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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
(Radio Iowa)- The Iowa Senate has voted to make it illegal for all drivers to use a hand-held smart phone while a vehicle is in motion.
Drivers under the age of 18 years have long been prohibited from using electronic devices, unless the vehicle is off the roadway and stopped, but efforts to extend that policy to adult drivers have stalled in the legislature for more than a decade.
Senator Mark Lofgren of Muscatine said the distraction of a smart phone in a vehicle has become a major issue. “Twenty-five years ago, the problem was not as prevalent, but today it is common place and continues to get worse,” he said. “Hindering drivers from messing with their phones by requiring a voice activated or hands free mode will not eliminate all the risks of distraction, but it will define the line not to cross over and, by doing so, will improve safety on our roads.”
Lofgren thanked people who’ve been hit by distracted drivers or had loved ones die in an accident for lobbying for the legislation. If the bill becomes law, motorists ticketed for handling a smart phone while driving would be fined 100-dollars. There would be higher fines and the potential for a license suspension if the distraction of a smart phone leads to an accident that causes serious injuries.
The bill passed the Senate on a 47-to-three vote and now goes to the House for consideration. Twenty-four other states prohibit all drivers from using a hand-held smart phone while a vehicle is moving.
It’s currently illegal to text while driving in Iowa, but police says it’s almost impossible to enforce.
(Radio Iowa) – A reward is being offered for information on an attempt to vandalize hog barns in northeast Iowa’s Alllamakee County. Brian Waddingham of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers says there’s a total of 15-thousand dollars in reward money for the incident in late December or early January. “Someone attempted to throw Molotov cocktails through the tunnel fan openings and light the barns on fire,” he says. Waddingham says the arson attempt failed. “The buildings weren’t heavily damaged there was no fire the pigs were all fine — but it’s certainly a wake up call that we can’t tolerate this kind of vandalism — especially when it not only destroys public or personal property but also could jeopardize the lives of so many pigs,” Waddingham says.
He says they are unsure if the vandalism was random or targeted. “The sheriff’s office is still looking into things. Kind of right now we really don’t have a good indication one way or the other,” he says. “By offering that reward we’re hopeful that somebody does know the person or persons responsible for trying to cause that damage. They do come forward and contact the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department.”
The Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers put in ten-thousand dollars and another five-thousand was added from local sources.
(Radio Iowa) – The founder and C-E-O of Iowa’s largest cybersecurity firm is being named Iowa’s Small Business Person of the Year by the Iowa District Office of the U-S Small Business Administration. Aaron Warner launched ProCircular in 2016 in Coralville, and now has two additional offices in Des Moines and Minneapolis. “We help organizations to get comfortable with their cybersecurity risk,” Warner says. “Essentially, we help companies to sort out risk that comes from people, from technical things — which is what most folks think about when they think about cybersecurity — and increasingly, compliance, things like cybersecurity insurance, and HIPAA and that sort of thing.”
The company started off very small and now has almost 70 employees and offers around 20 paid internships. Warner says in the first year, ProCircular’s revenue grew 200-percent, and progress since then has been steady. “We’ve grown at least 20-30% year-over-year,” Warner says. “We’re actually really proud of this. We managed to maintain staff, we did zero layoffs, and we kept revenue stable through COVID.” He say the company serves a variety of industries, including finance, education, health care, manufacturing, government, defense contractors, and more. While the focus of the business is on computers, “ones and zeros,” and serious technical issues, Warner attributes his company’s achievements to their sticking to the basics of how people matter.
“That’s how we interview. That’s how we hire. That’s when you’re reviewed. The core values. Things like, ‘It’s about people’ are the things that you get graded on,” Warner says. “It’s a really integral part of our firm and making sure that a company as technical as ProCircular remains grounded in people and relationships. I think that’s the key to our success.” Saying he’s humbled and a little embarrassed by the S-B-A honor, Warner offers all the credit to his staff, which he calls “crazy brilliant.” Winners from all 50 states will be recognized at Washington D-C ceremonies over April 30th and May 1st, during which the National Small Business Person of the Year will be named.
