The Adair County Board of Supervisors met for a brief meeting on Wednesday morning at in the boardroom at the Adair County Courthouse.

One topic of discussion was changes for collecting plastic at the landfill. They are recently done away with a locally placed bin that residents could put plastic in for recycling and those services have moved out to the landfill directly. They said they have heard complaints from a few residents concerned about more littering and not finding the location at the landfill. The board discussed it just wasn’t effective to have the bin anymore because only very specific plastic items could be recycled and too much other waste thrown in the bin was contaminating the loads. They said the changes at the landfill site have mostly been going smooth.

The board also held some discussion about street repair responsibilities in Bridgewater. There are some questions about responsibility for a current repair job and the county needs to update a 28-E agreement with the city for future repairs. They plan to speak with the city at their next council meeting to sort the issue out.

The Red Oak Police Department reports an arrest early Wednesday. Officers were called at 6:12 a.m. to 1104 North 3rd Street for a female out of control. After investigation 45-year-old Pegge Jo Williams of Red Oak was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault 1st Offense. Williams was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on no bond until seen by a Magistrate.

August 31, 2022 (Des Moines) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) today announced $19 million in awards to help restore 13 historic buildings into new spaces while maintaining their character. The awards were made through the Historic Preservation Tax Credit program.

“These projects breathe new life into historic treasures and help make Iowa’s communities attractive places for people to visit, live and work,” said Debi Durham, executive director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority.

IEDA received 23 applications requesting almost $35 million in tax credits, far above the $19 million available. Projects are scored based on readiness, financing and local support and participation.

The Historic Preservation Tax Credit program provides a state income tax credit to projects that rehabilitate historic buildings while maintaining the character-defining features that enhance neighborhoods and communities. Work completed on buildings must meet the federal Secretary of Interior standards.

This round of awards will enhance historic buildings across the state, including:

• McGregor (Clayton County): The Masonic Block building on Main Street, which was built in 1866 and has been vacant for decades, will transform into retail space with upper-story apartments.
• Des Moines (Polk County): The 1930s-era Globe Hoist manufacturing building in the historic East Village has been restored into new office space.
• Cedar Rapids (Linn County): The 1886 Brucemore mansion is in the process of a multi-year effort to restore the estate’s historic buildings and landscape, which were damaged in a 2020 derecho. The Brucemore is a hub of cultural, philanthropic, and education activities.
• Council Bluffs (Pottawattamie County): The 500 Block of West Broadway, built in 1885 and the longtime home of a men’s clothing store, is transforming into retail space with upper-story apartments.

The Historic Preservation Tax Credit program is administered by IEDA in partnership with the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs’ State Historic Preservation Office.

Large project applications for the next round will be due January 9, 2023, with more than $20 million available for awards.

(Radio Iowa) After setting multiple records during the pandemic, the Food Bank of Iowa is setting yet more records this summer for the number of people using its pantries. Annette Hacker is spokeswoman for the Des Moines-based agency that serves Iowans who are facing food insecurity.

It was hoped food demand would slack off once the panic over coronavirus began to wane.

While most businesses that were closed by the pandemic have long since reopened, other factors are now making life challenging for many thousands of Iowans.

Some may have a perception that the people who use food pantries are homeless, unemployed or both, but Hacker says that’s just not the case.

As demand rises, she says food donations have dropped from restaurants and grocery stores and food is costing the agency more to buy now than ever before. The Food Bank served nearly 122-thousand individuals in May, while the number exceeded 135-thousand in June, an all-time high, while July’s numbers are projected to be equally as high.

The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest on Tuesday of 26-year-old Alesha Young of Carter Lake for Driving While Barred, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bond was set at $3,300.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. of 30-year-old Raejean Mae Steele of Red Oak in the 1800 block of East Summit Street on a valid warrant for Violation of Probation. Steele was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $5,000 bond.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Mills County Emergency Management officials report a Burn Ban that had been in effect since August 6th, was lifted today (Tuesday). Here is the statement regarding the ban (click on the image to enlarge):

WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration is advising the public of an alarming emerging trend of colorful fentanyl available across the United States.  In August 2022, DEA and our law enforcement partners began seizing brightly-colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills in 18 states.  Dubbed “rainbow fentanyl” in the media, this trend appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl made to look like candy to children and young people.

“Rainbow fentanyl—fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes—is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.  “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States.”

Brightly-colored fentanyl is being seized in multiple forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that resembles sidewalk chalk.  Despite claims that certain colors may be more potent than others, there is no indication through DEA’s laboratory testing that this is the case.  Every color, shape, and size of fentanyl should be considered extremely dangerous.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.  Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10-15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose.  Without laboratory testing, there is no way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder.

Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country.  According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, with 66 percent of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.  Drug poisonings are the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.  Fentanyl available in the United States is primarily supplied by two criminal drug networks, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

In September 2021, DEA launched the One Pill Can Kill Public Awareness Campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of fake pills.  Additional resources for parents and the community can be found on DEA’s Fentanyl Awareness page.

If you encounter fentanyl in any form, do not handle it and call 911 immediately.

(Radio Iowa) – A couple of cities in central Iowa have found West Nile-infected mosquitoes in their monitoring traps. Iowa State University entomologist, Ryan Smith, says August and September are generally the peak months for the disease.
“West Nile virus is something that we refer to as being endemic, that means that we are going to see West Nile virus activity and potentially human cases every year,” Smith says. “Since it’s been introduced that that may vary from year to year and the intensity and or how many cases that we ultimately end up with.”

Ames and Des Moines announced they have found mosquitoes with West Nile. Smith does surveillance in seven counties and has found West Nile in three of them. He says mosquito populations are influenced by rainfall, and the drought that has expanded in the state has made an impact. “The numbers are maybe a little bit lower. Things are kind of on the quiet side right now. But when we look at the season as a whole, there’s actually been a pretty surprising number of mosquitoes kind of considering that for most of the year that it has been pretty much under drought-like conditions,” he says.

Smith says all the other things happening can sometimes overshadow West Nile. “It’s easy to kind of forget about, and if anything, I think these reports kind of serve as an additional reminder of it. West Nile is not something… most of the people are going to have very mild symptoms and won’t even know that they have it. But for those people who do develop a more severe infection, it could even be fatal,” Smith says.

Ryan Smith. (ISU photo)

Smith says it’s a reminder to take precautions against getting bitten if you are outdoors and mosquitoes are present. He says there isn’t anything else on the radar right now when it comes to mosquitoes. “At least right now, it is just our West Nile, our numbers of mosquitoes aren’t that high,” he says. Smith says you should still take precautions by wearing insect repellent, and dumping out any standing water where mosquitoes might breed.