(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the legislature are proposing new income thresholds for who qualifies for government food and health care assistance. Committees in the House and Senate have approved bills that say households with more than 15-thousand dollars in liquid assets, like checking and savings accounts, would not be eligible for SNAP benefits — commonly called food stamps — or for Medicaid, although the value of a home or a vehicle would not be included in that calculation. Current rules for Medicaid and food stamps do not have an asset test, but are restricted based on income. The bills also call for a new system to check the finances and verify the identities of Iowans receiving food or health care assistance. Republican Representative Thomas Jeneary, of Le Mars, says the bill would make distributing benefits more efficient and help prevent fraud.

“The legislature is dedicated to protecting Iowa’s safety net for Iowans in need while at the same time protecting the Iowa taxpayer from paying services for ineligible individuals,” Jeneary says. The bill that’s now eligible for debate in the HOUSE also seeks to require some people getting food and health care assistance to work. Democrats opposed the bill. Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell of Ames says if the bill becomes law, many Iowans currently receiving SNAP benefits or health care coverage through Medicaid will lose that safety net. “This just seems to me to lack so much compassion for parents who are trying to feed their children and for Iowa’s elderly living on fixed incomes,” Wessel-Kroeschell said.

More than 800-thousand low income and disabled Iowans are currently enrolled in Medicaid. An average of about 280-thousand Iowans received SNAP benefits monthly during the last state fiscal year.

(Radio Iowa) – A new study says converting more land to grow crops for biofuels may negatively affect wildlife protected in Iowa and elsewhere under the Endangered Species Act. Researcher Tyler Lark, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, authored the report which he says demonstrates the environmental consequences of expanding corn production. “When you plow up a grassland to plant additional corn or switch from some other crops to something that’s more intensive, like corn production,” Lark says, “that generally results in greater nutrient pollution to waterways.”

The report highlights whooping cranes, Poweshiek skipperling butterflies and black-footed ferrets. Lark says these endangered species would likely be affected by the drainage of wetlands and conversion of grasslands for crop production. “Identifying the issue is the first step and that’s what this work really aims to do, but we can’t stop there,” Lark says. “There are simple solutions available right now that can reduce or even reverse the impacts of bioenergy policy on threatened and endangered species.”

Lark says one solution is expanding cover crops on acres that grow corn for ethanol, which animals could use as habitat. The executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association rejects the study.

(by Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Preservationists are raising money to buy historical markers for the 182-year-old Oakland Cemetery in Keokuk. The bronze markers will indicate the historic figures buried there, which include a U-S Supreme Court justice, a black abolitionist, and a Union Army general who became one of the first Republicans elected to Congress. Iowa Historical Society President Angela Gates says members launched the initiative as a way to share history with the community.

“You go into the cemetery and you just kind of walk around and you see the markers and you don’t recognize the history behind them,” Gates says. The Lee County Historical Society hopes to raise five-thousand dollars for the markers that would be placed throughout the grounds. Donations can be made by contacting the group. Oakland Cemetery, which opened in 1851, is located on 40 acres adjacent to the Keokuk National Cemetery.

Keokuk National Cemetery (Photo provided by Mayor Kathie Mahoney)

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston Thursday evening, arrested a woman at her residence. 24-year-old Ashley Dawn Eblen, of Creston, was taken into custody for Failure to Serve her ordered Jail Time. Eblen was being held in the Adams County Jail without bond, until her court-ordered time is served.

March 3, 2023 (DES MOINES) – At Thursday’s meeting of the Enhance Iowa Board, the Board awarded a Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grant totaling $1 million to improve two city parks in Waterloo. The details for the project receiving a CAT grant follows:

Project Name: Transforming Gates and Byrnes Parks Project, Waterloo
Total Project Cost: $16,918,491
Amount Awarded: $1,000,000
Project Description: This project includes improvements at two city parks. Gates Park improvements include a splash pad, inclusion park, amphitheater and lighted basketball courts surrounded by a roller-skating track. Byrnes Park improvements include the construction of a new aquatic center with a slide tower, 25-yard lap pool, zero-depth entry play area, bathhouse and mechanical building.

The Enhance Iowa Program provides financial incentives to communities for the construction of recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa. To date, 105 CAT grants have been awarded by the board, totaling $34,503,023. The next Enhance Iowa Board meeting is scheduled for April 6, 2023.

JOHNSTON, Iowa – March 3, 2023– The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) recognized Iowa Corn Growers Association members as winners of the 2022 National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC). The top four winners in each category will be recognized during the 2023 Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida on March 8-11. These selected farmers will be honored for their ability to produce the most corn per-acre, which lends itself to fueling and feeding the world. NCYC grants recognition to the participants for their earned accomplishment and  also gives them the opportunity to learn from their peers.

