(Radio Iowa) – Dozens of utility workers from Iowa are now in Ohio, helping restore electricity to thousands of homes and businesses in areas where the remnants of Hurricane Helene caused widespread damage over the weekend. Geoff Greenwood, a spokesman for MidAmerican Energy, says they sent about 70 line workers and support crews to Cincinnati after staging with their big bucket trucks in Des Moines and Davenport on Friday night.

There are areas of the south and southeastern U-S that were much harder hit by the storm’s remnants than Ohio, and Greenwood says the Iowa crews that are now in the Cincinnati metro are expecting to get another assignment very soon.

It’s still unclear where the Iowa crews will be heading next to lend a hand.

At the peak, about 140-thousand Cincinnati area customers were without power, and by 9 A-M on Monday, only three-thousand or so remained offline, so the Iowa crews should be wrapping up there very soon. While Ohio is a long way from the ocean, the former hurricane still caused severe damage.

Des Moines-based MidAmerican Energy serves 820,000 electric customers in Iowa, Illinois and South Dakota, and 797,000 natural gas customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds spent about a third of the month of September on a trade mission in India. Reynolds says the groundwork for her meetings was laid decades ago by the Iowa native who won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his research that improved wheat and rice yields.

Borlaug took a wheat variety he’d developed to India in the mid-1960s and increased wheat production there by 60 percent.*

Reynolds met with India’s Secretary of Agriculture as well as the country’s Minister for Food Processing and Minister of Commerce. Iowa Corn Growers President Stu Swanson says a memorandum of agreement was signed to promote discussions between Iowa’s and India’s feed sectors.

An Iowa-based start-up company called “Power Pollen” also signed a letter of agreement with an India company called V-R-N Seed that does business in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. Power Pollen, which is based in Ames, has developed a process for collecting pollen, storing it and then applying it to fields to increase production of rice, wheat and corn seeds.

(Radio Iowa) – An analysis from the group Food & Water Watch says Iowa is the top-ranking state for producing manure from livestock feeding operations at 109 billion pounds annually. Amanda Starbuck is the nonprofit organization’s research director.

Starbuck says there is a difference between the two types of waste.

While manure can add nutrients and organic matter to farm fields, Starbuck says the sheer amount of waste is too much for the land to handle.

Food & Water Watch used the latest data from the U-S Census of Ag and the E-P-A’s definition of medium-sized concentrated animal feeding operations to develop state rankings and create interactive maps. The 20-year trends across the U-S show fewer farms but larger livestock operations.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports two people were arrested Sunday (Sept. 29) on drug charges. 47-year-old Christina Roberts, of Omaha, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and possession of  drug paraphernalia. She posted $1,300 bond, and was released.

And, 48-year-old Timothy Horvath, of Blenco, was arrested Sunday for OWI/2nd offense, possession of Marijuana 3rd offense, possession of Methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was being held in the Mills County Jail on a $5,300 bond.

The Creston Police made a few arrests over the weekend.  On Saturday, September 28, 26 year old Isaac Wayne Hayes of Creston was charged with violating a no-contact order.  Hayes was held in the Union County Jail on $500 cash bond.

On Sunday, September 29, 22 year old Christopher Gage Selvy of Creston was charged with violating a no-contact order.  Selvy was held without bond.  Also Sunday, 22 year old Zoe Paulette Marie Hull of Creston was charged with violating a no-contact order and held without bond at the Union County Jail.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic will meet at 5:30-p.m. on Wednesday, October 2nd, at City Hall. During their regular meeting, the Council will act on an Order to close selected streets (see map below) for the Atlantic Fireman’s Parade  on October 12th, beginning at 4-p.m.

The Council will also act to pass the 3rd and final reading of an Ordinance that amends the City’s Code of Ordinances, with regard to “Prohibited Trees,” and an Order to approve a partnership with the Nishna Valley Family YMCA and the City of Atlantic, for management during the Summer of 2025, of the Sunnyside Pool.

YMCA Director Dan Haynes, last week, sent a report to the City Administrator after closing Sunnyside Pool for the year. The admissions were down a little from 2023, even with a significant boost during RAGBRAI. The pool needs to be painted. The City loses money operating the pool, which is typical for cities our size. Haynes said that the Y would be willing to manage the Pool again next summer, but the sooner they get the contract, the better so there is time for planning and promotion.

