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Many of the top players in the wind energy industry from around the world are gathered in Iowa this week. Harold Prior, executive director of the Iowa Wind Energy Association, says Des Moines was selected as the site for the industry’s largest conference because Iowa recently became the first state to generate at least 20 percent of its electricity from wind power. “The American Wind Energy Association really wants to showcase Iowa’s success and Iowa as an example of what the nation would look like, in terms of job creation and enhanced economic development potential, if we can get the entire nation to 20-percent of our electric generation portfolio coming from the wind energy industry,” Prior said.

Iowa currently has more than 2,500 wind turbines creating over 4,000 megawatts of electricity. Projects that are underway are expected to boost that energy output to 5,000 megawatts by the end of 2012. In December 2010, MidAmerican Energy announced a 593.4-megawatt expansion. That includes 193, 2.3-megawatt turbines, which are currently being erected in east- and southeastern- Cass, northeastern Adams, and southwest Adair counties as part of the “Rolling Hills Wind Project,” which is expected to be finished by the end of the year. Those turbines will produce enough energy to power 190,000 homes. The project is one of the largest Mid-American has developed, and likely one of the largest in the country, according a company spokesman.

Other turbines in the company’s expansion project are being built in Marshall and Calhoun Counties. When the project is complete, approximately 26 percent of MidAmerican Energy’s total generation capacity will come from wind. Prior says one of the biggest challenges facing the wind industry involves transmitting the energy from where it’s generated to where it can be used. “The transmission grid in the United States, as a whole, has not seen really significant upgrades in 50 years,” Prior said. “We’re going to have to modernize the electrical transmission grid one way or another.” He notes several large transmission projects are already planned or are under construction.

Another critical issue to continued growth, according to Prior, is the extension of a federal production tax credit for the wind energy industry. The credit is set to expire in December 2012. Prior says all forms of energy production are given tax credits, but some industries enjoy better terms. “The advantage that the older carbon-based forms of generation have is they’re subsidized through the tax code,” Prior said. “Their subsidies don’t come up for consideration and renewal because they’ve been in the tax code, in some cases, for 90 years.” The American Wind Energy Association reports the industry is on track to reach a goal of 20-percent of the country’s electricity coming from wind by the year 2030. In order to reach that goal, the industry will need to install an additional 60-thousand (60,000) wind turbines over the next 18 years.

(Radio Iowa/file data)

Authorities in Montgomery County report the arrest Wednesday nights of a Corning woman. 23-year old Anna Lynn Armstrong was taken into custody at around 9:20-p.m., on a charge of driving while revoked. Armstrong was brought to the Montgomery Coounty Jail in Red Oak, and held on $1,000 cash bond.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa says a Page County woman was sentenced Wednesday to seven-years in prison for Conspiracy to Manufacture Methamphetamine. U-S District Judge James Gritzner also ordered 44-year old Shaunna Jaylynn Stanton, of Shenandoah, to serve a four-year term of supervised released following her incarceration.

Stanton entered a plea of guilty to the charge on April 7th, in Federal Court in Council Bluffs. Prosecutors say Stanton conspired to manufacture Meth from January 2009 to July 17th, 2010. On that date, Stanton was found at an active Methamphetamine lab in the residence of co-defendant 48-year old Michael Thomas Shane. Michael Shane was previously sentenced to 12 and a-half years in prison, and a five-year term of supervised release following his incarceration.

Authorities say Stanton and Shane had worked over a long period of time with a group of people, to gather the items needed to make Meth. U-S Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt says Stanton would assist in the manufacture of the drug by purchasing pseudoephedrine tablets and other items, and manufacture Meth at various locations in and around Page County.

The investigation into Stanton’s activities was conducted by the Shenandoah Police Department, the Page and Mills County Sheriff’s Offices,  the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (SWINE), Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Page County Attorney’s Office.

A recently released survey of Iowa land trends and values shows a statewide increase in cropland values of nearly 13-percent over the past six-months. The survey by the Iowa Farm and Land Chapter number Two of the Realtors Land Institute, shows a 12.9-percent increase in cropland values from March 2011 through September 1^st. The estimates are for bare, unimproved land, with a sale price on a cash basis. Pasture and timberland values were requested from participants in the survey, as supplemental information.

In southwest Iowa, the value of High Quality Crop Land increased $643 per acre over the past six-months, to $7,555. Medium Quality Crop Land increased $531, to $5,837 per acre. Even Low Quality Crop Land increased more than $315 per acre, to $4,116. Non-tillable Pasture was valued at $2,328 per acre, which was a loss of $8. And, Timber acreage gained $17, with a value of $1,678 per acre. On average, land values were up 9.3-percent.

