Jim Field visits with Dale Menning of the “Stardusters” who will be playing a dance in Greenfield at the Warren Cultural Center on Sunday.
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Jim Field visits with Dale Menning of the “Stardusters” who will be playing a dance in Greenfield at the Warren Cultural Center on Sunday.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (10.7MB)
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AMES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa State University insect experts say an extensive surveillance project last year found that the two mosquito species most associated with Zika virus are not established in the state. The ISU Medical Entomology Laboratory oversaw mosquito trapping in 15 Iowa counties. The traps collected nearly 176,000 mosquitoes between May 3 and Oct. 4. Not a single specimen of the two species known to transmit Zika was found.
Ryan Smith, an assistant professor of entomology, says not a single specimen of the two species known to transmit Zika was found. He says the research is intended to try to answer questions about whether they’ll get here and if so, when. Zika carrying mosquitoes are in Missouri and Illinois and surveillance will be heightened in southern and eastern Iowa counties.
The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday) released details about two recent arrests. Officials say 38-year old Kirk Thomas Ring, of Underwood, was arrested Monday afternoon for Serious Assault with Injury, after a Sheriff’s Deputy was flagged down by a man who said his son had just assaulted him. The victim, 65-year old Marvin Ring, of Underwood, suffered apparent minor injuries during the incident.
Three people from Nebraska were arrested Monday afternoon in Pottawattamie County, after a routine license plate check on Ford F-150 pickup indicated the plates didn’t match the vehicle, and it was pulled over on I-29 near the 70-mile marker. The driver, 39-year old Gordon Ward Dick, of Winnebago, NE, and two occupants of the pickup were arrested.
Dick was arrested for OWI/3rd offense, and on a warrant out of Dakota County, Nebraska. Gordon Dick, and his passengers, 32-year old Terrell Harlan, of Omaha and 39-year old Kellie Jo Parker, of Dakota City, NE., were also charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Meth, with Intent to Deliver, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Dick was also cited for fraudulent use of license plates, having no insurance, and failure to have a valid driver’s license. Parker was also charged with Obstruction of Prosecution by providing false information, and on a warrant out of Woodbury County for voluntary absence/escape. A glass meth pipe and three syringes, along with a green bag containing several plastic bags of meth were recovered at the scene.
As the Budgetary Process continues for the Adair County Board of Supervisors, the Board, Wednesday, will hear additional requests for Fiscal Year 2018 funding from various department heads, departments and organizations. Budget requests are expected from: Home Care; The Adair County Sheriff; VA Director; Conservation Director; Midwest Partnership and Adair County Tourism.
The Board will also hear annual reports from MATURA and SICOG, and they’ll discuss longevity as well as Step increases for County employees in addition to other, administrative matters.
The Adair County Board of Supervisors meeting begins at 9-a.m. Wednesday in their Boardroom at the Adair County Courthouse in Greenfield.
Officials with the Iowa DOT report Highway 6, between Oakland and the McClelland turn-off, has now re-opened. The road was closed earlier and traffic was being re-routed, due to numerous crashes caused by an icy road surface.
RED OAK, Iowa – Every Wednesday Red Oak 4-6th graders engage in real world problem-solving activities during an afterschool STEM program at the Montgomery County Family YMCA. The STEM Program fosters curiosity for science, technology, engineering and math. Youth participate in hands-on activities that encourage discovery-based learning and develop problem-solving skills.
Students explore a STEM challenges and work in teams to solve problems and develop solutions. The second six weeks of STEM Club will be starting January 25th from 1:45-3:00PM at the Montgomery County YMCA Rec Room. The first six weeks of challenges included: strawberry DNA extracting, understanding buoyancy through sink/float activities, understanding how drones and remote sensing can be used to solve real-world problems, and learned about the components of rockets and force.
Please contact the Extension Office at 712-623-2592 to register, or you can register at the meeting! “The volunteers and leaders strive to create a safe, fun and supportive environment where youth explore STEM topics and develop the skills to become engaged community leaders, engineers and scientists,” states Chelsea Cousins, Program Coordinator at ISU Extension and Outreach Montgomery County. “At
our first meeting, one student expressed his hesitation and by the end of the program he raised his hands and shouted ‘THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER’. If the program ignites one youth’s passion for STEM – we’ve reached our goal.”
The afterschool program will run for six consecutive weeks. Youth do not have to be a member of the YMCA to participate. The afterschool STEM program is coordinated by ISU Extension and Outreach Montgomery County in partnership with Montgomery County Family YMCA, Anderson Conservation Center, Southwest Iowa STEM Hub and Johnson Controls, INC.
The program has been made possible through the Blue Skies Grant from Johnson Controls, Inc. and the collaborative efforts of each partner. For more information, please contact ISU Extension and Outreach Montgomery County at 712-623-2592 or 400 Bridge Street, Suite 2, Red Oak, IA.
