(Radio Iowa) – Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg is hinting at a state marketing campaign targeting former Iowans and others considering moving into the state to fill job openings. “Keep your eyes peeled for some future efforts in this regard in terms of communicating with folks who might be interested in coming to our state,” Gregg says. Gregg says now is the time to sell Iowa’s cost of living and quality of life with residents of urban areas of the country. “I think with some of the safety concerns that we see in some our big cities, with the pandemic challenges, with the continued lock downs in some of those big cities, I think there’s a renewed interest in coming to Iowa and coming to rural Iowa where we value freedom,” Gregg says, “and where social distancing is sort of baked into the cake in our rural communities.”

Gregg toured the Winnebago Industries assembly plant in Forest City yesterday (Wednesday). The company has several job openings at the plant — on the production floor and in management and engineering staff. “They’re talking about hiring over 500 people over the course of the next year. What great opportunities for folks to have a great quality of life in rural Iowa, work for a great company, build a career and support a family, but there’s also challenges as well in having a workforce that’s trained to meet those needs,” Gregg says. “I know that they’re making some significant investments in a career center here, which means great opportunity for students.”

Winnebago sales have increased during the pandemic and the company’s expanding its workforce to meet that demand. The lieutenant governor made stops yesterday (Wednesday) in Whittemore, Estherville and Milford as well as Forest City, part of his 99 county tour of the state.

(Radio Iowa) – The trillion-dollar infrastructure bill that passed the U-S Senate this week contained nothing for biofuels but did include more than seven-billion dollars in funding for a charger network for electric vehicles, or E-Vs. Cassidy Walter, spokeswoman for the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, says the Senate missed a tremendous carbon reduction opportunity. Walter says, “If our country is trying to reduce carbon emissions by having a singular focus on EVs, we’re really setting aside the huge impact that biofuels are prepared to make.”

The biofuels industry is already making great leaps, Walter says, toward being more planet-friendly. “Today, they’re reducing carbon emissions by roughly 50% or more already and they’re on a path to be carbon negative in the next decade,” Walter says. “It’s a missed opportunity that’s actually worse for our environment, it’s no good for the Midwestern economy and it hurts farmers.” The bill has headed to the U-S House where Walter says her organization will be lobbying members of Iowa’s congressional delegation to include biofuels.  “There is a lot of room for biofuels to grow when it comes to infrastructure,” Walter says. “We have a long way to go in terms of increasing consumer access to higher biofuel blends like E-15, E-85 and B-20.”

Walter says it’s critical Congress embrace multiple solutions to the nation’s environmental challenges instead of following a one-size-fits-all approach as the Senate did.

Cass and parts of surrounding counties are still experiencing drought conditions. The latest Drought Monitor released today (Thursday), indicates all of Cass, Adair, and Mills Counties are Abnormally Dry. Most of Audubon and Madison Counties are also Abnormally Dry, with a section of Guthrie and most of Dallas County in a Moderate Drought. Other counties in the area experiencing abnormally dry soil conditions include: the eastern half of Pott. County; the southeastern part of Shelby County; the northwestern half of Adams County; and about two-thirds of Fremont and Page Counties.

Extreme Drought continues to plague all or parts of 11 counties in northeastern Iowa, and parts of five northwest/central Iowa, closest to the Minnesota border.

The Drought Monitor map released 8/12/21

One person was complaining of head pain and being shaken-up, following a two-vehicle accident this morning, about a mile west of Wiota. The Cass County Communications Center dispatched Anita Rescue and Cass EMS to the scene on Highway 83, where both vehicles ended up in a ditch. The collision occurred at around 8:50-a.m.

Additional details are currently not available.

Area and State News (broadcast at 8:05-a.m.), with Ric Hanson.

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The latest local/area News broadcast at 7:07-a.m., from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Police in Red Oak report a woman arrested Wednesday evening on a Montgomery County warrant for OWI/2nd offense, also faces a Class-D felony charge: Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Facility. 58-year-old Melinda Jane Inman, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 7:50-p.m. Her bond was set at $5,000.

(Radio Iowa) – The weekly report from the Iowa Department of Public Health shows the number of Covid cases statewide has increased nearly 170 percent in the past WEEK. The number of Covid patients in Iowa hospitals has significantly increased this summer, from 46 on June 24th to 355 yesterday (Wednesday). Megan Schaeffer — an epidemiologist from the Polk County Health Department — is urging people to get vaccinated and wear masks in public indoor settings. She estimates as many as 600 people with active infections a day, on average, may be at the State Fair this year.

“If you consider each of those people will spread to two to four individuals, whether that’s their family, their household or even at the Fair, that’s a pretty big exponential spread,” she says. Polk County officials say 95 percent of admitted COVID-19 patients in the Des Moines metro area are unvaccinated.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Natalie Krebs)

(Radio Iowa) – After a more than four month delay, the U-S Census Bureau is scheduled to release population data today (Thursday) that’ll be used to develop new boundaries for Iowa’s congressional and legislative districts.

