(Radio Iowa) – The Farm Progress Show is back in central Iowa — and one of the innovations featured is a 43-thousand square foot asphalt base made from soybean oil and recycled crushed asphalt. Iowa Soybean Association President Robb Ewoldt says this project demonstrates yet another way soybeans can be used.

“When I was younger there was only oil and protein. Well now we’re looking at different uses that we can use. And who would’ve thought that we could take 100 percent recycled asphalt and basically glue it back together with soybean oil,” Ewoldt says. Iowa State University engineering professor Eric Cochran says this project also recycles old road layers and keeps them out of landfills.

“And giving it not just a new use, but a new high-value use,” he says. “It’s becoming a new pavement that actually serves a purpose and prevents you have from having to buy new hot mix asphalt that is oil-based primarily.”The project on display at the Boone site uses more than 23-hundred pounds of soybean oil from 215 bushels of crushed soybeans. Soybean checkoff dollars funded the soy-based asphalt.

(reporting By Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Democrat Deidre DeJear says if she’s elected governor, in Iowa, she’ll push for an immediate 300 million dollar cash infusion for Iowa’s public K-through-12 schools. DeJear says schools are grossly underfunded and earlier this year her fellow Democrats in the legislature proposed that amount be withdrawn from the state surplus.

“It was based on the response that they were getting from school districts all over the state,” DeJear says, “…to really kind of mitigate the damage that’s been caused, as much as possible, related to the consistent underfunding by this current administration.” DeJear says for the next school year, public schools should get at least a four percent annual increase in general state support. She says that will help schools deal with rising expenses, address unpredictable enrollment numbers and address gaps in student achievement.

“I think that is a good baseline and our students are worth that,” DeJear says, “and if we’re going to think seriously about how we’re going to restore the vitality of our system, then we have to use our resources.” DeJear describes the state’s public education system as the bedrock of our communities and she says it needs real investment.

“Our students are in really good hands,” DeJear says. “Their administrators and their teachers know what’s good for their students and what’s good for their districts, they just need leadership who’s willing to identify that part, that they do know best and that they’re making do with what they have and they need a partner, too, that’s willing to fund this stuff that’s going o be good for everybody in the long run.”

DeJear is also proposing that public sector workers in Iowa regain the right to bargain over things like benefits and working conditions. A state law enacted in 2017 limits contract negotiations for educators and other public employees to a discussion of wages. DeJear says contract talks should give everyone supporting the education ecosystem a chance to suggest improvements.  “We have to hear the voice of the worker who’s embedded in this work,” DeJear says.

Governor Reynolds was lieutenant governor when public sector bargaining rights were limited. Reynolds called the changes long overdue and said they gave taxpayers a seat at the bargaining table. Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann issued a written statement accusing DeJear of offering false promises and he said Kim Reynolds had put more money toward public education every year she’s been governor.

DES MOINES, Iowa, August 24, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today (Wednesday) announced USDA is investing $805,213 in critical infrastructure to combat climate change across rural Iowa. The investments include $697,800 for eight projects funded by Community Facilities Disaster Grants (CFD) and $107,143 for eight projects funded by Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans & Grants.

The City of Anita in Cass County is receiving $500,000 from the CFD grants to help resurface streets which are essential to supporting commerce and transportation needs. The Rural Development investment will be used to help the city of Anita resurface streets which are essential to supporting commerce and transportation needs. This project will include pavement milling, when needed, full depth patching, minor curb replacement, accessible pedestrian crossings, and installation of a 3″ asphalt overlay. The project will significantly extend the life of street pavement sections and promote the safe transit of city residents and residents of the surrounding rural area.

And, the City of Randolph in Fremont County is receiving a $13,500 CFD to assist with purchasing a generator for the community center and fire station. The generator will provide electricity during emergencies and severe weather events.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to investing in rural Iowa,” said Director Greenfield. “With continued investments in essential services and expanding access to renewable energy infrastructure, these grants will strengthen first responder services and lower energy costs for agricultural producers.”

These investments reflect the goals of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which addresses immediate economic needs and includes the largest ever federal investment in clean energy for the future.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Auditor’s Office reports two additional filings of nomination papers were filed Wednesday for non-partisan seats. Officials say David York‘s name will appear on the ballot in November for the Cass County Ag Extension Council, and Julie Pollock has filed for Hospital Trustee.

The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers in order to have their names on the ballot, is 5-p.m., August 31st.