Officials with the Cass County Landfill and Recycling Center report an auditing firm has released an audit report on the Cass County Environmental Control Agency (Landfill/Recycling Center). Gronewold, Bell, Kyhnn & Co. PC says the Agency had total revenues of $961,409 for the Fiscal Year that ended June 30th, 2016. The revenues include solid waste fees of $905,858 and recyclables fees of $44,567.
Agency expenses totaled just over $1-million ($1,009,898). Expenses included $70,522 for administration, $166,895 for recycling, and $170,407 for cover, compacting and scale expense, as well as $118, 700 for closure and post-closure costs. In addition, the Agency expended $28, 382 for the purchase of equipment and $186, 025 to service existing debt.
A copy of the audit report is available for review in the office of the Auditor of State, and the Cass County Environmental Control Agency.
More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREEZING RAIN AND A WINTERY MIX OF PRECIPITATION, IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3-P.M. TODAY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL AND GREENE, AND UNTIL 10-A.M. TODAY FOR MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY AND POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTIES.
LOW PRESSURE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST NORTHEAST THIS MORNING BEFORE EXITING INTO WISCONSIN BY
AFTERNOON. THIS WILL PRODUCE MAINLY RAIN SOUTH…BUT A MIX ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA FROM FREEZING RAIN TO SLEET AND SNOW SOUTH TO NORTH BEFORE CHANGING TO ALL SNOW AS THE SYSTEM EXITS AND WINDS.
* SHORT TERM TRENDS...FREEZING RAIN CONTINUES TO FALL ACROSS THE AREA WITH MANY ROADS AND SIDEWALKS BECOMING COATED IN ICE. A PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW BY LATE
MORNING TO AROUND MIDDAY AND ENDING ALTOGETHER BY 3PM OR 4PM.
* STORM TOTAL SNOW/ICE ACCUMULATIONS…ICE ACCUMULATIONS LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH ARE EXPECTED WITH VERY LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS.
* WINDS/VISIBILITY…WINDS WILL SHARPLY INCREASE WEST TO EAST
BETWEEN 10AM AND 2PM. SUSTAINED SPEEDS MAY REACH 25 TO 30 MPH
WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH. THESE WINDS MAY BRIEFLY COINCIDE WITH
SNOW PRODUCING LOW VISIBILITIES AND DIFFICULT TRAVEL.
* IMPACTS…ALTHOUGH AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHT…ROAD TEMPERATURES
REMAIN BELOW FREEZING AND LIGHT FREEZING RAIN…SLEET OR SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS MAY LEAD TO HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. BLOWING SNOW MAY ALSO COMPOUND THE SITUATION WITH LIMITED
VISIBILITIES.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW, SLEET, OR
FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR
SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES, AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.
Iowa landowners have the opportunity to enroll land in the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) into special targeted areas for wildlife. D-N-R wildlife biologist Todd Bogenschutz says more C-R-P land is now eligible for what’s called the State Acres For wildlife Enhancement or SAFE program. “Basically what they’ve done, nationwide there’s two-point-five million acres coming out — some of them are continuous, most of them are general. They made this announcement that they are going to target 700-thousand of those acres toward the state safe practices,” Bogenschutz says. “That was great for Iowa because we have a couple of safe requests in. They basically gave us acres for all three of them.”
He says the SAFE program is designed to help particular species of wildlife. “It’s basically where there’s threatened and endangered species, a species that is declining significantly, or a species that’s economically important. States can come up with a targeted C-R-P practice to address one of those concerns, or any of those concerns,” Bogenschutz says.
He says Iowa has had success with its SAFE programs. “We have a gaining ground SAFE — which is targeted at grassland birds and pollinators — we have a pheasant recovery SAFE, and we just submitted a new quail SAFE — and they gave us additional acres for all three of those,” Bogenschutz says.
He says until the recent announcement they didn’t know if any new C-R-P acres would be allowed to go into the program. “Because we were at the cap people weren’t sure what was going to happen this coming year. If they were just going to have another sign up. SAFE’s been popular, but we can’t put any more in because the acres are all gone,” Bogenschutz says. “Now with this announcement people have an opportunity to get into SAFE. If you ‘ve got a contract that is expiring this year, you can re-enroll in that, which is going to probably make it better habitat than it was.”
The sign up is underway and Bogenschutz urges you to not delay in getting signed up. “Many people are expecting that these acres could be gone within a couple of weeks. There’s a lot of interest in C-R-P, a lot of people want to be in C-R-P and they can’t now that they’ve lowered the cap. So we expect it’s going to be very competitive, so if folks are interested in C-R-P I recommend they get right into their local U-S-D-A office, or contact one of our private land staff to get more info,” according to Bogenschutz.
The Iowa D-N-R has created a web page for landowners to learn more about federal and state programs available to them. The web page includes a list of D-N-R staff who are experts at connecting landowners with programs and writing land management plans that benefit the landowner, wildlife and improve water quality. There is also a link to F-S-A where landowners can find information about their local F-S-A office. The landowner assistance webpage is at www.iowadnr.gov/crp.
(Radio Iowa)
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