(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Democrats says changes made by the Iowa Legislature and approved by the governor have left Area Education Agencies short staff as the school year gets underway. Representative Lindsay James of Dubuque says there’s a drop of more than 400. “What does this actually mean? Four-hundred-29 fewer staffers in the A-E-As means that there are 429 fewer professionals on the ground providing vital services for kids in our public schools,” she says.

The reorganization plan of the governor gives the school districts the same amount of money and the Department of Education is taking over some services. James and other Democratic lawmakers say they don’t know how many of the A-E-A employees have left to take other education jobs in Iowa.  “And if you look at the Department of Ed those positions that they are hiring for have not been filled. Many, many, many have not been filled. And so what we’re seeing is an incredible loss and re-shifting to bureaucratic rules in Des Moines and positions going unfilled in Des Moines,” she says.

The Governor’s spokesperson issued a statement that says:

“While the Governor and her team were in Northwest Iowa celebrating getting students back to school after a natural disaster, the Democrats were looking backward and telling Iowans half-truths about special education reform. They are stoking fear, but these are the facts: no funding has been cut for special education or any educational services-it’s been given to the local school districts to control. Some schools have hired former AEA employees, while others have chosen to continue to work with AEAs. As schools decide how to best use their resources to serve their students with special needs, resources will naturally shift. That is the intent-to strengthen the education experience for all students, including students receiving special education services.”

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a wastewater discharge at the City of Fort Dodge, in Webster County. Officials say the DNR Field Office in Mason City was notified Wednesday by the City of Fort Dodge, of a wastewater discharge due to a contractor hitting a force main at the Kenyon Road bridge near the Des Moines River.

The discharge was discovered around 4:00 PM. The main transports untreated wastewater under the river to the wastewater treatment plant. It is estimated that approximately 400,000 gallons of untreated wastewater flowed into the river. Repairs are complete, and cleanup efforts have begun.

Any downstream recreational users should take caution and stay out of the river at this time. No dead fish have been observed at this time. The Iowa DNR will follow up with the city for further assessment, and the investigation is ongoing.

To report a release after hours, please call the DNR’s emergency spill line at (515) 725-8694. Quick reporting can help DNR staff identify the cause of an incident. The DNR website has more information about spill reporting requirements.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol today (Thursday), identified a teenager who died in a downtown Des Moines crash Wednesday morning. The crash ended a pursuit that began at around 1-a.m. Wednesday, when troopers tried to stop a stolen car that was speeding on Interstate 235 at 31st Street.

The chase entered the downtown area, where the stolen 2013 Hyundai Elantra with five occupants went the wrong way on Grand Avenue. At that point, Troopers backed-off, but the car crashed into a 2019 Jeep Cherokee on 7th Street. A passenger in the stolen car, 16-year-old Chad Nicholson, of Des Moines, died at the scene. Four others in the stolen car — a 15-year-old, two 16-year-olds (one of them the driver) and a 20-year-old — were were taken to local hospitals with undisclosed injuries. All passengers are from Des Moines. None of the persons in the car were wearing seat belts.

The driver of the SUV, 35-year-old Aaron John Stonehocker, of Adel, and his passenger, were treated for injuries and released.

(Radio Iowa) – A health insurance company is investing millions of dollars in mental tele-health services in Iowa’s K-12 public schools. The Cedar Rapids Community School District received one-and-a-half million dollars this week from Minnesota-based insurer UnitedHealth Group. Superintendent Tawana Grover says the money will help pay for an online tele-health portal that students can use to access mental health counseling.

“It’s one thing to check in,” Grover says. “It’s another thing to spend 30 minutes or an hour with someone that is solely focused on your needs, what you need, what you’re dealing with, and helping to not only listen, but to provide you with strategies that you can use whenever you go beyond the session.” The provider is Hazel Health, which focuses on school-based care. Brian Masterson, UnitedHealth’s senior behavioral health medical director, says starting in the schools could prevent longer term, more acute behavioral issues.

“We’ve been contemplating this for a few years, working with how do you address the mental health crisis in in our society, but also how to address that by working through it so you start an earlier time period,” Masterson says. “So in schools and those types of things, is an opportunity to teach people about the constructs of mental well-being.” UnitedHealth says it aims to provide the resources to historically under-served and rural communities. In the end, the program goal is to impact 100-thousand students.

As of Wednesday, it has funded the creation of two such programs in Des Moines and Council Bluffs. No rural programs have been announced.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak arrested a woman on drug-related charges this (Thursday) morning. 38-year-old Sara Sue Batten, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 9-a.m. in the 1200 block of N. Broadway in Red Oak, on charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. Batten was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa)- Iowa’s Congressional delegation is back in Iowa for a work period to meet with people in their district. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, hopes they can get some work done when they return to Washington. “We’re not in session next week, but we’re in session the next three weeks after that, I’m hopeful we’re still able to move forward with good legislation,” she says. “There’s a lot of time-centric bills that we’ve put out that I’m continuing to advocate to our leadership that we need to move the ball forward on those.” This is an election year and that can often keep legislation from moving forward.

Hinson says one of the key things they have to address is the Farm Bill. “I’m hopeful we’re able to get our bill across the finish line in a bipartisan way, but again, if we can’t by that September 30th deadline, I will support an extension,” Hinson says. Hinson says she’s not sure what a Farm Bill extension would look like.

She made her comments during her weekly conference call with reporters.

