WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a 23-year combat veteran and retired Lieutenant Colonel, released the following video honoring America’s heroes ahead of Veterans Day:

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) recently co-hosted a workshop on the Derelict Building Grant Program offered in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Region 12 Council of Governments (COG), and Iowa Waste Exchange. The program is seeking applications to inspect, renovate, and deconstruct commercial or public structures that have sat vacant for at least 6 months.

The focus of the program is landfill diversion through recycling and reuse of building materials and the elimination of hazards both inside and out posed by these empty structures. SWIPCO held a workshop on November 2nd at The Venue in Atlantic to share information with cities about the process from start to finish. They were also able to share some success stories on previously completed projects. Reid Burmel, Environmental Specialist Senior, who manages the Derelict Building Grant Program with the Iowa DNR and Paige Alesch, Iowa Waste Exchange Resource Specialist, both shared their knowledge at the workshop.

The DBGP workshop that was hosted November 2nd at The Venue in Atlantic. (Photo & info. courtesy Chris Parks, SWIPCO Communications Coordinator)

The program was established in 2011 and has assisted 123 communities with 169 projects. Over 77,106 tons of materials have been diverted from landfills at a disposal savings of $2.9 million over the years.

Only a city government for Iowa towns of 5,000 or fewer residents can apply, and they must own or be in the process of owning the building. The structure must not reside on the National Historic Register. Applicants can seek funding assistance with conducting asbestos inspections and abatement, structural engineering analysis, site assessments, building deconstruction, and building renovation expenses.

The current fiscal year application deadline is February 23, 2024. Cities interested in the program can contact Dani Briggs, SWIPCO Lead Planner at 712-243-4196 ext 219 or email danielle.briggs@swipco.org

In an update to our previous reports, Police in Council Bluffs this (Friday) morning, said a man suspected in Wednesday morning’s assault of a woman who was jogging on the River’s Edge Park Service Road, south of the I-480 bridge underpass was taken into custody by Omaha Police, Friday. At around 3:23-a.m., Omaha officers came in contact with 25-year-old Dominic Henton, of Papillion, NE.,  near the 1300 Block of Cuming Street, at which time they found that he had a valid warrant through Pottawattamie County for Assault with the Intent to commit sexual abuse. Henton was arrested and then transported to Douglas County, NE. Corrections, where he was being held while awaiting extradition back to Council Bluffs.

Council Bluffs Police had earlier stated surveillance video and other investigative means identified Henton as a suspect in the assault at around 10:53-a.m., Wednesday, of  former Arizona Senator Martha McSally.

McSally – a 57-year-old Air Force Veteran – said she fought off the attacker and chased him into the brush, but lost sight of him before officers arrived. Martha McSally  previously served in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. McSally served 26 years in the U-S Air Force, from 1988 to 2010, achieving the rank of Colonel. She was the first female pilot to fly in combat. During a U-S Senate hearing in 2019, McSally testified that she had been raped by a superior officer when she was in the military.

(Radio Iowa) – A conservative think tank is recognizing Iowa for offering state-funding directly to parents, to cover private school expenses for their children. The Heritage Foundation’s annual Educational Freedom Report Card ranked Iowa 22nd among the states last year, but Iowa jumped to ninth this year after lawmakers established state-funded Education Savings Accounts.

Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill creating state-funded ESAs on Jan. 24, 2023.

“The number of ESA applications, they exceeded…not only our expectations, but our projections and I truly believe that school choice…will make the most consequential change to our education system in decades not only in Iowa, but across the country,” Governor Kim Reynolds said at an event in Des Moines hosted by the Heritage Foundation.

Nearly 19,000 state-funded Education Savings Accounts were approved for students this fall, but the state has not announced how many of those students successfully enrolled in private schools.

(Radio Iowa) – A monument honoring the five Sullivan brothers was unveiled in their hometown of Waterloo on Thursday. The five sailors were killed in action during World War Two while serving aboard the same ship. The new monument sits outside the Waterloo Convention Center and their granddaughter Kelly Sullivan, a Navy veteran herself, pulled back the curtain on the four sculptures dedicated to the sailors. Sullivan says it’s a way to keep the memories of Waterloo’s veterans alive for everyone, beyond days of special recognition. “The plaza will always be here. It’s something special where school children can come on field trips to see it. It’s a beautiful way for us to honor, not just the Sullivans, but all veterans,” Sullivan says. “I think it’s really important that people understand that, that the Sullivans sacrificed just as much as any family does.”

The Sullivan Brothers (public domain image)

With Veterans Day on Saturday, Sullivan reflected that the Sullivan brothers’ story is a reminder that families are just as much a part of veterans’ continuing sacrifices. “That’s the one thing I want people to know, that we need to appreciate not just our veterans but also the families,” she says, “because the families play a huge part in supporting their soldier and their sailor.”

The four sculptures of the Sullivan Brothers Monument tell the story of the brothers’ service and are part of a larger plaza also named for the family.

MONTICELLO, Iowa (KCRG) – A man accused in the shooting death of an eastern Iowa grocery store employee earlier this week, was not allowed to buy or possess a gun, under state and federal law. KCRG-TV reports 38-year-old Nathan Russell, of East Dubuque, had been arrested in September 2022, on charges of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and possession of methamphetamine.

Russell took a plea deal with the Jo Daviess County, IL, State Attorney, pleading guilty to felony possession of methamphetamine. A judge sentenced him to 2 years in prison and a year of supervised release. That should have meant he was in prison or on parole at the time of Tuesday’s fatal shooting outside of the Monticello Fareway store, of 48-year-old Aaron McAttee.
However, the Illinois Department of Corrections said Russell was no longer an inmate and not in their parole system. Jo Daviess County State’s Attorney Chris Allendorf could not say how much time Russell actually served or why he was released early because state law at the time of the conviction meant that decision was entirely up to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Police found Russell in Hopkinton after he left the scene of the shooting. A Sheriff’s Deputy shot Russell when he allegedly failed to comply when he was being taken into custody.
While his case proceeds through the court system, funeral services for Aaron McAtee were set. Visitation is scheduled for Tuesday November 14, 2023 from 2-until 8-p.m., at the Monticello Berndes Center. A Celebration of Life will be held 11-a.m. Wednesday, November 15th, at the same location.

A fund for the family of Aaron McAtee Family was set up at DuTrac Community Credit Union in Monticello.