(Lenox, Iowa) – The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports deputies were called to the Lenox Pocket Park for damage that occurred overnight Monday, into Tuesday morning. Officials with the City of Lenox and the Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the incident. As result of the investigation, it was determined that at around 1:58-a.m., Tuesday, a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500, driven by 39-year-old Miguel Zapata,of Lenox, was traveling south bound on Main Street, when the pickup collided with the Lenox Pocket Park Landscaping.

Taylor County S/O photo

Damage to the landscaping and Lenox Town Clock occurred. Zapata’s vehicle came to rest on the south planter. Authorities say Zapata proceeded to remove the truck and left the scene of the accident without notifying proper authority or City of Lenox.

The Sheriff’s Office said citations were being issued for leaving the scene of an accident and failure to have insurance – accident related.

DES MOINES – Governor Reynolds’ landmark Students First Education Savings Account (ESA) program, which promotes universal school choice for K-12 students in Iowa, officially opens for applications on Wednesday, May 31, at 8 a.m. Parents and guardians can access the online application from a link on the Department of Education’s ESA webpage at educateiowa.gov/pk-12/students-first-education-savings-accounts. The link will redirect them to the Students First ESA platform managed by Odyssey, the program administrator selected by the state. The link will not be activated until 8 a.m. on May 31 when the application period opens. Applications are available in English and Spanish, and will be accepted until Friday, June 30, at 11:59 p.m.

The Students First Act was signed into law earlier this year and will provide state funding for eligible students who attend accredited nonpublic schools starting in the upcoming school year.  Students must be residents of Iowa and attend an accredited nonpublic school located in Iowa. All incoming kindergartners and all K-12 students currently attending a public school who choose to enroll in an accredited nonpublic school for the 2023-2024 school year are eligible for the ESA program regardless of income.

Students who attended an accredited nonpublic school at any time during the 2022-2023 school year are eligible for the 2023-2024 school year if their household income is at or below 300% of the 2023 Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Income eligibility will be automatically verified during the application process using the parent’s or guardian’s 2022 Iowa State Tax Return. If a parent did not file a 2022 tax return in Iowa, other documentation will be required to complete their application.

Parents planning to apply can find answers to frequently asked questions about the application process, eligibility, and more on the Department of Education’s ESA webpage.  After the ESA application period opens, technical support will be available from Odyssey representatives by phone at 515-368-9564 or email at help.ia@withodyssey.com.

(Radio Iowa) – U-S-D-A meteorologist Brad Rippey says abnormally dry conditions are likely to persist in Iowa through the summer.  “As we move each day with this dry weather and suddenly warm weather, we’re seeing short term dryness just exploding across the Midwest,” Rippey says. The most recent U-S-D-A Drought Monitor indicates 57 percent of Iowa is either abnormally dry or is experiencing some level of drought. “Dryness that developed last year mid to late summer has lasted through the winter and now we’ve got short term dryness redeveloping over that, so you have not only subsoil moisture depletion, but topsoil moisture depletion as well,” Rippey says. “In those most driest areas, it is starting to have an impact on crops and pastures.”

Areas of severe or extreme drought stretches through four northwest Iowa counties and three counties in southeast Iowa. “We’ve seen these deficits that have built up in terms of rainfall and precipitation starting last year and then lasting through the winter where we had relatively little snowfall to replenish topsoil moisture,” Rippey says, “and now that it’s warmed up we’ve really seen these issues start to compound.”

The definition of “exceptional” drought that’s happening in northwest and southeast Iowa is something that is experienced once every 20 to 50 years according to Rippey. He is not expecting Iowa to have the kind of decades long drought that California has experienced, though.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office, today (Tuesday), reported the arrest last Friday, following a traffic stop on I-29 at around 2:25-a.m., of 33-year-old Kevin Lee Marco, of Omaha, for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000. And, 33-year-old Darontae Demar Orduna, of Omaha, was arrested Friday afternoon at the Douglas County, NE., Jail, on Mills County charges that include: Kidnapping in the 3rd Degree; Harassment in the 1st Degree; Criminal Mischief in the 3rd; Domestic Abuse Assault W/Intent 1st, and Eluding. His bond was set at $17,000.

And, at around 2:30-p.m. on May 25th, 20-year-old Connr Loren Gray, of Tabor, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, with bond set at $1,000.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood say there were three arrests over the past few days. Today (Tuesday), 25-year-old Roman Williamson, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, with bond set at $1,000. On Monday, 24-year-old Travis Barrett, of Glenwood, was arrested for Serious Assault. His bond was set at $1,000. And, on Sunday, 48-year-old Stacey Barrett, of Glenwood, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension. Bond was set at $300.

Glenwood Police said also, that last Friday, a Glenwood woman reported an incident of Criminal Mischief, and on Sunday, the Mills County Museum reported a Theft had taken place.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday (today), approve funding for the Cass County (Employees) Wellness Plan, which they discussed during a work session last week. Board Chair Steve Baier and Supervisor Steve Green…

Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken updated the Board on Secondary Roads Department activity, which includes the continuation of road rock hauling in the Atlantic District, and various bridge construction projects, including Bridge #32, the deck for which is expected to be poured later this week, and work on Bridge #380 is continuing in Anita.

