Gardening is being promoted to Iowans through a new statewide initiative that’s designed to reach out to people who’ve never grown anything as well as current gardeners who might be able to grow a little more to give away. Angie Tagtow is project coordinator for Cultivate Iowa. “We are focusing our efforts on low-resource Iowans to encourage them to think about gardening as a way of not only putting fresh foods on their plates but also saving their food budget and hopefully improving health and food security,” Tagtow says. 

The project also targets existing gardeners, encouraging them to grow more produce and donate it to a nearby food pantry or community group. Gardening doesn’t need to take a lot of time or money, in fact, she says it should save you both commodities. Through gardening, Tagtow says you can keep some green in your pocket while also putting green on your table. “You don’t need to have a back yard to grow a little bit of your own food,” Tagtow says. “If you go to the Cultivate Iowa page and click on the garden link, we’ve got some simple steps in which all of us can do to grow some really wonderful vegetables in containers.” 

In fact, using containers as a garden also means fewer weeds to pull. The website, www.cultivateiowa.org, contains a trove of downloadable information on how to start the process of tilling the soil and growing delicious veggies. “Tomatoes and peppers are great container garden as well as backyard garden plants,” Tagtow says. “Easy to grow, they’re some of the best-tasting vegetables that we have and some of the vegetables that we most often eat here inIowa. So, tomatoes and peppers and greens also do really well whether it’s directly sewn into the ground or in containers as well.” 

To get started, she says, all you really need is a container, potting soil and either seeds or plants. For established gardeners who can grow a little extra to donate, CultivateIowaenables them to make pledges, find nearby organizations that accept fresh produce and track their donations.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DAYTON, Iowa (AP) — State and local investigators expect to meet today to plan the next steps in their search for a missing 15-year-old central Iowa girl. Officers searched the Des Moines River yesterday as they continued looking for Kathlynn Shepard. Police believe she and another girl were abducted a week ago. The other girl escaped.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Forecasters are predicting flooding problems across much of Iowa as rain keeps falling this week. Three to six inches of rain is expected across the state this week after six to eight inches fell in the past few days. Both Marshalltown and New Hartford are at risk of flooding.

EMMETSBURG, Iowa (AP) — Family members of a two-year-old Emmetsburg boy who drowned during Memorial Day weekend are grappling with his death. Larzen Hanson was one of three children inside a pickup truck that slipped into gear and rolled into Five Island Lake. Relatives and bystanders rescued two of the children, but Larzen remained trapped.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A group of volunteers in Waterloo is working to create a community garden for Burmese immigrants. The Reverend Ken Stecher says many of the community’s Burmese immigrants have a rural background, and they’ll feel more at home working in the garden. Twenty Burmese families have already signed up for the garden.

Two public hearings will take place during the Tuesday night meeting of the Audubon City Council. The first hearing is with regard to the sale of City-owned lots, all of which are in Block 13 of the City of Audubon. The hearing will be followed by the receiving of bids, and action on those bids. The Council may reject all bids, act on a resolution selling the properties to successful bidders, or table the matter until their next, regular meeting.

The Audubon City Council will also hold a public hearing on the 2012-2013 Budget Amendment, followed by action on a resolution approving the amendment. Other action items include those pertaining to a resolution prohibiting the use of excessive force, and a residential anti-displacement and relocation assistance plan…both of which need to be adopted as a requirement for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) award.

The Council will also consider an Audit proposal. Their meeting in the Council’s Chambers at the Audubon City Hall, begins at 7-p.m., Tuesday.

The 7-a.m. News from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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• Atlantic Memorial Day service will be held at the Atlantic High School Auditorium at 10:00 am  due to the weather.
• The VFW Post 51 Memorial Day services at the Jacksonville, Bethany and Kimballton cemeteries today have been cancelled.
• The groundbreaking ceremony for the New Century Art Center in Kimballton has been cancelled.

