The five-year framework for federal farm and food assistance programs expires September 30th, but development of the 2023 Farm Bill was delayed by this spring’s debt deal negotiations. Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn, a Republican Bondurant, is a member of the House Ag Committee.

He says the committee has an aggressive timeline to advance the Farm Bill in early September, so a House vote could follow.

Five years ago, lawmakers temporarily extended programs covered in the 2018 Farm Bill for a couple of months until negotiations were completed in December. For the 2023 Farm Bill, Nunn says he’s indicated to the House Ag Committee chair that rural development, federal crop insurance and conserving natural resources are priorities for Iowans.

Some lawmakers from both parties say they’ll press to exclude high income farming operations from federal crop insurance. And some House Republicans have indicated they’ll press for stricter work requirements for food stamps, or SNAP, than were included in the debt deal.

Nunn says he’s collaborating with like-minded House Republicans as well as House Democrats who represent rural districts in Illinois and North Carolina on Farm Bill priorities. Nunn represents Iowa’s third congressional district, which includes Ottumwa on the southeast corner and half of Shenandoah on the southwest, as well as Atlantic, Guthrie Center and the Des Moines metro.

Thirty-five daysfrom now Carroll will be the overnight host for thousands of participants in the 50th annual RAGBRAI — the Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Lynda Dukes Franey (FRAN-ee) is on Carroll’s host committee and she says it’s crunch time.

Carroll has formed 15 different groups or committees to plan for hosting.

Musical performances will start at 4 p.m. in Carroll, with a Midwest band called “The Pork Tornadoes” as the headliners that evening. Dukes Franey says there will be kid-themed activities throughout the day, too.

The RAGBRAI committee in Carroll is seeking more volunteers to offer up their homes for RAGBRAI riders or their yards for participants who pitch their tents. Dukes Franey says some Carroll residents have started putting up decorations to welcome the RAGBRAI riders.

RAGBRAI will start in Sioux City on July 23rd. Storm Lake is the first overnight stop, then it’s on to stops in Carroll, Ames, Des Moines, Tama-Toledo and Coralville before the final trek to Davenport.

The mosquitoes are biting and state health officials have already confirmed Iowa’s first human case of West Nile virus this year, which is several weeks early. The first day of summer is Wednesday and epidemiologist Elizabeth Schiffman says West Nile cases don’t typically start showing up until mid-summer.

The state’s first case was reported Friday in an older adult, between 61-and-80 years, from northwest Iowa’s Plymouth County. A total of nine Iowans were diagnosed with West Nile virus last year, with no deaths. The peak months for West Nile in Iowa are usually August and September. Schiffman says it’s difficult to predict if we’ll see a lot of cases because of mosquitoes’ short life cycle and their sensitivity to weather conditions.

The experts say Iowans who spend time outdoors should wear insect repellant, and dump out any standing water where mosquitoes might breed. Those infected with West Nile may show no symptoms, or they may have a fever, headache, disorientation and muscle weakness. Learn more at: https://hhs.iowa.gov/cade/disease-information/west-nile-virus

This is the final month of the fiscal year for Iowa’s state-licensed casinos, and it appears competition across the boarder will impact the year-end revenue total. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko.

Harrah’s Casino and the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs in southwest Iowa both saw revenue drop in April and May.

Harrah’s was down roughly 634-thousand dollars in gross revenue in May of this year and around 300-thousand in April compared to last year. The Horseshoe Casino was down around three million dollars in May, and one-and-a-half million in April of this year. Ohorilko says the drop is not a major concern.

The 19 state casinos brought in more than one-billion-766-thousand dollars in the last fiscal year.

Atlantic, Iowa – Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA), Southwest Iowa’s public transportation system serving all residents in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties, received the Iowa Department of Transportation’s 2023 Regional Transit System of the Year award.