In western central Iowa, High Quality Crop land was valued at $9,085 per acre, which is an increase of nearly $1,050 over the past six-months. Medium Quality Crop Land was valued at $7,275, which was a slightly more than $850 increase. Low Quality Crop Land in West Central Iowa saw the least amount of increase per acre, at $316, averaging out to $5,260. Non-tillable Pasture fared better in the valuation in the West Central part of the state as compared to the southwest, by increasing just over $320 per acre, while Timber acreage increased modestly as well, to $2,160 per acre. On average, the West Central part of the state realized a 12-percent gain in tillable cropland values from March through September.

All nine crop reporting districts in the state showed an increase in land values, ranging from 8.5-percent in Southeast Iowa, to as much as 17-percent in northeast Iowa, from March 2011 to September, 2011. The Realtors Land Institute said factors contributing to the increase in farmland values included strong commodity prices, favorable long-term interest rates, and a limited amount of land being offered for sale. For more information, log on to www.rlifarmandranch.com.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Police in Council Bluffs say they have found a link to the mysterious appearance of a Hot Dog Man statue. Police Sgt. Chad Meyers says a man called police Wednesday morning claiming the statue belongs to his son. Meyers says police still have to talk to the son before deciding what to do with the statue. Police took the Hot Dog Man statue into custody September 2nd,  after a concerned citizen reported a man in a hot dog costume near a bus stop where children congregate. When officers arrived, they discovered it was only a statue. Meyers says the statue is only a “found property” case and no investigation is under way, but he acknowledged “it’s not something you see very often, if at all.”

Iowa Western Community College has announced a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held Thursday, for their new “Design Technology” Program.. The ceremony takes place at 10-a.m. IWCC’s Cass County Center in Atlantic. Center Director Ann Pross says everyone is invited to attend the event.

In mid-April, officials with the Southwest Iowa Foundation announced the Atlantic Center of Iowa Western Community College had received a $150,000 grant for the new Design Technology Program, which began at the start of the 2011-2012 school year. The City of Atlantic and Cass County Board of Supervisors had previously pledged $100,000 each to assist with the infrastructure necessary to make the program possible.

Students enrolled in the program will learn to build 3-D virtual products using specialized software developed by Plano, Texas-based Siemens Product Lifestyle Management. The PLM software will introduce students to product design and development technology used by many of the world’s leading manufacturing, architectural and construction companies. The classroom and hands-on experience will allow students to develop technical drawings and plans, to build everything from microchips to skyscrapers.

Among the dignitaries expected to be on-hand for Thursday’s ceremony are: Iowa Western President, Dr. Dan Kinney; lead volunteer Jay Miller; and, Design Technology Program Instructor Joe Vanstrom.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced the first confirmed human case of West Nile virus disease in Iowa in 2011. The case is an adult (18 to 40 years) male from Pottawattamie County, who is recovering. “Although summer is the season most typically associated with mosquitoes, the West Nile virus season in Iowa usually lasts until the first frost,” said IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk. “If mosquitoes are still flying, there is still a danger from West Nile virus.” The best way to prevent West Nile virus is to eliminate mosquito breeding areas and to use insect repellent when outdoors. Iowans should take the following steps to reduce the risk of exposure to West Nile virus:

• Use insect repellent with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Always read the repellent label and consult with a health care provider if you have questions when using these types of products for children. For example, DEET should not be used on infants less than 2 months old and oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under 3 years old.
• Avoid outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, shoes, and socks whenever possible outdoors.
• Eliminate standing water around the home because that’s where mosquitoes lay eggs. Empty water from buckets, cans, pool covers and pet water dishes. Change water in bird baths every three to four days. 

Approximately 20 percent of people infected with West Nile virus will have mild to moderate symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches and vomiting. Less than one percent of people infected become seriously ill and rarely someone dies. Since West Nile first appeared in Iowa in 2002, it has been found in every county in Iowa, either in humans, horses, or birds. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 1,021 total human cases of West Nile virus in the U.S. in 2010, including 57 deaths. Eight cases were reported in Iowa, including two deaths. 

For more information about West Nile virus, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/Cade/WNV.aspx.

w/ Ric Hanson

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CHARITON, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s first two deer hunting seasons open Saturday and allow participants to hunt deer in a comfortable setting. The seasons are for youth and disabled hunters. Tom Litchfield is a state deer biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He says the seasons allow young and disabled hunters to hunt deer in favorable conditions, compared to the December shotgun seasons. Each youth hunter must be accompanied by an adult mentor who has a valid hunting license and has paid the habitat fee. The youth and disabled hunter seasons close Oct. 2.