(Radio Iowa) – Winnebago Industries executives say high interest rates and weak demand are contributing to declining sales. Winnebago makes recreational vehicles at facilities in Forest City, Lake Mills, Charles City and Waverly. The company’s reporting revenue in the first quarter of its fiscal year was 763-million dollars –a decrease of almost 20 percent compared to the first quarter of last year. Winnebago C-E-O Michael Happe says his company knew when the fiscal year started in September that there were many obstacles ahead.

“Consumer confidence was unsteady given macroeconomic factors,” Happe said. “Affordability of the RV and boating lifestyle, while still competitive with other forms of leisure travel, had become difficult for potential new customers, and dealers were aggressively managing inventory by constraining inbound wholesale shipments.”

Happe says those challenges will continue into the company’s second quarter. “We believe continued strong wholesale constraints during a seasonally-lighter retail period of the year in December through February, and subsequent further reduced production by our businesses over the holidays will also have a similar impact on Q2 financial results as well,” Happe said.

Gross profit for Winnebago in its first quarter was down 28 percent when compared to the same quarter last year.

(Radio Iowa) – The Republican presidential candidates campaigning in Iowa today (Wednesday) are denouncing a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that could keep former President Trump’s name off the primary ballot in that state. Florida Governor  Ron DeSantis says Trump did not get due process and he expects the U-S Supreme Court to overturn the decision, but DeSantis suggests it’s an effective legal stunt by liberals to boost Trump. “To basically solidify support in the primary for him, get him into the General and the whole General Election’s going to be all this legal stuff,” DeSantis said. “Look, it’s unfair. They’re abusing power 100%, but the question is: Is that going to work? And I think they have a playbook that unfortunately will work and it will give Biden or the Democrat or whoever the ability to skate through this thing.”

DeSantis made his comments early this (Wednesday) morning at the Westside Conservative Club — in response to a question from Richard Rogers, a long-time gun rights lobbyist at Iowa Capitol, who brought up Trump’s legal woes. “I am really concerned that going forward with all of these 91 indictments and the federal government having a 91% conviction rate that the battle for the next year is going to be very distracting,” Rogers said.

DeSantis says if he’s the nominee, the election will be about Biden’s failures. “Do we want to have 2024 to be about this trial, that case, this case, having to put millions of dollars into legal stuff or do we want 2024 to be about your issues, about the country’s future, with a nominee that’s going to be able to prosecute that case against the left, just like I’ve been able to do in Florida?” DeSantis said. “That is a path to winning.”

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley says she’s running because she doesn’t think having Trump be president again would be good for the country, but Haley says it’s up to voters to make that decision, not judges. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has vowed to withdraw his name from the Colorado Primary ballot if Trump’s name isn’t on it.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) approved the hiring of Susan Stevens, from Greenfield, as a County Treasurer’s employee. Treasurer Brenda Wallace said Stevens will be paid 65% of her salary. She’ll begin in her new position on January 2^nd. The Supervisors also approved a recommendation from the Compensation Board for an increase in elected officials’ salary (5.5%). Jayne Lents with the Compensation Board presented the recommendation.

The Adair County Supervisors received an update from Ryan Berven, with Assured Partners, on FY 2025 County Insurance rates and Plan options. The Board took no action during their meeting, and will likely make a decision on the information, as presented, during one of their meetings in January (2024).

County Engineer Nick Kauffman presented to the Board papers for Chair Jerry Walker to sign, with regard to the Contract and Performance Bonds for the N-24 (Prussia Township) Culvert Project (a Local Farm-To-Market road). Gus Construction is the contractor for the project. Kauffman also presented his weekly report on Adair County Secondary Roads Department maintenance projects and other activities.

The Board approved: a temporary liquor license for “Gettin’ Flushed,”; the appointment of Scott Roberts to the Safety Committee, and Beacon site add-ons (as explained by Nick Kauffman and Auditor Mandy Berg). The Adair County Supervisors however denied requests for funding from the Stuart Meal Site and for an FFA Safety Initiative. Mandy Berg explained the FFA request…

Berg then presented for the Board’s approval a FY2024 Budget Amendment.

The Board set January 10, 2024 at 9:30-a.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on the Amendment as presented.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who have sidewalks and driveways to care for sometimes face a quandary during the wintertime, with regard to the use of salt to break up ice and provide traction. Aaron Steil, a consumer horticulture specialist at the Iowa State University Extension, says if you don’t use enough ice melt, you might slip and fall, but if you use too much, the eventual runoff could critically damage your lawn and nearby plants. “Excessive salt can be a problem, especially for those areas near sidewalks and driveways,” Steil says, “and the best option is just to not overuse salt.”

The chemicals used in some ice-melting pellets can cause damage to your concrete, especially if it’s newly poured this year. Steil says there’s a simple remedy that only employs the use of two key ingredients. “One of the things that we do here on the campus of Iowa State, that’s a really nice way to reduce salt but still have the safety that you need, is to mix salt with sand,” Steil says. “Doing that, you get some traction and you’re using less salt.”

When spring arrives, you’ll likely know right away if you used too much salt, as anything that was growing nearby may be struggling — or it’s already dead. “When we have a buildup of salt in the soils next to these areas that are heavily salted, it can cause a drying out, as salt can desiccate roots and those kinds of things,” he says, “and so it can cause some damage when it’s in excess.”

