The City of Griswold, with the help of Southwest Iowa Planning Council, is preparing to apply to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for housing rehabilitation and is asking for help from residents. Applications must meet certain criteria including need, impact, and feasibility of the project within the city.  To determine these things, SWIPCO will be doing a telephone income survey, a housing assessment survey, and soliciting pre-applications.

The income survey is conducted by phone by SWIPCO staff and consists of two questions regarding the number of residents in the household and whether the household income falls above or below a certain amount.  No names will be used and all the information collected is strictly confidential.

The housing assessment survey is a brief survey to determine the community’s current and future housing needs.  The survey is currently available online at https://tinyurl.com/GriswoldHousing. Paper copies of the survey can be found at City Hall and the Library. SWIPCO Lead Planner Alexsis Fleener says “Public participation is a critical component of the housing assessment and application process.  The survey allows residents to inform the city of what they feel the most pressing needs are, what they would like to see happen, and goals to work toward.”

Any homeowners interested in participating in the CDBG home rehabilitation program are strongly encouraged to submit a pre-application.  Pre-applications are available at city hall (712-778-2615) or through SWIPCO (866-279-4720 ext. 234).  Please submit the pre-application and income tax return to SWIPCO by April 1, 2019.   Applications may be submitted by mail, email, or drop off.  If the city is awarded the CDBG grant, all pre-applicants will be contacted to complete a full application.

The CDBG owner-occupied housing repair program seeks to bring homes up to Iowa Minimum Housing Rehabilitation Standards.  Items repaired may include furnaces, water heaters, windows, doors, roofing, siding, foundation, etc. up to $24,999.

Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today (Tuesday) announced that USDA is investing $1.2 billion to help rebuild and improve rural water infrastructure for 936,000 rural Americans living in 46 states. Included among the projects are those in Adair, Anita, Creston, Lewis and Pisgah.

Ten of the projects are assisting more than 52,000 rural Iowa residents across the state. These 10 projects are receiving a total of $59,178,000 in loan and grant funding from USDA Rural Development. USDA is providing financing for 234 water and environmental infrastructure projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. The funding can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.

Eligible communities and water districts can apply online on the interactive RD Apply tool, or they can apply through one of USDA Rural Development’s state or field offices.

In southwest Iowa:

• The City of Adair is receiving a $2,000,000 loan and a $1,320,000 grant to help replace its water treatment plant with a reverse osmosis system. The project will serve 781 residents and will meet all environmental regulations pertaining to the water system.
• The City of Anita is receiving a $2,920,000 loan and a $335,000 grant to rehabilitate the city’s wastewater treatment system.  The treatment plant is not in compliance with federal standards. A submerged attached growth reactor treatment system and an ultraviolet disinfection treatment system will be constructed. Three-phase power will be extended to the lagoon system, and the lift station will be upgraded.
• The Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (Creston) is receiving a $22,220,000 loan to help develop a water treatment plant. This project will allow the association to transition to owning its own water source and treatment facility. This will result in improved water service for approximately 33,500 rural customers in the association’s 12-county service area in southern Iowa.
• The City of Lewis is receiving a $720,000 loan and $628,000 grant to update its water treatment plant, install new water meters and replace approximately 3,500 feet of water mains. This project will help the city update its aging, deteriorating water infrastructure and allowing the city, population 433, to better provide safe and potable water to its business and residential users. Additional funding for the project includes a $20,000 USDA Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (SEARCH) grant.
• The City of Pisgah (Harrison County) is receiving a $583,000 loan to help update its wastewater system. A cured-in-place pipe liner will be installed, and the community’s lift station and control panel will be rehabilitated. These improvements will help reduce out-of-season discharges from the controlled discharge lagoon by reducing inflow and infiltration. Additional funding for the project includes a $26,000 USDA pre-development grant and a $9,450 applicant contribution.

(Radio Iowa) — Legislative leaders say they’re hoping to come up with a way to finance expansion of mental health treatment for children in Iowa. There’s no consensus, however, on whether the state might assume responsibility for financing the entire mental health system — much of which is financed with county taxes today. Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen of Des Moines says the focus “most definitely” should be on implementing recommendations from a task force that examined treatment options for children. “I cannot even begin to tell you…the number of teachers and parents who come to me and talk about the anxiety our children are experiencing all across our state,” Petersen says. “I think a lot of it has to do with social media, gun violence. We have a lot of poverty in our state.”

House Republican Leader Chris Hagenow says mental health care is one of the “big issues” the state and nation are wrestling with. “As we learn more in how to do more and face more challenges, I think we all should all be eager to try and take whatever that next step is to deliver these services to kids,” Hagenow says, “wherever we can.”  Senate President Charles Schneider, a Republican from West Des Moines, says address inadequacies in the mental health system is an “on-going process.” “My wife used to be a behavioral interventionist at Stillwell Junior High and she would tell me stories all the time about things that she would see going on in the classroom and some of them were really, really sad and heartbreaking,” Schneider says. “We need to make sure we’re getting out across the state to address and intervene whenever mental health issues first start to appear so we can address them early on.”

Representative John Forbes, a Democrat from Urbandale, says Iowa’s counties will spend about 114-million dollars this year to provide mental health services to Iowans who cannot afford to pay for the care they need. “So I want to make sure we, as a legislature, can find a dedicated stream of money to be able to provide adequate services to people here in the state,” Forbes says. Forbes says too often mental health problems go untreated and individuals wind up in prison, which he says is more costly than prescribing meds and providing proper counseling. The legislators made their comments Monday during a forum sponsored by the Des Moines Partnership, a coalition of 24 central Iowa chambers of commerce.

