(Mapleton, Iowa) – The 13-year-old male operator of an ATV from Mt. Sterling, KY, was critically injured Friday night, when the four-wheeler went out of control and rolled several times, ejecting the teen. The accident happened at around 8:30-p.m. on a private farm access road at18288 Redwood Avenue, near Mapleton, in Monona County. The Iowa State Patrol reports the unidentified juvenile was on a 2003 Honda TRX450E.

The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown from the scene by MercyOne Air Med, to the UNMC, in Omaha.

(Radio Iowa) – The new nationwide 9-8-8 mental health helpline goes live tomorrow (Saturday) as some questions remain about the sustainability of the plan. The idea is to give you an easy number to remember when you need immediate mental health support from a trained counselor or local crisis intervention services. Mental health advocates and law enforcement leaders have pushed for the number. Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson says it can take people directly to the source of help without having to go through law enforcement.

“It helps divert a significant portion of the people that otherwise might end up in the criminal justice system for no other reason than the fact that they are mentally ill,” Thompson says. But rolling out the service is proving to be complicated. The federal legislation left 9-8-8 up to states to implement with federal funding. But it also allows states to impose a new tax on phone lines to fund call centers and even crisis services. Many states, including Iowa, use this kind of tax to help fund 9-1-1 services, but Iowa has not introduced any legislation to fund 988.

Marissa Eyanson with the Iowa Department of Human Services says the state is relying on federal funding to see what real-time demand for it will look like after it launches. “We’re accounting for what we know today to be additional funding available from the federal level. But we’re also looking to detect what that means going forward. Because there’s an ongoing conversation at the federal level for how the effort will be supported. It is a nationwide effort, and it’s important,” Eyanson. Eyanson says it’s unlikely that D-H-S will have enough data available to review in time to come up with a legislative plan by the next session.

Organizations contracted by the state to set up the statewide 9-8-8 call centers have concerns about this — including Community C-E-O Sarah Nelson in Iowa City. “We’re building a massive infrastructure to do this and without knowing if there’s sustainable funding moving forward,” Nelson says. Emily Blomme at is C-E-O of Foundation 2 Crisis Services in Cedar Rapids. She says it’s been challenging to recruit the extra crisis counselors they need with the funding she has. “It’s really hard to say, Hi, you need to have a bachelor’s degree and two years of experience, and I’m going to pay you 17 dollars an hour,” according to Bloome.

Both organizations currently run call centers for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. But Blomme says estimates provided by the national lifeline projects calls to jump significantly under 9-8-8. And so far she’s hired less than half the additional staff she would like to have in place by the launch date. Eyanson of D-H-S says the agency has worked with Vibrant to review that estimate and provide its two contractors with enough funding for the first two years.

“What we’ve told them is that we think we’re sufficiently funded to start, but if their experience tells us otherwise, we will shift and that is a, that’s a promise that we’ll make real,” Eyanson says. If you need help you can 9-8-8 starting tomorrow (July 16th).

(reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(UPDATED) (Radio Iowa) – Nearly a dozen Iowa nursing homes have closed in the past seven months for financial reasons. Iowa Health Care Association president and C-E-O Brent Willet says like any industry, nursing homes face rising operating costs — but cannot raise daily and monthly rates because those are set by the government for Medicare and Medicaid patients.

“Medical supplies are up 35%. Certainly wage pressures are significantly higher than that. Long-term care facilities just don’t have the option that the rest of the economy does, which is either limiting our hours, (but) can’t shut down; we can’t raise our prices because those prices are controlled by the federal and the state government,” Willet says, “and so we are incurring ongoing and devastating financial losses which has unfortunately has begun to result in the closure of nursing homes.”

Willet says it means families and patients seeking long term care have fewer options. At least 45 percent of Iowa nursing homes are limiting or freezing admissions due to a lack of staff according to a recent survey by Willet’s organization.  “I was speaking with an administration the other day in the north central part of the state and I asked him: ‘Why are you still doing this?’ There’s an easier way to make a living,'” Willet says. “…He looked me in the eye and said: ‘I’m doing this because I don’t want my kids to see me as a quitter, because this is the hardest time I can imagine.'”