Here is the current list of candidates for 2022 General Election:

District 2 Supervisor– Mark O’Brien

District 3 Supervisor– Wendy Richter

Treasurer-Tracey J Marshall

Recorder-Mary Ward

Attorney-Vanessa Strazdas

Auditor- Kathy Somers

Ag Extension- Chad Becker

Ag Extension- David York

Ag Extension

Ag Extension

Ag Extension

Soil & Water-Gregory D Zellmer

Soil & Water- John J Hansen

Edna Twp Trustee- Kevin A Stender

Edna Twp Trustee- Pat Erickson

Edna Twp Clerk-Travis Erickson

Union Twp Trustee-Richard Hoffman

Union Twp Trustee-Clarke Gerlock

Union Twp Clerk- Cheryl Christensen

Hospital Trustee-Joanne Lorence

Hospital Trustee-Mike Klocke

Hospital Trustee- Roger Herring

Hospital Trustee- Julie Pollock

(Creston, Iowa) – Citing an inability to fully staff the facility, officials with the EveryStep Greater Regional Hospice Home in Creston, on Tuesday, announced they will be closing on Oct. 1st. In a press release, officials said “EveryStep’s Greater Regional Hospice Home in Creston will close October 1, 2022. Members of the EveryStep leadership team met with staff today, as well as patients and families. EveryStep is taking steps to ensure the transition will be as seamless and easy as possible.

“The primary reason for closure of the Greater Regional Hospice Home is understaffing. In today’s environment of difficulty hiring nurses and aides, EveryStep cannot find the staff needed to operate the 24/7 hospice house in Creston. There are currently 10 open, unfilled shifts out of 62 total (16%). Current staffing needs include registered nurses, hospice aides and social worker. Despite actively recruiting, it has been difficult to fill them – a dilemma faced by health care organizations nationwide. EveryStep will continue to provide hospice care to patients in southern and south-central Iowa, but instead deliver that care in a home or long-term care facility setting.”

The press released said also, “EveryStep is currently working with patients and families at Greater Regional Hospice Home to develop individual plans that best meet their needs while ensuring the highest quality care. Depending on their individual care needs, some patients at the hospice house may live out their final days at the facility, while others may be transferred to long-term care facilities or EveryStep’s Kavanagh House hospice home in Des Moines, or they may choose to receive home-based hospice care from our EveryStep Hospice team.

“The 11 employees who work primarily at Greater Regional Hospice Home have been offered other positions within EveryStep. For those who wish to move on to new opportunities, EveryStep has prepared customized severance packages.”

They concluded their message by saying “EveryStep remains committed to providing compassionate and professional hospice care in southern and south-central Iowa. All other EveryStep services will continue to be offered, including home-based care, through our EveryStep Hospice teams and our Creston-based EveryStep Home Care team.”

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa Workforce Development announced today (Wednesday), the schedule of unemployment insurance rates used to tax Iowa employers will drop to its lowest level in 24 years – the lowest rates currently allowed by Iowa law.  “Today’s announcement is great news for our employers who are already dealing with significantly increased costs due to historic inflation,” Gov. Reynolds said.  “Iowa faced the pandemic and its economic impacts head on, and due to our conservative fiscal practices and prudent investment in Iowa’s Unemployment Trust Fund, unemployment insurance taxes in our state will soon reach their lowest rates since 1999.”

Iowa law requires Iowa Workforce Development to establish a table each year to determine the unemployment tax rates that will impact eligible employers. The trigger for deciding which unemployment insurance rate table to implement is derived from a formula based primarily on the balance in Iowa’s unemployment insurance trust fund, unemployment benefit history, and covered wage growth. Based on this formula, contribution rates will be drawn from Table 8 in calendar 2023 after five consecutive years of being drawn from Table 7. The switch means that a business paying the median tax rate (on employee wages totaling $36,100 or more annually) and remaining in the same tax rank as 2022 would pay $72.20 less per employee in unemployment taxes in 2023.

The announcement follows a decision by Gov. Reynolds last year to invest $237 million in ARP funds to stabilize the unemployment trust fund following record payouts due to COVID-19. In 2020, at the heart of record unemployment, Gov. Reynolds also directed that $490 million of CARES Act coronavirus relief funds be used to support the UI trust fund.  “Governor Reynolds’ commitment to maintaining and preserving the Unemployment Trust Fund throughout the pandemic will result in real savings for Iowa employers in 2023,” said Beth Townsend, Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Employers will see, on average, a 25 percent reduction in their unemployment taxes next year, and those savings will provide more resources for Iowa employers to invest in growing their businesses.”

