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Iowa Waste Reduction finds uses for a lot of unwanted items

News

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) The Iowa Waste Reduction program’s report for the last fiscal year shows they worked with some 52-hundred businesses to find a home for items that no longer needed. Iowa Waste Exchange Coordinator Shelly Codner says that kept 87-thousand tons of items from landfills. “We are talking about anything from industrial sludge, to stuffed animals and anything in between,” she says. Any Iowans who have a product that they don’t want to sent to the landfill, they give us a call, and we try to find an alternative home for it.” She says for the fiscal year that ended in June they saved businesses three-point-four million dollars.

“That includes disposal fees, freed up storage, transportation. There’s a number of metrics that are included in that avoided purchases,” Codner says. Codner says the fun part of the job is helping people find materials they need at very little cost. “The ones that are probably most rewarding are those that were taking something that is in perfectly good condition, destined for the landfill, and then helping another demographic and serving the need that they have,” she says. For example, they recently were able to send unneeded beds and mattresses from Iowa State University to flood victims in Spencer. Codner says there are many other examples where they have found a new purpose for items.

“During covid, for example, we had an onslaught of t-shirts and the Food Bank of Iowa actually needed additional bags to get the food out, so staff with the Iowa waste exchange actually made t-shirt bags for the food bank of Iowa to use for that purpose. We use the t-shirt sleeves, and we teamed up with the Des Moines public libraries community outreach and we made first aid kits. We made drawstring bags out of the sleeves and made first aid kits for the library to hand out,” she says. You might not think there’s a use for industrial sludge, but Codner says they can find one. “It depends on the composition. If it’s got some nutritional value, there might be markets for that. If it’s if it can be remanufactured into a new product, there is applications for that as well,” Codner says. “If we’re talking about syrupy liquids and those type of things that are coming out of food processing, there may be a nutritional value for that that can go to a food producer, for example.”

Codner says they added more than 400 materials to their database in the past fiscal year. She says last year they kept more than 10-thousand truckloads of material from going to Iowa landfills.

Fatal ATV accident in Montgomery County, Monday evening

News

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man on an ATV died Monday evening near Red Oak, after the machine overturned into a creek bed. Red Oak Police Chief Justin Rhamy reports Jay Douglas Woodward, of Red Oak, died after attempts to safe his life were unsuccessful. Chief Rhamy says the Montgomery County Communications Center received a call about the ATV accident on the trails west of the levy off of Oak Street, at around 5:31-p.m.

Upon arrival of Red Oak Police and Red Oak Rescue, responders located an ATV in the creek bed, with Woodward trapped beneath the machine. After he was extricated, medical personnel attempted to save him, but it was too late.

Red Oak Police were assisted at the scene by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies, Red Oak Fire and Rescue, Montgomery County Emergency Management, and Montgomery County Communications.

Three Libertarians file legal petition to get back on Iowa ballots

News

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Today (Tuesday) is the day Iowa’s Secretary of State certifies which candidates will have their names printed on Iowa ballots for the November election, but three Libertarian Party candidates have gone to court asking for a delay until their legal challenge is resolved. Last week, a state panel kicked Libertarians running in three Iowa congressional districts off the ballot after Republicans in those areas signed petitions saying the timing of Libertarian Party county conventions did not follow state law.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, a Republican, discussed the decision this weekend during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.  “It’s never easy as a member of the Objections Panel to have to tell someone that they didn’t qualify for the ballot,” Bird said, “but the law applies equally to everybody, every candidate, regardless of their party.” Bird says Libertarians held their precinct caucuses AND county conventions on the same date, which is not allowed under state law.

“Just to be clear, everybody gets their day in court, so they can appeal the decision to the district court if they want to, but my position is I’m not going to pick and choose which parts of the Iowa Code are going to apply,” Bird said. “I’m going to uphold the law.” Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, joined Bird in voting to remove the Libertarians from this fall’s ballot — while State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat who also serves on the panel, voted to keep the Libertarians on it.

Sand says the Objection Panel does not have the authority to rule on how a political party conducts its business. The Iowa Libertarian Party’s chair says the decision to remove her party’s candidates from the ballot is a direct attack on voter choice.

The Libertarian Party nominated Nicholas Gluba of Lone Tree to run in Iowa’s first congressional district, Marco Battaglia  of Des Moines to run in the third district, and Charles Aldrich of Clarion to run in the 4th district.

