(Audubon, Iowa) – The City Council in Audubon, earlier this week, passed a new ordinance (#767) amending the Code of Ordinances, by adding Chapter 161, pertaining to Commercial Property Maintenance.  The Ordinance reads as follows:

Chapter 161

Commercial Property Maintenance Code.

161. 1. Purpose. The city’s commercial property maintenance code requirements are intended to preserve the structural integrity of the building and property values while assuring a clean and attractive community.

161. 2. Administrative provisions.

1. The provisions of this section shall apply to all existing and future commercial property, including upper story residential use in first floor commercially used buildings.

2. If a section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Chapter is, for any reason, held to be unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Chapter.

3. Repairs, maintenance work, alterations or installations which are caused directly or indirectly by the enforcement of this Chapter shall be executed and performed in a workmanlike manner and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s installation instructions.

4. Violations of this Chapter may result in the issuance of civil municipal infraction citations and nuisance abatement action by the City with the resulting costs to be reported and certified to the County Treasurer and to be assessed against the property in the same manner as real estate taxes.

161. 3. Minimum requirements. Every owner or operator shall improve and maintain all property under their control to comply with the following minimum requirements:

1. 1. Drainage. All courts, yards, or other areas on the premises shall be properly graded to divert water away from any building or structure.

   2. Weeds. All exterior property areas shall be kept free from weeds as required by this Chapter.

   3. Debris. All exterior property areas shall be properly maintained in a clean and sanitary condition free from debris, rubbish or garbage, physical hazards, rodent harborage and infestation, and animal feces.

   4. Fences, walks, and parking areas. Fences, other minor construction, walks, driveways, parking areas, and similar paved areas shall be properly maintained in a safe, sanitary, and substantial condition. Approved walks shall provide all-weather access to buildings or structures.

   5. Exterior surfaces. Exterior surfaces of buildings and structures not inherently resistant to deterioration shall be treated with a protective coating of non-lead based paint or other suitable preservative which will provide adequate resistance to weathering and maintain an attractive appearance. Any exterior surface treated with paint or other preservative shall be maintained so as to prevent chipping, cracking or other deterioration of the exterior surface or the surface treatment and to present an attractive appearance. All paint or other preservative shall be applied in a workmanlike fashion.

   6. Yard areas. Yard areas of real estate shall not be permitted to deteriorate or remain in a condition that is not in accord with the following: Yard areas shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition, free from any accumulation of combustible or non-combustible materials (which are not used as an integral part of the authorized business carried out on the premises), debris, refuse, or overgrown vegetation.

   7. General requirements. Every foundation, exterior wall, and roof shall be reasonably weather tight, watertight and rodentproof and shall be kept in proper repair and shall be capable of affording privacy. Any hazardous sagging or bulging shall be properly repaired to a level or plumb position. All chimneys and breeching shall be so constructed and maintained so as to ensure that it safely and properly removes the products of combustion from the building.

   8. Windows and doors. Every window, exterior door, and basement hatchway shall be reasonably weather tight, watertight and rodentproof and kept in proper repair. All door and window hardware shall be installed and maintained in proper working condition. No building openings, except basement windows, in a building with any lot frontage on a public street may be boarded or covered in whole or in part. Doors and windows located on a facade of a building with lot frontage on a public street must be properly maintained, painted, and trimmed in the same manner as if the building was occupied. Where permitted by this Chapter, boarded up windows and doors must be a material that is compatible with the structure being protected and painted a color that is compatible with the building.

   9. Outside stairs and porches. Every outside stair, every porch, and every appurtenance thereto shall be so constructed as to be safe to use and capable of supporting the load that normal use may cause to be placed thereon and shall be kept in proper condition and repair and shall present an attractive appearance. All exterior stairs and steps and every appurtenance thereto shall comply with the requirements specified in the International Existing Building Code as adopted by this Chapter.

   10. Signs for businesses. Every sign for businesses no longer in operation shall be removed within 60 days after business use ceases or, if part of the building structure, painted over or otherwise obscured following the guidelines of subsection 5 of this Section.