Willets made his comments during taping of “Iowa Press” which airs tonight (Friday) on Iowa P-B-S.

(Radio Iowa) – Local and state officials are investigating the events which led to the suicide of a man involved in a standoff in Le Mars.

Le Mars Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte says several shots were fired in a home in southeast LeMars at around 9:30-p.m., Thursday, just as officers knocked on the door to serve a search warrant. One of those shots went into a neighbor’s home and lodged in a bedroom headboard.

The officers backed-off and set up a security perimeter, and made several, failed attempts to contact the suspect. The incident came to a head at around three o’clock this (Friday) morning, when the emergency response team entered the residence and found the man — who was not identified — dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

(Radio Iowa) – An official with Summit Carbon Solutions says landowners so far have agreed to let its carbon pipeline run through nearly 40 percent of its proposed path through Iowa. Jesse Harris is director of public affairs for the company. “There’s obviously a lot of questions people have about the routing of the pipeline, about construction, repair of drainage tile, so we want to make sure we address those in a thoughtful way, but we’re very encouraged,” Harris says. “Right now we’re at nearly 40% of the route secured through voluntary easements.”

The pipeline route would stretch nearly 670 miles across Iowa on its way to North Dakota, where the captured carbon from Midwest ethanol plants would be stored underground. In mid-April, Summit officials said they’d secured about 20 percent of the route through Iowa. “Our hope is to be in construction in 2023 and be in operation in 2024,” Harris says. “There’s still several months more that we’re going to be talking to landowners and addressing their questions and continuing the process of securing those voluntary easements, so throughout the course of this year I think we’ll try to secure the bulk of those. This is an ongoing process.”

Summit hosted an invitation-only open house at a northwest Iowa ethanol plant this week. Chris Boshart is the General Manager for Corn L-P in Goldfield, which would be linked to the pipeline. “Our plant is a stand alone 80 million gallon plant. We have 35 local employees here. We have partnership with the local partnership that’s owned by local farmer members, so we have 3000 member farmers that are part of this project,” he says. “We’re very excited about this project and the direction is allows us to pursue in the future of ethanol.”

Jim Pirolli, Summit’s Chief Commercial Officer, emphasized the scope of the overall project. “The investment itself will create about 11,000 high paying construction jobs while we’re building the system and about 1100 hundred well-paying jobs once we’re in operation.” Three companies have now proposed carbon capture pipelines through Iowa. The ethanol plant in Goldfield signed onto Summit’s plan in February of 2021. Pirolli says it’s important to de-carbonize the ethanol industry, which is the market for 40 percent of U.S. corn. “This is one of 32 ethanol plant partners that we’ve joined with to build the world’s largest carbon capture and storage project,” Pirolli said, “so a several billion dollar project that is aimed to support the ethanol industry and production agriculture in the U.S.”

Pipeline opponents say private property rights will be sacrificed for corporate profits if developers are allowed to seize land from unwilling property owners through eminent domain. Earlier this year, the Iowa House passed a moratorium that would have prohibited companies like Summit from applying for eminent domain until at least February of 2023. The bill did not pass the Iowa Senate, however. Iowa Utilities Board officials told key senators they will not begin the formal process of considering applications for eminent domain until next spring.

(Omaha, NE) – Officials with the National Weather Service warn, that with the heat and dry weather, “rapid onset drought” conditions may develop quickly in parts of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Expect the hot weather conditions to continue for about the next two weeks.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Officials with the 2022 Audubon County Fair have announced that due to the heat and lack of livestock, the Audubon County Fair’s livestock judging contest scheduled for 3:00 p.m. today is canceled. There are still other things to see and due at the Fair this afternoon:

The Audubon County Fair runs through Sunday, July 17.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines woman who initially pleaded “not guilty” in connection with a hit-and-run accident last April, that resulted in the death of a teenager, has changed her plea. On Wednesday, 38-year-old Terra Flipping entered into court a written plea of “Guilty” to “Knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death” – a Class C Felony.

