(Radio Iowa) – A Fort Dodge landmark that has hosted some of the biggest names in the music business will soon reopen to the public. The Laramar Ballroom sat empty for years, but last June it was purchased by a group of Fort Dodge investors. Brady O’Brien is the production coordinator for the restoration project. “When my dad first took me in there and he first showed me that they were going to buy it, I was a little skeptical. It just looked horrible inside,” O’Brien says. “Now being able to see…It’s just turned into something really special that I think the community is going to love.”

The building opened in 1904 and was originally the Fort Dodge Armory. After World War I, the brick building became a venue for live music. According to the Fort Dodge Community Foundation Facebook Page, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash are among the artists who’ve played gigs at the Laramar. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper performed at the Laramar on January 30th, 1959 — three nights before their tragic deaths after a concert in Clear Lake.

O’Brien says a relative of one of those performers will be part of the grand re-opening of the Laramar. “We have Richie Valens; sister, Connie, singing and talking a little bit about her history with the Laramar and her brother Ritchie Valens,” O’Brien says. Connie was eight when her brother died at the age of 17. Tickets for the June 22nd opening of the Laramar go on sale this Friday morning.

“We have our house band for that night which will be accompanying tons of local artists performing,” O’Brien says. The State of Iowa provided a 100-thousand dollar Community Attractions grant to help pay for the facelift of the 119 year old building.

The Laramar was a regular venue for Friday night dances and is part of the Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District.

(Radio Iowa) – South Carolina Senator Tim Scott is spending his Wednesday in Sioux City — his first trip to Iowa since officially launching his campaign for the Republican nomination for president this week. Scott’s first stop was the Siouxland Christian School. “The closest thing to magic in America is a quality education,” Scott said. “As a kid, I attended four different elementary schools by the fourth grade and being raising in a single parent household and mired in poverty, one thing I can tell you finding the right place for your kid is really hard when you’re moving a lot.”

Scott touted the state-funded savings accounts that will be available this fall to cover private school expenses for some low income Iowa parents. “Frankly, the governor of this state has done a fabulous job with what has been a signature issue since I started my ‘Opportunity Agenda,’ which is focusing on education,” Scott said. Scott toured the private school, then met with teachers and administrators. Scott was asked about providing better security for schools — and he talked about a proposal from Senate Republicans after the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that would have provided federal grants to train law enforcement and purchase equipment like metal detectors, surveillance cameras and bulletproof whiteboards.

“Providing the resources for communities to make the best decisions that they can to protect their kids,” Scott said. Scott ultimately voted against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which included tighter background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21 and incentives for states that enact so-called “red flag” laws to confiscated guns from people considered a potential threat to themselves or others. Scott said at the time that mass shootings are a painful reminder that congress has failed to have a meaningful and honest debate about the issues surrounding gun violence.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Member of the Atlantic School District’s Board of Education this (Wednesday) evening, approved the purchase, from the City of Atlantic, residential property at 1014-1016 East 3rd Street Place, near the Mollett City Park.  The purchase price was One-dollar. The properties will be used toward the construction of a home by students in the Construction Trades Program. Construction is slated to begin in the 2023-24 school year.

During their meeting on May 11th, the Atlantic Community School Foundation approved $150,000 in funding for the Construction Trades Program. The group unanimously voted to fund a request from Atlantic High School Industrial Technology teacher Dexter Dodson, on behalf of the Construction Trades Program, for $150,000 to allow the construction trades students to build a home from start to finish in Atlantic.

According to the press release, six years ago, a steering committee was created to build a program where students could gain hands-on experience in the trade professions. From that committee work, the construction trades program was established, and since then, the students in this program have built a garage and helped erect the greenhouse at Atlantic High School. From the inception of these conversations, the committee’s goal has always been to have this class someday build a home in the community.

The Industrial Tech Program is spearheaded by Dexter Dodson, instructor for the Building Trades class, and Noah Widrowicz, Middle & High School Industrial Tech teacher, who plays a significant role by providing the prerequisite classes to the building trades class. Dodson said “This project will connect our construction trades program to all aspects of construction. It will provide them with real-world experiences and build necessary soft skills while creating a sense of pride for them in the community and continue to connect the school to many business partners to build relationships for potential future employment.”

