(DES MOINES, Iowa) – The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) Board of Directors today (Wednesday), announced the award of a total of more than $11.2 million in grants to 26 Local Housing Trust Funds to support local housing initiatives. The grant awards are made available through the Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF) program and are expected to assist 2,824 families. The grant funds will support a range of initiatives aimed at developing or preserving housing for low-income households across the spectrum of housing needs. This includes the development and preservation of housing, infrastructure development, transitional housing, assistance for homeless individuals, rental assistance, homeownership support, bolstering the capacity of local housing organizations and other efforts that directly address local housing needs.

Among the area Housing Trust Funds receiving a grant, is:

• The Council of Governments Housing, Inc., (serving Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, Guthrie and Sac Counties) received a grant of $379,792.
• The Dallas County Local Housing Trust Fund, Inc. received a $351,887 grant.
• Pottawattamie County LHTF received a grant of $341, 367.
• The Southern Iowa COG HTF (serving Adair, Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Madison, Ringgold, Taylor and Union Counties) received an LHTF grant of $372, 217.
• The Southwest Iowa HTF (Serving Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page & Shelby Counties) received a grant amounting to $404,149.

View the entire list of grant recipients HERE. IFA Director Debi Durham says “The 2024 Local Housing Trust Fund awards represent the largest annual amount with the largest projected impact allocated through the program since inception. Today’s awards will support housing initiatives that will ensure that nearly 3,000 families have the ability to live, work and thrive in our communities.”

The State Housing Trust Fund was created by the Iowa Legislature in 2003. The awards announced today will leverage an additional $3.3 million in other financing or $.30 for every dollar of Local Housing Trust Fund program funding. Since its inception, the State Housing Trust Fund has provided $123.6 million in affordable housing assistance to benefit nearly 38,000 Iowa families, leveraging more than $180 million in other funding resources.

The State Housing Trust Fund helps ensure decent, safe and affordable housing for Iowans through two programs. The Local Housing Trust Fund Program receives at least 60 percent of the SHTF allocation to provide grants for organizations certified by the Iowa Finance Authority as a Local Housing Trust Fund.

The remaining funding goes to the Project-Based Housing Program, which aids in the development of affordable single-family and multifamily housing. The Iowa Finance Authority administers both programs and provides technical assistance to housing-related organizations.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County today (Wednesday) released reports with regard to four accidents that occurred last week (11/27-12/2).

On Dec. 2nd at around 9:28-a.m., a 2019 Chevy Equinox SUV driven by 71-year-old David Gene Clawson,of Panora, was northbound on Highway 4. Clawson told authorities a southbound pickup truck crossed the center line of the road into his lane. Clawson avoided a head-on collision, by driving into the east ditch. His SUV sustained $5,000 damage. A passenger  in his vehicle, 65-year-old Nancy Rae Clawson, of Panora, was uninjured. David Clawson reported pain and possible injury, but was not transported to the hospital.

On Dec. 1st at around 10-p.m, a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by 54-year-old Patrick James Connor, of Austin, MN, was traveling west on 200th Street near the Lake Panorama National Golf Course, when the SUV went through the T intersection with Sage Trail. The vehicle entered the ditch before going airborne. Once it landed, the SUV ran over a small boulder and rock garden before striking a tree stump and coming to rest a short distance away. No injuries were reported. The Jeep sustained $15,000 damage. Property owned by the golf course sustained $500 damage.

On Nov. 29th at around Noon, a 2014 Dodge Ram 2500 driven by 69-year-old Delmar Morris Frisbie, of Adair, was reported to have been broken down on Justice Road. When a deputy arrived, he discovered the pickup and a Disk Ripper it was towing. The wheel/axle of the M&W Earthmaster ripper had began to dig into the roadway surface, causing about $10,000 damage to Highway  44. Frisbie’s pickup sustained $3,000 damage.

And, at around 6:10-p.m. on November 27th, a 2017 Ford Explorer driven by 72-year-old Kenneth Alan Bahrke, of Panora, was eastbound on Highway 44, when the SUV collided with a deer that was on the road. The vehicle sustained $2,500 damage. Bahrke wasn’t hurt.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has denied the appeal of a man convicted of murder following a 2020 bar fight in Harrison County.