(Radio Iowa) – The Spirit Lake School Board held a special meeting this week to share a plan to increase security on school grounds and possibly school events. School officials say the goal is to have 10 anonymous staff members on school grounds who would carry a concealed gun. Superintended David Smith says NONE of the 10 would be teachers, as he wants to keep guns out of classrooms, but having others inside the building who are armed is key to responding to an active shooter. “It comes down to statistics and what the experts are telling us on the best way to limit loss is quick action in addressing a shooter,” Smith says.

Spirit Lake has security measures in place to limit access to school facilities. Angela Olsen, director of special projects for the district, says tragic school shootings elsewhere involving students shows that may not be enough. “That raises our level of concern as well that they could also have access to our buildings,” Olsen says.

The ten people sanctioned by the Spirit Lake district to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds will have to complete a five-day, 40 hour training course conducted by a Dickinson County deputy sheriff and have a license to carry a firearm. Spirit Lake school officials say statistics from school shootings show a large portion of casualties occur in the first few minutes and this plan is a way to speed up the response to an active shooter and lower the risk of injuries and fatalities.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, agree to abate the taxes in the amount of $1,592 on a certain parcel, following an explanation of the request from Cass County Assessor Mary Anstey.

The parcel in question is also known as Nishna Manor Condo, Apt. #1.  The Board also passed a Resolution to approve a bid and award a twin box culvert bridge project (and replacing the 52-foot bridge, #182), to Gus Construction, Inc., out of Casey. Assistant to the Cass County Engineer, Rich Hanson, explained there were three bids during the letting.

The project can be found south on Chestnut Street, near the Lewis/Oxford Road. Hansen also reviewed Secondary Roads Department activities. He noted several projects have been completed, while others are almost complete.

All that’s left on the G-61 paving project is shoulder work and centerline striping (pavement markings.) He said also, their project pipe projects are finished.

HARLAN, August, 24, 2022 – The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be held in Harlan at Pioneer Park on Saturday, Sept. 10. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and the Walk kicks-off at 10 a.m. On Walk day, participants honor those affected by Alzheimer’s with Promise Garden flowers which signify our solidarity in the fight against the disease. The colors of the Promise Garden flowers – purple, yellow, blue and orange – represent the different reasons why people walk to end this disease.

This year, the Alzheimer’s Association has a goal of raising $35,000 at the Harlan Walk. Last year, nearly $20,000 was raised, and so far this year almost $11,000 has been raised. The money raised will help the Association provide care and support to families in Iowa, while also advancing critical research toward methods of treatment and ultimately a cure.

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease – a leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 11 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In Iowa alone, there are more than 66,000 people living with the disease and 73,000 caregivers.

The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s will also be held in Council Bluffs, at the River’s Edge Pavilion on Saturday, Sept. 24. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and the Walk kicks-off at 10 a.m.

To register and receive the latest updates on this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, visit: alz.org/walk.

RED OAK, Iowa – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst today (Wednesday) announced that Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House Press Secretary under President Donald Trump and the GOP nominee for governor of Arkansas, will join her as the headline guest for this year’s Roast & Ride. The event is scheduled for October 22, 2022 and will include a “Ruck March” for the first time ever.

Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says “Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a good friend and relentless fighter for our strong, conservative values. I am thrilled to have Sarah joining me, and so many Iowans, for this year’s Roast & Ride. We look forward to seeing you in October!”  Huckabee Sanders says “Joni Ernst is on the frontlines every day, pushing back against the radical policies of the far left in Washington, D.C., and I am excited to join my friend at her annual Roast & Ride this year. Iowans, like Arkansans, know that we need to elect strong conservatives in November who will defend our freedom and enact bold reforms.”

Sen. Joni Ernst on a “Roast and Ride.” (2016 file photo from Radio Iowa)

Tickets for Ernst’s 2022 Roast & Ride are available starting TODAY (Wednesday). Click HERE for more information. She held her first Roast & Ride in 2015. Over the years, the event has featured some of the biggest names in Iowa and national politics, including President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Ambassador Nikki Haley, Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Lindsey Graham, Governor Terry Branstad, and many others.

For more information or to purchase tickets for Joni’s Roast and Ride, click here.