With the help of Randy Watts, the drafting classes have produced a floor plan for this home construction project that would include a single-car garage.

Ted Robinson, President of the Atlantic Community School Foundation, said, “I am grateful the Atlantic Community School Foundation is to be able to provide financial support to the Construction Trades Program to build a home in our community. The students participating in this project will gain invaluable experience that they can carry with them for their entire life, and hopefully, working on this project will inspire them to go into the Trade profession. “The financial support for this project has been made possible by the generous donations of community members through annual donations, gifts of property, bequests, and memorials.”

Current Foundation members are President Ted Robinson; Vice President Stacey Bean; Treasurer Steve Tjepkes; Secretary David Wiederstein; and Board Members Kevin Garrett, John Becker, Brad Henningsen, Lucas Mosier, Sue Hunt, Jessie Shiels and non-voting member, Superintendent Steven Barber.

To learn more about the Atlantic Community School Foundation, visit https://www.atlanticiaschools.org/foundation. If you would like to donate to the Foundation, or need more information, contact AMU General Manager Steve Tjepkes, or Ted Robinson at First Whitney Bank and Trust.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce congratulates Jadyn Reid on receiving the 2023 Silver Cord Scholarship. The Silver Cord Program is a graduation incentive program to promote volunteerism in the Atlantic Area. Atlantic High School seniors who volunteered a minimum of 200 hours throughout their high school career graduated this year with a silver cord and were eligible for a $1,000 scholarship provided by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. The program encourages volunteer opportunities with all Civic Organizations and benefits the entire community.

“The Silver Cord program was started as a way to educate students about the importance of community service. It gives students the opportunity to see firsthand how investing their time can enhance and grow their community,” Bailey Smith, Executive Director of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce said.

Chamber Exec. Director Bailey Smith and Jadyn Reid

The 2023 Silver Cord Scholarship recipient was Jadyn Reid. Reid volunteered her time towards the Downtown Beautification, the Chamber of Commerce Nine and Wine program, and other various community engagement activities.

“By volunteering, I have found that I enjoy being involved in making decisions that have a positive effect on community events, fundraisers, and the general benefit of the people and the community I live in. Having the opportunity to volunteer for a variety of organizations has enriched my knowledge of community and business affairs and has opened relationships with adults who conduct important decisions in my community. By participating from the creation to the completion of an event, I feel great satisfaction knowing the impact my involvement has on the people surrounding me,” Jadyn Reid, Silver Cord Scholarship recipient stated.

Chamber officials say they “are happy to recognize this student for her dedication to our community, and we wish her all the best as she heads to the University of South Dakota this fall.”

(Adair County, Iowa) – In honor of Memorial Day, Greenfield artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen is repainting the 12-foot tall, approximately 60–90-ton boulder located south of Interstate 80 at Exit 86,  to pay tribute to our military men and women.
Sorensen started painting the original Freedom Rock® the second week of May and plans to be finished by Memorial Day 2023.

Sorensen says “For the 25th version of the original Freedom Rock®, rather than a collection of random Veterans stories, I wanted a constant theme all the way around the giant boulder. Also, since the original Freedom Rock is visited by all 50 states and many other countries, I consider it, “America’s Rock”, and I didn’t focus on Iowa Veterans, rather, the Veteran’s incredible stories.

2023 FreedomRock

“This year’s version,” Sorensen says, “is of Medal of Honor recipients who gave their life in service to our country. For each recipient I’ve illustrated their Portrait, a freeze frame of what their action may have been like, their Medal, and their gravestone. It starts on the front (highway facing side) with WWI Veteran, Freddie Stowers, moves to the south side (gravel road facing) with WWII Veteran Samuel D. Dealey, then on to Korean War Veteran Jack Glennon Hanson, then on to a couple of Vietnam Veterans William H. Pitsenbarger and Miguel Keith, and finally, ending back on the front side with Afghanistan Veteran and Navy Seal Michael Murphy.

“All these men accomplished amazing feats in the face of overwhelming odds to save the lives of their brothers-in-arms, truly going above and beyond the call of duty.” Sorensen is not commissioned for his work on the original Freedom Rock® in Menlo, Iowa but works as an independent mural artist having completed the Iowa Freedom Rock® Tour last September. Sorensen is working on the 50 State Freedom Rock Tour. He says “I always say I have three goals with ‘The Freedom Rock® Tour’ and that is to honor America’s Veterans, promote tourism and provide for my family.”

