The 40th Anniversary ride of RAGBRAI will take more than 10,000 bicycling enthusiasts through a somewhat hilly northern Iowa this year. Officials with the Des Moines Register held a party Saturday night to announced the route for the July 21st through the 28th event. The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa — the world’s oldest, largest and longest tour of its kind — begins this year in Sioux Center and ends 471 miles later in Clinton. In between, riders will stop overnight in Cherokee, Lake View, Webster City, Marshalltown, Cedar Rapids and Anamosa. Webster City hasn’t hosted RAGBRAI since 1980. Cedar Rapids hasn’t seen riders pass through the community since a 2008 flood inundated the largest overnight town on the list.

There’s been no word yet on whether past Tour de France winners and RAGBRAI participants Lance Armstrong and Greg LaMond will join in, but officials say they expect about 60 percent of the riders to be from places outside Iowa, including some 20 countries. An economic study from the University of Northern Iowa two years ago found the festival brings $24 million in new spending to Iowa, or $3 million for each hosting town.

The event’s theme this year is “Celebrating 40 Years of Iowa,” and its less-intensive route should afford space to pause and reflect: The route is the 18th-shortest in RABRAI history and the 11th-flattest. Only eight routes since the ride’s 1973 inception have been easier. While the precise number of towns that riders will pass through on their river-to-river run won’t be released until March, here’s what’s known about the route: Riders should pace themselves for the stretch between Marshalltown and Cedar Rapids. It will be their hilliest day with a 3,576-foot climb. At 84.8 miles, it will also be the longest. Returning riders should feel confident, though; Despite a shorter distance, last year’s route featured more hill-climbing on day one than this year’s route does in the first three days.

The Main Street Manning organization has received a $50,000 HUD Challenge Grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. A total of $430,000 in Housing and Urban Development Challenge Grants are being awarded to nine Iowa communities through a fund administered by the Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa.  The funds will be distributed in the form of grants to the selected Main Street programs. The estimated total project cost of the nine projects is more than $1.2 million.

Governor Terry E. Branstad and Senator Tom Harkin joined representatives from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Main Street Iowa to make the announcement during a special check presentation ceremony held Saturday, at the Des Moines Botanical Center. The grants will benefit local improvement projects such as repair of front and rear façades of downtown buildings, interior rehabilitations; restoration of historic downtown landmarks; accessibility improvements in historic properties and renovation of upper floor living spaces.

The Challenge Grant program is funded through an appropriation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  Since the first appropriation in 2002, the program has awarded a total of $4.9 million and has leveraged approximately $36.9 million in local investments.

Officials with PRIDE (the Progressive Rural Iowa Development group) have announced three legislative coffees have been scheduled for various communities in Cass County for the 2012 Iowa session. Randy Baxter, President of PRIDE, says “These coffees are opportunities to have face-to-face dialogue with our Iowa legislators, Senator Nancy Boettger, and Representatives Clel Baudler and Jack Drake.” Baxter adds that “The legislators always appreciate coming to Cass County because we have such terrific attendance. People here really want to have input into our state government, so they participate when the legislators make time to come to our towns.” 

The first coffee is Saturday, February 11th, at the Legion Hall in Massena, at 10 a.m., with special guest will be Mike Cormack, policy liaison to Jason Glass, director for the Iowa Department of Education and former social studies teacher from Massena. Mike will join Boettger, Baudler and Drake, to discuss education reform, one of the top issues of the current legistlative session.  The second event will be held Saturday, March 10, at the Marne Community Center, at 7:30 a.m.!   The early start time allows the legislators and citizens to attend the coffee, and, be present later in the morning at the county’s political conventions. The final coffee will take place Saturday, April 14, at the Cass County Museum in Griswold at 10 a.m. 

P.R.I.D.E. is the economic development organization that works on behalf of the cities of Cumberland, Griswold, Lewis, and Marne for Cass County development, plus numerous individual members and businesses in Southwest Iowa. For additional information, or to join P.R.I.D.E., please contact Randy Baxter, president, at 781-2395, or Clarke Gerlock, vice-president, at 712-774-5476.