543 AM CDT MON MAY 27 2013 
 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
 WATCH 225 FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:  IN IOWA INCLUDE:  MADISON,  UNION  ADAIR    ADAMS CASS  AUDUBON  CARROLL   CRAWFORD  GREENE  GUTHRIE  & SAC . THE WATCH HAD BEEN SET TO EXPIRE AT 10-A.M.
 
 THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…ADEL…AMES…ATLANTIC…AUDUBON…
 BOONE…CARROLL…CORNING…CRESTON…DENISON…DES MOINES…
 FORT DODGE…GREENFIELD…GUTHRIE CENTER…INDIANOLA…
 JEFFERSON…OSCEOLA…ROCKWELL CITY…SAC CITY…
 WEBSTER CITY AND WINTERSET.

A traffic stop for a suspected impaired driver  early this (Monday) morning  lead to a chase, the arrest of the driver, and a second person on unrelated charges. The Red Oak Police Department says just before 1-a.m., an officer attempted to stop a 1994 Buick Regal Custom in the 200 block of 200th Street. The driver, later identified as 22-year old Justine Sheree Powers, of College Springs, lead the officer on a pursuit into north central Montgomery County. The patrol car and Powers’ vehicle collided, when Powers conducted a U-turn. Both vehicles sustained minor damage. 

At around 1:10-a.m., Powers stopped the car in the driveway of a residence at 2383 140th Street, and took off on foot into the home. Officers entered the residence and arrested Powers on charges of Driving While Under Revocation, Attempting to Elude a Pursuing Police Vehicle, Interference with Official Acts, and for numerous traffic violations. The woman was being held in the Montgomery County Jail pending an appearance before a magistrate.

During their investigation at the residence, deputies arrest 54-year old Robin Clark Latham, of rural Red Oak, on valid warrants out of Ringgold and Decatur Counties, for Failure to Appear/Failure to Pay Child Support. Latham was being held in the Montgomery County Jail and held for the respective counties.

Red Oak Police officers were assisted during and after the incident, by Sheriff’s Deputies fromCass and Montgomery Counties.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A powerful thunderstorm system has knocked out power to thousands of people in western Iowa.  MidAmerican Energy reports that nearly 3,300 customers were without power as of 6:45 a.m. Monday. More than 2,350 of those customers are in the Council Bluffs area.   Officials report that falling trees and limbs damaged buildings and vehicles beneath, but no injuries have been reported. Heavy rain and some hail also were reported. Here in Atlantic, we received pea-sized hail and heavy rain at around 3:40-a.m.

Officials with the  Omaha Public Power District says more than 5,800 customers were without power as of 5 a.m. Monday.     Officials say some trees were toppled and branches ripped from tree trunks across the metropolitan area. Some of the fallen branches damaged buildings or vehicles below. No injuries have been reported. Heavy rain and some hail marked storms that traced through north-central and eastern Nebraska. Minor street flooding was reported where runoff overwhelmed storm sewers.

No injuries were reported following an accident that occurred in front of the fire station in Red Oak, late Sunday morning. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a stop light in front of the Red Oak Fire station was red, so that an ambulance could respond to a call. A Chevy Blazer driven by 49-year old Charles Liford, of Red Oak, was stopped at the light, when another Chevy Blazer, driven by 36-year old Salvador Ramos, of Red Oak, was unable to stop in time.

The second SUV rear-ended the first. Ramos was cited for following too close. Damage from the mishap, which happened at around 11:40-a.m. Sunday, was estimated at $5,700.

A Red Oak man was arrested Sunday night on an alcohol-related charge. 24-year old Corey Scott Petersen was taken into custody at around 7-p.m., on a charge of OWI/2nd offense. Peterson was booked into the Montgomery County Jail, and held on $2,000 cash bond.

Earlier that same day, 29-year old Matthew Lee Gusman, of Red Oak, was arrested on a charge of Driving While Barred. He has since bonded out of jail.