Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) grants for fiscal year 2012 were recently approved by the Natural Resource Commission during its October meeting. Locally, Pottawattamie County was awarded a $67,500 REAP County Conservation Grant, for a project which proposes to add 26.1 acres to Hitchcock Nature Center (HNC).

The addition features remnant bur oak woodland and savanna and degraded pastures. The property will expand protection and restoration of important natural areas in the Loess Hills, will increase outdoor recreation opportunities at HNC, will protect a remnant of the original Old Lincoln Highway and will secure the site of the raptor banding station.

REAP has a 22-year, $272 million funding history for parks, soil, water and habitat improvements, roadside prairies, historical development and conservation education. The REAP Act has a formula that distributes funding to farmers, conservation organizations, educators, cities, counties, historians, and state projects. Funding comes from gaming revenues and sales of natural resource license plates. Legislators appropriated $15 Million in 2010 and $12 Million in 2011. Full funding of the REAP Act is $20 Million.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors are set to hold their regular weekly meeting Wednesday, in Greenfield. On their agenda for the 9-a.m. session, is an annual inspection report on the Three-Mile structures, a Fiscal Year 2012 E-M-S grant contract, receipt and discussion with regard to monthly reports, and an update on the County Comprehensive Plan.

In addition, Tom McGovern, Assistant to the County Engineer, will present information with regard to the awarding of contracts for two separate bridge replacement projects.

A reminder to area crop producers interested in helping their communities or local youth organizations, that the deadline to enter the annual America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program, sponsored by the Monsanto Corporation, is a little over one-month away. Annie Kayser,  Community Outreach Coordinator for Monsanto, says the program was launched in 2010, and has resulted in investments of more than $3-million in local communities across the country during 2011. Every farmer in each of Iowa’s 99 counties who has 250-acres or more of corn or soybeans, or 40 acres of open field vegetables, and are 21-years of age or older, can sign-up for the opportunity to win $2,500. The funds will be donated to the winner’s choice of local non-profit organizations.

Kayser says there’s no purchase necessary to enter, and a purchase will not increase your chances of winning.  She says you don’t have to be a customer of Monsanto, either. Kayser says it’s all about advocating on behalf of farmers, who know where the funds would benefit their communities. The deadline to enter is November 30th. The winners will be randomly selected by a third party and announced in January, 2012.  The program not only benefits local non-profit groups. Kayser says for every farmer that enters the contest, Monsanto will donate $1 to the nearest United Way chapter. Since the program began, the three top recipients of cash awards have been FFA or 4-H groups, Fire Departments and local libraries. Kayser says in recent years, there’s also been a trend toward donating the funds to groups that feed the hungry. Kayser says there’s been a big increase in donations to local food pantries.

Among the local non-profit organizations selected in 2010 by winning area farmers to receive a portion of the funds provided by the America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program, was: the Massena, Audubon, Brayton, Greenfield, and Shelby Fire Departments; the Shelby County Fair Board, and Coon Rapids-Bayard FFA. Those organizations received their awards this past Spring. Last year’s winner in Cass County, was Louis Holste (Hole-stee), who selected the Massena Fire Department as the beneficiary of his $2,500. The funds were used to purchase a tanker truck.

For more information or to register to win, surf the web to www.growcommunities.com, or call 1-877-267-3332.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Southwest Iowa residents who have an opinion about the current state of education in Iowa, and Governor Terry Branstad’s latest education initiative, may want to attend one of several town hall meetings being held around the area today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday). Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds will hold town hall meetings focusing on their education blueprint today in Mount Ayr, Bedford, Clarinda and Red Oak, and on Wednesday in Creston and Greenfield.

The Governor has proposed the boosting of beginning teacher pay and holding entry-level teachers to higher academic standards. In his initiative, which was unveiled October 3^rd, the Governor set a goal of Iowa becoming the top-performing state in education, over the course of the next decade. To do that, he’s proposed: linking aspects of teacher pay to classroom performance; treating beginning teachers as “at-will” employees, who would have their contracts renewed annually by their local boards of education; requiring a minimum 3.0 college G.P.A to enter teacher prep programs; and, requiring 3^rd graders to demonstrate their reading ability before being promoted to the 4^th grade.

You can hear about his initiative and offer your input at these meeting places and times…
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
11 a.m. In the auditorium at the Mt. Ayr High School
1:30 p.m. In the Bedford Community High School
3 p.m. In the Commons area at the Clarinda High School
5:30 p.m. At The Wilson Performing Arts Center in Red Oak.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011
9 a.m. At the Creston High School
11 a.m. In the Auditorium at the Nodaway Valley High School in Greenfield.
For more information, visit www.governor.iowa.gov

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will hold a work session this evening in the ICN room at the High School. During the 7:30 meeting, the Board will hear from District Technology Coordinator Roger Warne, about the new ICN classroom and the future of district technology. In addition, Warne will preview the new district webpage and discuss technology purchases for the 2011-2012 school year.

Other discussion will center on activities associated with the Iowa Association of School Boards. No action is expected on those matters, during tonight’s work session.

A single-vehicle accident Sunday in Cass County created another accident moments later. Sheriff’s officials say 20-year old Alicyn Dalene Kuhns, of Atlantic, was traveling south on Buck Creek Road, when she lost control of the  2003 Pontiac Grand Prix she was driving . The car slammed into a bridge railing near the intersection with Glacier Road, and when then hit from behind by a 1995 Buick Lesabre.  The driver of the second car, 17-year old Anthony Scott Lucas, of Atlantic,  had been following Kuhn’s car, and was unable to stop following her accident. 

No injuries were reported.  Authorities estimated the damage to Kuhns’ vehicle at $4,000, while  Lucas’s car sustained about $1,000 damage.  Damage to the bridge was estimated at $5000.

Sheriff’s officials in Adams County said Monday, a traffic interdiction program conducted on Highway 34 Sunday afternoon, led to the arrest of a Corning man.  Officials say as a vehicle driven by Denise Carder, of Nodaway, was stopped and  searched by a Ringgold County k-9 unit,  information was received indicating a controlled substance could be found at the residence of Carder and 40-year old Martin Lee Grace, who authorities say lives in Corning. 

Carder gave authorities permission to search her residence, during which a controlled substance was in fact, located. Martin Grace, who was already being detained in Adams County while an OWI investigation was underway, was placed under arrest for Possession of a Controlled Substance. He faces charges of Possession of Controlled Substance on Certain Real Property, and two-counts of Child Endangerment.

The case remains under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa farmers are making good progress on the harvest as well as fall field work as the dry weather continues. The weekly crop report on Monday says the dry spell is affecting soil moisture, with topsoil moisture levels at 35 percent very short and 37 percent short.

The report shows 71 percent of the corn crop has been harvested, which is about two weeks ahead of the five-year average. Fifty-nine percent of the corn is in good to excellent condition. The soybean harvest is 95 percent complete, more than two weeks ahead of the average pace.

Rain totals for the week ranged from none over much of the northeast two-thirds of Iowa to .22 inches at Underwood in Pottawattamie County in western Iowa.