(Atlantic, Iowa) – Iowa Department of Transportation District 4 Planner, Scott Suhr, reports several projects have already started, and some are finishing-up from last Fall. Others will be underway in the weeks to come.

Locally, one of the projects affects traffic on Highway 6 over the East Nishnabotna River, 2.6-miles east of Highway 48. .

Suhr said the Highway 92 project will probably take about three-to-four months to complete. It’s located over Seven Mile Creek 1.7-miles west of Highway 71. A pair of projects are set to kick-off beginning April 3^rd. One is in Guthrie County.

Scott Suhr says another project is on Highway 44, near Portsmouth.

In District 4’s southwest Iowa 17 county area, there are at least 50 projects going on, not including maintenance projects (sealing/patching), railroad crossing replacement and so on, that utilize federal funds on the state and highway interstate system. One of the projects is on I-80 in Cass County.

Another is on Highway 148 from the West Nodaway River, 0.9-miles south of Highway 92 is another bridge project. There are several projects in Adair and Pottawattamie Counties, as well. Suhr recommends before you head out on your commute or trip, go to www.511ia.org, or call 511 to learn the latest news on projects underway or planned to begin soon.

(Radio Iowa) – Farmers are traditionally the first to jump in and help when a neighbor is in trouble, but farmers may be very slow to help themselves, especially when it comes to their mental health and dealing with stress. Dr. Kimberly Lansing, a rural medicine specialist with the Gunderson Health System, says spring planting season looms in Iowa, what may be one of the most difficult times of the year for farmers and too few will seek counseling to cope. “Often, there are worries about a stigma associated with mental health, and people are afraid to seek help,” Lansing says. “Sometimes, they don’t know where to seek help, and so it’s a very interesting kind of plus-and-minus to a farming community.”

A University of Iowa study finds suicide rates were 45-percent higher for people in rural areas, and farmers stood out as having even higher rates compared to the general population. The U-I study found farmer suicide rates for the Midwest were three times the national average. Help is available through a variety of resources, including the Iowa Farm Bureau and the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Lansing says farming is an exceptionally difficult career path, with continual challenges from the weather, equipment, labor, and the commodities markets.

“It’s always been this sort of a ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps,’ you know, we’re the tough American farmer and people depend on us,” Lansing says. “It’s less than 1% of the population that are farmers, and they’re feeding this entire country, so there’s a responsibility that comes with that.” Some farmers have been on the same land for generations and she says nobody wants to be the one who loses the farm. Social isolation can be a real problem for farmers, Lansing says, and we need to learn to lean on each other more.

“People that are close to them, neighbors, fellow farmers, it’s really important when you do see these folks, to really kind of try to pick up on how things are going for them,” Lansing says. “It doesn’t hurt to grab an extra coffee, an extra pastry, and pop by your neighbor’s farm and say, ‘Hey I haven’t seen you in a while. How’s it going?'” Lansing says farmers need to consider how quickly they’d rush to help a neighbor in need.  “And try to give yourself that same amount of compassion and realize that you’re not just a number, you’re not just another farmer, you are part of the whole puzzle,” Lansing says, “and we need you to be there and we need to help you do your best to do what you love to do.”

The Gunderson Health System includes a hospital in West Union, and clinics in Fayette, Decorah, Waukon, Lansing, Postville and Calmar.

(Creston, Iowa) – A collision between a car and an SUV in Creston, Tuesday evening, resulted in minor injuries. According to Creston Police, a 2023 Chevy Malibu driven by 28-year-old Harry Metzger, of Ottumwa, was traveling west on Highway 34 near Pine Street, at around 5:20-p.m. A 2013 Ford Explorer driven by 53-year-old Jeffrey Conklin, of Bridgewater, was traveling eastbound. Police say Metzger attempted to turn left onto Pine Street. He didn’t see the approaching SUV.

