(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A has awarded a co-op in the southeast corner of Minnesota a five-point-six MILLION dollar grant to extend broadband access to farms and businesses in two counties in northeast Iowa. The project in Allamakee and Winneshiek Counties and a neighboring county in Minnesota will connect nearly a thousand people, 42 business and 122 farms to high-speed internet. U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says applicants for this round of the agency’s “ReConnect” grants had to show they’ll meet certain thresholds.

“So that the download and upload speeds are significantly greater and there’s capacity to increase them even more,” Vilsack says.

The grant money comes from the infrastructure bill congress and the president approved last year. In this latest round of funding, a total of 502-million dollars in grants are going to projects in Iowa and 19 other states.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) finds continued uncertainty about factors impacting business as they survey members on their outlook for the fourth quarter. A-B-I President, Mike Ralston, sums it up this way. “The bottom line with the survey is folks are continuing to see a strong business cycle. But boy, there’s a lot of concern about what lies ahead,” Ralston says.

Ralston says finding employees continues to be a concern and has been for several years. He says one other item was more prominent in the latest survey. “A lot of talk about supply chain issues and inflation and the impact that has on materials costs.” Ralston says. “Many, many more respondents mentioned those than is typical, so the business cycle was strong. But I’d say folks are pretty cautious and watching a couple of issues to see what happens.”  He says businesses have been doing a lot of creative things to deal with the supply chain problems. “Certainly looking for new vendors and have had some luck in that regard. But we’ve even seen manufacturers who were sort of combining their efforts. By that, I mean, they’re, they’re placing a joint order. So if they need a certain product, they’ll be able to hire, they’ll be able to purchase at a greater quantity, which brings the price down some,” according to Ralston.

He says it doesn’t look like supply chain issues are going to go away anytime soon. “In fact, I was looking over some information that we had from some other sources about supply chain issues, and the first time we talked about it, I think in a big way, was 2019. And one of the economists said, well, it won’t happen soon, but it should be over by the end of 2020,” he says, “And here we are, you know, approaching the end of 2022. And it’s still there. And so I think our folks are going to expect that supply chain issues continue for a while yet.”

A-B-I 15-hundred member companies of all types and sizes in all 99 counties employing more than 330-thousand workers. Ralston says one thing stands out among all the concerns about supply chain issues, inflation, and finding workers. “Despite all this talk about concern and caution — 60 percent of those who replied said that they expect to make capital expenditures in the fourth quarter of this year. I mean, that continues to amaze me.” Ralston says. “And, you know, business folks are pretty cautious. They wouldn’t do that if they didn’t think there was going to be a good business cycle ahead. So there’s some real hope and that number for sure.”

Thirty-seven percent of respondents expect sales to expand in the third quarter of the year. That’s a decrease from 48 percent in the third quarter and 60 percent for the second quarter of 2022. Eighteen percent expect sales to retract, a five percent increase from last quarter.

(Dexter, Iowa) – Officials in the Dallas County community of Dexter, late Wednesday, issued a WATER EMERGENCY for residents, and asked them to conserve water as much as possible. Officials say the declaration is due to a water main break. The City of Dexter is implementing Stage 4 of the Water Conservation Plan.

Officials ask residents to “Please refrain from any non essential use of water at this time, including washing of automobiles, driveways and sidewalks, and irrigation of lawns or gardens.” Restaurants may only serve water to customers when they request it. The city hasn’t said how long it will be in a Stage 4 emergency.

A copy of the Ordinance detailing stage 4 of the water conservation can be found in Chapter 94 of the City’s Code of Ordinances, and can be found HERE.

(Radio Iowa) – The Capitol Police officer who diverted a mob of rioters away from the U.S. Senate on January 6th, 2021 has testified at an Iowa man’s trial in Washington, D.C.   Doug Jensen of Des Moines is charged with a number of felonies and four Capitol Police officers testified at his trial yesterday (Wednesday). Video widely broadcast and shared on social media last year showed Jensen leading a line of rioters confronting Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman.