Sorensen’s oldest two children, Indie and Michael, enjoy helping him in the early stages of many Freedom Rocks® including the original, filling in sketched areas at his discretion, and his littlest, Liberty, has even scribbled a bit of paint on as well.

For a list of the Tour and other info, please visit www.thefreedomrock.com. Sorensen plans to be at The Freedom Rock® over Memorial Day weekend, including Memorial Day to meet with visitors. Calendars as well as other merchandise are also available to help offset costs for the original Freedom Rock® project.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa appears to have bucked a national trend of rising suicide rates in recent years. While more people across the country took their own lives in 2021 compared to 2020, a report from a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization finds suicide rates dropped during that period in Iowa. Brandon Reavis is the senior government relations manager at Trust for America’s Health. “We saw a three-percent drop in Iowa for overall suicide rates,” Reavis says, “and the overall increase in rates for the national level was four-percent.” Reavis says it’s hard to specify why Iowa’s suicide rate fell while most other states saw an increase.

“It’s difficult to draw conclusions about larger trends based on the rates for single years,” Reavis says, “but those variations can sometimes be the result of increased social services or mental health services in schools, also the changing rates of addiction on the state level.” The group’s report shows a dramatic 71-percent increase in the youth suicide rate between 2010 and 2021 nationwide, and did not offer specifics for Iowa for that time frame. Reavis says that increase can be due to all sorts of factors, including housing instability, job losses for parents, and grief, especially during the pandemic.

“The use of social media can have an impact on youth mental health,” Reavis says. “Just this week, the surgeon general released an advisory cautioning about the profound risks to mental health that social media use can pose. We also know that young people are struggling with a lot of the same issues that adults are struggling with, including climate change and racial injustice.”

The report shows 549 Iowans died by suicide in 2021, which is a drop of three-percent from the year before. It also shows there were 608 alcohol-induced deaths in Iowa that same year, an increase of 14-percent, while there were 475 drug overdoses statewide, an increase of seven-percent. “In the report, we stress the need to implement policies and programs to prevent and mitigate adverse childhood experiences,” Reavis says, “which we know can have a profound impact on the long-term risk of children developing addiction issues and other mental health conditions later on.”

The report also calls for an increase in funding of mental health services in schools. See the full “Pain in the Nation 2023” report at tfah.org.

(Radio Iowa) The Fort Dodge Fire Department will have the first “baby box” installed in Iowa. Last November, after a man and woman from Fort Dodge were charged in the death of their newborn, people in the community started working to get a “Safe Haven Baby Box” in Fort Dodge. Iowa’s Safe Haven law lets parents leave a baby at a health care facility, without fear of being prosecuted for abandonment, but the legislature this spring voted to expand it — so babies may be left at places like a fire station that are staffed around the clock with first responders.

Representative Ann Meyer of Fort Dodge says getting things to this point took the support of the entire community. “Complete team effort. That’s probably why it went so smoothly and so quickly because so many people were working on it,” Meyer says. “No one wants to see what happened, happen again.”

The Fort Dodge Fire Department. (FDFD photo)

Investigators say a woman who gave birth in a Fort Dodge apartment used meth to ease the pain of childbirth, but she and the baby’s father drowned the baby in a bathtub out of fears the child’s cries would prompt neighbors to call police, who’d discover the meth. Both have pleaded not guilty to first degree murder.

The baby box that will be installed in July in Fort Dodge is climate controlled and designed as a safe place to abandon a baby. At least 134 Safe Haven Baby Boxes are currently installed in six other states.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A petition being circulated in Cass County asks for the County Board of Supervisors to call a special election, for the purpose of selecting one of three proposed supervisor representation plans. The proposed plans are as follows:

Plan One: Election at large, and without district residence requirements for the members.
Plan Two: Election at large, but with equal-population district residence requirements for the members. If the county changes to Plan Two, the supervisor must live in the district they represent, but will be voted upon by the entire county.
Plan Three: Election from single-member, equal-population districts in which the electors of each district shall elect one member who must reside in that district.