   11. Transfer of ownership. Any owner of any property as to which an order or notice to repair, improve, demolish, or vacate has been issued shall not sell or enter into any agreement to sell or lease such property unless such order of the City has been disclosed and displayed to the prospective purchaser or lessee as required.

Section 2. Repealer. All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed.

Section 3. Severability Clause. If any section, provision or part of this ordinance shall be adjudged invalid or unconstitutional, such adjudication shall not affect the validity of the ordinance as a whole or any section, provision, or part thereof not adjudged invalid or unconstitutional.

Section 4. When effective. This ordinance shall be in effect from and after its final passage, approval, and publication as provided by law.

DES MOINES – The City of Atlantic was recently honored with the 2022 Tree City USA Award at the 32nd Annual Community Forestry Awards Luncheon in Ankeny. The award was presented by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources April 12th at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny.

“The Tree City USA award is a symbol for communities who have made a commitment to the management of public trees,” says state forester Jeff Goerndt. “Your community has provided an outstanding example for other Iowa communities by enhancing our forest resources and demonstrating the great value of trees in providing multiple benefits for future generations.”

Dignitaries in the photo: Kayla Lyon, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Jeff Goerndt, State Forester; Atlantic representatives are: Wyatt Adderton, Director of Parks and Recreation, Jeff Christensen, Assistant Director Parks and Recreation, and Dolly Bergmann with Atlantic Trees Forever

Atlantic was one of 74 Iowa communities to qualify for Tree City USA status. To receive the award, a city must, at a minimum, have either a city forester or an active city tree board; have a tree ordinance; spend at least $2 per capita annually for its community forestry program; and have a tree planting and maintenance plan.

(Radio Iowa) – Most Iowans have been in an airport, shopping mall or movie theater, realized their phone battery was low, and plugged it into one of those free public chargers. Now, the F-B-I is warning about what’s being called “juice jacking,” where bad actors use those chargers to infect smartphones, tablets and other devices with malware. Consumer protection advocate Micheal Domke says that malware can be malicious.

Domke says “The perfect way to avoid that is to use your own cable, and if possible, use your own charger box and cable with it.” There are warning signs your device may have already been infected, and Domke says you need to stay vigilant to keep your private data private.  “You’re going to see that maybe you can’t get into some of your apps, maybe the password has changed,” Domke says. “Or unfortunately, a big indicator is maybe you log into one of your bank accounts or a credit card account and you see that there’s new charges or missing funds.”

Skimming devices placed inside U-S-B ports will allow a hacker to quickly access your banking apps, contacts, emails and texts within seconds. He recommends never using a public charger, but to instead, plug your own cord into a separate electrical outlet.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood say no injuries were reported following a two-vehicle collision Wednesday evening on E. Sharp Street. Authorities say a 2010 Ford Focus driven by 18-year-old Frankie Lynn Doner, of Glenwood, was exiting Lake Drive to head west on Sharp Street at around 6:45-p.m., when her car hit a westbound 2018 Ford Explorer, driven by 38-year-old Bryan David Diekmann, of Glenwood. Donor told police she didn’t see the SUV when she pulled-out of Lake Drive.

Damage from the accident amounted to $4,000 altogether. Both vehicle sustained minor damage. No citations were issued.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Four Glenwood residents were arrested Wednesday. According to Glenwood Police:

• 24-year-old Jordan Salmons was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail, pending an appearance before the Magistrate.
• 26-year-old Zackary Bond was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault and Child Endangerment. He was also being held without bond in the Mills County Jail, pending an appearance before the Magistrate.
• 56-year-old Joseph Sawyer, of Glenwood, was arrested Wednesday on a Mills County warrant for several charges. He has since posted a $1,200 cash bond and was released.
• 24-year-old Madison Power, of Glenwood,was arrested for OWI/1st offense. She later posted a $1,000 bond and was released.

(Radio Iowa) – A total of 51 films from moviemakers around the planet will be screened at this weekend’s Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival. Eric Dean Freese, the festival’s director, says the films were picked from among 99 entries, the most they’ve received in more than 15 years. Freese says he’s pleased by the quantity and quality of the films, and there’s one thing they all have in common — all have an Iowa connection. Either a cast member or a key crew member was born in Iowa, grew up in Iowa, worked in Iowa, went to school in Iowa, perhaps the film is about an Iowa subject, has an Iowa character, or it was filmed in Iowa.