The vehicles collided, sustaining disabling damage. A woman in the SUV was transported to the Greater Regional Medical Center, in Creston, for treatment of minor, non-life threatening injuries. Her name was not released. Damage to the vehicles amounted to $7,000. Police cited Metzger for Failure to Yield Upon Left Turn.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Assessor’s Office will be closed Friday, March 31. Assessor Mary Anstey reports the office will be closed from 8-a.m. until 7-p.m., so her staff may attend training.

(Radio Iowa) – Some speculate Friday night’s Final Four match-up between Iowa and South Carolina will be the most-watched college women’s basketball game in U-S history. Iowans who’d like to see the game in Texas in person will need to shell out at least a thousand dollars, probably more, according to Dubuque travel agent Angie Harter. She tells K-C-R-G-T-V that price includes the cost of a round-trip flight, a Dallas hotel room, and a ticket to the game — and the costs are rising.

The University of Iowa plans to open Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a free watch party on Friday night. If you’d just like to show some black-and-gold spirit, there are plenty of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and other apparel for sale. Jonathan Sevilla, co-manager of the Iowa Hawk Shop in Iowa City, says they’ve already sold around 100 shirts to customers — which was nearly their entire initial supply, though more are on the way.

It’s the first Final Four appearance for the Iowa women since 1993.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University study shows inflation is hitting rural residents harder that those in urban areas. Professor David Peters, a rural sociologist for I-S-U Extension and Outreach, says inflation took a bigger bite of rural household budgets throughout much of last year, but its effects were similar in rural and urban areas by year’s end. “Over the past 10 years, inflation costs that we’re all familiar with, gas and food and everything else, has cut rural discretionary incomes by over a third,” Peters says. “What’s the discretionary income? Well, the discretionary income is essentially the money you have leftover at the end of the year after you pay your taxes and pay all your expenses.”

That discretionary income is critical, he says, for handling unexpected or emergency expenses. In the past two years, Peters says inflation has cost the average rural household a total of more than eight-thousand dollars.  “And that just means rural households have less money for unexpected health care costs,” Peters says. “A lot of rural people have their own health insurance, less money for unexpected home repairs, the furnace goes out, you need a new roof, unexpected car repairs, or even just for rural people to save for their own retirement or their kids’ future education.”

Peters says he doesn’t foresee inflation letting up anytime soon. “I would say likely not in the next two to three years,” Peters says. “I would say that the price increases we’ve seen are going to stay. They might not be increasing as much as they have been in the last two years, but all indications would be those inflation rates are here to stay.” The Federal Reserve recently raised interest rates in an effort to stave off further inflation, which Peters says raises the risk of the economy falling into a recession. “People grumble about inflation and people grumble about paying more for the groceries and their gas,” Peters says, “but that’s a far less major problem than a recession where people would lose their jobs and lose their businesses.”

Peters says rural households paid an extra 300-dollars per month because of inflation in 2021, but the urban-rural gap in additional expenses was modest, around 15-dollars a month. When transportation costs shot up in early 2022, largely due to higher gas prices, he says rural households felt it more. For the first two-thirds of the year, inflation cost rural households at least an extra 450-dollars per month, which is 60-to-90 dollars more than urban households.

See the full report online:
https://smalltowns.soc.iastate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/163/2023/02/SOC-3106.pdf

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that’s designed to establish data privacy rights for Iowans. The bill first passed the Iowa House last year and it cleared both the House and Senate unanimously this year. Representative Ray Sorensen of Greenfield is chairman of the Economic Growth and Technology Committee in the House.

“While everyone involved acknowledges that a federal law would be preferable, it is generally understood that it is unlikely congress will act anytime soon,” Sorenson says, “and so we are taking the first step ourselves.” Senator Chris Cournoyer of Le Claire says it’s a strong starting point.

“A data privacy bill that is designed to increase protections for consumers’ personal data, provide consumers with certain rights and regulate businesses’ use of consumers’ personal data,” Cournoyer says. Five other states have similar laws, but Cournoyer says Iowa is the first state in the Midwest to make this move. “This bill becomes effective January 1, 2025,” Cournoyer says, “giving time for implementation, compliance and enhancements as new innovations in consumer data protection become known.”