Cass County Auditor Kathy Somers confirms Plan Three is the format the County currently uses, and has used for years. Plan Three requires the supervisor to live in the district they represent, and only residents of that district are allowed to vote for their supervisor. If the county would change to Plan One, all five supervisors may be elected by the entire county and live in any part of the county.

Somers says Cass County citizens may file a petition if they would like to hold a special election to change the Board of Supervisors’ representation plan under the Code of Iowa. The petition will require 532 signatures of eligible electors, and must be filed with the county auditor’s office by June first, 2023.

If a petition is filed, the special election will take place Tuesday, August first. Voters will be asked to select one of three plans allowed by the state for their county supervisor representation. The plan with the most votes will be adopted.

If Plan One or Plan Two is adopted, the November, 2024 general election will elect supervisors under the new representation plan and the current supervisors’ terms will expire January 1, 2025 unless they are re-elected under the new plan. A new plan must remain in effect for at least six years once it is adopted at a special election.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Shelby County Auditor Mark Maxwell reports the Shelby County Board of Supervisors met in a special session Tuesday morning, during which they held the first of three hearings required in the process to place the county funded EMS on the ballots this fall, to replace the private business that now provides the service to Shelby County. The private ambulance service has notified County officials it will be stopping service in the upcoming years. The public is encouraged to comment with written comment or in person about the intent and EMS resolutions regarding the intentions of the Board of Supervisors.

The Supervisors received comments from Shelby County EMA Coordinator Alex Londo. Londo thanked all of those who were involved in the last year and a half of preparation and planning for the countywide emergency medical services to be put in-place by the voters. The current private provider is retiring, and 24/7 staffed services will be provided countywide if all prerequisite proceedings are accomplished and a vote on a public measure passes with a more than 60% voter approval. Local volunteer EMS services will also be funded by the proposed ballot measure. Londo mentioned many relevant documents are and others will be available on the Shelby County Website.

Tim Plumb of the Irwin Volunteer EMS and EMS Advisory Council said that years ago they had 18 trained volunteers, that number has dropped to 4 in that organization. Working outside of town and training requirements were mention as a few reasons for the drop in volunteers. Plumb mentioned that this is not just a local, but a nationwide problem in rural areas. Plumb said Cooperation with neighboring counties is important and does happen with the rural volunteer organizations. Larry Madson, a Trustee for Monroe Township, had questions about one county having Countywide EMS and one County not providing the service and how would these situations be solved. Those present said cooperation between volunteer organizations is and has been happening for years, it was implied that the same cooperation would happen with a countywide EMS service.

Having no more apparent comments for the hearing, Schaben made a motion to close the hearing and approved a Resolution, Declaring Emergency Medical Services (EMS) an Essential Service in Shelby County, and setting forth a funding mechanism for said services, and recognizes the need for the appointment of a Shelby County EMS System Advisory Council to provide guidance, research, and direction of EMS in Shelby County for the Board of Supervisors. Upon adoption of a resolution declaring emergency medical services to be an essential County service…a county board of supervisors may offer for voter approval the authorization to impose any of the following taxes or a combination of the following taxes: Local option income surtax not to exceed 1%. An ad valorem property tax (proportionate to the estimated value of the goods or transaction concerned) not to exceed seventy-five cents per one thousand dollars of taxable value on all taxable property within the county.

The resolution will be considered and voted on for approval at two meetings by the board prior to the third and final meeting at which the resolution is to be finally approved by the majority of the board and notice of the first meeting of the board at which the resolution was considered and voted on was published not less than sixty days prior to the date of the meeting in one or more newspapers. The Resolution states “There shall be placed on the ballot to be voted on at the general election to be held on November 7, 2023, a proposal to fund Shelby County Emergency Medical Services by the imposition of the following taxes or combination thereof:

• A local option surtax not to exceed one percent (1%);
• An Ad Valorem property tax not to exceed seventy-five cents ($.75) per one thousand dollars ($1000.00) of taxable value on all taxable property within the County.