Steil says it’s possible those plants can be revived in the spring with a heavy watering to wash out the salt.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest today (Wednesday), of 34-year-old Ashley Flint, from Glenwood. Flint was arrested on a Mills County warrant for OWI/1st offense. Her bond was set at $1,000 (w/a 10% posting allowed through the court).

(Audubon, Iowa) – A Superintendent sharing agreement between the Audubon and Exira-EHK Boards of Education was finalized Tuesday night, when the Exira Board approved their part of the agreement. Audubon Superintendent Eric Trager said the Audubon School Board approved the agreement during their meeting Monday night.

The the new contract for Trevor Miller is for two-years, with the costs split between the districts. Trager previously announced he is retiring at the end of the current school year (June 30, 2024).

Eric Trager has served 38 years in education, with 36 of those years in the Audubon School District.

In other business, the Audubon School Board approved an annual request for Dropout Prevention to the School Budget Review Committee (SBRC) in the amount of $129,000. They also continued discussions held over the past couple of months or so, with regard to a bus garage project. The bus garage is one of the last district facilities to be upgraded.

The idea is to have an opportunity to keep their investment in the expensive buses under one roof

The Audubon School Board approved an application for a security grant with regard to camera systems.

Superintendent Trager said the Board decided to stay with Carroll Refuse for another year, with regard to a garbage collection bid. There wasn’t much to mention, he said with regard to Personnel matters.

The District will take its Winter Break from classes and activities, from Dec. 22^nd through January 2^nd. The Elementary School will dismiss at 2:05-p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21^st, and the Middle School and High School will dismiss at 2:15-p.m.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Republican Presidential Candidate and former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley, made a campaign stop Tuesday morning at Wickman Chemical, northeast of Atlantic. She was the guest of company owners Erich and Tammy Wickman. During her visit, Haley spoke of growing up on a farm near a small rural town in South Carolina.

Haley spoke of her time serving as United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and she harped on “How bad things are,” economically.

She said the decline in our economy can’t be blamed entirely on the Biden Administration, as most would like to do. She said Republicans have to take responsibility as well.

Nikki Haley in Atlantic 12-19-23; Photo credit: Jim Field/KJAN.

Nikki Haley said Republicans put $7.4-billion worth of pet projects and earmarks in the 2024 appropriations budget. Democrats put in $2.8-billion.

She said the nation’s education problems existed before COVID, and nothing’s changed to improve scores and proficiency in Reading and Math.

She also spoke about the “Border situation,” saying she has “truly run out of things to say about this,” except to say….

Nikki Haley criticized some of her Republican opponents who are in Iowa this week, accusing Donald Trump of cozying up to dictators. The Des Moines Register said Haley told a crowd in Carroll that Trumps policies were good, but his praise of dictators in this campaign puts our national security at risk.

Haley has stops scheduled today (Wednesday) in a trio of eastern Iowa communities.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County, Tuesday morning, acknowledged reciept of an initial bargaining proposal from the Union representing the County’s Secondary Roads Department. The Board passed a Resolution authorizing Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert to submit an application for a $500,000 Fiscal Year 2024 Surface Transportation Block Grant, to repair a road that’s been on the County’s five-year construction plan”for quite a while,” according to Albert.

In order to qualify for the grant, the County must agree to certain stipulations. Supervisor Donna Robinson read the conditions set forth in the Resolution the Board approved.

The application deadline is January 31st. The project is expected to go out for a local bid-letting in May or June, 2024. Albert then updated the Board on Secondary Roads Department projects.

She mentioned also her department is still seeking applicants to fill a truck driver position.

In other business, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors approved the final plans for the L Avenue pipe culvert project.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, heard a request from Massena Mayor Phil Przychodzin on behalf of the citizens of the town, for assistance with regard to fixing a road leading out of town.

The idea is to minimize the number of heavy trucks making their way through town.

He says the City recently purchased two properties that were on the north side of Clarke Street, so they could flatten the “S” curve and allow heavy trucks to bypass Main Street and keep the wear-and-tear on Clarke Street to a minimum. The plan is to re-route trucks through Clark Avenue.

Massena Mayor Phil Przychodzin (on the right in the camo jacket) speaks with the Cass BOS on 12-19-23

The road in question is about one-quarter of a mile long. The Supervisors noted that since Main Street is a designated Farm-to-Market Road, the City cannot place a weight restriction on it. It was explained that if the City of Massena wants to remove the Farm to Market designation, it would have to surrender an estimated $9,000 in funding for the road, as well attending a quarterly meeting with the Farm to Market Board.

Mayor Pryzchodzin said the City is willing to give-up those funds if it means Main Street would be prevented from continued damage from the overweight loads.

The board tasked Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken with finding solutions to the issue, including meeting with the Iowa Department of Transportation. Issues that remain include finding a replacement road to receive the Farm-to-Market funding, but that may be a project to include in the County’s 5-Year Road Plan.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture has confirmed a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Mahaska County. The case involves a Iowa. backyard mixed species flock. There have been 19 outbreaks of bird flu found in Iowa since October. Seven have been in backyard flocks, four have been in game bird flocks, and the rest are in commercial turkey and chicken flocks,

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections in birds do not present a public health concern. It remains safe to eat poultry products. As a reminder, consumers should always utilize the proper handling and cooking of eggs and poultry products, including cooking to an internal temperature of 165˚F.