Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley will hold town meetings in Shelby, Harrison and Guthrie counties on August 10-11, 2016, as part of his annual 99 county meetings.  His office says “With these meetings, Grassley will continue his long-standing practice of holding meetings with Iowans in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties every year. Grassley has held a meeting in every county, every year since he was first elected to serve in the U.S. Senate. His question-and-answer sessions are open topic and cover whatever subjects those attending choose to raise.”

Grassley’s town meeting schedule for Wednesday, August 10, and Thursday, August 11, is as follows:

Shelby County

Wednesday, August 10, 2016: 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Shelby County Farm Bureau (908 6th Street), Harlan.

Harrison County

Wednesday, August 10, 2016: 2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m., Main Street Station ( 303 Walker Street), Woodbine. 

Guthrie County

Thursday, August 11, 2016: 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Guthrie County Hospital – Conference Room 710 (North 12th Street), Guthrie Center.

An Iowa State University graduate is paving the way as a new type of designer in the auto industry. Adam Carlson from Davenport graduated from Iowa State with dual degrees in mechanical engineering and industrial design, which earned him the nickname of “Purple Squirrel” when he went to work at Ford Motor Company. “A purple squirrel is actually an H-R term to basically let management know that they are looking for something that is very hard to find,” Nelson says. He says the nickname was as unusual, but he knows why he got it.

“It was very hard to find somebody with an industrial design as well as mechanical engineering, so the nickname stuck. At this point they just call me Adam, it’s understood what I do, but it was quite the nickname to have right from the git go,” Nelson says. He says the work involved in dual degrees may be a reason why there aren’t more people like him.

“I think a lot of it is education, both degrees are each a four-year degree,” according to Nelson. “And it is very hard to find somebody who does both the technical side of the engineering as well as the aesthetic side of the design. So, it is utilizing both sides of the brain– both right and left.” Nelson says there also seems to be a tendency to have people focus on just one area of expertise.

“Yeah, I think we definitely pigeonhole individuals into a certain field,” Nelson says. “…For me it was something that I didn’t want, I wanted to do both. I wanted sketch and draw and create, as well as to actually understand the mechanical principles. To actually bring a product to life.” Nelson says knowing mechanical issues can help you create something on the design side quicker with less mistakes that have to be redone. For example, if a certain angle looks good on a car, but you know mechanically it may create more drag and higher gas mileage, you can change it early on.

“In the automotive industry prototypes are incredibly expensive. Usually you go to market and the first round of prototypes you use hard tooling, and if you make a mistake somewhere along the way and you have to throw out millions of dollars of tools for production, that gets incredibly expensive,” Nelson explains. While he may be a purple squirrel now, Nelson says there will be more and more openings for people who have the same skills.

“What we’re finding, is that we need more people who have an understanding of the virtual world and drawing up shapes, but also people can talk the language of engineering and communicate well. And it may not just be between design and engineering, but it also may be between design and business or engineering and business,” Nelson says. Nelson is 24-years-old and his work involves designing and building to deal with wind noise in cars.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating the armed robbery of a convenience store. Authorities say at around 1:26-p.m. today (Monday), officers with the Council Bluffs Police Department responded to the Shell Speedy Mart (at 3624 9th Avenue) for an armed robbery at the business. The suspect had fled the area prior to the arrival of officers. A cashier at the business told officers that the suspect entered the business and pointed a handgun at him stating “Give me the money”.

The suspect fled with an undetermined amount cash belonging to the business. The suspect is described as a Black male 5’8” to 6’0” tall, approximately 250 lbs., estimated to be in his mid-twenties and wearing dark clothing. This case remains under investigation by the Council Bluffs Police Department.

Anyone having any information about the robbery is encouraged to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at (712) 328-4728 or Crime Stoppers at (712) 328-7867

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad says he’s meeting with Iowa groups this summer to discuss a new proposal to fund water quality initiatives in the state, but it’s unclear if he’ll have backing in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Branstad told reporters Monday he’s traveling Iowa to meet farmers, educators and community leaders to pitch a plan that would use some money typically designated for school infrastructure to pay for water improvement.

The idea is similar to a funding proposal that didn’t pass during the legislative session. The new plan would use a different funding formula and go into effect later. Branstad was vague about whether he has support in the Democratic-led Senate, where leaders haven’t commented on the plan. Branstad noted he may have more success if Republicans take control of the chamber.

Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke said today (Monday), the filing period for all counties with regard to the November 8th General Election, will begin on Monday, August 8, 2016 and will run through August 31, 2016 at 5 P.M.  This applies to NPPO candidates and candidates nominated by petition for county and township officers. Anyone with questions regarding the number of signatures necessary for each petition should contact the Montgomery County Auditor’s office 712-623-5127 or visit the Secretary of State website www.sos.iowa.gov

Saturday, October 29, 2016: VOTER PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE for election.  There is Election Day registration, but specific documentation must be provided.  If possible, register before Election Day.

Friday, November 4, 2016: Deadline to Request Absentee Ballot by mail is 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016   ELECTION DAY:Polls open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Polling Places: Red Oak Gold Fair Building, Red Oak Fire Station, Red Oak First Christian Church, Elliott Community Building, Stanton Fire Department, Grant Fire Department and Villisca Community Building

ABSENTEE BALLOTS WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTER SEPTEMBER 29, 2016, AT THE AUDITOR’S OFFICE TO BE VOTED THROUGH MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016. Those requesting by mail should send requests as soon as possible.

Party Affiliated Candidates On Ballot:

County Offices

Montgomery County Auditor

Stephanie Burke (Rep) – Incumbent

Montgomery County Sheriff

Joseph Sampson (Rep) – Incumbent

Supervisor District #3

Bryant Amos (Rep) – Incumbent

Supervisor District #5

Donna Robinson (Rep)- Incumbent

Interested candidates may also file papers for the following offices: Township Trustees, Township Clerks, County Hospital Trustees, Soil and Water Conservation Board, and County Agricultural Extension.

Other offices on the ballot will include:

Red Oak School District -a School Board Vacancy on the General Ballot.

Montgomery County Supervisor District #2 vacancy.

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.  If anyone has questions about voter registration, absentee ballots, or voting, call the Auditor’s office—712-623-5127 or visit www.montgomerycountyiowa.com.  Montgomery County Auditor & Commissioner of Elections also has a Facebook page.

Iowa’s public school system is one of the best in the country, according to an analysis by the personal-finance website WalletHub. Iowa is ranked 11th on WalletHub’s list of “Best School Systems in America.” The report examined each state across 17 metrics, ranging from student-teacher ratio to average SAT and ACT scores to dropout rate. Iowa has the lowest dropout rate in the country at 9.5 percent.

The report places Massachusetts at the top of the list of states with the best school systems — with New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, and Wisconsin rounding out the top five.

On the web at https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-best-schools/5335/

(Radio Iowa)