The Supervisors then discussed and approved a Shelby County Fair Boards request of consideration to enter into a lease agreement for the purpose of having a tractor available at the Shelby County Fairgrounds this coming summer. The Shelby County Fair Board will receive a substantial discount if the Supervisors approve this lease agreement and contribute $1.00 towards the lease. The Shelby County Fair Board will pay the insurance costs and liability and any other costs associated with this agreement. The tractor will be stored at the fairgrounds and available for use during the races at the Shelby County Speedway.

Resolution 2023-31 was then discussed for an amendment to the 2023 budget. Auditor Mark Maxwell explained that the Medical Examiner Department is required to pay for State Medical Examiner Autopsies for Shelby County residents and the amount this year has exceeded $12,000 over the largest amount ever spent for autopsies in a years’ time in Shelby County.  If an autopsy is ordered for a case that involves an out of county, Iowa resident, that home county is charged back for the Shelby County expenses. The expenses, Maxwell says, have outpaced receipts received by other Counties by under $1,000, none the less the extra expenditures must be amended.  Last year $17,000 spent, the year before $12,000 was spent. In 2023, year-to-date expenditures are $36,000, with $12,000.00 occurring in May alone.

A payment in July of 2022 that was accrued to fiscal year 2022 was one factor that put the Risk Management Department over budget by about $6,700.  Property Insurance premiums paid in the same department in December of 2022 had over normal increases that used up reserve spending in that department also. That department is less than $12,000 over budget in spending including the accrued payment in July.  Auditor Maxwell is awaiting an answer from the Counties Auditing firm to see if this amendment would be needed if it happens again.  A few departments have had excess revenues over budgeted amounts those have been included in the proposed amendment. The IT department had spent more than budgeted in Capital and the recent hiring of an IT Director has made it necessary to amend the IT budget. The needed Capital will come from Capital reserves in the IT budget.

The Board of Supervisors in Shelby County, passed a resolution fixing June 20, 2023 at 9-a.m. as the date and time for a public hearing on a budget amendment. The hearing will be held in the Supervisor’s Chambers in the Courthouse in Shelby County, Iowa. The proposed expenditure service areas amended are as follows: Physical health and Legal Services $7,000, Administration $25,000. Revenues Local option Sales tax $6,000, Rents, $20,000 and Miscellaneous Receipts $23,000.

DES MOINES – Today (Wednesday), Governor Kim Reynolds, Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, and the Iowa Economic Development Authority announced that three $50,000 grants have been awarded to Calhoun County Public Health, Cass County Board of Health, and Van Buren County Hospital to test an innovative program aimed at decreasing emergency response times in rural Iowa. The total grant funding of $150,000 was made available through the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative.

The program, called Iowa United First Aid, is a model that was adapted from the Israeli nonprofit United Hatzalah (which translates to “United Rescue”). The Israeli model uses technology to crowdsource nearby volunteer emergency responders and has driven response times down to an average of ninety seconds in cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and to three minutes on average across the country.

In Iowa, the program will equip trained volunteers with an app on their phone that delivers 911 dispatch alerts when an emergency occurs in their vicinity. Volunteers will be trained and supplied with the materials and equipment necessary to perform first aid, bleeding control, CPR, and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). The goal is for volunteers to quickly respond to emergencies in nearby areas and stabilize victims while an ambulance is on the way, decreasing the amount of time it takes to receive lifesaving assistance.

“I’m proud that the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative created the Iowa United First Aid program,” said Governor Reynolds. “This is what the initiative was intended to do – seek innovative ways to impact the quality of rural life in our state.  Iowans deeply value service to their communities and their neighbors, and I believe this program and its volunteers will make a tremendous difference in improving access to emergency services in rural communities and saving lives.”

“This model holds real promise in using technology and innovation to solve a serious challenge facing our rural communities,” said Lt. Governor Gregg. “I appreciate and commend the applicants who have stepped up to lead the way.”

Applicants were required to provide a minimum $25,000 local match for the grant, for at least $75,000 in total funding to support this program.  While costs vary, it is estimated that this amount can support training and equipping a minimum of 25 volunteers in each county. Additionally, the Iowa Rural Development Council has provided grant funds which will assist in the purchase of first aid supply bags, equipment, and safety identification vests for volunteers. The technology has been donated by NowForce and PulsePoint for the program’s pilot year.

For more information on Iowa United First Aid and other Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative programs, visit iowaeda.com/empower-rural-iowa.