(Radio Iowa) – A D-O-T spokesman says progress is being made on the repairs to the Mississippi River bridge at Lansing that was closed on February 25th after two piers shifted. The D-O-T’s Clayton Burke says good weather has allowed them to work on the problem piers. “We had two piers that we had to replace. Both of those piers had been reconstructed and are ready for the bridge to be reset on top of them,” he says. “And actually today (Tuesday), I just looked out the window we’ve got two out of the four bridge spans the bridge deck that has to be replaced. Those are now reset on top of those piers that have been reconstructed.” The other two spans still need to be put back in place.

“And then after that’s complete they have a bunch of touch up work to do so they’ll be final tightening of the bolts that hold the bridge together and making sure that all the anchor rods and different pieces of that bridge are put in exactly the right place,” Burke says. The final step is to have a structural engineer go over the bridge.

“Once that structural inspection is complete and that the expert has signed off that the bridge is safe to reopen we will proceed with reopening it,” he says. They hope to have the bridge re-opened by the end of the month. A new bridge is under construction but won’t be completed until the end of 2026. Burke says around 29-hundred people crossed the Lansing bridge each day before it closed.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Reynolds says she will not consider any changes in the law she signed two weeks ago that overhauls Area Education Agencies.  “No. No, I’m absolutely not,” Reynolds said. “That was the deal.” The new plan takes effect in the 2025-26 school year. A-E-As will get 90 percent of the state funding they use now to provide specialized services, like speech therapy, to students with disabilities. The Des Moines Register was first to report that some House lawmakers were hoping to adjust a different part of the plan. The new law will let school districts spend 68 MILLION dollars however they wish rather than on general education and media services which have been provided by A-E-As. Reynolds says schools can spend that money on A-E-A services — or on anything else.

“That was part of the compromise between the House and the Senate, so it was the right thing to do and it doesn’t really change anything,” Reynolds says. “If they want to use the AEAs, they’ll make that decision to do that.” Some school administrators have said they plan to use that chunk of new money on teacher salaries and other expenses. A-E-A officials have said they’re having staffing issues as employees resign due to uncertainty about the system’s future. Reynolds says the A-E-As were top heavy and are being right-sized by the plan.

Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bill making changes in Iowa’s nine Area Education Agencies on March 27, 2024. (RI photo)

“I get a ‘warn notice’ three times a week from business and industry that are laying off employees because they need to, you know, meet a budget, because things have changed, the environment is different. That’s a reality of a business and it has to be a reality of what they’re doing. They’re literally a business,” Reynolds said. “They are a provider of education, media and special education services.” The A-E-A changes were the governor’s top priority for the 2024 legislative session.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), set May 1st at 9:15-a.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on the renewal of $5-million dollars in General Urban Renewal Bonds. The Board also agreed to a contract with Ahlers-Cooney, P-C, in Des Moines, for legal services associated with the bond renewal. The Board held discussion with regard to a proposed ordinance pertaining to a large data center. Applied Digital owners Lance Cummins and Nick Phillips have announced their intention to build a 200-megawatt data center on land adjacent to a substation in the 1200 block of Fallow Avenue in Adair County, which is connected to wind turbine farms in Adair and Guthrie Counties.

The $1.5-billion dollar project includes two, 300-thousand square foot structures on the site, which would be employ anywhere from 40-to 70 people, primarily for facilities management, with some in technical positions. Concerns have been expressed with regard to the impact of construction traffic, water usage and electric rates. According to Applied Digital representatives, the facility would initially require 200-thousand gallons of water, which would be trucked-in, and would not affect local residents. Electric bills would not increase, they said, because the center would be directly connected to the NextEra Energy substation associated with MidAmerican Energy.

Board Chair Jerry Walker said Applied Digital has not asked for any special consideration, such as a tax abatement or incentives. Board member Jodie Hoadley said other entities have received tax breaks for their projects.

Landowners affected by the proposed facility have been notified. A public meeting will be held in Adair, closer to when construction is expected to begin. The construction process for one of the two buildings, would take about one year. Adair County Attorney Melissa Larson will draw-up a Draft Data Center Ordinance, the first Public Hearing for which will take place during the Supervisor’s meeting on Wednesday, April 24th. Jerry Walker…

In other business, the Adair County Supervisors held a Public Hearing on the vacating of a portion of 190th Street, between Pinewood and Quebec Avenue. After hearing from the affected land owners, the Board approved the following Resolution, as read by Chairman Jerry Walker:

The Resolution was subsequently amended to note there were some objections to vacating the road. The Board set April 17th at 9:30-a.m., as the date for a Public Hearing to vacate also, a one-quarter of a mile portion of 110th Street

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Nebraska was arrested Tuesday night at the Douglas County, NE, Jail, on a warrant out of Mills County. 58-year-old Raymond Arthur Cole, of Bellevue, NE, was arrested on the warrant charging him with two counts of Failure To Appear on the original charges of OWI, and 2 counts of Child Endangerment. Cole was being held in the Mills County Jail on a $6,000 bond.

And, a man from Lincoln, NE, was arrested a little after 7-a.m. today (Wednesday), following a traffic stop. 32-year-old Emanuel Aguilar-Lopez was arrested at Highway 34/Hillman Road, for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Officials with the Shelby County Historical Museum, today (Wednesday), announced that preservation work has begun on the historic McIntosh and Leland log cabins. The preservation process will include removing the crumbling chinking, replacing logs, making dutchman repairs, stabilizing the structures, cobb blasting to clean the logs, repairing door and window frames, reapplying chinking between the logs, reframing and re-roofing both cabins, and finally, replacing any damaged interior chinking. The work is estimated to take approximately 8 weeks, weather permitting.

Sarah McDonald, Executive Director of the Shelby County Historical Museum, says “We are looking forward to documenting the preservation process and sharing updates with the community. The project has been in development for several years, so we are excited to take this step in preserving the McIntosh and Leland log cabins for future generations.”

Tours of the cabins are currently unavailable and will resume after the completion of the preservation work. Museum representatives kindly ask that those who wish to watch the preservation work do so from a safe distance behind the fencing.

Cabin preservation work underway. Shelby County Historical Museum photo (provided)

About the Shelby County Historical Museum:
The Shelby County Historical Museum was founded in 1964 by over 50 individuals who were passionate about preserving local history for future generations. The museum is home to two exhibit buildings and two historic log cabins built in Shelby County in 1856 and 1857. Each year, they welcome thousands of visitors who experience Shelby County history through free exhibits and programming.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports 46-year-old Michael David Johns, of Creston, was arrested late Tuesday evening. Johns was arrested at around 6:53-p.m., in the vicinity of Sumner Avenue and Townline Street, on a Violation of Parole charge. He was taken to Union County Jail and held without bond.