(Radio Iowa) – The northwest Iowa town of Akron -may- have a mayor-elect. There was no candidate listed for Mayor of Akron on last week’s ballot. Current Mayor Alex Pick, who did not seek reelection, had the highest number of write-in votes, but he informed the Plymouth County Auditor by mail that he was declining election to the post. There was a tie for second place so, following the county’s election ordinance, those two names were written on slips of paper and one name was drawn out of a hat by Supervisor Gary Horton, who represents Akron on the county board. Horton drew the name of Joel Higman. If Higman declines, Akron’s city council would choose a new mayor.

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No candidate filed to run for an open seat on Estherville’s City Council in last week’s election, so the Emmet County Board of Supervisors has conducted a drawing to determine which write-in candidate will join the council. Ten write-in votes were cast for the Ward I council seat during the November 7th. election. Three candidates — Will Breck, Robert Leifeld and Anthony Condon — each received two votes. Anthony Condon’s name was drawn for a hat during the Emmet County Supervisor’s first canvas of the election. Condon was present and said he would serve on the council. Condon served for many years on the Estherville Lincoln Central School Board.

(Rural Shenandoah, Iowa) – A semi tractor-trailer rollover accident Tuesday afternoon, northwest of Shenandoah, claimed the life of the vehicle’s driver. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2019 Mack tractor-trailer driven by 67-year-old James Herman Kinney, of Council Bluffs, was traveling north on 370th Avenue, south of 150th St., when it partially left the road.

The semi traveled onto the right shoulder for several hundred feet and then left the road to the right. When Kinney over-corrected back on to the road, the weight shifted in the trailer, causing the tractor and trailer to overturn onto its right side in the traveled portion of northbound 370th Street. The accident happened at around 12:10-p.m.

After Kinney was freed from his seat belt, life saving measures were immediately performed, but he died from his injuries at the Shenandoah Hospital. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Fremont and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Offices, and Shenandoah Rescue.

AMES, Iowa – Nov. 14, 2023 – The Iowa Transportation Commission today approved $10 million for the Commercial Service Terminal Program. Among the projects are those located in Council Bluffs, Creston, Sioux City and Harlan.

The Commercial Service Terminal Program will provide $10 million for commercial service airport terminal improvements. In Sioux City, the Sioux Gateway Airport was allocated $132,812 from the State toward the $132,000 cost of constructing T-Hangars.  The program is funded through an appropriation from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund. To be eligible, applicant airports were required to provide a 90 percent local match that did not include the use of federal funds. A grant was awarded toward the new airport terminal at the Des Moines International Airport (DSM).

Airport Development Projects awarded funding include: The Council Bluffs Municipal Airport, $267,000 to construct a Hangar Site development Area (total cost $668,000), and $8,000 for the Creston Municipal Airport, for an Obstruction Analysis and Mitigation Plan (total cost $10,000).  Among the General Aviation Vertical Infrastructure Projects, the Harlan Municipal Airport was awarded $125,000 from the ITC for the installation of new Hangar doors. The total project cost is $150,000.

Iowa DOT Aviation Director Tim McClung notes the new airport terminal project at DSM will replace an outdated terminal and add six new gates to increase capacity. “Airports are critical to supporting Iowa’s economy. This enhancement will improve the passenger experience and will better position the airport to meet air service demands for the future.”

Details on the Iowa DOT’s State Aviation Program can be viewed at  https://iowadot.gov/aviation/airport-managers-and-sponsors/State-Funding/state-funding-programs. Additional information regarding aviation in Iowa is available at www.iowadot.gov/aviation.

Oakland, Iowa –  Officials with “United Today, Stronger Tomorrow” and Concerned Citizens of Pottawattamie County, say that on Monday (Nov. 13th), dozens of rural Pottawattamie County residents met at the Oakland Community Center to discuss how they might work together to tap new federal funding focused on rural infrastructure. Throughout the town hall, residents steered away from divisive national politics and instead focused on the issues hyperlocally; issues that they might have a greater impact on and influence in addressing.

There were the most common themes that arose as they always do; roads and bridges, rural healthcare, clean water.  Shawna Anderson, a small business owner and resident of Oakland, said, “I was very happy to see such a good turnout in Oakland. The issues brought up were, as expected, totally different than those issues folks in the city face. Water is a big issue. Both access and keeping it clean. Internet access and cost was also brought up. Things that people in the city just don’t even realize are a problem for those of us in the county.”

And when county residents got down to the very specifics of issues, they were often met with a lot of consensus:

One attendee brought up Treynor’s large wastewater management project currently underway, but noted that it might be hard to meet the total cost needed – almost $5 million – from the current tax base of Treynor’s approximately 1,000 residents.  A boon for these communities may come from better understanding the opportunities in the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure funding and the Inflation Reduction Act, and how rural communities can take it upon themselves to tap these new resources and funding.

Another specific issue that multiple attendees spoke about was regarding access to clean water. Water restrictions are very common for those in rural parts of the county. The wellfield in Avoca is in danger of running dry, and some folks noted that personal wells have had the same problem. Although there is a plan to run water from Council Bluffs out to rural water systems near Minden, it isn’t planned to be ready to use until early 2025. Getting access to an alternate water source for these folks is of utmost importance, and could be addressed through the new federal funding opportunities discussed here.

An idea that is important to many who attended is that of local empowerment. During discussion on the topic, Ellen Garaffa, who lives in Treynor said “The library in Council Bluffs used to have a person who would train people on writing grants… sounds like that would be worth pursuing… We should ask them to go back to providing that service.” Immediately the whole room sounded in agreement. If folks can learn how to write grants, they become empowered to bring money into their rural communities themselves.

United Today Stronger Tomorrow and Concerned Citizens of Pottawattamie County, moving forward, say they will work together with rural communities to identify opportunities in these new federal policies to address their local priorities and needs.  A plurality of attendees agree that they are untrusting of state and federal elected decisionmakers to deliver what they need, and also believe that community members would do better working together to get these things addressed by applying pressure on local elected leaders to seek solutions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.