(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s Meskwaki Nation is getting National Park Service assistance in preserving its artifacts and history. Johnathon Buffalo, the tribe’s Historical Preservation Director, says before the agreement, the State of Iowa had primary responsibility on the Meskwaki settlement for preserving the tribe’s history. That responsibility now rest with the Meskwaki Tribal Council. “We have been trying since, officially, 2014, I think,” Buffalo says. “We failed three times. This time, the tribe succeeded.” An office is being set up to govern how Meskwaki artifacts, culture and history are handled.

“It’s a very important job, you know,” Buffalo says. “And I think we will succeed.” Buffalo says one of his first projects as an official Tribal Historical Officer will be hiring an archaeologist. The Meskwaki Nation is now among the 222 tribes that are part of the Tribal Historic Preservation Program administered by the National Park Service.

Historic Preservation Offices survey tribal lands, nominate properties for the National Register of Historic Places and host educational programs. U-S officials combined in the Sac and Fox tribes after the Black Hawk War in 1832 and they were transferred to land in Kansas, but some remained in Iowa. In 1856, Iowa lawmakers voted to let the tribal members remain in the state. A year later, the Meskwaki bought 80 acres of land in Tama County.

May 9, 2024 (DES MOINES) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) announced $250,000 in Inspire Iowa grants to projects in Linn, Polk, Scott, Shelby and Woodbury counties. Included among the project awards was the Museum of Danish America, in Elk Horn (Shelby County). Their Danish Ceramics: Beyond Blue and White Exhibition project was awarded $25,000 towards the total project cost of $84,000. The grant funds will support the costs of presenting a major exhibition featuring three centuries of Danish ceramic art and attracting new visitors to Elk Horn before the exhibit travels outside of the Midwest.

Elsewhere in western Iowa, the Sioux City Art Center / Art Center Association of Sioux City (Woodbury County), was awarded $40,000 toward the $140,475 cost of their project: Razzle Dazzle building art wraps for ArtSplash anniversary. This project supports costs and promotion of Razzle Dazzle, a site-specific textile sculpture on the Art Center’s building that coincides with the 30th annual ArtSplash, the Art Center’s signature annual outdoor art festival. See a list of the other projects receiving Inspire Iowa grants, HERE.

The Inspire Iowa program was launched by the Iowa Tourism Office and Iowa Arts Council, both divisions of the IEDA, to elevate the perception of Iowa as a cultural destination and promote out-of-state visits and extended stays, which in turn can generate additional local spending and support economic growth. A total of $250,000 in program funding was available for Fiscal Year 2024.

Officials say the Iowa Tourism Office works closely with community partners, attractions and events, to promote the state’s beautifully vast scenery and unique history. Tourism in Iowa generated $6.9 billion in expenditures in 2022, with more than $1.1 billion supporting state and local governments, while employing a total of 68,607 people statewide. Iowa nonprofit arts and cultural organizations generate more than $750 million of economic impact annually, while supporting the broader hospitality industry and attracting new visitors to our state.

For more information on tourism or arts and culture in Iowa, visit traveliowa.com or culture.iowaeda.com

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken provided an update, Tuesday on Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities. His report came as part of a regular meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors.

And, Cass County Zoning Administrator Mike Kennon reported to the Board on future zoning issues they should consider, especially with regard to setbacks for pipelines, data centers and such.

The last Comprehensive Plan in Cass County was produced in 2003, Kennon says.

He says the current plan doesn’t cover wind turbines, data centers, carbon capture pipelines, etc. EMS and local meat processor services are also not mentioned in the plan.

He said if the Board wants to have some sort of say in those matters, it better be in the Comprehensive Plan before an Ordinance is considered and drawn-up.He said the plan should be updated at least every 5-years. The Board suggested Kennon follow-up with SWIPCO on overhauling the County’s Comprehensive Zoning plan.

In other business, the Cass County Supervisors agreed to accept the resignation of Max Potter as Cass Township Clerk, and Duane Ortgies as Victoria Township Trustee, both were effective as of May 7th. Both have provided many years of service to the County.

DES MOINES, Iowa — [WHO-TV] The Central Iowa Heart Walk takes place in downtown Des Moines in just a couple of weeks. The American Heart Association hosts the walk to get people to improve their heart health and mental health. Brad Feldman and his daughter Avery, of West Des Moines, are the ambassadors for this year’s walk. Brad is a survivor of cardiac arrest and Avery saved his life with CPR.

Brad was asleep when he suffered cardiac arrest in June of 2023. The family dog Jax woke up Brad’s wife Alicia in the middle of the night – alerting her to the medical emergency. Alicia called 911 and Avery, who had just recently learned CPR to get certified to be a lifeguard, performed CPR on her father until a police officer arrived to take over. Brad Feldman says anyone can go into cardiac arrest, and someone trained and certified in CPR can save a life.

