WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today (Thursday) announced that the state will receive $773,353 in grants for the repair and rehabilitation of flood damaged railroad infrastructure.  The funds come from the Iowa Department of Transportation through the Flood Damage Restoration for the Iowa River Railroad Program. Harkin is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds transportation initiatives.

The railroad repairs include debris removal, track regulation, bridge reconstruction, aligning and surfacing caused by flood damage. The funds will be used to reimburse short line and regional rails in the following counties:  Adair, Cass, Dallas, Des Moines, Hardin, Iowa, Jasper, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk, Pottawattamie, and Poweshiek.

“Three years ago, devastating floods hit Iowa causing destruction across our state, including severe damage to our railway system,” said Harkin.  “These railroads are crucial to the safe and efficient movement of goods between Iowa communities and to places outside of our state, as well as critical to growing our economy.”

CRESTON, Iowa – Aug. 11, 2011 – Road construction work will reduce Iowa 25 to one lane between Guthrie County Road F-65 near Casey and Iowa 44 in Guthrie Center beginning Monday, Aug. 22nd, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Creston construction office.

A 16-foot lane width restriction will be in place in the open lane. Flaggers and a pilot car will be used to control traffic during the closure. The roadway will return to normal traffic patterns when workers are not present. This project is expected to be completed by Oct. 3rd.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations
are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles and wear seat belts.

(IA-DOT News Release)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Federal authorities are forecasting a 2011 Iowa corn harvest of 2.43 billion bushels, a figure that would match the Iowa record set in 2009. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the estimate is based on Aug. 1 conditions. Last year, 2.15 billion bushels were harvested in Iowa. The area expected to be harvested for grain is up to 13.75 million acres, compared with 13.05 million acres in 2010. The expected yield for 2011 is 177 bushels an acre. That’s 12 bushels higher than last year’s production but 5 bushels under the record set in 2009.

Duffy tribute - Butter Sculpture

A massive sculpture made of more than 12-hundred (1,200) pounds of butter was unveiled this (Thursday) morning as part of the opening ceremonies for the 2011 Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. It’s located in the Ag Building near the famous life-sized butter cow which has now been part of the Fair for 100 years. The Fair’s “butter cow lady,” Sarah Pratt, also created the surprise sculpture which includes a cow and a young boy teaching a calf to nurse. It’s placed on a turntable so the entire sculpture rotates 360 degrees.

“Some people might know, but I’ll let out the secret, the other cow isn’t completely finished all the way around. It’s only finished on the parts that you can see from outside. So, I was excited to be able to do a sculpture that everyone could see from all sides,” Pratt said. The sculpture, located behind glass in a 42-degree cooler, pays tribute to Norma “Duffy” Lyon – who served as the Fair’s “butter cow lady” for 45 years. Lyon passed away earlier this year at the age of 81. Pratt says she was inspired by a story about how Norma met her husband Joe. Their first meeting involved a minor argument about Norma chasing a butterfly. The sculpture includes a young Norma Lyon with a butterfly in her hand.

“To me, it signifies her curious spirit and her love of all living things. But also, just that spirit that embodies the Fair of curiousity and learning and exploring,” Pratt said. “So, I hope when people are on the fairgrounds and they see a butterfly they might remember Norma.” The 34-year-old Pratt, who’s from Norwalk, learned the art of butter sculpting from Lyon and took over the role of the Fair’s “butter cow lady” in 2006. She spent three weeks working on the sculpture revealed this morning.

“Because it rotates and people can see it from all different angles, there was a lot of consideration taken into all the angles. And because it was all done in secrecy, it made it difficult to come outside and view the sculpture,” Pratt said. “Now that I can see it from outside, I think there are some things I might go in and fix up a little bit.” A long line of people stretched throughout the Ag Building this morning as fairgoers waited to see the butter cow and Pratt’s sculpture of Lyon.

