(Radio Iowa) –  The Iowa legislature has approved a bill that is estimated to require that the majority of Iowa gas stations sell gasoline with a 15 percent ethanol blend. Governor Kim Reynolds was speaking with reporters in West Des Moines when she learned the vote tally in the Senate.

The governor initially proposed an Iowa Renewable Fuels Standard last year. An adjusted plan passed passed the House this February. This week, Senators made changes that are expected to let an estimated 30 percent of smaller gas stations opt out of the requirement to sell E-15. Senator Waylon Brown, a Republican from Osage, says it’s a way to push back against the oil industry and federal regulators who’ve resisted using ethanol as a gasoline additive.

“This does tell the state, it tells the nation, it tells our region that E15 is important in Iowa and we are going to be the leader in the E15 market,” Brown says, “in production and in selling it.” Republican Senator Dennis Guth, a farmer from Klemme, says the mandate violates the principles of free enterprise. “I do support E15 in every way that I can,” Guth said, “but I don’t think it’s the government’s job to use their big club to make things happen.” Senator Todd Taylor, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says the bill will be an economist boost for rural and urban Iowa.

“It’ll help with clean air and clean energy,” Taylor says, “and renewables for the future are what we need for growing our economy, creating jobs and sustainable jobs.” Republican Senator Adrian Dickey of Packwood, who has owned fuel stores, voted for the bill, but Dickey says retailers who install new systems to pump higher blends of ethanol will make zero profits from that investment.

“I think when we get done with this bill we should pass another bill that’s a ‘Green Tractor Mandate,'” Dickey said. “…We should mandate that every farmer uses a green tractor, a green planter, a green combine to put their crop in and take their crop out and the first response would be: ‘Well, I’m not going to make any more money doing that. I’m not going to have any more yield doing that.’ Well, exactly. It’s the same scenario, but ‘Green Tractors’ are good for Iowa. We make ’em and we sell ’em in Iowa.”

The House approved Senate adjustments in the plan early this (Tuesday) afternoon and sent the bill to the governor on an 81-to-13 vote.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department reports three people were arrested and multiple individuals were cited, over the past week. The arrests include:

• on April 21st, 26-year-old Troy Bird, of Atlantic, who was arrested for OWI/1st Offense.
• and on April 24th: 24-year-old K One Moses, of Warrensburg, MO., and 25-year-old Seker Weneity, of Atlantic, were both taken into custody for Disorderly Conduct and Public Intoxication. Weneity remained held in the Cass County Jail, as of today (April 26th).

Atlantic Police said 45-year old Jeffrey Ponton, of Atlantic, was cited into court April 23rd, for Driving While License Revoked. And three people from Atlantic were cited into court for Unlawful Passing of a School Bus: 37-year-old Amber Rhodes, 30-year-old Nigel Newbury, and 85-year-old Charles Templeman.

(Radio Iowa) – The legislature has sent the governor a bill that would give more medical professionals authority to recommend patients be permitted to park in handicapped spaces. Under the bill, licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists would be able to recommend the Iowa D-O-T issue license plates for Iowans with permanent disabilities or permits that hang on a rear view mirror for those with temporary disabilities. Representative Dennis Bush of Cherokee says “These therapists have the training necessary to determine if a person needs special parking privileges in order to better function independently.”

Bush said also, under current law it’s only doctors, physicians assistants and nurse practitioners who can recommend Iowans with a disability get special parking privileges.  “House File 2259 makes it easier for a person with a disability to access the health care professionals who can help them get the special license plates or parking permits they need,” Bush says.

The bill also lets health care professionals in other states issue the recommendations to the Iowa D-O-T for plates or temporary permits that allow a vehicle to park in designated handicapped spaces. The bill passed the House unanimously in February and the Senate gave it unanimous approval Monday.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) –  Connections Area Agency on Aging has teamed-up with OATS (Older Adults Technology Services) and its flagship program Senior Planet, from AARP, to harnesses technology to enhance the way we age. Officials say the OATS courses, programs, and activities help seniors learn new skills, save money, exercise to get in shape, and make new friends.  If you or someone you know is an older adult, join others for FREE class sessions on health & wellness, technology, socialization, and much more.  Sessions concentrate on user-friendly tools and resources and are designed to enable older adults to learn to utilize technologies to improve their daily lives.

Among the topics being offered this quarter, is (Date/Time/Location/Topic):

May 4th 4pm Garden Grove Library– Protecting Your Personal Information Online
May 5th 4pm Atlantic Public Library—Smart Phones
May 11th 10am Lenox—Graphic Design Tools
May 11th 4pm Harlan Community Library— Smart Phone Photography
May 13th 2pm Lied Public Library Clarinda 2pm-3:30—Online Shopping
May 18th 4pm Garden Grove Library—How to Spot Fake News
May 19th 4pm Atlantic Public Library—Internet of things
May 24th 1pm Ida Grove Public Library—The internet of things
May 24th 3:30pm Stubbs Library Holstein—The internet of things
May 25th 11am Greenfield Public Library—Benefits of Connecting to the Internet
June 1st 10am Lenox—Cloud Storage
June 10th Lied Public Library Clarinda—Smart Phone technology

Detailed class information can be found on the Connections AAA website at: https://www.connectionsaaa.org/about-us/news_events/

If you would like more information on the OATS programming, would like to attend or host a class, or would like to be trained as an OATS coach please contact Aubury or Nikki at 800-432-9209.  **Connections Area Agency is one of six Area Agencies on Aging in Iowa, and part of a nationwide network. With a mission of enhancing the quality of life for elders in 20 counties through education, planning and coordination of services, Connections Area Agency on Aging is the premier agency for assisting elders, caregivers, and their families to access the information and services needed for independence and life transitions. Offices are located in Council Bluffs, Creston and Sioux City. For more information, contact Connections AAA at 800-432-9209 or at www.connectionsaaa.org.**