(Radio Iowa) — One teen is dead and another is in critical condition after a shooting and crash in a stolen car. Des Moines police received a report that a car that was left running by the owner had been stolen just after eight o’clock last night. About 30 minutes later police got a call about a shooting in a neighborhood that involved a car matching the description of the one that was taken. An officer spotted the car and it took off and then crashed into a Postal Service delivery van and then into some trees and fencing.

Police say a passenger in the car 16-year-old Emilio Esteban Garcia, of Des Moines, died at the hospital, while the 17-year-old driver remains in critical condition. Police recovered a gun from the car as they continue piecing together what happened.

NEW YORK (AP) — More U.S. beef is being recalled because it may be contaminated with salmonella. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a unit of Brazil’s JBS is now recalling a total of more than 12 million pounds of raw beef that was shipped around the country. JBS Tolleson in Arizona already recalled about 7 million pounds of beef in October.

Health officials say their investigation identified additional products with the USDA inspection number “EST. 267.” The products were packaged between late July and September. The USDA says any products still in people’s freezers should be thrown away. It says 246 illnesses have been reported.

The USDA says salmonella is prevalent in raw poultry and meat and is reminding people of to properly cook and handle meat. It says cooking kills salmonella.

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — The mayor of an eastern Iowa city would get a $10,000 raise under a proposal being discussed by the city council. The Quad-City Times reports that it would be the first pay raise for the top elected official in Bettendorf in more than 35 years. The proposal discussed by the council Monday would hike the mayor’s annual salary to $25,000 from $15,000 starting in January 2020 — after the next municipal election.

Mayor Bob Gallagher told the council he spends roughly 12 to 15 hours a week doing the job and says he “didn’t run for this position for pay.” He says the job is more about “passion for the city and trying to help.”
The council took no action but is expected to revisit the matter later this month.

(Radio Iowa) — Trade troubles with China have caused financial strain on many industries in the U-S, including agriculture, but Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is praising a new gesture by that nation involving Fentanyl. Chinese officials vow to tighten controls on the production and export of that highly-potent drug, which Grassley says is a move that’s long overdue. “China is the biggest source of Fentanyl coming to our country,” Grassley says, “and it is the leading reason we have an opiate problem in the United States.”

Grassley is chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the Caucus on International Narcotics Control. He says Fentanyl-laced heroin has fueled the deadly opioid epidemic in recent years and is linked to the majority of opioid overdose deaths in America. “We don’t recognize it so much in Iowa although it is a problem in Iowa,” Grassley says, “but it’s a gigantic problem in New England, in Ohio, in West Virginia, 70,000 deaths.” In October, Grassley says his panel heard from government officials and experts from across the U-S who emphasized the need for China to act on Fentanyl. Grassley says former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who is the U-S Ambassador to China, has been working toward this for some time. Grassley says, “It’s a real victory for Governor Branstad because six months ago, he came to my office to talk about his #1 goal is to get China to do what they’ve now said they’re going to do.”

A news release from Grassley’s office says in 2017, a full 60-percent of U-S opioid deaths involved Fentanyl, which is an increase from 14-percent in 2010. The release also says Fentanyl is involved in more deaths than prescription opioids or heroin.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report a woman from Avoca was arrested Monday night on a warrant from the Council Bluffs Police Department. 37-year old Angela Marie Rogers was arrested at around 9:40-p.m. in Avoca, on the warrant for Contempt of Court/Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order. Rogers was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Pott. County Jail, where she was booked-in and held without bond.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) — The notification process for prospective jurors who will hear cases in courtrooms across the state changed Monday. State Judicial System spokesperson, Steve Davis, says it’s a move to a more modern way for jurors to fill out information once they are notified. “Instead of getting a paper questionnaire, the potential juror will receive a postcard,” Davis explains, “and the postcard will have quite a bit of information about their jury service — but the questionnaire itself is now online.”

Davis says everyone is now used to doing things on their phones and computers and this is another thing to add to the list. “We’re hoping that with the postcard it will be more convenient. It’s much simpler to just get online and fill out the questionnaire as opposed to filling out the paper questionnaire, putting it in an envelope and mailing it back,” Davis says.

Davis says the new system also offers a way for you to be reminded if you are chosen for jury duty. He says you can sign up when you fill out the questionnaire to get a text notification or email reminder three days before you are scheduled for jury duty, and again 24 hours before the day. He says there is also a link on the website that answers a lot of questions about jury duty. Davis says a juror pool is put together with two lists. “It’s a list of licensed drivers or state identification card holders and registered voters residing in each county,” according to Davis. “And those lists are combined and then duplicates are eliminated, and then that becomes the master list for the county.”

Davis says jurors are then randomly chosen from the master list. That random selection process means you never know how often you might be called for jury duty. “It varies quite a bit. I’ve had people who call who have served twice in three years and I’ve had people call who have never served. And they are wondering why they are never picked. So, it varies quite drastically.”

Davis says each postcard will be specific to the county your residence and include the website address for the online questionnaire, the address of the courthouse with a small map, a juror number, the service start date, the term of service, and the juror badge. To find out more about jury service you can go to the Iowa Judicial Branch jury service page on its website at www.iowacourts.gov. Look for the information on jury service.