GREENFIELD, Iowa [KCCI] –  People gathered on the lawn in front of the Adair County Courthouse Tuesday night for a vigil one week after a deadly EF-4 tornado swept through Greenfield.

The event was organized by Greenfield Chamber Main Street and the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation. Community and faith leaders came together to lead the crowd in prayer. It was an opportunity for people to escape the chaos of cleanup and destruction seen around town.

A minute of silence was held to represent the minute that it took for the tornado to go through the city. In those 60 seconds, four people were killed, more than 35 people were injured, and many homes were destroyed. Pastor Steven Broers of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fontanelle read the names of the three men and a woman who were killed in Greenfield and a woman who was killed in Adams County out loud, during a prayer.

People held glow sticks to symbolize the light they continue to shine in the darkness and the strength they have. The Greater Greenfield Community Foundation said it has raised $380,000 from its tornado relief fund so far. The organization thanked everyone who donated time, money and resources in the days following the storm.

(Radio Iowa) – One of the races in next week’s Primary Election is in Iowa’s fourth congressional district, where Kevin Virgil is challenging Republican Randy Feenstra of Hull, who’s seeking a third term in the U-S House. Virgil is a former Army captain, a former C-I-A officer and an entrepreneur who launched a software company that has won U-S military contracts. He grew up near Sutherland, on an O’Brien County farm.

“When it became obvious that nobody was going to run against Feenstra this time, that just accelerated my decision to come back home,” Virgil says. Virgil supports 12-year term limits for members of congress, a 50 percent reduction in the federal workforce and a hard closure of the U-S-Mexico border.

“We need to make sure that our companies are only hiring people who are authorized to work here in America…which means extremely stiff penalties and I would also propose comprehensive immigration reform,” Virgil says. “Maybe some sort of short term Visa for working class, non-Americans who want to work in a meatpacking plant or in a low skilled job because they can earn more here than they can back home, but it needs to be regulated. It needs to be controlled.”

Virgil, who criticizes Feenstra for supporting construction of a carbon pipeline, says eminent domain should not be used for the project.  “It’s not just unconstitutional to seize land from a private citizen for another person or another company’s private gain, it’s unAmerican,” Virgil says, “and I think it’s an extremely important issue.” Feenstra’s campaign manager says Feenstra delivers conservative results and Iowans will reject Steve King’s effort to send a New Yorker to congress to represent Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.

Former Congressman Steve King, who lost to Feenstra in a G-O-P Primary four years ago, encouraged Virgil to run and has endorsed him.

(Radio Iowa) – Brewers from across the state are producing a limited edition “Yield of Dreams” beer to draw attention to Iowa’s craft beer industry and its economic impact on the state. Iowa Brewers Guild executive director Noreen Otto says the beer-making process started yesterday (Tuesday) at Field Day Brewing in North Liberty. “It will now sit in the tanks and go through all the beautiful magic that will make it a lager,” Otto says. “We’ll be releasing the beer at the Iowa State Fair in August.” Iowa grown corn is the key ingredient.

“An Iowa corn lager is going to be really crisp and fresh, great for summer drinking,” Otto says, “which is why we love it.” The beer is part of the “Brewed in Iowa” program and it will first be sold at the Iowa State Fair’s craft beer tent. “Yield of Dreams’ is a collaboration with Iowa Corn, with ‘Choose Iowa,’ with the promotional fund under Iowa Tourism and then after the fair it will be available at our members’ taprooms around the state,” Otto says.

The Iowa Brewers Guild is the trade association for more than 100 brewers who are making beer, cider and mead in Iowa. This summer, the Guild plans to release a study of the industry’s impact on tourism and the state’s economy.

DES MOINES – Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) has been awarded the 2024 Innovative Project Award from the Iowa Association of Councils of Governments (ICOG) for work with the City of Woodbine on the Harvest Hills Development. The award was accepted at the ICOG Staff Retreat in Des Moines.

SWIPCO worked with the City of Woodbine to apply for and obtain a Community Development Block Grant from disaster recovery funds following the 2019 Missouri River floods to create an affordable housing project. SWIPCO worked with the city and NuStyle Development to administer funds and help coordinate the project to construct 40 new homes and the supporting infrastructure in the Harvest Hills subdivision located on the west edge of Woodbine.

SWIPCO’s Ashley Hayes, Erin Hudson, Aaron Koontz, Mary Auten, and Barb Boggs had hands on the project. SWIPCO’s team has filled many roles along the way after helping obtain the initial grant funding. Work has included helping 2019 flood displaced and low to moderate income residents match with the new housing opportunities, assuring that federal standards and guidelines are followed, coordinating planning, and assuring proper paperwork has been filed.

The infrastructure involved with this project was significant with a new water tower and solar power grid included to meet Iowa Green Streets energy standards. The full scope of the project has been a $20,772,189 undertaking and was entirely funded through CDBG-Disaster Recovery funds and the developer’s financing.

Photo Caption: SWIPCO Staff Accepting the 2024 ICOG Innovative Project Award at the Staff Retreat in Des Moines (L-R): Barb Boggs, Mary Auten, Tammy DeBord, Aaron Koontz, Erin Hudson, ICOG Chair Nichole Moore.

SWIPCO Disaster Recovery Coordinator Ashley Hayes said, “I’m proud of our team here at SWIPCO and how quickly we all adapt to the ebbs and flows of grant work at this scale. The rapport each one of us has developed with each of the developer’s team members and with the City of Woodbine, as well as IEDA, has been very helpful throughout this project and others as well. We are excited for the city to continue to thrive with this additional housing and infrastructure and it’s great to know there are individuals and developers that are willing to invest in our rural communities. It’s exciting to know that our work as a team has been recognized in this way.”

These funds are a rare opportunity for small, rural communities to bring new residents in without the need for large matching funds. Cities involved in these types of projects work in tandem with SWIPCO to manage the grant and project, ultimately realizing a big impact that may not otherwise be possible.