(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO), have announced the organization has funds available, and is seeking more applicants, for its Lead Hazard Reduction Grant. The program applies to homes constructed before 1978 and have children under the age of 6 who reside or spend a significant amount of time in the home. Rental units may qualify as well if the owner gives preference to a family with children under age 6. Vacant rentals are also eligible. Rental unit owners must match 10% of the project cost.

Work that is eligible includes exterior and/or interior improvements involving lead-based paint removal and other items necessary to make the home safe and healthy. Homeowners must meet income guidelines and live in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, or Shelby counties. Grants have averaged approximately $30,000.

Lead is a neurotoxin, and lead poisoning is 100% preventable, but the effects of lead poisoning are irreversible. The Centers for Disease Control reports that there is no safe lead level and a level of 3.5 micrograms/deciliter is considered a high blood level of lead. Testing for elevated lead levels in children continues to be emphasized in Iowa. Children under 6 are more
sensitive to lead and pregnant women exposed to lead can pass lead to their unborn baby.

Lead gets into the body when it is inhaled or swallowed, and lead poisoning can lead to significant and long-term health effects. Lead poisoning affects 1 in 14 Iowa children and Iowa’s rate of lead poisoning is four times the national average. Nearly 60% of the homes in Iowa both in rural and urban areas were built before 1960.

Lead Before-After Photo

Lead Hazard Reduction Program Coordinator Nicole Rhodes said, “This is a wonderful opportunity to help us get some of those lead hazards removed to make southwest Iowa a safer and healthier place to live for everyone, especially kids who are particularly vulnerable. Through this grant program we have already been able to get 4 contractors in the southwest Iowa area certified as Lead Safe Contractors, which will ensure that lead poisoning awareness and abatement will outlast this program and will continue to benefit the community for future generations.”

Applications are needed as soon as possible to have lead issues addressed in 2024. To apply or to learn more about the grant program, please contact SWIPCO Lead Hazard Reduction Program Coordinator, Nicole Rhodes, at 712-243-4196 or 866-279-4720 ext. 240 or by emailing nicole.rhodes@swipco.org.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Bellevue, Nebraska man was sentenced March 19, 2024, in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to serve 24 months in prison for Possession of Child Pornography.

According to public court documents, Ernest Ray Roberts Jr., 53, pled guilty to a one-count Indictment charging him with Possession of Child Pornography. In August 2021, an employee with Prairie Flower Casino discovered a Samsung cellular phone on the floor of the casino. While attempting to identify the owner of the cellular phone, child sexual abuse material was discovered to have been saved from the internet to the cellular telephone. The owner of the cellular phone was determined to be Roberts.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Roberts is required to serve seven years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by Carter Lake Police Department and Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says Democrats are again playing politics with the budget and Social Security. “I will always support social security. And I will reject any cuts to Social Security. I will also reject the Democrats fear mongering on this issue,” Hinson says. “They are inflationary spending left and right. That has hurt seniors and those on fixed incomes the most.” Hinson says she is dedicated to protecting Social Security going forward. Hinson says the budget should be done in September, but Congress has missed the deadline for decades.

“I am very disheartened by the process here. It’s so broken. Both sides have been to blame for the shutdown politics over the last couple months, there’s been a lot of gamesmanship,” she says.
Hinson says she has worked to craft bills to cut wasteful spending and says it is important to fund the defense portion of the budget.”When you look at what’s happening around the world right now, not only in Israel, but in Ukraine, and with our adversaries like China and Iran, we need to make sure that we are providing a robust defense for our country. If we don’t have a safe and secure country, I don’t think we have anything,” Hinson says.

She says an important part of the defense portion of the bill funds a basic military pay increase, which is the largest such increase in more than 20 years.

(Radio Iowa) – The Spencer City Council is promising to provide 50-thousand dollars in matching funds if a developer planning to restore fire-damaged structures in downtown Spencer gets a state grant for the project. Spencer City Councilman Loren Reit chairs the city’s Finance Committee. “It’s kind of nice to see someone take on a task like this of empty buildings on Main Street not only on a historical perspective, but they’re also taking care of some needs in the community” he says, “from housing, from new businesses coming in and also some entertainment venue coming down the road.”

A fire in early 2023 heavily damaged buildings on on Spencer’s Grand Avenue that housed five businesses and eight apartments. Eric Meter is with M and M Grand Ventures, the firm working on the restoration project. He says while the flames didn’t reach six of those apartments, they were heavily damaged. “Due to how long they had to fight the fire, a lot of water damage, a lot of moisture, a lot of soot, a lot of ash,” he says, “so we are stripping all of those down o the studs to make sure that we can mitigate any moisture, make sure there’s no mold or anything like that.” The structure most damaged by the fire was torn down.