The Saturday, May 18th walk starts at the Iowa State Capitol and spans three miles. You can find out more information about the route and how to register here.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — While the Iowa State Patrol says UTV deaths are on the uptick, some cities are considering letting them on public roadways. The Iowa State Patrol points to a trend they’ve noticed over the last two years as deadly UTV crashes started to increase during the same year a law was passed giving municipalities the power to allow the vehicles on public roads. Twelve people were killed in 2022 and 12 in 2023.

This year, troopers are fearful they’re on pace to surpass previous marks — they’ve already recorded seven, and the busy season is just beginning. At the same time, the Johnston City Council discussed the possibility of allowing UTVs on city roads at a work session Monday.

The state patrol warns that UTV crashes happen on paved roads just as often as gravel ones — one of the most common factors they see in deadly UTV crashes is victims not wearing seatbelts.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Des Moines Police Department Vice and Narcotics Control Section has rescued three victims, and made an arrest in a months long human trafficking investigation. According to Des Moines P-D Public Information Officer, Sgt. Paul Parizek, responding to neighborhood complaints regarding suspicious activity at a massage parlor in the
800 block of Hull Avenue, investigators began an investigation in January 2024. On Wednesday, May 8,  2024, investigators executed a search warrant at the business. Three adult female victims were found within the business at the time of the search warrant. Polk County Victims Services is assisting with safe housing, and connecting the victims with support and recovery services.

Huirong Zhou

Evidence indicating forced labor and commercial sexual activity was recovered, and more than $80,000 has been seized. Following consultation with the Polk County Attorney’s Office, 42-year-old Des Moines resident Huirong Zhou has been charged with three Class-B Felony counts of Human Trafficking. Zhou is currently being held at the Polk County Jail.

The Des Moines Police Department Vice and Narcotics Control Section are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged trafficking activity. For more information on human trafficking awareness, and how you can help fight the crime, go to DHS.gov/Blue-Campaign.

(Corning, Iowa) – Officials with ISU Extension in southwest Iowa say an online course is being offered to teens who are seeking employment, and must be certified to drive or operate, tractors or farm machinery for hire. AgSafety4u is designed for youth, 14 and 15 years of age. It includes required 24 hours of training, and a written and driving test in order for participants to be certified. The online program can be used for the classroom portion of the Hazardous Occupations Order for Agriculture (HOOA) safety certification program. The training is required by law for any 14 or 15 year olds who want to safely operate a tractor over 20 HP and other machinery on a farm, acreage or any other business. Youth aged 13 must be turning 14 during the summer of 2024 in order to be eligible for the certificate.

Extension Offices in Adair, Adams, Cass, Montgomery, Page, Ringgold, Taylor and Union County are partnering with the Southwest Valley Agricultural Education Program to provide the additional hands-on training and test-out that is required for issuing a US DOL certificate. This hands-on training will be Saturday, June 1 at Agrivision Equipment, 74235 Richland Road in Massena. The training and test-out will run from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, and participants should plan to stay for the entire time to complete education and testing requirements. Participants MUST complete the training online, and pre-register for the in-person training prior to attending the driving and testing event on June 1. The online certificate course costs $10/person, and must be paid online before completing the course. There is no additional cost to attend the drive/test date.

To complete the online training, visit https://ag-safety.extension.org/ and scroll down and find the “Online Safety Course” option. Youth will receive a certificate upon completion of the course that they are required to bring with them to participate in the driving and testing day. To pre-register for the driving day, please scan the QR code on the event flier or visit https://form.jotform.com/240924783634059. Registrations must be received by Friday, May 24 for the June 1 driving day. Due to scheduling, no late registrations or walk-in registration will be allowed. With questions regarding the training, contact class coordinator Chandler Arnold at Adams County Extension: 641-322-3184 or ckarnold@iastate.edu, or one of the other partnering Extension Offices listed above.

(Radio Iowa) – The Creighton University survey of manufacturing supply managers for Iowa and eight other states was above growth neutral for April after two straight months below the mark. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey.  “The overall Index rose to its highest level since September of last year, and of course that’s a good sign,” Goss says. The survey questions the business managers in several areas and scores the overall index on a 100 point scale. Goss says there’s several positives in the survey. “Inflation is in a moderate range, although it is still a bit tighter than we’d like to see. We asked the supply managers about wage gains and three and a half percent, which doesn’t sound like much it’s better than what we’ve been seeing,” Goss says.