The festival is Friday through Sunday at the Collins Road Theatres in Marion. On the web at https://crifm.org/2023-festival/

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S District Court for the District of North Dakota has granted a preliminary injunction, stopping the Biden Administration’s new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule for Iowa and 23 other states. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued a statement saying the ruling is a huge win for Iowa farmers, builders and landowners. She says the new rule expands the definition of “WOTUS” under the Clean Water Act and would impose additional federal regulations to as much as 97 percent of Iowa’s land.

Bird says that would likely raise costs and cause delays for infrastructure projects. She says they will continue to fight back against the Biden Administration’s aggressive federal overreach and will turn this into a permanent win.

(Radio Iowa) – Outdoor burning is once again not recommended again today (Thursday) across much of the state. National Weather Service Meteorologist, Mike Fowle, says the combination of strong southwest winds and relative humidity values near or below 25 below continue to make grass fires a concern.”That elevated fire threat, very high fire danger, is going to continue right through the day on Thursday,” he says. A majority of the state has been in the very high to extreme risk area for grass fires all week. Fowle says things should change as we head to the weekend.

“It looks like we are going to see an approaching cold front on Friday so we’re going to see gradually a bit of an increase in moisture so the humidity levels are going to come up,” Fowle says. “And also a little bit less wind on on Friday.” There’s even a chance for some rain. “Late in the day, there is a chance of seeing a few showers or thunderstorms — mainly across far western sections of Iowa — so that’s the good news. We are expecting a little bit of moisture, and then we’re expecting again at least scattered activity Friday night and then right into the weekend,” he says.

Several counties in the northern third of Iowa have been in the extreme danger area, with the counties in the middle of the state and on the outer edges listed at very high for fire danger. The remaining counties in south-central Iowa are listed as a high to moderate fire risk.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The driver of a semi tractor-trailer was injured Wednesday, east of Elliott, when the semi, which was pulling a 2012 Wilson grain trailer (owned by Ronald Devries, of Red Oak), crashed into a ditch and rolled over. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the accident happened a little before Noon, Wednesday, near 110th Street and N Avenue.

Authorities say a 2003 Peterbilt semi owned by  David DeVries, of Red Oak, and driven by 45-year-old Joshua A. Weston, of Red Oak, was traveling west on 110th Street, when – according to Weston – the right front side tire went off the pavement, resulting in the semi being pulled into the ditch. It was noted the roadway has a narrow shoulder. Dispatch reports said the semi rolled onto its top.

Weston was transported by Griswold Rescue from the scene to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

Elliott Fire & Rescue, Red Oak Fire & Rescue, Montgomery County Roads Department and Montgomery County EMA assisted the Sheriff’s Office at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – A gun related bill that’s been proposed for the past several years has cleared the Iowa House and it would make gun safety courses developed by the National Rifle Association widely available through Iowa schools.

The bill would let anyone who may legally carry a weapon leave a gun in a locked vehicle in the parking lot of any public K-through-12 school, community college or state university. The gun would have to be out of sight inside the vehicle. Democrats say it’s wrong to allow more guns to be closer to students and is a reckless step after escalating school shootings. The bill’s Republican floor manager says the bill upholds the Second Amendment rights of Iowans and he doubts parents or staff members who are legal gun owners pose a danger to students.

Business groups objected to having the policy apply to the private sector and the bill was changed so it does not apply to businesses.

An addition to the bill was originally offered by a conservative northwest Iowa Republican and a Des Moines Democrat whose 20 year old son was shot to death in 1997. It calls for age-appropriate gun safety courses in public schools, using materials developed by the National Rifle Association. The gun safety classes would be optional in kindergarten through 6th grades, but if the bill becomes law Iowa public schools would have to offer or make gun safety courses available for 7th through 12th graders. Instructors would not have to be licensed teachers.

The gun policies in the House bill must be approved by the Senate before they’d go to the governor for her signature.