The Iowa Finance Authority recently approved a combined total of more than $13 million in water quality loans to assist Bennett, Griswold, Kelley, Kiron, Lake Creek District, Laurens, Le Mars, Liscomb, Lohrville, Melborne, Terril, Walker, Wapello and Winterset. Griswold will receive $1.637-million loan for a Clean Water construction project.

The Construction Loans are a source of low-interest financing for these communities to address pollution of Iowa streams and lakes and the Planning & Design Loans will assist with project expenses. The funding is made available through the State Revolving Fund’s Construction Loan and Planning & Design Loan Programs.

The Iowa Finance Authority has awarded Iowa communities and municipalities more than $1.8 billion in Construction Loans and $120 million through Planning & Design Loans since program inception. The loans are made available as part of the State Revolving Fund. For more information on Planning & Design Loans, as well as other State Revolving Fund programs, visit www.IowaSRF.com.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors will hold a closed session just after they begin their regular session Wednesday morning, in Greenfield. The closed session at 9:05-a.m. is to discuss matters currently in litigation. After they resume their normal meeting, the Board will hear from County Engineer Nick Kauffman, with regard to bids received for a bridge at W-26 Summit. They’ll also award a contract for the project and receive a Secondary Roads Department report on maintenance and activities.

Prior to the conclusion of their meeting, the Board will hear from Chamber Main Street representative Stacie Hull, with regard to a Courtyard Use Permit.

For the second day in a row, firefighters, and farmers with disc implements battled a field fire in the area. The Atlantic Fire Department was called to the scene of a corn field fire just after 11-a.m., at 3484 Falcon Avenue in Audubon County. Also assisting at the scene were the Exira and Brayton Fire Departments. The fire was declared extinguished at around 11:50-a.m.

Monday afternoon, fire crews from Atlantic and Marne were called to a field fire located about one mile north of Highland Road and six miles west of Atlantic.  Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees  said it appears the blaze started with an overheated bearing in an auger, while the machine was unloading grain into a bin. Crews were on the scene for about four-hours, and again later that evening, when some areas rekindled due to strong winds. About 15-to 20 acres of already harvested corn was burned.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a Villisca teen was arrested today (Tuesday) at around 9-a.m., following an investigation into an incident which allegedly involved felony threats toward another person. 13-year old Cordell Straw was taken into custody and transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs. Additional details concerning the alleged threat were not released.

The Harlan Community School District will lose 31 years of FFA experience at the end of the school year. In a regularly scheduled meeting held Monday, the Harlan Community School Board approved the resignation of High School Ag teacher Dan Leinen. Superintendent Justin Wagner said Leinen has been nationally recognized for his outstanding work in FFA and said it was a privilege and honor to work with Leinen. Leinen has spent the past 31 years working at the Harlan Community School District, with an exception of leaving for a semester a few years ago. He spoke to the board after the resignation approval.

He thanked the Board for the opportunity to work with them and allow him to pursue his passion of working with kids. His retirement brings mixed emotions for him, but he feels that it’s time for someone else to carry on with the tradition of excellence he’s experienced in the Harlan Community School District.

The School Board also approved Leinen’s request for the early retirement benefit package. Wagner said with the exception of the one semester 7 or 8 years ago, Leinen met the criteria for early retirement.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

A man whose face many people in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska have seen on television during the weather segments, and who reports weather data to the National Weather Service and other media outlets, including KJAN, is retiring from his post. Ray Book, from Harlan, says after 13-years of reporting daily weather data such as precipitation, temperatures and other weather phenomenon, he’s calling it quits. His last day was today (Tuesday). Book served an official observer and reporter for Harlan. He’s kept the records and reported directly to the National Weather Service each day since he took over the duty in December of 1999. That means faithfully reporting that information every day at 7-a.m., rain or shine, blizzard or hail. He says he’s seen it all over the past decade or so. The hardest part of the job he said, was measuring snowfall.

He says when people question how the amounts can vary so much, whether it’s rain or snow, he tries to explain it to them. Ray says rain and snow do not fall in equal amounts across the same area, as evidenced during this year’s drought. The drought has been the big news story this year, aside from politics. Ray has his own thoughts on the drought. He says he hopes we get some moisture. If we don’t next year won’t look good at all, but Ray says weather runs in cycles, and he thinks it will eventually all “even out.”

He started out recording his information in a book on a daily basis, and his reports at the end of each month. But, technology changed all that. He says in 2009, he started filling out the information on a computer program to the National Weather Service in Valley, NE. That information would be compiled and sent on to Washington, D.C. He also sent the same information to the local newspaper, and an Omaha television station. Ray said he’s enjoyed the job, and responsibility that comes with reporting data every single day, but the 71-year old says he’s ready to spend some time traveling, with his wife, Maxine.

The couple has five adult children. They’ve been married for 49-years. The job of reporting the weather now, falls on Dan Crees, at Crees Garden Center, in Harlan.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will receive the initial bargaining proposal Wednesday, from the Union representing the County’s Secondary Roads Department. After the Public Professional and Maintenance Employees (PPME) Union presents its proposal, the County will offer its initial proposal. No action is expected to be taken at this early stage of negotiations.

In other business, the Board will hear a request from CADCO Executive Director Russell Joyce, with regard to the establishment of Enterprise Zones. That will be followed by action on approval of applications for the establishment of enterprise zones for the Midtown Apartments and Regency Villa. And, approval of two sub-recipient agreements for the federally funded Project Walker Street, upper story apartment rehabilitation, in Woodbine.

The meeting begins at 9-a.m., at the Cass County Courthouse.

Members of the City of Atlantic’s Planning and Zoning Commission are set to meet this (Tuesday) evening, at City Hall. New business on their agenda includes a review of the Namanny Subdvision preliminary plat. Old business will cover progress on updating the Zoning Ordinance. The meeting begins at 5:30-p.m. in the Council’s Chambers, at City Hall.

The Iowa Attorney General’s office is tightening up a state law designed to make sure students get the best deals on student loans. The law prevents lenders from giving gifts to colleges and universities in exchange for being added to a list of “preferred” lenders the schools give to students. Bill Brock, with the Attorney General’s consumer protection division, says there used to be problems in Iowa and even worse abuses elsewhere.”We even had situations where lenders might be providing funds to employees in student aid offices so they could attend conferences and that sort of thing,” Brock says. “It’s something that Congress dealt with by banning it.”

Brock says the idea is to make sure students understand they should shop around for their loans and not just rely on that list. Brock says, “And that if a lender is on a preferred lender list, it’s there because of the terms of the loans it offers and not gifts that go to the school.”

The original Iowa law was created a few years ago after allegations surfaced about questionable practices at the Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation. The change is designed to make the law stronger by requiring lenders to report any gifts to colleges and universities, even if the contributions have nothing to do with student loans.

(Radio Iowa)