The boundaries for Iowa’s congressional districts and for Iowa House and Senate districts are redrawn every 10 years based on the updated census count. . By law, the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency is to produce a series of new district maps within 45 days of getting the data. With this year’s delay, the legislature is unlikely to meet the September 1st deadline for approving a plan. The Iowa Supreme Court is responsible for overseeing redistricting if lawmakers fail to meet that deadline, but the court has signaled that due to this year’s circumstances, it will allow the legislature to keep following the redistricting process beyond that September 1st deadline. Ed Cook, an attorney with the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency, will be leading development of the proposed maps. He says under state law, no Iowa county can be split into two separate congressional districts.

“Keep in mind, with only 99 pieces of the puzzle, there’s not an infinite number of ways you can combine them,” Cook says. Redrawing the boundaries of state legislative districts is guided by state law, too. For example, so called “nesting” is required — so two Iowa HOUSE districts are in each Iowa SENATE district. The districts have to be as compact as possible, too, meaning the boundaries form something similar to a square or rectangle.

“Our approach is a blind process,” Cook says. “…We don’t go in and make an analysis as to what’s competitive. As a non-partisan staffer, I think that would be a disconnect for me to make a determination as to that.” Cook, who worked on the three previous redistricting processes, made his comments during a forum on Iowa’s reapportionment process that was broadcast on C-SPAN. If legislators reject the first set of proposed maps, the Legislative Services Agency has up to 35 days to present lawmakers with a second batch. If the second set it rejected and a third set of redrawn districts is required, legislators can propose and vote on changes to that third set. The first two plans cannot be altered before legislators vote on them.

Members of the Atlantic School Board received an update during their meeting Wednesday evening, with regard to the Return-To-Learn plan, facility project, transportation plans and readiness for school on August 23rd, especially in light of the July 27th Middle School fire. In his report to the Board, Superintendent Steve Barber said with regard to Return-To-Learn, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has done very little to change the guidelines.

You may recall, in June, the School Board approved a revised RTL plan developed by the Health and Safety Committee, based on guidance from IDPH. Mr. Barber said, basically, the latest guidance they received from the health department, with the exception of stating that vaccinations are the best mitigation strategies for those eligible (age 12 or older). Barber noted: Any staff or student who is positive for COVID will be quarantined 10 days after the onset of their symptoms. District Registered Nurse Laura Freund continues to work with Cass County Public Health to determine those dates.

He said also, the District has purchased Rapid testing for STAFF. The a staff member is experiencing COVID symptoms, they will not be allowed at work. They will be able to coordinate with Mrs. Freund to get a rapid test, and if tested negative, will be able to return to work once the symptoms are gone. The illness policy for STUDENTS is the same as pre-COVID. Also: the cleaning regimen will continue as developed; Masks will be available to students and staff; changes will be made as situations change.

Mr. Barber said also, the District’s Construction Committee is pushing to get the High School facility to substantial completion by August 31st. Midwest Tennis and Track is putting the finishing touches on the track and tennis courts. Barber noted it is EXTREMELY important for everyone to stay off those surfaces to allow the top coats to cure.

Proposed additions to the Achievement Center for easier bus & other traffic

With regard to transportation, Mr. Barber they have contacted the DOT, and they have started the process to help reduce speed with signage. He said buses will come to the Achievement Center via 22nd Street and enter the north parking lot.  Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm is working on having a road on the back side of the building constructed so the buses can leave from the road located on the south side of the building, and head towards town. That way, no buses will need to cross traffic in-and-out of the parking lot.

In the morning, parents would drop their children at the south parking lot of the Achievement Center, by means of a proposed driveway on the west side, to aid in the flow of traffic in and out of the parking lot. That would reserve the north lot for teacher parking. Transportation Director Mark Weis has plotted every 6th & 7th grade student residence to identify areas around town that would make sense for pick up and drop off.

Mr. Barber said there are concerns about congestion at the district’s other buildings during, before and after school, and having locations around town could help alleviate some of those issues. Currently, they are looking to have drop-off points at the community center, Zion and Hazel & 5th Streets. He says given that the Middle School is a construction zone, they hope to avoid taking the buses down to that area. That means Schuler students would go to Washington Elementary to catch a bus. By picking up 6th and 7th graders first, going to a location in town, then to the High School and finally to Washington route, students would be the last out of the building. There would be plenty of time, Barber says, to get students who walk or get picked up out of the buildings before the buses arrive. To accomplish that, he says, it would be necessary to shorten the school day for 6th and 7th grade students. The instructional hours are currently under review.

Construction of temporary classrooms at the Achievement Center is about 70% complete, according to Mr. Barber. He feels confident the facility will be ready to go next week. As a sign of progress, First Onsite began delivering equipment and supplies on Tuesday.

1st OnSite has boxes and equipment ready for MS teachers at the Achievement Center

Construction continues on temporary classrooms at the Achievement Center.

Those items will provide the rooms with essential classroom equipment. The materials will be marked with each room for the middle school teachers. The Superintendent said also, the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church is willing to house the Home School Assistance Program. Those plans are being finalized.