He says the wage gain comes as the wage trend has been a bit down to sideways. Goss says a negative involved workforce numbers. “The supply managers reported that their companies had lost jobs for the month and of course, that’s not good,” he says. “The growth that we’re seeing at employment levels at the national level those are concentrated in certain industries that will be healthcare and government and leisure and hospitality. So manufacturing at the national level has also been declining.” Goss says Iowa has lost around one-thousand manufacturing jobs in the last month, which is not bad compared to other states. “Iowa is holding its own, but again we’d like to see some better numbers in manufacturing — that’s certainly the case for Iowa and for the region,” Goss says. He says all of the states in the index are pretty similar in the overall index.

“Minnesota on the lower end and South Dakota on the higher end. But when you put it all together Iowa is moving I would say, a bit up to sideways in the manufacturing economy. Of course that’s somewhat connected to what we call the durable goods sector and durable goods, again connected to exports. So that’s what we’re seeing,” Goss says.

Goss says some of the managers say the price of fuel and housing are starting to impact their business dramatically.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education met in a regular monthly session this (Wednesday) evening at the High School Media Center. Under the Action Items portion of their agenda, the Board approved the following:

• Renewing a Memorandum of Understanding with Family Connections for another year.
• A Green Hills AEA agreement for paid (managed) services.
• A proposed, modified agreement with the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, re: The Early Childhood Center, Wickman Center, etc., spaces, through the end of  the 2024-25 School Year. The agreement must also approved by the YMCA’s Board of Directors.
• An i-JAG agreement. The District has had an agreement with i-Jag for two-years.
• The Board approved an Operational Sharing agreement for the 2024-25 School Year, with the Griswold CSD for a Transportation Director. ACSD Transportation Director Steve Anderson will split his services 80-20 between the Districts. Griswold has already approved the continued sharing agreement.
• and Sharing Agreements for Boys and Girls Sports: Swimming and Soccer.

The Atlantic School Board also approved the resignations of:  Troy Roach – Speech & Debate Coach (effective 6/30/24, not June 1st, as the previous agenda had indicated), and Caleb Winters, Special Education Para (effective at the end of the current school year).

They also approved Contract Recommendations for the 2023-24 School Year: Makenna Askeland – MS Softball Coach (Summer 2024); Tina Franken – Summer Lunch Position (6/2024 & 7/2024); Terry Hinzmann – Summer Credit Recovery; and Kay Schmitt – Transportation & oversee Voc. Rehab.

And, they approved other Contract Recommendations, for the 2024-25 School Year, include: Jim Brauer – HS Sped Teacher; Amber Moore – 7th Grade Volleyball Coach, Fall 2024, along with Athletic Volunteer Coaches, including: Baseball – Josh McLaren & Darby McLaren, Softball – Bob Gross; and MS Softball Volunteer Coach – Paul Kite.

In her report to the Board, Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen spoke about the Home School Program and School Board Recognition month. She said Linda Nichols – CPI/Home School Coordinator – is retiring, so her position is being moved to Cara Andersen. She is currently serving one-quarter time until next year, when she will serve three-quarters time. The full-time (FTE) home school teacher positions will stay the same, according to Dr. Johnsen. She said the home school program continues to grow, with kids being added every year.

With May being School Board month, Dr. Johnsen thanked members of the Atlantic School Board for everything they do.

Board Member Gini Jordan was pleased to report negotiations between the District and its Certified/Non-Certified Staff appear to be going well.

Late last month, the Atlantic Education Association and the Atlantic School District presented proposals for contracts for the next two to three years during a special meeting. Association members proposed a 9% total package increase for the first year, and district officials proposed a 9.27% salary increase.

Lisa Jones, Director of Finance/Board Secretary, said the District’s financials “look really good.” The District is nearly finished with the current fiscal year, she said, with only this month and next remaining. That means they are finishing-up with the little things that need to be purchased yet this year and thinking about their needs for next year.

(Jones said with regard to nutrition, they are still encouraging those who owe money on their lunch accounts to get payments turned in before the end of the school year.) And, while many in the community have reached out and donated to help the lunch account…

(Jones said there’s still a need, “and so we’re asking those parents to find a way to finish that off or set-up a payment plan of some sort….so they’re not coming into next year with a negative balance, because that does roll over…and that’s not how we want the students to start their year.”)

The Board approved: a five-cent increase in Nutrition Meal Prices for 2024-25; Trash, Milk and Bread bids for 2024-25; and, Student Fees, rates and charges. The fees remain unchanged from last year. The JMC portal will have an application for free-and-reduced lunches, according to Finance Director Lisa Jones.

Snyder and Associates Engineer Austin Sonntag reported to the Board the Storage Building project at the High School, that began last year, is in the process of wrapping-up. The final pay application amounts to $3,739.80. The Board passed a Resolution accepting the work on the building.

The Board’s next meeting (A Special Session for to ratify the bargaining agreement with District Certified Staff) will take place May 15th. A Work Session was set for May 22nd.