Sioux City museum honoring soldiers killed in action

News

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Mid American Museum of Aviation and Transportation in Sioux City will host a special presentation this month. Museum director Kevin Blosch says it will honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. “Just think it’s an important event where we are going to be commemorating the Fallen Soldiers from here in Iowa that gave their lives for our freedom in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts,” he says. The memorial will feature pictures of each of those fallen soldiers.

“I think it’s a chance for people to reflect, but I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of family members, a lot of pictures being taken. We’ve already gotten quite a bit of response for people that are going to be visiting, and we expect it to be pretty busy,” he says. They will make some changes for the exhibit as admission will be free and they will only ask for a free will offering.

(MidAmerican Air Museum graphic)

“We’re also going to be open all week, from Monday through Saturday, with Sunday being the only exception’ Blosch says. “As right now we’re only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday. But during the event and then hopefully from then on, we’ll be open all week.”

The memorial display opens on September 4th and will run through the 24th.

Incentives for farmers work to restore Iowa habitat, protect soil

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa News Service) – Practical Farmers of Iowa is looking for landowners who want to help restore natural habitat on their property, and get help doing it. It’s part of a larger effort to help farmers become more environmentally friendly.
PFI’s Habitat Incentive program offers farmers a financial incentive to plant prairie strips on their land, for example.

PFI’s Senior Habitat Viability Coordinator Grace Yi said those strips restore habitat for native species while at the same time reducing soil erosion. “All of these practices are going to have multiple benefits,” said Yi. “So they are going to be good for soil health, good for water-quality improvement, and also provide habitat for wildlife. ”

In addition to the prairie strip portion of the Habitat Incentive Program, PFI is also making incentives available to do precision conservation analysis on their land – which helps farmers make use of unproductive acres. Yi said the end goal of the program is different for most of the farmers who apply.

Rolling Farm Fields, North of Dubuque, Iowa

For some it might be reducing soil erosion and runoff into nearby waterways. For others it night be finding a productive way to use other acres. “For some farmers it might be that corner of the farm is low yielding,” said Yi, “it’s difficult to farm with because it’s steep in slope or it has weird turnarounds, so they can’t easily round out the field. ”

In order to be eligible for the program, at least 50% of the area the farmer plans to change has to be unprofitable. The incentive, funded by federal and state sources, is capped at $10,000.

Armed man experiencing a mental health crisis surrenders to Council Bluffs Police at a church

News

September 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department reports a man experiencing what was described as a “mental health crisis,” walked into a church, armed with a long gun and a handgun this (Monday) afternoon. Officers responded to the scene at 300 S. 9th Street, a little after 12 Noon.   At the time of the incident there were no services going on and the few occupants who were in the church exited leaving the man in the building alone.

Arriving officers made contact with the subject and a negotiator established a line of communication with him.  A perimeter was established around the immediate area of the incident.  The roadways were shut down to all traffic and neighbors were advised to shelter in place.  After about one-hour of negotiation with the man, he surrendered to police.  The individual was detained and transported to the hospital for a mental evaluation.

There were no injuries.  At this time the name of the subject was being withheld by authorities due to this being a mental health issue.  He will be cited for discharge of a firearm in the city limits and disorderly conduct.

NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS BEING RELEASED AT THIS TIME

Atlantic City Council to act on engineering agreement for 2025 Street improvements

News

September 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic will meet 5:30-p.m. Wed., Sept. 4th, in their chambers at City Hall. On their agenda, is:

  • An Order to approve an Engineering Agreement with Snyder and Associates, for the 2025 Street Improvements Project. City Administrator John Lund says the non-west 22nd St. projects for next Spring, Summer and Fall, are projected to cost more than $2.1-million. They include 66 street improvement projects, including overlays for the downtown area. 2025, Lund says, is the first year of the new cycle of street improvement projects in the City’s 10-year CIP (Capital Improvement Plan), and should be financed by the LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) Street revenues, which will not impact the Debt Service Levy, and not require property taxes service for the debt.
  • The Council will act on passing the Second Reading of an ordinance “Vacating the 66′ wide Street Right-Of-Way (ROW), a parcel .7 of an acre. The First Reading was passed following a public hearing, on August 21st.
  • The Atlantic City Council will act on approving a second pay application (for nearly $56,000) to Hydro-Klean, LLC, for the 2024 Sanitary Sewer Rehab project – Ultra Violet Cured In Place Pipe (CIIP) lining project. The total cost of the project was $91,500. The first payment of $30,975 was approved by the Council on August 21st.

The Council’s next meeting will take place on Monday, Sept 16th, instead of the regular Wednesday meeting on the 18th, due to the Annual Iowa League of Cities Conference.