Police said Flipping was driving an SUV in the 1600 block of East University Avenue when she hit 14-year-old Ema Cardenas. Authorities initially said another vehicle made it unavoidable for Flipping to see the teenager crossing the street in time.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Democrats are hosting a potluck/fundraiser this evening (Friday 15th), at the home of Jim and Vicki Nordskog. The event begins at 6-p.m. Invited candidates include Tripp Narup, who is running for the State Senate seat held by Tom Shipley, and John Norwood, Democrat candidate for Secretary of Agriculture in Iowa. Persons interested in attending may contact Denise O’Brien as casscountyiadems@gmail.com.

Audubon County Democrats will hold a meet-and-greet with US Senate candidate, Admiral Michael Franken, on Saturday. The event takes place late Saturday afternoon at the Audubon County Fair. At 6-p.m. Saturday, Franken will meet with Audubon County residents at the El Adobe Restaurant, on Main Street in Audubon. The event is a part of the Franken campaign’s 99 County Tour, and will offer local residents an opportunity to hear directly from Franken about why he is running to represent Iowans. This will also be an opportunity for Franken to hear directly from you about the issues and policies that matter most in rural Iowa.

And, on Wednesday, July 20th, Deidre DeJear and John Norwood will be in Atlantic, for DeJear’s Workday Wednesday series. Organizers say the series is focused on DeJear visiting local non-profits, small businesses, and farms, to hear directly from everyday Iowans about their challenges and opportunities. There will also be  round table discussion at the Atlantic High School (1201 E. 14th St.), on Feeding Local Communities. DeJear will be joined on the panel by Sec. of Ag. candidate John Norwood, local farmer Emily Paulsen, and community advocate Vicki Nordskog. The event will be moderated by Kimberlee Spillers. The round table takes place from 12:30-until 2-p.m., Wednesday.

(Atlantic & Audubon, Iowa) – Officials with the Cass and Audubon County Community Foundations have announced organizations providing charitable services within both counties may begin to apply for the fall grant cycle. Each County has $36,000 available in this grant cycle. In each county, only organizations providing services. They must be able to demonstrate broad community/county support and be an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) public charity, a local municipality, or a fiscally sponsored project.

The deadline to apply for funds through the online application process is September 1st. Of the total allocated funds in CASS COUNTY, $4,000 is restricted to the community of Griswold, and $32,600 is available to support projects throughout the county. Of the total allocated funds in AUDUBON COUNTY, $2,950 is restricted to the Exira area, $2,500 is designated for the community of Audubon, and $47,700 is available to support projects throughout the county. Organizations must be in their respective counties, and cannot cross-over to apply for funds in another county. 

Beginning July 15, application details, a fact sheet, and a link to the application form is online by selecting either Cass or Audubon County under County Listing at www.swiowafoundations.org. Applications will only be accepted through the online system.

The two Community Foundations aim to improve the quality of life in Cass and Audubon County, by supporting community needs in civic engagement, culture, health, education, and social services. The objective of the grant program is to fund projects that will have a permanent impact on and in, Cass County. For Fall 2022, the Cass and Audubon County Community Foundations will entertain requests for capital and program support. Requests for general operating support will not be considered.

These grant funds are made possible by the generosity of Cass and Audubon County Community Foundation donors, respectively, for each county. To inquire about donating to either Foundation, please contact the Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa staff or any board member (listed below). Gifts to permanently endowed funds through the Cass/Audubon County Community Foundation may be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit.

Please contact Stacey Goodman (stacey@omahafoundation.org) or Sydney Calcagno (sydney@omahafoundation.org) at 800-794-3458 with application-related questions. All completed grant applications will be considered at the October Board meeting, with applicants notified of funding decisions by the end of October.

Board members of the Cass County Community Foundation are Chair Kristi Burg of Massena; Vice Chair Gaylord Schelling of Atlantic; Secretary/Treasurer Sue Hunt of Atlantic; Sandy Bierbaum of Griswold; Justin D. Hockenberry of Anita; and Mike Tibken of Anita.
Audubon County Community Foundation are Chair, Steven B. Hansen of Audubon; Vice Chair, Pat Kaiser of Audubon; Secretary/Treasurer, Megan Wagner of Audubon; Gina Benton of Exira; Bob Blomme of Audubon; Travis Nelson of Exira; and Donna Olson of Kimballton.