently approved assistance from Iowa’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Innovation Fund for two startups in Urbandale and West Des Moines.

Merrill Steel to expand in Camanche
Merrill Steel, a third-generation family business, is a leading supplier of complex structural steel and heavy plate fabrication. The company plans to expand structural steel fabrication operations into Camanche, where they currently lease space, with the purchase and redevelopment of an existing facility. The project represents a capital investment of $18.3 million and is expected to create 94 jobs incented at a qualifying wage of $19.57 per hour. The board awarded $800,000 in direct financial assistance through the High Quality Jobs (HQJ) program.

Ihle Fabrications to expand operations in Polk City
Ihle Fabrications, LLC manufactures combine wear parts for Case IH, John Deere and New Holland combines. The company plans to expand manufacturing and warehousing space in Polk City by 76,000 square feet and also purchase additional equipment. The board awarded the $10.9 million capital investment project tax benefits through the HQJ program. It is expected to create an additional 29 jobs, of which 27 are incented at a qualifying wage of $33.40 per hour.

Awards made to two startups

GeoVention, Inc., headquartered in Ames, designs products for the HVAC industry. Their three primary proprietary products are the FloVector, FloHelix and TerraLink, which address issues and costs with residential geothermal and air-to-air heat pump system installation. The company was awarded a $50,000 Proof of Commercial Relevance (POCR) loan for IP development and evaluation, market analysis, proof of concept work, product refinement, and market planning and entry activities.

Based in Ames, Salin 247, Inc. developed a platform for small-scale, lightweight, autonomous farm machinery for growing crops. The system navigates the field using various implements for crop production with a goal of increasing sustainability and profitability. The company was awarded a $50,000 POCR loan for feasibility and market analysis, key personnel and market planning and entry activities.

Award recommendations for these funds are made by the Technology Commercialization Committee to the IEDA Board for approval.

SSBCI awards made to two startups

Urbandale’s ClinicNote is the leading provider of clinic management software for universities. The technology is used for 158 discipline programs across 96 universities, with plans to expand further into the private sector. The company was awarded a $250,000 Innovation Acceleration Launch Fund loan for market planning and entry activities.

Through the merger and expertise of Redshield Electronics and LSA Autonomy, Mach Acquisition, Inc. was established in West Des Moines to develop vehicle automation software and hardware for manufacturers. The self-driving systems are implemented by original equipment manufacturers for off-road autonomy in agriculture, construction and industrial applications. The company was awarded a $1 million Innovation Acceleration Expansion Fund loan for IP development and evaluation, competitive analysis, proof of concept work, product refinement, key personnel, equipment, construction and market planning and entry activities.

The SSBCI program’s Innovation Fund increases assistance available through Iowa’s innovation continuum to support entrepreneurs through concept, launch and expansion. Award recommendations for these funds are made by the SSBCI Review Committee to the IEDA director for approval. The committee met on September 19, 2023, to review eligible applications.

(Cass County, Iowa) – Atlantic, Massena, and Anita are all hosting mobile food pantries in October. These will be the last mobile food pantry distributions for 2023. A mobile pantry is a traveling food pantry that delivers food directly to families in need for a one-day distribution. People from surrounding towns and communities are welcome. Mobile food pantries are available free of charge. Anyone in need is welcome, and no documentation is required. Each car can take food for up to two households at a time. Both Atlantic and Massena will be distributing the same food products. If supplies run low in Massena, families will be directed to Atlantic. Full details about the October Mobile Pantries are listed below:

Atlantic Mobile Food Pantry- Wednesday, October 11

Time: 4-6 p.m.

Location: Cass County Community Center (805 W. 10th St., Atlantic, IA 50022)- enter from 10th street near the tennis courts and follow signs

Massena Mobile Food Pantry- Wednesday, October 11

Where: Southwest Iowa Egg Coop (74877 Clarke Ave. Massena, IA 50853) Enter from the west and drive across the scale for pick up. Time: 4:30-5:00 p.m.

Time: 4:30-5:00 p.m.

Anita Mobile Food Pantry- Wednesday, October 18

Where: Anita Food Pantry (208 Chestnut Street, Anita IA 50020)

Time: 4:00-6:00 PM

Mobile pantry dates, times, and locations are subject to change. For the latest information on mobile pantries in Anita and Atlantic, visit https://foodbankheartland.org/food-resources/find-food/. For the latest information on Massena pantries, call (712) 779-3447. For information on upcoming events and local food, farmers markets, and food access activities, follow the Cass County Local Food Policy Council’s Facebook page @CassCountyLocalFood.