The plan calls for that open lot to be converted into a courtyard and the entire ground floor of the building that’s still standing to become an events center. The developer is seeking a state Catalyst Grant. The grants are for building remediation in the downtown areas of Iowa communities.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Pilger, Nebraska man was sentenced March 19, 2024 in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to 63 months in prison for being a Prohibited Person in Possession of Ammunition. According to public court documents, 32-year-old Nathaniel Lewis Kreikemeier was charged in a two-count Indictment, and on November 2, 2023, he pled guilty to Count Two, Prohibited Person in Possession of Ammunition.

Kreikemeier fled from an Iowa State Patrol traffic stop. After a chase that included Kreikemeier ramming through a fence gate and driving into oncoming interstate traffic, law enforcement officers were able to complete the stop. Kreikemeier attempted to flee on foot and was caught and placed in custody. A subsequent search of the vehicle located a double-barreled sawed-off shotgun, ammunition, and illegal drugs. Kreikemeier had been previously convicted of a felony and knew he was prohibited from possession of firearms and ammunition.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Kreikemeier will be required to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol and Council Bluffs Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

March 22, 2024 (DES MOINES, IA) – Today, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board approved awards for four companies, which will assist in the creation of 252 jobs and result in $612 million in new capital investment for the state. These projects are located in Cedar Rapids, Knoxville and Marshalltown. IEDA also recently approved assistance from Iowa’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Innovation Fund for four startups in Coralville, Nora Springs, Templeton and West Des Moines.

Google to expand presence with data center in Cedar Rapids
Google LLC is a multinational technology company that focuses on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence and consumer electronics. The company plans to construct a data center in Cedar Rapids that powers many internet-related products. The project represents a $576 million capital investment and is expected to create 31 jobs incented at a qualifying wage of $31.44 per hour. The board granted the community of Cedar Rapids the ability to utilize the High Quality Jobs (HQJ) program provision for value-added property tax exemption for this project.

International Flavors & Fragrances to construct steam plant in Cedar Rapids
Danisco, Inc., a subsidiary of International Flavors & Fragrances, manufactures enzymes for biofuels production, to be used in food, animal nutrition and household products. The company plans to construct a new facility in Cedar Rapids for a steam generation plant, which will use natural gas as fuel. The board awarded the $17.5 million capital investment project tax benefits through the HQJ program. The project is expected to create at least two jobs incented at a qualifying wage of $31.44 per hour.

Weiler to expand facility in Knoxville
Weiler is a family-owned business that manufactures equipment for the asphalt paving market. The company plans to build a 16,100-square-foot expansion to its facility in Knoxville and invest in additional machinery and equipment, allowing for additional capacity to produce more parts in house. The project represents a $16.8 million capital investment and is expected to create 171 jobs, of which 89 are incented at a qualifying wage of $25.86 per hour. The board awarded the company a $400,000 forgivable loan and tax benefits through the HQJ program.

CO2 Refrigeration Systems to establish operations in Marshalltown
CO2 Refrigeration Systems is a manufacturer of natural refrigeration systems, an alternative to Freon- and Ammonia-based refrigeration. The company plans to establish its U.S. manufacturing presence with the purchase of an existing 34,000-square-foot facility in Marshalltown. The board awarded the $1.5 million capital investment project a $100,000 forgivable loan and tax benefits through the HQJ program. It is expected to create 48 jobs incented at a qualifying wage of $22.17 per hour.

SSBCI awards made to four startups
Coralville’s Cellular Engineering Technologies, Inc. (CET) is a biotech company developing optimized reagents and human cell lines for next-generation cell-based therapies. Their proprietary cell therapy technology and production of stem cell lines and high-value growth factor protein products are used by stem cell therapy research scientists and developers. The company was awarded a $250,000 Innovation Acceleration Launch Fund award for key personnel and equipment.

ReEnvision Ag in Nora Springs created a planter row system for farmers with SeedSpike technology, which uses precision seed placement. The technology injects the seed with low soil disturbance to optimize soil health and maximize soil carbon sequestration. The company was awarded a $175,000 Demonstration Fund loan for IP development and evaluation, proof of concept work, market planning and entry activities, key personnel and equipment.

PigEasy, a family-owned company in Templeton, develops products that simplify daily tasks on the farm to improve productivity and efficiency and reduce costs. Their products include the AI Saddle for artificially inseminating sows and MealMeter for monitoring sow feeding and drinking activity with a mobile app. The company was awarded a $175,000 Demonstration Fund loan for product refinement, key personnel and market planning and entry activities.

MakuSafe Corp., located in West Des Moines, aims to improve worker health, safety and productivity while reducing worker compensation claims and mitigating workplace risks. The proprietary wearable technology gathers real-time environmental and ergonomic data from workers to identify high-risk trends in a facility. The company was awarded a $500,000 Innovation Acceleration Propel Fund loan for market and competitive analysis, product refinement, key personnel and marketing planning and entry activities.

The SSBCI program’s Innovation Fund increases assistance available through Iowa’s innovation continuum to support entrepreneurs through concept, launch and expansion. Award recommendations for these funds are made by the SSBCI Review Committee to the IEDA director for approval. The committee met on March 5, 2024, to review eligible applications.