Kristofer Erlbacher, of Woodbine, was found guilty of first-degree murder after hitting and running over Caleb Solberg of Moorhead three times with his pickup outside a bar in Pisgah. Erlbacher appealed, saying he was acting in self defense and that he was intoxicated. The Court of Appeals ruling says Erlbacher told police he was scared, but if that were the case, he could have just driven away.

The ruling also noted Erlbacher told others in the bar “I got this” before going to his pickup and running over Solberg, indicating he was not too intoxicated to carry out his plan.

Court records show Erlbacher and Solberg had been in a fight at a bar in Moorhead earlier in the night after Erlbacher put mayonnaise on Soldberg’s food.

Erlbacher is serving a life sentence.

(Radio Iowa) – A federal judge has permanently blocked two Iowa counties from enforcing ordinances that would have set restrictions for carbon pipelines. The ordinances in Shelby and Story Counties set zones around homes, schools and city limits through which pipelines were not to pass. The counties also sought to force Summit Carbon Solutions to provide county-specific emergency plans for pipeline ruptures.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was first to report that the judge ruled the restrictions would have imposed severe limitations, leading to a situation where the Iowa Utilities Board could grant a construction permit for the pipeline, but Summit would be unable to build it. The same judge issued a temporary injunction this summer against Shelby County’s ordinance. Shelby County Supervisor Kevin Kinkel said at the time it was disappointing that other levels of government aren’t supporting counties in their efforts to protect residents.

Emmet County Supervisors passed zoning restrictions for pipelines that transport hazaroud liquids in early March and Summit Carbon Solutions sued later that month, but that lawsuit has not been resolved. Bremer County also has a zoning ordinance related to carbon pipelines and Navigator C-O-2 sued this spring, but the company has dropped the lawsuit after cancelling its pipeline project.

(Anita, Iowa) – Firefighters from Anita were requested at the CAM High School in Anita, this (Wednesday) morning, following a fire alarm and the observation of smoke. All students were safely evacuated to the North Elementary Gymnasium, as a precaution. Superintendent Paul Croghan said 7th thru 12th grade students will be released earlier than normal, today only.

(As said: The issue was with an overheated electrical motor. Parents were notified by JMC. Croghan said if you cannot pick your child-up, the District will run bus routes like normal on Wednesday, and students can ride the buses at those normal times).

Parents with questions should contact the school office.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Adair County, today (Wednesday), received updated with regard to a Manure Management Plan, Insurance rates, and Bond interest/premium rates. Their first action was to acknowledge the receipt of a Manure Management Plan Update. Board Chair Jerry Walker…

County Auditor Mandy Berg updated the Board of FY25 ISAC Group Health Insurance rates.

County Engineer Nick Kauffman reported on Adair County Secondary Roads Department maintenance work and activities. He said the Washington 32 bridge is finished, with the exception of some dirt work.

And, Maggie Burger with Speer Financial provided insight into Bond interest rates, the issuance of additional obligation debt, etc. With regard to the latter, Speer said….

The majority of the debts are for road projects. The County is currently looking to take on about $5-million in debt for a similar project.

She said they likely wouldn’t need to do any work on TIF (Tax Increment Financing), to get the project ready to go. Speer said the next part of the process is setting the date for a public hearing on the borrowing itself, and then proceed forward with the actual borrowing timeline. That can be as little as 75 days, or as long as the Board determines is necessary.

Interest rates on bond are higher than have been seen in quite some time, she said.

The County is looking to bond for road construction projects sometime this March or April. Speers suggested the County go out for bids first, before taking on bond debt, so the “amount not to exceed” can be determined prior to a public hearing on the issuance of bonds. County Engineer Nick Kauffamn said the bid letting is set for January or February.