In other business, the Council is expected to approve the second pay application to the Hensley Group, LLS, for the Sunnyside Park Splashpad project, in the amount of $88,058.91. And, Mayor Grace Garrett is expected to announce the date for Halloween Trick-or-Treating in Atlantic, is Oct. 31st, from 5-until 7-p.m.

Oct. 12, 2024 Atlantic Fireman’s Parade route

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the proposed vacating and closure of a street in all of Walnut Avenue, in the unincorporated town of Hawthorne. The hearing will be held as part of the Board’s regular weekly meeting at the courthouse in Red Oak that begins at 8:30-a.m., and will be followed by action to approve or disapprove the vacating of the unimproved street.

The Supervisors are also expected to set the dates for public hearings on the upgrading of two streets (210th & 150th) from Level B (dirt) to Level A (gravel). The hearings are tentatively set to be held at 8:45- and 9-a.m. respectively, on October 22nd.

In other business, the Montgomery County Supervisors will receive an update from Auditor Jill Ozuna, with regard to an ICAP renewal extension option from Jan. 10th to February 10th. They are also expected to discuss Board of Supervisors Compensation Board representatives, and a Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund request for an additional $1,000, among other business.

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(Rural Clear Lake, Iowa) – A collision Sunday afternoon southwest of Clear Lake resulted in one person dead, and another injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at around 3-p.m., when a westbound KIA Forte driven by 29-year-old Adaisha Deanra Allen, of Cedar Falls, was struck by a southbound  SUV driven by 59-year-old Julie Ann Mikkelsen, of Mason City. The collision occurred at the intersection of 210th Street (B-43) and Balsam Avenue (S-14).

Iowa State Patrol (File photo)

Following the impact, both vehicles rolled and entered the ditch southwest of the intersection. The Patrol says Adaisha Allen – who was not wearing a seat belt – died at the scene. Mikkelsen was transported by Clear Lake Fire/EMS to the hospital in Mason City.

The crash remains under investigation.

(Iowa News Service) – Iowa doctors are assessing how a new medication is working for moms with postpartum depression. That’s timely right now, as more babies are born in the fall than any other time of year. Researchers say roughly one in five new moms faces symptoms of postpartum depression – and of those, 20-percent experience symptoms so dire they report considering suicide or self harm. University of Iowa epidemiologist Nichole Nidey says postpartum depression is a problem statewide, but can be especially serious in rural Iowa, where access to mental health care can be limited.

Psychiatrists have started prescribing zuranolone – the first pill approved by the U-S Food and Drug Administration to treat postpartum depression. The F-D-A fast-tracked its approval after clinical trials proved highly successful. 

Psychiatrists say zuranolone can be effective within days, but UnitedHealthCare O-B/G-Y-N Dr. Donna O’Shea says it’s still important for new moms to know and understand the risk factors and symptoms of postpartum depression.

O’Shea says people from under-served communities are at higher risk than those who aren’t. Not all new moms experience postpartum depression, but for those who do, O’Shea says zuranolone is a vast improvement over previous treatments – including intravenous infusions that took as long as 60 hours.

• Pathfinders RC&D Region: Pathfinders RC&D (Resource Conservation and Development) serves five core counties in Southeast Iowa, with additional services reaching more than 20 counties in the region. Through the Leveraging Access for Underserved Networks and Capital for Hope (LAUNCH) program, Pathfinders aims to impact small businesses in 21 rural communities across the five core counties. LAUNCH seeks to bridge the gap in economic development resources between smaller towns and larger cities like Ottumwa by promoting regional collaboration and providing customized support to strengthen the small business environment, boost job creation and revenue, and build a more resilient economy. 

• Perry Chamber of Commerce: The city of Perry took a hit in July when Tysons closed its local pork packing plant, which employed more than 1,200 workers.  But community leaders acknowledge there have been small business challenges leading up to that announcement and they have a plan to move ahead.  Perry seeks to revive a pandemic-era business grant program for small businesses in need of capital for products, services, marketing, or improvements, as well as providing invaluable connections to resources for skill building and networking.

• West Branch Main Street: West Branch’s historic downtown is home to 47 small businesses, which face several looming economic challenges. The eastbound exit to I-80 is closed for construction and the westbound exit is set to close next year, affecting access for 25,000 vehicles daily. Also, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum will close soon for renovation, creating other short-term challenges. West Branch Main Street has an effort, the Rising Tide Initiative, aimed at helping small businesses by enhancing street appeal, updating signage, renovating facades, increasing accessibility, and optimizing inventory.