He said also, some new equipment has arrived, including a forestry head for an excavator that helps to clear ditches. It’s currently in use about three miles south of Cumberland. Other pieces of equipment are scheduled to arrive.

The Board approved Iowa Retail Permit Applications for nicotine products (Cigarettes/Tobacco/Nicotine/Vapor), for the Griswold Dollar General, and Massena 21st Century Co-Op C-Store.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors, today (Tuesday), approved an agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation, with regard to a FY2023 Budget Amendment. They also approved a Rural Transit Joint Participation Agreement with SWIPCO, in the amount of $6,000, with an effective payment of July 1, 2023.

The Board held a Public Hearing with regard to a proposed FY22-23 Montgomery County Budget Amendment, during which there were no written or spoken comments. Board Vice Chair Charla Schmid breaks down the additional expenditures by department.

There will be no increase in taxes resulting from the amendment. In other action, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors approved a tongue-tying agreement for software. Chair Mike Olson….

Auditor Jill Ozuna explained…

And, the Supervisors approved an EBS transfer of $9,000 from the PSF Claims account balance to create a cushion in the IGHCP Trust, bank account. They tabled action on a Resolution for an Interfund Transfer from Capital Projects to the Debt Service Fund, so that they can obtain more information from the State Auditor.

Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert said they are continuing to haul road rock and working on plans for the FY 24 Construction Projects.

(Lewis, Iowa) – A man from Atlantic was injured Friday night, during a motorcycle accident near Cold Springs State Park, north of Lewis. According to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Deputies and area first responders were dispatched at around 9:42-p.m., to the area near Lewis Road and Quincy Road, just outside of Lewis, for a motorcycle accident.  Area first responders found that a 2008 Harley Davidson motorcycle, being operated by Billy Metheny, of Atlantic, was traveling Eastbound attempting to negotiate a curve.

He lost control of the motorcycle, which went off of the roadway and crashed into an embankment.  Metheny suffered significant, life-threatening injuries and was treated at the scene by area first responders. He was flown from the scene to a hospital in Omaha, NE via Life Flight helicopter.  This accident remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – A project being launched by a federal agency this summer is designed to make it easier for people to visit a total of 20 museums in Iowa — and hundreds more museums across the country — without cost being an issue. Crosby Kemper is the director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “We’ve developed a program with our partner, the Association of Children’s Museums, called Museums For All,” Kemper says, “and that program allows for, encourages discounted or free admission to museums for folks who are on the other side of the economic divide. It’s based on SNAP program’s metrics.”

Under the program, Kemper says those who receive food assistance can gain free or reduced admission at more than one-thousand museums nationwide by presenting their E-B-T card and a photo I-D. To find a full list of the Iowa museums that will participate in the program, just Google “Museums For All.”

“We want to reach out into small towns and rural areas as well as the big cities where it’s easier and people know more about it,” he says, “and get them out to their museums.”  Kemper says Museums For All is designed to encourage people of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits.

The list of Iowa facilities includes: Reiman Gardens in Ames; the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden in Des Moines; the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines; the Des Moines Children’s Museum in West Des Moines; the Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens in Waterloo; the Grout Museum in Waterloo; the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo; the Phelps Youth Pavilion at Waterloo Center in Waterloo; the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids; the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids; the Iowa Children’s Museum in Coralville; Vesterheim in Decorah; the Dubuque Museum of Art; the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque; Des Moines County Historical Society in Burlington; Putnam Museum & Science Center in Davenport; the German American Heritage Center & Museum in Davenport; the Figge Art Museum in Davenport; LaunchPAD Children’s Museum in Sioux City, and the Family Museum in Bettendorf.

https://museums4all.org/

(Iowa DNR News) – Governor Kim Reynolds recently proclaimed June as Invasive Species Awareness Month in Iowa. Invasive species, like emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, spongy moth and oriental bittersweet threaten Iowa’s ecosystem by competing with and destroying native trees and disrupting the natural complex habitat system. Iowa woodlands, wildlands and waterways draw hundreds of thousands of tourists and recreational users each year. Much of the spread of Invasive species comes from people simply enjoying nature. Uninvited guests can hitch a ride on outdoor gear, shoes and clothes, traveling hundreds of miles in a single day.

Take these easy steps to stop the spread of invasive species in your community:

• Verify that the plants you buy for your yard or garden are not invasive. Many non-native plants can become invasive. Find quick ID photos and common management techniques to control 19 invasive trees, shrubs and plants on the DNR webpage at iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Forest-Health/Invasive-Plants
• Look for spongy moth egg masses on all outdoor equipment when traveling from a spongy moth quarantined area.
• Clean your boots before and after you hike in a new area to avoid spreading seeds. This is a common way garlic mustard and other plants are spread.
• Do not buy or sell firewood from outside your county. Firewood can contain emerald ash borer, Sirex woodwasp, Asian longhorned beetle, oak wilt and many more pests. Plenty of firewood is available locally near state and county parks. Make sure to burn all of the firewood at the campsite and not leave it or transport to a new area.
• Work with your private lands district forester for plans to make your forests more resilient to invasive species. Find contact information and forest landowner assistance resources online at iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Forestry-Landowner-Assistance.

Learn more about forest invasive species on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/invasives.