More community leaders are calling for action surrounding a Woodbury County supervisor whose wife was convicted last month of voter fraud. At last (Tuesday) night’s county board meeting, two unions representing law enforcement and labor called for the resignation of Jeremy Taylor, who was first elected to the all-Republican board in 2014. Taylor wasn’t swayed.

“I wanted to just make a statement in response to some of the statements that have been made tonight,” Taylor says. “I was elected by the people of this county to do a job, and I take that very seriously and work hard to do the absolute best job I can. They hold us accountable every four years.” Board Chairman Matthew Ung says having Taylor in office is a distraction to the work that needs to be done by local government.

“It’s a sad situation and it’s something that the board shouldn’t have to get into,” Ung says, “but we’re forced into it by the position that he’s in.” The board decided not to vote on a resolution brought forward by the county auditor to call on the state attorney general to investigate the Taylors as a way to remove him from office. They said the public can file a petition through district court instead. Ung was one of three board members who previously called on Taylor to resign.

“Almost the whole meeting was about him,” Ung says. “Most people attending were here to see if he would say anything and address the elephant in the room, which is the fact that he was labeled a co-conspirator by the government during the trial of his wife.” The board accepted the resignation of Taylor as vice chair, a move that was mainly symbolic, since there are only two more meetings left this year. New leadership gets picked in January. Taylor’s wife, Kim, was convicted on November 21st on 52 counts of voter fraud connected to elections in 2020 when her husband’s name was on the ballot.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Warm weather continues to allow work to proceed on various road and bridge projects in Cass County (IA). County Engineer Trent Wolken said Tuesday, that a culvert located on 720^th south of Tucson Road is now open. During a meeting of the County Board of Supervisors, Wolken said 720^th opened-up on Monday. Work continues, meanwhile, on other road projects, thanks to a few days of warmer than normal temperatures.

Wolken said crews were expected to begin pouring 290-yards of concrete for Bridge #319 deck over Indian Creek on G30, today (Wednesday).

Once the deck is cured, Wolken said that should get them into the final stretch of construction, which includes finishing the rails along the road.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office today (Wednesday) reports three people were injured during a collision that occurred Monday evening on Highway 34 East. Authorities say at around 6:25-p.m., Deputies were dispatched to an accident at the intersection of Highways 34 East and 169 South. An investigation determined a 2004 Ford pickup driven by 38-year-old Jason Vernon Mullen, of Johnston, was traveling east on Highway 34. A 2013 Chrysler Town & Country van driven by 96-year-old Leroy Dale Manship, of Afton, was turning left (westbound) from Highway 169 South, when he turned into the eastbound lane of traffic on Highway 34.

Mullen tried to move his vehicle out of the way, but was unable to do so. The vehicles collided in the eastbound lane of travel. All occupants were wearing their seat belts.

Mullen and his passengers, 65-year-old Marilea Elizabeth Mullen, of Corning, and 14-year-old Chayten Pope, were injured and transported by EMS ambulance to the hospital in Creston. Manship was also injured in the crash. He was treated and released to his residence by EMS crews.

Both vehicles were a total loss. There were no citations mentioned in the Sheriff’s report.

MARSHALL COUNTY, Iowa (WHO-TV) — In an update to a previous report, authorities say woman from eastern Iowa faces several charges in connection to a crash that occurred May 20th, near Albion, and that caused the death of an 86-year-old man. The crash between a car and a tractor happened on Highway 330. When first responders arrived on scene they found a tractor overturned in a ditch and another vehicle with heavy front-end damage in the middle of the road.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, the tractor had pulled just out of a private drive onto the highway, when it was rear ended by a vehicle. The impact caused the tractor to crash into the ditch and roll onto its top. The driver of the tractor, 86-year-old Clarence Borton, died from his injuries at the scene of the crash. The driver of the vehicle, 23-year-old Morgan Weigelt, from Albion, was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of  non-life threatening injuries.

On Tuesday (Dec. 5, 2023), Weigelt was charged with failure to stop in assured and clear distance, use of an electronic communication device – over the age of 18, homicide by vehicle, and failure to provide proof of financial liability. She was being held at the Marshall County Jail on a $10,900 bond.