“The Iowa DOT was pleased to honor SWITA with the 2023 Regional Transit System of the Year award at last week’s Iowa Public Transit Association meeting,” stated Kristin Haar, Public Transit Director with the Iowa DOT. “Using FY2022 statistics and equally weighting a combination of rides per person in the region, percentage increase in ridership from 2021 to 2022, and rides per dollar of operating expense, SWITA took the top spot among the 16 regional transit agencies in the state. Congratulations to SWITA!”

SWITA has shown growth whereas other transit agencies across the state have seen declining ridership. SWITA is projected to provide over 515,000 rides for FY23, which is a significant increase from 305,932 rides in FY20, 377,547 rides in FY21, and 480,229 rides in FY22. We have also seen our in-town routes and taxi rides almost doubling what they were in FY15. FY22 SWITA taxi rides were 42,836 and we are projected to provide over 55,000 taxi rides for FY23. Workforce ridership is one specific area of growth for SWITA, and ridership nearly doubled from fiscal year 2020 at 43,363 rides to fiscal year 2022 at 85,131 rides.

Also presented at last week’s Iowa Public Transit Association meeting was the Operations Person of the Year award which was awarded to SWITA Transit Coordinator Kristen Templeton. Kristen was given this well-deserved award based on the impact she has made on the agency with her willingness to learn, go-getter attitude, and her friendly demeanor. Kristen currently oversees six transit office staff and around 75 transit drivers. Kristen is also responsible for keeping track of a fleet of approximately 110 vehicles. The position of Transit Coordinator requires Kristen to be one of the first calls when weekend and off-hour issues arise. Kristen does the majority of the scheduling for the agency, which is no easy feat. It would be near impossible to provide the large number of rides annually here at SWITA without Kristen’s attention to detail, ability to match the right drivers with the right routes, and ability to juggle and adjust on the fly when things go wrong, which happens very quickly. Kristen has played an integral role in the growth of the agency and the number of rides we provide yearly. SWITA’s growth has made her job considerably more difficult but she has risen to the challenge and excelled in her role. When Kristen started, SWITA only had one true 24/7 service but now we operate five. This is only one example of the growth we have seen here at SWITA since Kristen started. Throughout it all, Kristen has continued to be a valuable part of our SWITA team. She keeps a positive and friendly attitude every day and works day in and day out to get the people of SW Iowa where they need to go.

Iowa Public Transit Association also held the annual Driver of the Year awards dinner during the annual meeting last week which was a great opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of transit drivers across the state. SWITA’s 2023 Driver of the Year, Dean Driskell, was recognized for his award at the dinner.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has released details on a number of arrests dating back to the beginning of June.

6-1-23

Ethan Michael Leinen, age 22, Portsmouth, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on Fir Rd. Leinen was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Driving while Revoked. Leinen was transported to the Shelby County Jail and was also charged with Driving while Revoked.

6-2-23

Gatwech Gach Jack, age 40, Storm Lake, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

6-3-23

Nathan Howard Lavender, age 36, Denison, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant for Possession of Controlled Substance.

6-4-23

Eric David Confere Jr, age 28, Harlan, IA was arrested after a call for service in the 1000 block of Broadway St in Harlan. Confere was transported to the Shelby County jail and charged with Disorderly Conduct.

6-4-23

Kyle David Confere, age 23, Harlan, IA was arrested after a call for service in the 1000 block of Broadway St in Harlan. Confere was transported to the Shelby County jail and charged with Disorderly Conduct.

6-9-23

Lacy Jean Christensen, age 34, Council Bluffs, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Violation of Probation. Christensen was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

6-9-23

Spencer Lee Miller, age 25, Manilla, IA was arrested after a foot pursuit in Earling, IA. Miller was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance 2nd offense, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Dangerous Weapon used in a Crime, and Interference with Official Acts.

6-9-23

Ryan Michael Carter, age 38, Irwin, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on 2300th St. Carter was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI 3rd, Improper Rear Lights, and Speeding.

6-10-23

Michael John Tremayne, age 31, Harlan, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on St F32. Tremayne was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Driving while Revoked, Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability, and Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle.