Among the Top yield winners from Iowa is:

Conventional Non-Irrigated:
Jim Gregory, Tabor, 305.86 bu/acre

No-Till Non-Irrigated:

Taber Anderson, Marne, 310.08 bu/acre
Kirk Hartman, Cumberland, 299.24 bu/acre

Contest winners received national recognition in the publication National Corn Yield Guide, as well as cash trips and other awards from participating sponsor seed, chemical and crop protection companies. The National Corn Yield Contest, now in its 58th year, remains one of NCGA’s most popular programs for members.

For a complete list of national and state winners, visit www.ncga.com.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has released a report covering arrests conducted from mid-to-late February. On the 15th, 29-year-old Justine Danielle Jones, of Atlantic, was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant. Jones was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Violation of Probation.

On the 18th, 42-year-old Jessica Jo McMillen, of Shelby, was arrested following a traffic stop on Highway 59. McMillen was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI 1st and Speeding.

On the 23rd, Shelby County Deputies arrested 70-year-old Larry Steven Meurer, following a call for service in the 1000 block of 6th St., in Harlan. Meurer was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Public Intoxication.

And, on the 24th of February, 37-year-old Joey Lee Ranney Jr., of Harlan, was arrested on active Shelby County Warrants. Ranney was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving while Revoked, Domestic Abuse Assault, and Harassment

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) –  The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office is currently hosting a fundraiser for their K-9 “Urs” and “Dart.” Sheriff’s officials say the Guthrie County K-9 Fund operates primarily off of donations, and the money raised will go towards supporting the K-9 units with equipment and training.

T-shirts can be ordered on the T & K Designs website for $18 per shirt. A portion of all sales go to the K9 Unit.

The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank everyone for their support in the past, and in the future.

(Radio Iowa) – Executives with a major health care provider in Iowa and Illinois are exploring a merger with a New Mexico health care system.

Des Moines-based UnityPoint Health and Presbyterian Healthcare Services in Albuquerque have signed a letter of intent to create a parent organization to manage the system, but keep the brand names on current facilities.

Four million patients are currently served by the two health care systems and 40,000 people are on the combined payrolls, including nearly 3000 physicians. UnityPoint Health and Presbyterian Healthcare currently operate more than 40 hospitals and hundreds of clinics.

In late 2019, UnityPoint and South Dakota based Sanford Health ended months of negotiations and called off merger talks.

“UnityPoint Health and Presbyterian are two organizations rooted in similar values,” Clay Holderman, president and CEO, UnityPoint Health, said in a written statement. “By lowering administrative costs, building new capabilities and increasing investments in innovation and clinical excellence, our intent is to help improve affordability and accessibility of care. We’re excited about the unique possibilities ahead.”

(Radio Iowa) – Sunday marks the one year anniversary of the deadly tornado outbreak that included one that dropped down just outside Winterset in Madison County and killed six people. Madison County Community Foundation manager Tom Leners says some people are still working on their insurance settlements.

“There’s been a few challenges that way. But I think, overall, for the 50 some properties that were affected in Madison County, we feel like we are making progress,” he says. “And at this point, now people at least have a plan of what they’re going to do to get back in their property or utilize their property again.” He says volunteers and residents got to work soon after the tornado hit.

“There’s been a lot of cleanup, a lot of new construction, a lot of repair work has been done. So, those are all good things. There’s been a lot of folks wanting to help us through donations or an unkind sorts of supplies and that sort of thing,” Leners says. The Foundation handled the donations in the aftermath of the tornado and Leners says there was a great outpouring of help.

“Through the generosity of people in our state and from other storm zones, we we raised over half a million dollars,” Leners says. “We had money coming in from really coast to coast and border to border and we were very grateful for that. You could see clusters of checks coming in from communities that had storm damage in the past five years where they donated to ours too.” He says it’s hard to total up all the donations made by people of services. Some in central Iowa brought in their own equipment paid their own fuel costs to work removing downed trees.

“That part of the county was a very mature tree stand. So a lot of trees a lot of damage that way a lot to clean up. And so, so much progress was made in the first week or 10 days of getting roads back open and getting driveways back open to where you could get back into the property,” Leners says. Leners says he’s gotten a few concerned calls from people back in their property when there are storms.

“There are still some folks that are concerned as we have storm warnings. And of course, now we’re getting back into that season,” he says. Leners say will continue to work to recover physically and emotionally from the deadly tornado. The Bridge Community Church is holding a service Sunday that Leners says it kind of the official recognition of the one-year anniversary. The church worked with those who were displaced when their homes where destroyed.

Another person who was camping at Red Haw State Park near Chariton in Lucas County was killed on the same day by a tornado. There were 15 tornadoes confirmed in the state on that day.