Police in Red Oak report the arrest on Sunday night, of 28-year-old Dex Logan Jensen, from Red Oak. Jensen was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. He was arrested in the 1200 block of Senate Avenue in Red Oak at around 8:46-p.m. and was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Elk Horn, Iowa) – The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton School Board will meet in a Special Session 5:30-p.m. Wednesday (April 27th), in the Conference Room at the Elk Horn Building. On their agenda, is a Public Hearing on the 2022-2023 School Year Budget (which takes place at 6-p.m.), followed by approval of the Budget as stated. The Board will hold their regular, monthly meeting on May 16th, beginning at 6-p.m., in the same location as their Special Session/Public Hearing.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Board of Education for the Atlantic Community School District is set to hold a Special Session in person and via YouTube, 5:30-p.m. Wednesday (April 27), in the Schuler Elementary School Media Center. The Board is expected to receive an update on, and then discuss the iJAG (Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates) Program. They are also expecting to receive an update on School Social Work/Therapy and discuss the same.

Action items on their agenda include:

• Resignations:
  • Brandon Baggett, and Robert Astuni, HS English Teachers
  • Rhonda Hawkins, HS Business Teacher/Multi-Occupations Coordinator
  • Laura Vogel, HS Math Teacher
  • Pattiey Koontz, 3rd Grade Teacher
  • Jeff Hetrick, Preschool Route Driver.
• And, Contract Recommendations for:
  • Scott Dickerson, Transfer from HS Night Custodian to MS Day Custodian
  • Allison Widrowicz, MS Special Education
  • Nathan Berg, Volunteer Girls Golf Coach
  • Anna Pauley, HS Chemistry/Physics Teacher **added**

The Board will also act on approving the High School Gymnasium Sound System improvements.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says there were three separate arrests Monday, and one arrest on Saturday. Among those arrested Monday, was:

• 36-year-old Tashina Lee Martwick, of Creston, who was arrested at around 11:37-p.m., near the intersection of Elm and Adams with the assist from Creston K9 Baxo. Martwick was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance 3^rd Offense Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Martwick was later released on a $5,300 cash or surety bond.
• 27-year-old Marston Shane Randolph, of Alabama, was arrested a little after 6-p.m., Monday, at 1700 W Townline Road. He was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault and Public Intox., and was being held in the Union County Jail without bond, till seen by the magistrate. And,
• 65-year-old Gregory Lee Kaufman, of Creston, was arrested at around 2:15-p.m., Monday, at the Creston Fareway Parking Lot. Kaufman was charged with Public Intox-1^st Offense. He was being held on a $300 cash or surety bond.

And, arrested at around 5:37-p.m. Saturday, in Creston, was 23-year-old Gordon McKenzie Carroll, Jr., of Osceola, who was taken into custody with assistance from the Creston K9 “Baxo.” Carroll was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, cited, and released from the scene at Taylor and Wyoming Streets.

(Radio Iowa) – Sioux City high school and college students got hands-on experience Monday in grain bin rescue techniques and first aid training at the Sioux City Fire Rescue Training Center. Sergeant Bluff fire chief Anthony Gaul was one of the instructors. “So we’re gonna be able to get to a lot of kids in our community that are around farming around ag and teaches them a little bit of safety that hopefully, they’ll get here and never have to experience for real,” Gaul says. Instructors from the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety brought a trailer with a grain bin simulator that a student volunteer became “trapped” in. Gaul says other students in turnout gear then had to rescue their classmate using a grain auger and other tools.

“I’ve been on three of these for real and we’ve been successful with two of them. And it’s a frightening situation for anyone to be in — the person that’s in the bin, the family,” Gaul says. “The state has done a good job of helping provide training. There have been grants for equipment to bring us to where we need to be.” Keyshawn Canady is one of the high school students who volunteered to be the victim in the training exercise.

Student grain bin rescue training (KSCJ photo)

“For a second, I’m not gonna lie to you it was a little terrifying but then after a while, it was nothing. Yeah, in real life I maybe would have been absolutely shocked. But no, not now. No, I’ve never been in like a simulation with that no,” Canaday says. Canady says the experience and class training he is taking has sparked his interest in becoming a firefighter.

“I really didn’t know too much about firefighting but I’m actually going to continue it and go to WIT (Western Iowa Tech) for two years for fire science,” he says. The students also received training in “stop the bleed” activities with staff from local hospitals.

(Radio Iowa) – The climate-driving weather system known as La Nina may be sticking around still longer, impacting how Iowa’s weather evolves well past summer. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says the experts had expected La Nina to fade this spring. “We’ve gone through two years of La Nina, that’s not uncommon,” Todey says. “The initial thoughts were that La Nina was going to weaken this spring and dissipate. It has weakened but it really hasn’t dissipated. It actually has strengthened in certain ways. So, La Nina is still very present and impacting our background issues with the outlooks.”

Todey says the forecasting models for the next several months show a tendency toward above-normal temperatures and a lack of rain. “We did have this area of maybe not being warm in the north central U.S, and in June, July, August, that goes away,” Todey says. “So, much of the western U.S. leans towards above (-normal temperatures) and decreased chances for precipitation — sorry about that — throughout the Plains and even extending into Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri.”

Todey says there is the potential for more heat and expanding drought areas into summer, both in Iowa and across the region. “There were hints this could happen,” he says. “It’s not a guarantee. The probabilities still are not high but it’s definitely something we have to keep an eye on as we go ahead here.” A La Nina event occurs when Pacific Ocean surface temperatures cool, and it influences weather across North America.