More at:
https://www.sba.gov/district/iowa
(Radio Iowa) – Planned Parenthood of North Central States operates clinics in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and the Dakotas and, since Roe v Wade was overturned last summer, those clinics have seen a 13 percent increase in patients coming in from outside the five-state region. Mazie Stilwell is Planned Parenthood’s director of public affairs in Iowa. She says there’s also been a 40 percent increase in second trimester abortions since last June as patients travel farther and Iowa’s 24 hour waiting period for an abortion took effect. “People are jumping through unnecessary hoops, having to arrange additional child care, additional time off, additional lodging,” Stilwell says.
Supporters of abortion rights gathered for a rally at the Iowa Capitol Tuesday. “Abortion remains safe and legal in Iowa today, but that is absolutely hanging by a thread,” Stilwell says, “so ultimately we know it’s important for advocates to be speaking up and having these conversations with their elected officials whether there is a bill moving today or not.”
Republican lawmakers, including Governor Reynolds, have said they’re waiting for the Iowa Supreme Court to decide whether a ban on abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy that passed in 2018 may take effect before considering other abortion restrictions.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Senior Alumni Scholarship Foundation in Atlantic is awarding four $2,500 scholarships this spring. The foundation was started in 2003, to provide need based scholarships to graduating seniors of Atlantic High School, who have a GPS of 2.5 and higher.
In 2003, the group began awarding one scholarship of $500, and since that time has been awarding increasingly higher scholarships. Continued financial support from previous graduates and classes, has allowed the SASF to increase the number of scholarships to four this year.
The deadline for applications is April 4th, and the application is available on the school’s website or through the High School Guidance Office.
(Harlan, Iowa) – Shelby County Auditor Mark Maxwell has released the final abstract of March 7th Special Election combined votes from Shelby, Audubon, Crawford and Carroll Counties, with regard to the issuance of bond for the IKM-Manning School District. The final tally canvassed on Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors confirms the measure passed, with 1,146 yes votes and 463 No votes. A total of 1,609 votes were cast. The $7.9-million in school infrastructure sales service and use tax revenue bonds will be used toward a series of construction and renovation projects at the Manning campus. District officials had said passage of the bond issue would have no impact on property tax or sales tax rates.
Maxwell broke-down the votes numbers as follows:
Shelby AND Audubon County: Yes – 173 votes; No – 209 votes
Crawford County: Yes – 197 votes; No – 209 votes
Carroll County: Yes – 776; No – 45
The public measure was adopted as presented.
(Exira, Iowa) – The Exira-EHK School Board, Tuesday evening, set Tuesday, April 18th at 5:30-p.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on the Budget. Superintendent Trevor Miller says they’re still working on the budget.
Mr. Miller said both he and Mallory Meyer will continued their 60-40 sharing agreement with IKM-Manning.
Non-certified staff raises for 2023-2024 were generally around four-percent because they are hourly. That equates to roughly one-dollar per hour, with raises for Associates, Secretaries and Nurse anywhere from 50-cents to $1.50 per hour. The total cost of Non-certified staff raises amounts to $73,488.59. Elementary School Principal Carrie Bauer and Secondary School Principal Erika Van Cleave received similar percentage raises, Miller said.
One of the resignations effective at the end of the current school year, was Preschool Teacher Kirstin Blake.
The others include: Sandra Nissen – ELL Teacher, and Amanda Warnaca – MS Special Education Teacher. There were also several personnel who were hired, including:
Mr. Miller says the Board acted on the District’s Snow Day make-up plan and Early Dismissals.
He said a Board Work Session followed the Exira-EHK regular meeting to discuss ideas for upgrades to district facilities. Additional information will follow future meetings.
(Ames, Iowa) – When it’s wet, snowy, or icy, it can be tricky to see the painted lines on Iowa roads, potentially making it tough for you to see where you are on the road. Because “Safety First” is one of our core values, our team is constantly working to find better, more durable paint systems that will help you more clearly see paint lines in adverse weather conditions, improving your safety on the road. The focus of the Iowa DOT is the interstate system, U.S. and state highways, so our paint program is geared toward those roads.
