Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation are urging the federal Environmental Protection Agency to hold a public hearing in Iowa over the agency’s proposed changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard, or R-F-S. It’s feared those changes could hurt the ethanol industry and Iowa is the nation’s top ethanol producer. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he hopes the E-P-A takes the request for a hearing in Iowa seriously.

“They’re going to say they’re in Kansas City but Iowa, anyplace in Iowa, is the center of ethanol production and that’s where they should be,” Grassley says. “Why they aren’t, I don’t know.” A letter is being sent to E-P-A administrator Gina McCarthy that’s signed by all six members of Iowa’s congressional delegation. Members say the decision to drop R-F-S levels set by Congress has left the biofuels industry in an uncertain situation which has slowed investment. Grassley says it’s important for the agency’s leaders to fully understand the impact of their rulemaking.

“It’s to embarrass them into understanding why avoid Iowa?,” Grassley says. “It’s going to embarrass them to come where the information is, make it easier for those that are in the middle of ethanol production and things of that nature. It’s that simple.” Iowa has 42 ethanol plants in operation, producing nearly three-point-eight billion gallons a year, about 25-percent of all ethanol produced nationwide. Iowa plants also produced 230-million gallons of biodiesel in 2013.

(Radio Iowa)

The Exira-Elk Horn Kimballton School District Board of Education zipped through several discussion and action items during their meeting, Monday evening. Superintendent Dean Schnoes said one of the issues they needed to address was a new phone system. With the current system, he says, voice mails sound like they’re using a walkie-talkie. Schnoes said also there was no big leap in the fees for next year, there was no increase in activities fees.

Both the Elementary and Middle School Principals’ contracts were approved, with those individuals assuming more responsibilities at the High School, because Principal David Johnson has been struggling with back issues that limit his ability to be at work.

The Board also set July 20th, at 7-p.m. (their next regular meeting), as the date and time for a Public Hearing on “Continued participation in the Instructional Support Program” (ISP) Levy. The levy, which comes about every 5-years, allows the District to use extra tax money to purchase tangible assets like books, paper, etc.

The recent, heavy rainfall here in Atlantic has affected many projects, not the least of which is the Highway 6/7th Street reconstruction project. Iowa Dept. of Transportation District 4 Planning Director Scott Suhr said today (Tuesday), the rain has set back progress by about four or five days. Once the weather cooperates, crews will resume hauling dirt. On the bright side, Suhr says the Spruce and Pine street sanitary sewer portion of the project have been completed.

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

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The 7:07-a.m. report w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Progress on the Schildberg Recreation Area Dog Park and other Parks and Rec Department projects have slowed to a crawl or dead-stop in some case, due to the soggy weather. Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring said Monday, the fence has been ordered for the Dog Park, and crews had wanted to begin installation, but the weather prevented that from happening. Weather permitting, the fence will be installed sometime next week.

After that, will come grading for a parking lot, drainage management and installation of dog exercise equipment being built by Atlantic Eagle Scouts. Signs stating the rules and regulations of the park will also be installed. Weather permitting, the Dog Park will be open on or about July 15th.

Herring said also, the Kiddie Korral at Sunnyside Park is complete, with the exception of a memorial bench installation. Assistant Parks Director Seth Staashelm said a handicapped accessible drinking fountain will be installed at the Camblin Shelter at Sunnyside as well, as soon as some trenching can be completed – as the weather improves. The fountain will be complete with a hose bib and jug filler.

Another weather-delayed project is the East Nishnabotna River boat ramp, near the Atlantic Wastewater Treatment Plant. Herring said they have to wait for low water on the river to install the concrete slab.

A Red Oak man was taken into custody Monday evening on a warrant for Probation Violation. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 27-year old Jacob Tanner Franzen was arrested in the 100 block of W. Coolbaugh Street, at around 6:40-p.m.  Franzen was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — In a free speech ruling, an appeals court has upheld restrictions on the public’s ability to protest overnight on the Iowa Capitol grounds. Attorney Sally Frank said Monday the decision was a blow for free speech and assembly, pledging an appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court.

Frank represents Basil Hill, one of two dozen Occupy Iowa protesters arrested for trespassing in 2011 for staying on the Capitol grounds after an 11 p.m. closing time. To hold protests overnight, groups need advanced permission from the Department of Administrative Services.

Frank argued protesters’ free speech rights should trump the restrictions. She noted that protesters cannot get permits during the weekend, which doesn’t allow for spontaneous gatherings. The Iowa Court of Appeals last week upheld the limits, saying they were reasonable and content-neutral.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture reported just one new case of bird flu last week, and says all the infected birds at the turkey facilities have been destroyed, and all but one of the chicken facilities have had their birds euthanized. Deputy Ag Secretary Mike Naig, told Radio Iowa recently that it will not be a quick process to put birds back at those sites. “It’ll vary from site-to-site. Depending on the facility, you could be looking at several months before some of these sites can have re-population, some may be sooner than that,” Naig says. “But it really is on a case-by-case basis, whether you are talking about a turkey site that is composting, whether you are talking about a large layer facility that has cages that need to be cleaned.”

There are 76 infected sites in 18 counties, and the long it takes to get them back up and running, the more money they stand to lose. But Naig says there’s not a quick answer on a when the sites can be back in business. “That is unfortunately a big question mark for a lot of folks out there. How long will they be out of operation and how quickly can they get back in operation again,” he says. Naig says cleaning up the facilities takes more than a bucket of soapy water.

“It can be quite complex — there’s a process that has to be gone through — dry cleaning and actually cleaning out and sweeping the cages out. And then a couple of other options that could be available, some spraying and disinfection and fumigation, those types of things,” according to Naig. There are more than 31-and-a-half million birds that had to be destroyed after becoming infected. The U-S-D-A has more than 21-hundred staff and contractors working on the avian influenza situation here. More than 300 state employees have also participated in the disaster response at some point.

(Radio Iowa)