County recorders to seek fee increase for printed documents

News

September 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa County Recorder’s Association plans to ask legislators to raise the fees they may charge for the documents they provide. Dickinson County Recorder Ann Ditsworth is the group’s vice president. “Since 1985, our fees have been the same,” Ditsworth says, “and so we have been studying the ways we could best advance that level.” Under current law, county recorders may charge seven dollars for the first page and five dollars for each additional page of a document. The association plans to ask legislators to raise the fee to 10 dollars per page.

“One of the things that we are most focused on for a fee increase is to be able to sustain the Iowa Land Record Repository, which we created in the early 2006 range and since then have continued to develop and maintain and add documents to,” she says. “…Every mortgage, every deed is going to this website that is one spot for all of the state of Iowa.” Ditsworth says the fees would be used to support the website and help county recorders update software.

“Since the time of computerization, naturally software has changed and so that is a part of how we preserve documents,” Ditsworth says. “Historic preservation is a large part of what we do because our documents are part of the American dream.”

County recorders also maintain copies of birth, death and marriage records and assists the state by registering boats and snowmobiles as well as all-terrain vehicles and off-road vehicles.

Largest ever group of barns to be featured in statewide tour

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Ninety-two restored barns will be featured on this month’s statewide tour organized by the Iowa Barn Foundation. The group raises money to preserve the state’s dwindling number of barns. Wayne Frost, a spokesman for the foundation, says all 92 barns on the tour have received Iowa Barn Foundation grants.  “A sprinkling of the barns we have helped across the state,” Frost says. Twenty of the barns have never been featured before on one of the group’s tours.

“I would tell anybody who’s gone out on a barn tour before, come back again because we’ve got a lot of new barns,” Frost says, “and every barn has its own story to tell.” The tour is unique because people can go inside the barns rather than just drive by. Frost says some are working barns. “There’s hay in the hayloft (and) straw; there’s cattle, hogs, sheep, horses — so it’s a mix,” Frost says. “Some of them have spiffied them up.”

This is the Iowa Barn Foundation’s 24th fall tour, scheduled for the weekend of September 14th and 15th.  “The value of the tour is raising the awareness of the impact our barns have,” Frost says. “One of our board members, Dwight Hughes, likes to use the phrase that, ‘Our barns are really the castles on the prairie,’ and if you think of the landscape as you drive across the state of Iowa, all the barns that you see — it’s just amazing, but they’re disappearing.”

About 200-thousand barns were built in Iowa. Experts estimate only 60-thousand are still standing. Frost restored a barn near Waterloo that was built in the 1870s and it was included in the Barn Foundation’s spring tour.

Rural Iowans can get free mental health counseling via video chat

News

September 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa clinic is offering free, short-term mental health counseling to rural Iowans who have limited or zero access to it, in addition to substance use prevention and treatment. U-I psychology professor Martin Kivlighan is co-director of the Telepsychology Training Clinic. He says they’re also providing a learning platform to teach the next generation of mental health professionals, who are in very short supply.

“It serves two purposes,” Kivlighan says. “It helps to train the future workforce within the state, while also providing really high quality services to folks who are in need of those.” Nearly 90-percent of Iowa counties are considered mental health care professional shortage areas by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which ranks Iowa 46th in the nation in the number of psychologists per capita.

Prof. Martin Kivlighan (UI photo)

“There’s a lot of different factors that are contributing to the workforce shortage,” Kivlighan says. “What we’re focusing on is training. That’s where we feel like we can make the biggest impact. So we’re just trying to increase access to training, increase the quality of training, and hopefully keep folks here in Iowa, where they’re coming from, to go back and serve their communities.” In a recent success story, Kivlighan says one of the clinic’s third-year doctoral students has announced she plans to return to her hometown in rural Kossuth County to open a counseling practice after graduating.

“She is just a wonderful advocate of rural mental health. As soon as she’s a licensed psychologist, she plans to go back there and take over the family farm as well as open up a practice to offer services to that community,” Kivlighan says. “So, it’s really rewarding, and it’s great to see this pipeline serving the purpose that we’re hoping that it continues to serve.” They’re encountering no one who’s averse to the technology, as he says the pandemic taught many of us how to use and be comfortable with video chats on our computers or phones.

“I think we all know we’re living in a really technological era right now, and 99% of folks own a smartphone, so it really is something that’s just become part of our everyday life,” Kivlighan says. “Where we do run into some issues is areas that might not have broadband internet.”

Rural Iowans who’d like to use the free service can find a contact phone number and email address at the website:
https://education.uiowa.edu/research/research-centers-and-research-initiatives/rural-psychology-collaborative