The basics of roadway paint
Most roadway paint is a fast-dry variety that is mixed with tiny glass beads to reflect light. When the paint lines are covered with snow, ice, or water, the beads don’t reflect light as well, making the lines more difficult to see. In addition, the beads can wear down as snowplows scrape the lines and traffic drives over them, making them less reflective even in good weather.
Because of this wear and tear, we typically repaint all lane lines and centerlines on U.S. and state highways every year, and the edge lines every other year on a rotating basis. Traditionally, all lines on the interstate were painted every year but we are transitioning to a new paint system that provides increased visibility in wet conditions and enhanced durability and will not need to be repainted every year.
Big changes for interstate paint
Some of the changes to the interstate system paint include:
John Hart, director of our Maintenance Bureau said, “All of these changes have been thoroughly researched and proven to improve visibility, making the roads safer for you. We’ve experimented with different options and are now using what is emerging as a common standard for lane line dashes. If you have driven on roads with these alternating black and white dashes, you’ll see how much they stand out, especially on light-colored pavements.”
New paint changes the way we work, at least on some roads
The chemical composition of the new paint we’re using on the interstate requires different equipment than is currently in the Iowa DOT fleet. Hart explained, “Our current paint trucks aren’t capable of spraying the new paint. Buying new paint trucks isn’t feasible since each truck can cost up to $500,000. So, to get the new paint system applied, we’ll be working with our industry partners instead of painting these lines ourselves. These changes are pretty significant and we’re not going to be able to update the interstate system paint all at once. We’ve been working on this transition for a couple of years and will continue to complete portions over time.”
Cost-to-benefit ratio is positive
Hart said, “Since the new paint is more durable, we will only need to repaint every four or five years, instead of every year. With the reduced paint frequency, the cost-to-benefit ratio of the new paint system is positive for the taxpayers of Iowa.”
Being able to repaint every four or five years instead of every year will be good for more than just the bottom line. Hart said, “Because they travel slowly, our paint trucks are hit by motorists at a pretty high rate. Any time we can provide the same or better service with fewer trucks on the road, that’s a safety benefit for both our operators and you as you’re traveling through Iowa.”
More subtle changes make big impacts on state and U.S. highways
While some of the changes, especially to the interstate system, are being implemented over time, there are other, more subtle updates in place to help you see paint lines better on state and U.S. highways.
Iowa DOT forces are now experimenting with a paint system that uses a better resin that is thicker and more resistant to wear. Hart said, “Even though this is a different paint, our existing trucks are able to apply it. We’re still gathering data, but we expect this new paint to be more reflective for a longer period. We are encouraged by the early results and expect the new paint to last at least two years and possibly three.”
Hart said they are not only monitoring the durability of the new paint systems being used on state and U.S. highways but also working with crews to gauge how easy the new paint is to use. Hart said, “So far our crews love the new paint. It seems to flow through the truck better, with fewer clogs. That makes the operation go much more smoothly and quickly. That ease of use also saves time and money and gets our crews off the road more quickly, improving safety.”
(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak cited a teen for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign and Yield the Right-of-Way, following an accident Tuesday afternoon. According to the Police report, the accident involving two Chevy Silverado pickup trucks took place a little before 4-p.m. at the intersection of 2nd and Corning Streets. An investigation determined one of the pickups driven by 16-year-old Hailey Jean Rydberg, of Essex, failed to stop at the posted intersection as it was headed northbound onto Corning Street. Her vehicle broadsided the front, driver’s side of a pickup traveling westbound, and driven by 55-year-old Rebecca Sands, of Red Oak.
Damage from the collision amounted to $14,000. No injuries were reported.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Personnel and Finance Committee will meet 2-p.m. today (Wednesday), in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. On their agenda is a review of several matters which will be followed by a recommendation on each item, to the full City Council to consider during their next, or future meetings.
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