Governor Reynolds says it’s never been more important to clearly and unmistakably say that consumers deserve a reasonable level of transparency and control over their personal data and she says this bill does that. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah and Virginia have passed similar laws. The laws generally require most websites to let consumers click a box saying they do not want their personal information captured on the website sold elsewhere. California requires so called data brokers to register with the state.

(Radio Iowa)- A Michigan based health care provider has purchased the Keokuk hospital that closed on October 1st and may reopen the facility as a Rural Emergency Hospital. Governor Reynolds signed a bill into law yesterday (Tuesday) that sets up the state licensing process for Rural Emergency Hospitals. These hospitals will be eligible for higher reimbursement rates for treatment of Medicare patients along with a monthly payment from the federal government.

Rural Emergency Hospitals must keep an emergency room open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and may provide outpatient services, but they must discontinue in-patient care. Insight is the name of the Flint, Michigan, company that bought Keokuk’s closed down hospital. Insight’s chief strategy officer says with the necessary regulatory and financial support, the company aims to begin providing medical services in Keokuk later this year.

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, a sponsor of the bill that created the Rural Emergency Hospital framework, says it’s a reform that will be a lifeline for rural communities. Governor Reynolds says the concept will help ensure Iowans, no matter where they live, can access emergency care. State Senator Jeff Reichman, a Republican from Montour, says the new Rural Emergency Hospital designation will help rural communities and struggling hospitals. Reichman was in the governor’s office yesterday when she signed the bill into law.

(Radio Iowa) – The board of Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant has voted to close the school at the end of the academic year on May 3st. Board president, Bill Miller, spoke on a conference call and says “this is a profound decision that will be deeply felt by everyone in our community and throughout southeast Iowa.

Miller says they have been considering their options for the past several months, following an intensive analysis of Iowa Wesleyan financial operations and considerable exploration of all feasible strategic alternatives. The school still owes 26 million dollars to the U-S-D-A for a loan.

The school’s 878 students will be able to complete their studies at other schools and the school will hold graduation ceremonies for seniors. The school has about 110 full time employees, 35 of those are full time faculty, 75 full time staff members and about 74 adjunct faculty.

DES MOINES – Gov. Reynolds released the following statement in response to the announced closure of Iowa Wesleyan University:  

“Today, my thoughts are with the students, faculty, and staff who are stunned by this announcement, and the people of Mount Pleasant who have long revered the university as a pillar of their community. The state is committed to supporting them during this time of transition. I have directed the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Iowa Workforce Development to reach out to community and business leaders, and work together to keep the local economy strong. 

“It wasn’t until February 3, 2023, that my office received a request from the university for $12 million for ongoing operating costs. As I’ve said many times, we endeavor not to spend one-time federal dollars on ongoing expenses. To better understand their request and the financial health of the university, my office engaged an independent, third-party accounting firm to conduct due diligence. The firm reported that Iowa Wesleyan had a $26.1 million loan from the USDA, using their campus as collateral, that could be recalled in full as early as November 2023. Additionally, Iowa Wesleyan’s auditor cited ongoing concerns about the university’s fiscal health, stating “significant operating losses and reduced liquidity raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.” The firm also highlighted that that while enrollment at Iowa Wesleyan has grown over the past three years, their financial health has continued to deteriorate over the same period. 

“Based on this and other factors, the independent accounting firm determined that providing one-time, federal funds would not solve the systemic financial issues plaguing the university. If the state would have provided the federal funding as requested and it was used to finance debt or other impermissible uses according to US Treasury guidelines, the state and taxpayers could have been liable for potential repayment to the federal government. Moreover, the state has separately received $122 million in requests from other universities and community colleges across the state. 

“With this information, I made the difficult decision to not pursue the university’s funding request.” 

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Tuesday of 27-year-old Wyatt Lee Sargent of Council Bluffs for Driving While Suspended 14 times by the State of Iowa. Sargent was arrested at 2:27 p.m. at Highway 34 and O Avenue in Montgomery County. He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $491.25 bond.