6-11-23

Dale James Noll, age 60, Harlan, IA was arrested after a call for service and 7th St and Durant St. Noll was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Public Intoxication.

6-13-23

Christopher Allen Cue, age 39, Council Bluffs, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant. Cue was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Failure to Appear.

6-13-23

Chelsea Jean Birtwell, age 30, Harlan, IA was arrested after a call for service in the 800 Block of Market St. Birtwell was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault 1st.

6-15-23

Christopher Allen Cue, age 39, Council Bluffs, IA was arrested following an investigation in the 1300 block of 9th St in Harlan. Cue was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Theft 4th.

The Council Bluffs Police Department is searching for information on a semi that lost a trailer tire and caused an accident on I-80 westbound on Monday. The eastbound semi lost a trailer tire which bounced into the westbound express lanes and struck a Honda CRV near mile marker 2.2. The driver of the Honda suffered minor injuries.

The westbound express lanes were shut down for about an hour and traffic was diverted to the local lanes. The roadway re-opened at about 10:35 a.m.

The Iowa DOT and Iowa State Patrol assisted at the scene. Anyone with information on the semi involved in the accident is asked to contact the Council Bluffs PD Traffic Unit at 712-328-4948.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Sunday of 23-year-old Brett Mikel Case of Omaha, NE on a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Case was arrested at approximately 4:45 p.m. on I-29 near mile marker 34. Case was taken to the Mills County Jail and held on $2,300 bond.

Atlantic, Iowa – Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund (SWIHTF), a nonprofit fund administered by Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO), recently completed the rehabilitation of twelve homes in the southwest Iowa region with a $100,000 grant from Iowa West Foundation awarded in March 2022.

The homes with Iowa West funds were in the cities of Harlan (4 homes), Atlantic (3 homes), Henderson, Clarinda, Shenandoah, Elliott, and Griswold. The total rehabilitation cost for the twelve homes was $203,394 and the Iowa West Foundation funds leveraged $103,394 of other grants from the Iowa Finance Authority and the United States Department of Agriculture. Types of repairs included replacement windows and doors, roof repairs, upgraded insulation, foundation repair, and health hazard abatement. In total over the last year SWIPCO has rehabilitated 48 homes across multiple programs.

“I am super appreciative of the grant that was used to be able to get the work done on my house. I love my house,” stated Whitney Vanderpool, a homeowner assisted in Atlantic. “It has been helpful to have a fourth bedroom in the basement with an egress window. There is no longer any leaking in my basement as the wall was fixed so there is no longer water in my basement. It was a huge blessing to have that fixed as well as the sewer, as the basement can now be fixed up, if necessary for another area of living space. It is wonderful and such a blessing to us that such a program was out there to assist us as it did.”

All twelve homes met income eligibility requirements to qualify. Seven of the homes are owned by disabled individuals, five of the homes are owned by elderly individuals, and one home included children under the age of six living in the residence.

“Rehabilitation is a great way for low to moderate income homeowners to not only improve the health, safety, and energy efficiency of their dwellings, but to build value in their existing homes,” said Erin Hudson, SWIPCO Community Development Director.

SWIPCO routinely provides grant writing and administration services to its member communities in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby Counties and has brought over $129 million in grants to the region in the last year alone.

The Iowa West Foundation is committed to make southwest Iowa a place where families love to live. It has distributed more than $500 million to nonprofits and governmental agencies through southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska since the inception of its grant program. Funding for the grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association, which receives contractual fees from casino operators, Ameristar, and Harrah’s. IWRA is the license sponsor for Ameristar and Harrah’s and the license holder for Horseshoe-Bluffs Run. The Foundation targets resources into programs and projects that focus on housing, financial stability, educational opportunities, belonging and well-being.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Saturday, June 17th of 28-year-old Graydon Eugene Vanderflught of Leon for OWI 1st Offense. Vanderflught was arrested at 1:49 a.m. on Clark Street in Orient after being observed driving through town twice and honking his horn. He was later released on $1,000 bond.