WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced today (Monday) that it has invested $8.5 million in Iowa from President Biden’s Infrastructure Law into two rail improvement projects. Nationally, the Infrastructure Law invested more than $1.4 billion into 70 rail improvement projects in 35 states and Washington, D.C. This is the largest amount ever awarded for rail safety and rail supply chain upgrades through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program.

In Iowa, selected projects include:

• Streamline Rail Operations and Improve Yard Safety in Cedar Rapids Project (Up to $5,850,000)

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Co. (CRANDIC)

The project will conduct final design and construction to expand the CRANDIC Smith-Dows Rail Yard through various improvements, such as new tracks, a station building, and equipment enhancements. These upgrades will alleviate capacity constraints, enhance safety for interchanging and switching operations, reduce locomotive and crew truck traffic and emissions, and establish reliable reporting location and storm shelter for CRANDIC operating staff. Additionally, this project will reduce reliance of other yard facilities in central Cedar Rapids. CRANDIC will provide a 50 percent non-Federal match, and this project qualifies for the statutory set-aside designated for Rural Area projects.

• Davenport Riverfront Rail Crossing Safety Improvements Project (Up to $2,749,720)

City of Davenport, Iowa

The project involves final design and construction for safety improvements, including signals, gates, crossing signage, and trespassing prevention measures such as barriers and fencing at multiple highway-rail grade crossings in Davenport, Iowa. The proximity of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad’s (CPKC) rail line to the city’s commercial riverfront district and multi-purpose trails results in numerous safety challenges that require the trains to frequently sound the horn for an estimated nine-mile distance. The project will address the conflict points along the rail line and improve vehicle and pedestrian safety, which is especially important given an anticipated increase in freight rail traffic. The city of Davenport, IA and CPKC will provide a 20 percent non-Federal match.

While the majority of selected projects support freight rail safety and supply chains, CRISI investments are also helping to expand world-class passenger rail to more communities nationwide.  

(Floyd County, Iowa) – A vehicle that drove around railroad crossing arms was struck by a train Sunday evening, in northeast Iowa. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 36-year-old Yesenia Claypool, of Mason City, was driving a 2012 Hyundai Sonata northbound on 6th Street in Rudd, near the railroad crossing, when she went around the crossing arms, which in the horizontal position. Her car was hit on the driver’s side by a Canadian Pacific train. The accident happened at around 7:40-p.m.

Claypool was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Mason City due to the extent of her injuries.

(Radio Iowa) – A report on state water quality by an Iowa State University Extension “Think Tank” finds opinions don’t diverge very much on some of the issues. The director of the Conservation Learning Group, Jacqueline Comito, says they were trying to take the temperature of water quality issues. “And see what was going on in terms of water. Have made any headway in terms of changing people’s opinions or behavior?,” she says. Comito had done some surveys of college students on the issue 12 years ago, but this report includes the first comprehensive survey of college student.

“And I would say among college students, they have more knowledge about water issues in the state than they did 12 years ago. Maybe it’s not as much as we would like them to have. But it’s still, we saw some difference there,” Comito says. Comito used her expertise as an anthropology professor to dig into the responses of the college students. “When we look at their survey data, we see that there is some concern, and there is understanding, there’s just a different idea of who who maybe should take care of the problem,” Comito says. “But among regular Iowans, I think the answer is that things haven’t changed much over the last 12 to 20 years.” Agricultural issues were cited by most people as the biggest water quality concern. Comito says though, it wasn’t a case of blaming farmers for everything.

“What came out in the more qualitative work, the listening sessions, is they understand the complexity of farmer decision making and everything that goes into it,” Comito says. “So I think the urban people are very aware of that, that it’s not so simple just to look at them and say, You got to change what you’re doing.” Comito says that’s a key point in the discussion. “So I think that was one of the big findings in this, is that urban residents and farm residents might find that they have more in common than they think,” she says. Comito says the issue of finding a way to fund the things that can improve water quality.

“I would say what it boils down to is that we do know a lot of the solutions, right? We do know some of the things that we can do, both in our urban areas, landscapes and our agricultural landscapes to improve water quality,” she says. “What we can agree upon is one, whose responsibility is it to do those things? And the second thing we can’t really agree upon is how do we fund this?” Comito says the report should help the D-N-R as they are trying to finalize their non-point source management plan. She hopes it will make that plan more accessible so that the everyday average Iowan can read it. Comito says it should also give insight to those doing outreach and education, so they know what people are thinking and feeling.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says an SUV sustained $25,000 damage and was disabled, when it struck a bull on Highway 48 Sunday night. The accident happened in the 2200 block, at around 9-p.m. Authorities say a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by 27-year-old Leanne Johnson, of Shenandoah, struck a bull owned by Bret Hultman, of Red Oak. Johnson wasn’t hurt during the collision. The bull was valued at $1,500.

No citations were issued as of the latest report. Red Oak Police assisted sheriff’s deputies at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) -A University of Iowa College of Business professor says motivational posters with inspirational messages that adorn many of our workplace walls often do little to motivate or inspire employees. Ken Brown, a U-I professor of management and entrepreneurship, says for a poster like that to have real impact, it has to be bundled with what managers are actually doing day-to-day to keep members of their staff working toward a common set of goals.

Brown says some workers may mock the posters as confirmation their leaders are completely disconnected from what’s really going on in the workplace.

A business called Despair-dot-com offers de-motivational posters, with sarcastic messages like: “The glass is half-empty: Deal with it.” and “Adversity: That which does not kill me delays the inevitable.” Brown says he’s never bought one of the Despair posters, but he’s tempted, as he finds them hilarious.

Of course, some people like the original posters, with photos of pole vaulters or pouncing panthers. Brown notes he can have two students sitting side-by-side for a lecture and one may think it’s the worst class ever, while the other may say it was a fascinating, life-changing experience.

Brown says his research finds people who are naturally upbeat tend to react positively to employee motivation techniques, while those who aren’t, don’t.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn is co-sponsoring legislation that would redirect Russian assets that were seized when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, says the nearly 300 BILLION dollars of Russian money and assets that are being held in banks in the U-S, Europe and Japan should be used to rebuild Ukraine.

A United Nations report issued in June indicated at least 135 BILLION dollars worth of damage had been done to buildings and infrastructure in Ukraine and more than one-and-a-half million homes have been destroyed during the war. Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, says if there’s no plan to shift Russian assets to rebuilding Ukraine, that money will eventually return to Russia.

Nunn, who served on three combat missions when he was in the U-S Air Force, has been a strong supporter of Ukraine’s military, but he says there should be limits on the amount of U-S aid sent to Ukraine.

President Biden has asked congress to approve 24 BILLION in additional aid to Ukraine, along with more money for federal disaster aid and border security. Nunn says those are key domestic issues that should not be tied to funding for Ukraine.