VAIL, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in Crawford County are looking for a suspect who they say threatened a teller at the Westside State Bank in Vail with an explosive device before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash. The robbery occurred just after 9 a.m. Saturday. Crawford County Sheriff Jim Steinkuehler said the man, described as white, in his 30s or 40s with a red goatee, threatened a teller with a Molotov cocktail but did not use the homemade bomb. The sheriff says the suspect, who was also wearing sunglasses, took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled on foot.  Bank President Matt Lujano declined comment.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a Glenwood man was arrested Thursday on drug and Child Endangerment charges.  35-year-old Clinton Prindle was taken into custody on charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Child Endangerment. The Sheriff’s Office reports also,  51-year-old Dale Peters, of Glenwood,  was arrested Tuesday, and 20-year-old Nile Packett, of Glenwood, was arrested last Sunday. Both were charged with Domestic Abuse Assault.

A routine traffic stop early this (Saturday) morning in Shenandoah resulted in the arrest of two people on drug charges. According to the Shenandoah Police Department, Officer Steve Mather stopped a vehicle in the 500 block of south Fremont Street. An investigation resulted in the arrest of Shenandoah residents, 36-year-old William Fuller, on two Page County warrants for contempt of court and possession of drug paraphernalia, and 33-year-old Lisa Moyer, who was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. Fuller was taken to the Page County Jail and is being held on $1,325 bond. Moyer was able to post bond, cited into court, and released.

with KJAN News Director Ric Hanson….

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State officials are moving ahead with the most fundamental change in the state’s mental health system in more than a century.  Department of Human Services director Chuck Palmer says in an interview with The Associated Press that he expects legislators to approve the change, which will lead to a uniform system rather than services that now vary from county to county. Palmer says that should mean improved services that are available across the state. The five-year cost of the effort is projected to be about $133 million, with a big first-year bill of $47 million. 

Sen. Jack Hatch, a Des Moines Democrat who helped devise the new system, says funding should be available, even at a time when lawmakers are face with a tight overall state budget.

The superintendent of the West Harrison Community School District on Friday, released a statement involving one of his principals. Joel Foster confirmed earlier reports that both the district and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Principal & girls basketball coach Mike Loftin’s alleged actions, at the West Harrison High School in Mondamin. The investigation was launched after an incident allegedly took place on January 20th. A 15-year old freshman girl claimed Loftin pulled off her breakaway pants down to her knees in front of fellow students, leaving her exposed in her underwear.  The teen, who is a guard on the West Harrison girls basketball team,  told authorities the incident took place outside of a locker room, just before the team was about to board a bus for a game. The superintendent said once the investigation is complete, the school board will take appropriate action.

Here is the text of Superintendent Joel Foster’s statement to the media:

On Saturday January 21st, 2012, it was brought to my attention that there might have been an incident between a staff member and a student on Friday evening January 20th. I immediately began investigating this incident and the West Harrison Community Schools responded to the allegations in an appropriate manner. This incident continues to be actively investigated by West Harrison Community Schools and the Harrison County Sheriffs Department.At the conclusion of this investigation, the West Harrison Community Schools Board of Education will respond in a manner that is appropriate to the findings of the investigation.

Joel Foster Superintendent, West Harrison Community Schools

It’s unlikely the 88 neglected dogs, removed this week from a property in northwest Iowa, will be available for adoption anytime soon. Authorities say the dogs, mostly Cocker Spaniels, were living in filthy conditions with their coats matted in dried feces.

Cocker Spaniel found on Sac Co. property (Photo by ARL of IA)

Employees and volunteers at animal shelters in Carroll, Boone, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Sioux City have spent hours grooming the dogs and treating them for tooth decay and skin, ear and bladder infections. Bob Citrullo, executive director of the Cedar Valley Humane Society in Cedar Rapids, says the dogs will remain in the shelters for a while.

“Either the owners of the facility need to turn them over, which is what we would suggest, or if it becomes a legal battle we have to wait for the outcome of that,” Citrullo said. A press release from the Siouxland Humane Society identified the owner of the dogs as Mary Brodersen, of rural Kiron. Officials say Broderson is a non-licensed dog breeder. The release also states five dogs were found dead on the property. Charges in the case are pending. Josh Colvin, with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL), says donations are needed to help improve the dogs’ health.

He said anyone making monetary donations to the ARL can indicate they’d like the money to help the “Sac County dogs.” The ARL also accepts donations of dry dog and puppy food.

Link to ARL: www.arl-iowa.org

(Radio Iowa)