(Radio Iowa) – The new Farm Bill that has been delayed multiple times is one of the key topics of discussion at the Iowa Farm Progress Show that’s going on in Boone.

U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says he still feels it can get done yet this year. “Here’s what I’m optimistic about. I’m optimistic about the people who are involved in this process understanding the importance of it, of getting it done, certainly before the end of the year,” Vilsack says. “That’s important, because if it doesn’t get done before the end of the year, or if there’s not an extension before the end of the year, then there’s some ramifications that are pretty dire.”

The former Iowa Governor says both sides have to take the same approach. “To get it done, I think everyone in the process needs to be practical. And by that, I mean you have to take a look at what actual resources are indeed available for any new programs or expansions of existing programs, and try to fit whatever you’re proposing within the real cost,” he says.

Iowa Fourth District Congressman Randy Feenstra says increasing prices paid under crop insurance is a key reason to get the bill done this year. “You’ve got corn at three-dollars and 60 cents, you got soybeans at nine dollars and 40 or 50 cents, whatever it might be. I mean, it’s the killer,” he says. “We’ve got to increase those revenue prices, and we got to make sure that crop insurance is there and available, because we know it’s going to be used this year.”

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack (photo from Ag Secretary’s office)

House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania also discussed the Farm Bill in Boone. “I think it’s urgent that we do that this year. I to me, I have an urgency. I want to do it before the election. I think would that that’s really important. It’s important for our farm families,” Thompson says. He says the bill is being held up in the Senate. “Well, part of it is, you know, the Senate just has 90 pages of ideas. Some of them are great ideas, and they dovetail nicely with what we pass. Some of them are not so good ideas,” Thompson says. He says with only ideas, the lead senator is unsure if there are 60 votes to bring the bill forward.

(Thanks to Brent Barnett of the Brownfield Network.)

(Denison, Iowa) – Firefighters in Denison responded a little before 1-a.m. today (Thursday), to a structure fire at Boysen Laundromat, in Denison. No injuries were reported. The flames were contained primarily to the east interior end of the building, with smoke damage throughout the rest of the structure. Officials estimate the blaze caused $40-to $50-thousand dollars damage to the building and $100-to 150-thousand dollars damage to the building’s contents.

Photo from our sister station KDSN in Denison.

The cause and origin of the flames were not immediately clear. The blaze remains under investigation. Denison Fire received mutual aid from the Dow City, Vail, and Manilla Fire Departments. The Crawford County Memorial Hospital provided an ambulance on stand-by. Denison Police were also on the scene.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration has announced that SBA will close its Minden Business Recovery Center at 4-p.m. Friday, Aug. 30th. The SBA opened the center to provide personalized assistance to businesses that were affected by the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred April 26th and 27th.

Until the center closes, SBA customer service representatives will continue to meet with business owners to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process, help each individual complete their electronic loan application and close their approved loans. No appointment is necessary.

POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
Business Recovery Center
Minden Fire Station
Meeting Room
205-207 Main St.
Minden, IA 51553
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Closes at 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30

SBA representatives will also continue to be available at the following federal-state Disaster Recovery Center to meet with businesses and residents. The center is open on the days and times indicated. No appointment is necessary.

POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
Disaster Recovery Center
Veterans Affairs Building
623 Sixth Ave.
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
Mondays – Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Closed on Saturday, Aug. 31 – Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day

Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent or minimize disaster damage from occurring in the future. For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage.

Disaster loans up to $500,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $100,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property, including personal vehicles. Interest rates can be as low as 4 percent for businesses, 3.25 percent for private nonprofit organizations and 2.688 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition. Interest does not begin to accrue until 12 months from the date of the first disaster loan disbursement. SBA disaster loan repayment begins 12 months from the date of the first disbursement.

Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

For SBA declaration 20318 for severe storms, and tornadoes that occurred April 26 – 27, 2024, the deadline to apply for economic injury is Feb. 14, 2025. For SBA declaration 20415 for severe storms, flooding, straight-line winds and tornadoes that occurred June 16 – July 23, 2024, the deadline to apply for property damage is Oct. 22, 2024. The deadline for economic injury is Mar. 24, 2025.

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say Iowa should see ideal weather for the Labor Day weekend, but things may get steamy and stormy before the holiday arrives. Meteorologist Craig Cogil, at the National Weather Service, says thundershowers moved across upper Iowa this (Thursday) morning. “We’ve seen some storms develop in northern Iowa, and they’re currently moving into southern Minnesota, as we see warmer and more humid air move back into the state,” Cogil says, “and it’s certainly going to push highs up to around 90 this afternoon with the humid conditions continuing.”

NWS graphic

Wide areas of the state may see heat indices back into triple digits today, but Cogil says another round of showers tonight should bring cooler air with it. “We’re going to see a cold front move down through the state into the overnight period, with showers and thunderstorms developing this evening,” Cogil says. “There may be the potential for some severe storms right now, looking at the main threat from damaging winds and large hail.” Once tonight’s storms are past, Cogil says it should be smooth sailing into Labor Day, as well as into next week.  “It looks like the holiday weekend should be rather pleasant, particularly Sunday and Monday,” Cogil says, “with highs mainly in the 70s and very little humidity and no threat of precipitation.”

Waterloo and Davenport both set record high temperatures of 98 degrees earlier this week, with some communities seeing heat indices as high as 117.