AMES, Iowa – May 26, 2023 – Life provides us endless learning opportunities, and traveling around our beautiful state can be quite educational, not to mention fun. To help you navigate the highways and byways, one of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s most popular publications, the printed version of the 2023-2024 Iowa Transportation Map, is now available.

You can pick up a copy of the 2023-2024 Iowa Transportation Map at Iowa DOT’s driver’s license service centers, county treasurer’s offices, all six Iowa DOT district offices, Iowa’s welcome centers, and the state’s rest areas.

The electronic version to view, print and download is available at www.iowadot.gov/maps along with a mobile app version and a link to order the map.

The map shows all highways, airports, rail lines, lakes, rivers, and major county roads. Detail maps are shown for the state’s 16 largest cities that identify highways, major streets, and city boundaries. The map information also includes a chart to find mileage between select Iowa cities; and an index listing the cities shown on the map, along with their populations and map location.

Because the transportation system is always changing, the Iowa DOT makes several hundred changes to the map with each printing. While the map is printed every two years, the online and mobile app versions are updated annually.

(Radio Iowa) – Ceremonies are planned across the state Monday for Memorial Day. Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman, Karl Lettow, says they are hosting two pubic events. “Our official state of Iowa Memorial Day ceremony is out at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. That’ll be at 8:30. That’s the Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter right off I-80. Governor Reynolds will be speaking, and our keynote speaker is going to be the Adjutant General for the Iowa National Guard, Major General Stephen Osborn,” Lettow says. The other event is a ceremony at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, where the Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg will speak. Lettow says volunteers have put up flags throughout the cemetery and the ceremony itself will be traditional. He says it is important to take this time to remember those who sacrificed for our country.

“A country that forgets why Memorial Day is important. is a country that runs the risk of having to relearn all of those lessons,” he says. Lettow says the Veterans Cemetery is a great place to honor Iowans. “What people have done for us, for us to be able to live the way that we do is beyond most of the common person’s imagination,” Lettow says. “And, you know, there’s no better place for us put our heroes than the black soil of Iowa. And we’re a state that has has done this better than they do and most other places to be honest. And we’re really, really fortunate to have a facility out there.” He hopes everyone will take time to attend a ceremony Monday to remember and be grateful.

“For the Iowans and all the other Americans that have gone before, to make sure that we have this way of life,” Lettow says. Both of the ceremonies will be streamed Monday on the Department’s Facebook page.

(Radio Iowa) – Summer doesn’t officially arrive until June 21st, but for most Iowans, the holiday weekend ahead is the real start of the season. Meredith Mitts, at Triple-A Iowa, says the motor club is predicting more than 37-million Americans will be taking trips over the next several days to celebrate Memorial Day. “That makes this the third-busiest Memorial Day weekend that we’ve had since we started tracking in about 2000,” Mitts says. “This is about 11% higher than what we saw last year, but it still brings us just under those pre-pandemic numbers. In 2019, we had 42.8-million travelers. This year, we’re only anticipating 42.3 million.”

Gasoline prices are holding steady nationwide, but pump prices have risen in Iowa in recent weeks. The statewide average is now three-43 a gallon, though that’s low compared to the statewide average a year ago at four-22. “Some of the reasons we might be seeing those higher prices in Iowa specifically is more people are finally starting to travel,” Mitts says. “The weather’s turning nicer, the growing season, the planting season that’s happening right now. There’s lots of big vehicles out there that are using fuels.”

Iowa’s average price for gas is 14-cents lower than the national average. Triple-A’s Nick Chabarria says whether it’s by car or by plane, Iowans are joining the throng in traveling again, as the figures are approaching pre-pandemic highs. “I’m seeing travel tick up in really all aspects, airfare bookings, hotel bookings, even international trips are on the rise,” Chabarria says. “We’ve been seeing folks making up for lost time during the COVID years and we think that’s going to continue.”

Chabarria says airfares have jumped 20 to 30-percent over this time last year, but he says you can still find last-minute deals. He says some of the most popular summer destinations are the beaches, the West Coast, Las Vegas, and national parks.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a woman from rural Stanton was arrested Thursday, on an assault charge. Deputies responded to a physical domestic abuse call in the 2300 block of L Avenue, in Stanton. An investigation resulted in the arrest for 24-year-old Emily Joann Bass, for Domestic Abuse/Simple Assault. Bass was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

(Radio Iowa) – Next Wednesday is the first day low income Iowa parents may apply for state-funded accounts to cover a child’s private school expenses. The New York based company hired to run the program will check Iowa income tax returns to verify eligibility. Odyssey C-E-O Joseph Connor says if a parent did not file a tax return, they’ll be asked to upload some other evidence of their income.

“A recent pay stub for both parents or guardians from their employer and a letter from each employer verifying annual income for the employee,” he says. The governor and most Republicans in the legislature voted this spring to make about 76-hundred dollars available to low income parents who enroll their child in a private K-through-12 school. Odyssey, the company managing the program, will first make tuition payments directly to private schools. If money’s left over, it must be used on approved expenses like books, software or tutoring available through Odyssey’s website.

The company has been holding online workshops for interested parents this week, with one scheduled for tomorrow and another on Tuesday. Today’s (Friday’s) will start at noon and will be conducted in Spanish. Applications for the state-funded Education Savings Accounts must be filed online. In the program’s first year, the money may be used for private school students in a household at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty line.