(Radio Iowa)

Midway rides at the IA State Fair

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The Iowa State Fair is spending more money to draw Omaha customers than the Nebraska State Fair as organizers continue their efforts to attract more Omaha-area fairgoers. The Iowa State Fair is spending $125,000 to advertise in Omaha this year, which represents about 20 percent of its total advertising and production budget. Iowa’s campaign includes print and broadcast advertising, seven Omaha billboards and another in Council Bluffs. Officials say their efforts, which began in 2010, are paying off.

Iowa fair marketing director Lori Chappell says roughly 15 percent of Iowa fairgoers came from the Omaha area last year. The Iowa State Fair kicks off today (Thursday) and runs through Aug.21st.

Craig Leighton, of Griswold

Officials with the Iowa Lottery say a Cass County man has claimed the top prize in the “Monopoly” instant-scratch ticket game. Craig Leighton, from Griswold, claimed his $50,000 prize last Friday at the Iowa Lottery’s regional office in Council Bluffs. He’d purchased his winning ticket at a convenience store in Council Bluffs.

MONOPOLY is a $5 scratch game. Players win a prize by matching any of “your numbers” to any of the “winning numbers.” If they find the “top hat” symbol they win double the prize shown. There are also three bonus areas where players can win $10, $25 or $50 instantly. Seventeen top prizes are still up for grabs in MONOPOLY as well as 266 prizes of $1,000, more than 1,060 prizes of $200 and more than 2,650 prizes of $100.

Since the lottery’s start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.7 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.3 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.

Lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for veterans, help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund, and backing for the Vision Iowa program.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The first of a series of meetings will be held this evening with regard to options for whole grade sharing between the Villisca and Stanton, and Villisca and Corning Community School Districts. The first session, a joint meeting between the Villisca and Stanton School Boards, takes place in the Villisca High School gymnasium, beginning at 7:30- p.m. That will be followed by a similar meeting between the Villisca and Corning districts, at 8:35, also in the Villisca High School gym.

During both meetings, members of an educational consulting group from the University of Northern Iowa will present the results of feasibility studies conducted between Villisca and Stanton and Villisca and Corning School Districts. Villisca Superintendent Willie Stone says the studies will outline options for wholegrade sharing between the districts.

Tonight’s public meetings are the first of several planned with regard to whole grade sharing. They’re designed to help the school boards make a more informed decision on how to proceed with their plans for the future.

After the respective presentations with regard to the feasibility studies, members of the public in attendance at the meetings, will have three minutes each to make comments, or ask questions.

Applications are currently being accepted for the annual America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program, sponsored by the Monsanto Corporation. Deborah Patterson, Monsanto Fund President, says the program was launched in 2010, and has resulted in investments of more than $3-million in local communities across the country during 2011. Patterson says they’re sponsoring the program again, because they “Care deeply about rural communities.” Patterson says there are some requirements that need to be met before farmers can qualify for the program.

They need be 21-years of age or older, actively engaged in farming a minimum of 250 acres of corn or soybeans, or 40-acres of vegetables. She says there is no purchase required. The application process began August 1^st and continues until November 30^th. Applications can be completed on-line at www.growcommunities.com, or by calling 1-877-267-3332.

This year, nearly $250,000 is available for disbursement in Iowa to all 501-C-3 non-profit organizations, units of local governments, such as fire departments, libraries and schools. Farmers in each of Iowa’s 99 counties are eligible for the program. The winners will be randomly selected by a third party and announced in January, 2012. Once a farmer has won, they get to decide which non-profit organization they wish to receive a portion of the funds.

In addition, for every farmer that enters the contest, Monsanto will donate $1 to their local United Way chapters. So far, over 1,700 farmers have signed up for the current contest period. Patterson says since the program began in 2010, the three top recipients of cash awards have been FFA, 4-H and Fire Departments. She says the farmers themselves don’t get a prize, but they do get a sense of pride in knowing they’re helping out their communities.

Among the local non-profit organizations selected in 2010 by winning area farmers to receive a portion of the funds provided by the America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program, was: the Massena, Audubon, Brayton, Greenfield, and Shelby Fire Departments; the Shelby County Fair Board, and Coon Rapids-Bayard FFA. Those organizations received their awards this past Spring.