Goodman testified that as Jensen and the mob advanced up flights of stairs, ignoring his orders to halt it felt like they were going to rush (him) any time. Prosecutors say Jensen was among the first 10 rioters to breach the Capitol. He was escorted out of the building once, but went back in through a broken window and had to be escorted out a second time.

Jensen’s attorney has urged the jury to consider Jensen’s attire for the day when making their decision — arguing Jensen was not dressed for battle, but was dressed in costume. Jensen was wearing a t-shirt to show his support of an online conspiracy theory.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), Wednesday, announced $35 million in workforce housing tax credits to develop new housing across Iowa. The awards were made to support the construction of 57 housing projects in 30 counties statewide.

In our area, among the projects receiving tax credits for fiscal year 2023, is:

• 106 E. Madison, in Mount Ayr – Was awarded $27,271, for the rehabiliation of a Single Family Attached rental home with four units.
• Western Ridge on Valley View Drive, in Council Bluffs – Receives a $1-million tax credit for the new construction of 102 rental unit properties.
• A Manilla Plus Single Family Detached Home Construction project will receive a $111,731 tax credit from IEDA, for four units in an owner-occupied home.
• And, a multi-family rental property – Manilla Woodland Park Apartments – is receiving a $171,715 award for new construction of 25 units.

Debi Durham, executive director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority, says “Housing is a critical part of Iowa’s efforts to attract and keep a skilled workforce, strengthen quality of life in our communities and grow the economy.” “The awards,” she said, “will help more communities thrive and more families move where opportunities await them.”

IEDA received 133 applications requesting nearly $79 million in tax credits. IEDA had $35 million available for fiscal year 2023. Of that amount, $17.5 million in credits were set aside for projects in small communities defined as those in Iowa’s 88 least populated counties. Projects were scored competitively based on readiness, documented financing, need, local support and participation.

Tax credits will assist projects statewide. For more information and a break-down of the awarded projects, go to https://www.iowaeda.com/iowa-news/ieda-awards-35-million-in-credits-to-workforce-housing-tax-credit-projects/

The Workforce Housing Tax Credit program provides tax benefits to developers to build new housing in Iowa communities, focusing especially on those projects using abandoned, empty or dilapidated properties.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, is joining with Representative Mike Waltz of Florida in what she says is an effort to enforce U-S sanctions against Iran. Ernst says the Biden administration continues to pursue an agreement with Iran even though the country has continued targeting of American military members in the Middle East, and they are verified assassination plots against American citizens in the U-S. “The Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration in 2015. promised to stop Iran’s nuclear program and achieve peace in the region. Neither happened. In fact, Iran’s terror operations increased and their nuclear program was not comprehensively dismantled,” Ernst says.

Ernst says the previous administration proved that a tough stance is needed with Iran. ” President Trump’s aggressive stance toward Iranian terror deterred our adversaries and secured our homeland. The Biden administration’s foolish and fanciful pursuit of peace, through appeasement must be stopped,” she says. Ernst says her bill is designed to kept Iran in check. “The bill would enforce U-S sanctions on Iran until the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that Iran has not supported any attempt or activity to kill a U-S citizen, former or current U-S official or an Iranian living within the United States,” Ernst says.

She says it would codify the Trump administration’s maximum pressure of sanctions and prohibit lifting sanctions on Iran — including those that President Biden intends to lift to reenter the Iran nuclear agreement — until the State Department can certify no assassination attempts or bounties are placed on current or former U-S officials for five years.

(Creston, Iowa) – A Union County man was arrested at around 12:23-a.m., today (Thursday). Police in Creston report 49-year-old Robert Michael Pilon, Jr., of Creston, was arrested at his home on charges that include Operating (a vehicle) while under the influence/1st offense, Interference with Official Acts, and Obstruction of Emergency Communications. Pilon was being held in the Union County Jail on a $1,600 cash or surety bond.