That’s about 90-thousand dollars for a family of four. In three years, all parents — regardless of income — can seek the state money to cover private school expenses, however private schools are not required to accept students.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds and the governors of Nebraska and Missouri have signed off on a letter that urges that E-P-A to increase the federal requirement for biodiesel production. The three Midwest governors say diesel fuel supplies remain at low levels and farmers and truckers are dealing with stubbornly high prices. A year ago, the average price for a gallon of diesel hit an all time high of just over five dollars a gallon in Iowa. It’s fallen to about 3-72 a gallon today according to triple A.

The governors say in their letter that soybean-based biodiesel and biomass-based diesel — made with other plant materials — supports the rural economy and expands the fuel supply. The governors of Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri are urging the E-P-A to substantially increase the biodiesel production volume for 2023, 2024 and 2025 under the Renewable Fuels Standard — but so do without reducing ethanol production requirements.

There’s a June deadline for establishing the latest round of E-P-A rules on renewable fuel blending requirements for oil refineries.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Council Bluffs Police Department today (Thursday), took to social media to ask for the public’s help in finding a missing woman. 51-year-old Dianna McCulloch Larson was reported missing on Wednesday, May 24th. She was last seen by a co-worker, on May 21st.

Dianna McCullough-Larson is said to be approximately 5-feet 6-inches tall. She has brown hair and fair skin. Please contact the CBPD at 712-328-4728, if you have any information on her location.

Dianna McCulloch Larson

(Shannon City, Iowa) – A cow on a gravel road was struck and killed Wednesday night, northwest of Shannon City, in Union County. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, a 2011 Chevy pickup driven by 28-year-old Brandon Parsons, of Shannon City, was traveling south on Pole Road at around 11:18-p.m., when the vehicle struck a cow owned by Craig Hoffman, of Diagonal.

Parsons was not injured. His pickup sustained about $3,000 damage. The cow was valued at $4,000.

(Avoca, Iowa) – Pottawattamie, Harrison, Shelby, Audubon, and Cass County residents and businesses served by Regional Water Rural Water Association, are being advised to boil their water before using it due to a problem in the distribution system resulting in a loss of pressure. The advisory was issued as a precaution until bacteria sample results are available.

Officials with the Regional Water Rural Water Association, today (Thursday), issued a recommendation for customers of their Avoca Treatment Plant, to boil water intended for drinking, or to use an alternative source of drinking water. The Advisory does not affect Underwood, McClelland, and the rural residents of these towns as they are on a different water system. The city of Exira is in an extreme conservation state until further notice.

AMU (Atlantic Municipal Utilities) water customers are NOT under the boiler order warning. AMU General Manager Steve Tjepkes, Friday, said they have received numerous calls. He wants everyone to know that AMU customers are not effected by the rural Cass County boil order.

A statement from Regional Water says there was a problem in the distribution system, and that the system lost pressure today (May 25, 2023). Due to the potential for bacterial contamination, it is recommended that the water be boiled before using for drinking or cooking or that an alternative source be used. The pressure loss is affecting over half of our system, prompting the system-wide boil advisory.

The Regional Water system is being repaired and repressurized, and bacteria samples will be collected in accordance with DNR protocol. In the meantime, residents and businesses are being notified via phone calls, website, Facebook, and through local county Emergency Management Administrators.

It is recommended to only drink the water after boiling it first.

• Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water.
• Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice.
• Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
• The water may be used for bathing and other similar purposes. If the water is colored, use an alternative source such as bottled water.”

Affected residents and businesses will be notified when the results are available, and the advisory is lifted.

For more information, please contact the Regional Water Office at 712-343-2413. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791.

When water service is restored, there may be air in your water piping and the water may be discolored. It is recommended to run the first water from a faucet that does not have an aerator screen, such as a bathtub or hose bib. Open the faucet slowly to allow the air to escape. Once the water is flowing, allow the faucet to run until it is clear. The water may be cloudy at first due to air in the water or particles that dislodged as the pipes filled with water. This should clear fairly quickly. If water is cloudy or colored throughout the house and it does not clear after allowing the water to run for several minutes, use an alternative source such as bottled water and contact the person listed above.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Local gardeners are invited to “Hop on the Bus!” and join the fun when the Cass County Master Gardener group hosts their annual bus tour again in 2023. This year’s trip is scheduled for Wednesday, June 7, departing from the Cass County Fairgrounds in Atlantic at 7 AM and returning around 6:30 PM. The trip will be visiting gardens in and around Lincoln NE, with stops to include The Sunken Garden, the Hamann Rose Garden and the Backyard Farmer Garden on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Following lunch, and an optional ice cream treat at the UNL Dairy store, the bus will stop at several nurseries and greenhouses in the Lincoln Area before heading home. A boxed lunch will be provided to all participants with a choice of roasted turkey or ham and swiss sandwich.

The trip is coordinated by the Cass County Master Gardeners, but is open to everyone interested in touring and learning about gardening. Registrations are taken on a first-come basis, so register soon and be sure to reserve your spot on the bus! Registrations must be received by Thursday, June 1 to guarantee a lunch will be available. The cost for the tour is $65. 00 which includes transportation, meal and snacks. Registration forms are available at the Cass County Extension office, and can also be found on the Cass County Extension website at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. A full trip itinerary is on each registration form. Be sure to bring plant labels and boxes to mark the goodies you pick up along the way, and a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated while you learn and shop!

Other upcoming events from the Cass County Master Gardeners include a local garden tour on Sunday June 25 from 2-6 PM, educational activities at the Produce in the Park Market and other summer events, and their annual Fall Plant Sale on Saturday September 9th.

For more information about Master Gardener activities in Cass County, visit https://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/master-gardener-program, call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132, or email Cass County Extension Director and Master Gardener Coordinator Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu. In addition, you are invited to follow the Cass County Master Gardeners at their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CassCoMG to keep up with local events and tips for gardening!