(Radio Iowa) — Researchers at an Iowa City-based think tank says some communities face bigger challenges than others when it come to protecting themselves from flooding. David Osterberg of the Iowa Policy Project says low-income people often live in the areas most impacted by flooding. He says funds available to help isn’t always available right when needed.

)”If you are a low-income person you can’t just say ‘Okay I’ll use some of my savings until the FEMA money comes.’ You don’t have any savings,” Osterberg says. He says that creates a flood inequity as people try to recover. “While this may not be FEMA’s fault — it’s their job to make sure they just don’t give away money willy-nilley — having so many people who just are at the edge and then experience a disaster — it makes it so hard. They are not treated like somebody who would be middle class,” Osterberg says.

Osterbeg says the uncertainty of when relief is coming is a big issue. )”Some floods FEMA is right there. Sometimes it takes a long time,” Osterberg says. University of Iowa graduate student Joe Wilensky wrote the report. “Earlier research primarily focused in on peoples’ income levels and their wealth levels, sort of their poverty levels of individuals,” he says. “More recent research is showing that there are similar sort of negative outcomes associated with a sort of broader range of individuals. So, in the paper itself it list 13 different categories

The report has several recommendations, including a “rebalance” in mitigation efforts with an emphasis on community impact and vulnerability rather than up-front economic loss. It says the economic loss approach puts higher-value properties ahead of those properties of people less able to cope on their own. It also suggests putting more flexibility in FEMA guidelines to ease community burdens and allow for a creative use of funds.

Better directing of Community Block Development Grant funds to the best place for mitigation efforts — not necessarily within the damage area — but outside if needed. And keeping state funds flowing pending the arrival federal aid. State funds might be delayed after a federal disaster is declared and then the state stops processing and paying disaster claims.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The director of the Iowa Department of Transportation is leaving his job next month after Gov. Kim Reynolds asked him to resign. Mark Lowe is a lawyer who was appointed to the post by Reynolds in May 2017. The governor’s spokesman says she has decided to seek a change in leadership.

Lowe became general counsel for the Iowa DOT in 2008 before becoming director of the motor vehicle division and then interim director. His resignation letter released Friday makes no mention of why he was asked to leave. His resignation is effective Jan. 10.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — One of the world’s largest banks will reap a windfall from the University of Iowa’s multi-billion-dollar plan to outsource its utility operations before students or faculty see any benefit from the deal. Wells Fargo is expected to get 1% of the nearly $1.2 billion payment that the university has negotiated for leasing its utility system to a private operator, or around $12 million.

The university hired the bank last year as its strategic advisor on the transaction. The Iowa Board of Regents on Tuesday awarded a 50-year contract to a private company to operate its steam, cooling, water, and electricity infrastructure.

Officials with the Page County Sheriff’s Office today (Friday), said the State Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed that a body that found November 9, 2019 in Page County just north of Clarinda, was that of 68-year old DaleAllen Hodtwalker, of rural Clarinda, and formerly of the Council Bluffs area.

Hodtwalker, who suffered from Dementia and other health issues, was reported as missing on October 22, 2019 at approximately 8:30-a.m.  A systematic search of the area involving persons on foot, K-9’s, persons on horseback, drones, helicopters and airplanes did not locate the Hodtwalker at that time.

The search was officially postponed on October 25, 2019. As more crops in the area were harvested, small searches continued until the body was found on November 9, 2019. No foul play was found and Hodtwalker’s death was ruled accidental.

Sheriff’s deputies in Page County responded at around 11:15-a.m. today (Friday), to the South Page Schools, with regard to a person at the school who was violating a protection order. An investigation revealed 29-year old Justin Leo Powers, of rural Yorktown, was in violation of the protection order issued on December 12, 2019.

The protected party of the protection order was at the school. Authorities say Powers went there to speak with that person. He was escorted out of the school by school employees. Video cameras recordings in the school recorded the event.

At approximately 12:25-p.m.,Justin Powers was arrested at a residence in Braddyville, for Violation of a protection order. He was transported to the Page County Jail where he was being held without bond until seen by a Magistrate.

(Radio Iowa) — The Ankeny-based Casey’s Convenience store chain continues adding news stores and also recently announced the company will build its third distribution center in Joplin, Missouri. Casey’s C-E-O Darren Rebelez talked about the timeline for the new center during this week’s conference call with investors. “We plan on breaking ground later this month — with an estimated completion date in the spring of 2021. Upon completion we plan to immediately serve approximately 500 stores from this center — which will allow our network to operate more efficient and alleviate pressure off our current distribution centers,” Rebelez explains.

He says this new center will make it easier to service stores. “That southern-southwestern part of our geography is being serviced our of Ankeny, Iowa and Terra Haute, Indiana. That’s a pretty long haul,” according to Rebelez. “When we open up that facility in the spring of 21 — we’ll immediately be able to service about 500 stores out of that facility — which will really start to right size our infrastructure and reduce the overall cost to serve those stores.” Rebelez says the facility will be able to meet current and future needs.

“It does expand our ability to reach into some new geographies that we are not currently in. So, the immediate impact would be on the efficiency side and the more longer term would be on the development side,” he says. The new center will have state-of-the art systems that along with the location gives them the ability to rapidly meet the needs of the stores in the region. “We’re designing this to be more automated and more efficient than perhaps our other two distribution centers,” Rebelez says. “We also have additional land adjacent to the site that we could expand if we need to.”

The company currently has 21-hundred-46 stores in 16 states.