(Lake City, IA) – Authorities in northwest Iowa, Wednesday, arrested two former Lake City Police Officers and the City Administrator in Lake City, following an Iowa Attorney General’s Office investigation into law enforcement officer certification. One of the officers – 45-year-old Anthony Robert Snyder – was hired by the Atlantic Police Department in February of this year, after leaving the Lake City P-D. Snyder, 57-year-old Eric Clifford Wood, and 46-year-old Aaron Lee Alspach, are accused of providing fraudulent information to obtain Iowa Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) certification. All three men were charged with misconduct in office and perjury. Wood faces an additional charge of obstruction of prosecution.

Wood was released Wednesday after posting a $20,000 bond, and Alspach and Snyder were released after posting $10,000 each. Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue, this (Thursday) morning issued a statement, saying “On September 21, 2022, the Atlantic Police Department was made aware of charges filed by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office on Officer Anthony Snyder for an incident raising questions on his ILEA certification process handled by another city prior to his employment with the City of Atlantic.” The Chief went on to say Officer Snyder has been placed on paid administrative leave while our department awaits further details on the situation and determines what actions may be taken.”

[Neither] “The Atlantic Police Department nor the City of Atlantic have any further information or ability to comment further on the situation at this time,” Hogue said. The Lake City City Council fired Alspach in October 2021 after he repeatedly failed to attend the ILEA academy.

(Radio Iowa) – Talks between Ingredion and the union that represents workers at the company’s Cedar Rapids plant have broken down — after Ingredion officials brought armed guards to a negotiating session this week. Paul Iverson of the University of Iowa Labor Center says that’s not typical.  “All across the country workers have been sending the message that they’re not going to take business as usual,” Iverson says. “People are demanding better pay, they’re demanding better hours, they’re demanding more respect in the workplace and so it’s a little odd for Ingredion to be using tactics that I thought had gone out years ago.”

A spokeswoman for Ingredion says about 100 employees have been threatened with violence since the strike began and security had been present throughout negotiations. Ingredion is a multi-national company that turns vegetables into ingredients used worldwide by a variety of industries. Members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union went on strike at the company’s Cedar Rapids plant on August 1st. The union represents 127 hourly workers at the plant.

(Radio Iowa) – A report says there were more attempts to get books banned from the nation’s libraries last year than ever before, and the director of Iowa’s largest public library system is speaking out against what she calls censorship. Sue Woody, who heads the Des Moines Public Library, says she considers equitable access to information a basic right for all. “I really feel like the library has a very important role to defend against censorship of all kinds,” Woody says. “That goes right along with our right to free speech, our right to tell our stories, and our right to read those stories, or as the case may be, not read those stories.” The library system in Iowa’s most populous city has a long history on the topic.

She says Forrest Spaulding, the library’s director in 1938, wrote a document speaking out against censorship and intolerance which won long-lasting, national acclaim. “He penned what is known as the Library Bill of Rights, and that was later adopted by the American Library Association, and it’s something that we still go by today,” Woody says. “It’s all about the freedom to read, equitable access to library resources, and resistance to censorship. They were talking about this way back then, and we’re still talking about it today.” A report from the American Library Association found there were 729 attempts to remove materials from school, university, and public libraries in 2021, what Woody calls very troubling.

“It’s ironic in that when we read other people’s stories, when we read about people who are different from us, it brings us together,” Woody says. “Yet they’re purporting that we did just the opposite and not let anyone read these stories. So this is really an uptick in the last 20 years. I don’t think we’ve ever seen this amount of censorship.” This is Banned Books Week across America, and she says Des Moines’ six libraries are spending the week celebrating the freedom to read and educating the public on the harms censorship can inflict in our communities. No challenges to books have been issued in Des Moines in the past year, Woody says, and it’s exceptionally rare for a book to be removed.

“We have had a few challenges but we typically do not take a book off of our shelves,” Woody says. “We do have policies that guide our actions as to what books we have and circulate, and what books we choose not to circulate, but we will always listen.” Woody says one of her favorite banned books is “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury. She says the fact Bradbury wrote the book on a rented typewriter in the basement of a library gives her goosebumps.

On the web at https://www.dmpl.org/banned-books-week