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Iowa Waste Reduction finds uses for a lot of unwanted items

News

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) The Iowa Waste Reduction program’s report for the last fiscal year shows they worked with some 52-hundred businesses to find a home for items that no longer needed. Iowa Waste Exchange Coordinator Shelly Codner says that kept 87-thousand tons of items from landfills. “We are talking about anything from industrial sludge, to stuffed animals and anything in between,” she says. Any Iowans who have a product that they don’t want to sent to the landfill, they give us a call, and we try to find an alternative home for it.” She says for the fiscal year that ended in June they saved businesses three-point-four million dollars.

“That includes disposal fees, freed up storage, transportation. There’s a number of metrics that are included in that avoided purchases,” Codner says. Codner says the fun part of the job is helping people find materials they need at very little cost. “The ones that are probably most rewarding are those that were taking something that is in perfectly good condition, destined for the landfill, and then helping another demographic and serving the need that they have,” she says. For example, they recently were able to send unneeded beds and mattresses from Iowa State University to flood victims in Spencer. Codner says there are many other examples where they have found a new purpose for items.

“During covid, for example, we had an onslaught of t-shirts and the Food Bank of Iowa actually needed additional bags to get the food out, so staff with the Iowa waste exchange actually made t-shirt bags for the food bank of Iowa to use for that purpose. We use the t-shirt sleeves, and we teamed up with the Des Moines public libraries community outreach and we made first aid kits. We made drawstring bags out of the sleeves and made first aid kits for the library to hand out,” she says. You might not think there’s a use for industrial sludge, but Codner says they can find one. “It depends on the composition. If it’s got some nutritional value, there might be markets for that. If it’s if it can be remanufactured into a new product, there is applications for that as well,” Codner says. “If we’re talking about syrupy liquids and those type of things that are coming out of food processing, there may be a nutritional value for that that can go to a food producer, for example.”

Codner says they added more than 400 materials to their database in the past fiscal year. She says last year they kept more than 10-thousand truckloads of material from going to Iowa landfills.

Fatal ATV accident in Montgomery County, Monday evening

News

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man on an ATV died Monday evening near Red Oak, after the machine overturned into a creek bed. Red Oak Police Chief Justin Rhamy reports Jay Douglas Woodward, of Red Oak, died after attempts to safe his life were unsuccessful. Chief Rhamy says the Montgomery County Communications Center received a call about the ATV accident on the trails west of the levy off of Oak Street, at around 5:31-p.m.

Upon arrival of Red Oak Police and Red Oak Rescue, responders located an ATV in the creek bed, with Woodward trapped beneath the machine. After he was extricated, medical personnel attempted to save him, but it was too late.

Red Oak Police were assisted at the scene by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies, Red Oak Fire and Rescue, Montgomery County Emergency Management, and Montgomery County Communications.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area: Tue., Sept. 3rd, 2024

Weather

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Sunny, with a high near 77. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow: Sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 10-to 20-mph.
Thursday: Partly sunny w/a chance of showers & thunderstorms during the afternoon. High near 81.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 71.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 68.

Three Libertarians file legal petition to get back on Iowa ballots

News

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Today (Tuesday) is the day Iowa’s Secretary of State certifies which candidates will have their names printed on Iowa ballots for the November election, but three Libertarian Party candidates have gone to court asking for a delay until their legal challenge is resolved. Last week, a state panel kicked Libertarians running in three Iowa congressional districts off the ballot after Republicans in those areas signed petitions saying the timing of Libertarian Party county conventions did not follow state law.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, a Republican, discussed the decision this weekend during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.  “It’s never easy as a member of the Objections Panel to have to tell someone that they didn’t qualify for the ballot,” Bird said, “but the law applies equally to everybody, every candidate, regardless of their party.” Bird says Libertarians held their precinct caucuses AND county conventions on the same date, which is not allowed under state law.

“Just to be clear, everybody gets their day in court, so they can appeal the decision to the district court if they want to, but my position is I’m not going to pick and choose which parts of the Iowa Code are going to apply,” Bird said. “I’m going to uphold the law.” Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, joined Bird in voting to remove the Libertarians from this fall’s ballot — while State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat who also serves on the panel, voted to keep the Libertarians on it.

Sand says the Objection Panel does not have the authority to rule on how a political party conducts its business. The Iowa Libertarian Party’s chair says the decision to remove her party’s candidates from the ballot is a direct attack on voter choice.

The Libertarian Party nominated Nicholas Gluba of Lone Tree to run in Iowa’s first congressional district, Marco Battaglia  of Des Moines to run in the third district, and Charles Aldrich of Clarion to run in the 4th district.

Sioux City museum honoring soldiers killed in action

News

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Mid American Museum of Aviation and Transportation in Sioux City will host a special presentation this month. Museum director Kevin Blosch says it will honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. “Just think it’s an important event where we are going to be commemorating the Fallen Soldiers from here in Iowa that gave their lives for our freedom in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts,” he says. The memorial will feature pictures of each of those fallen soldiers.

“I think it’s a chance for people to reflect, but I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of family members, a lot of pictures being taken. We’ve already gotten quite a bit of response for people that are going to be visiting, and we expect it to be pretty busy,” he says. They will make some changes for the exhibit as admission will be free and they will only ask for a free will offering.

(MidAmerican Air Museum graphic)

“We’re also going to be open all week, from Monday through Saturday, with Sunday being the only exception’ Blosch says. “As right now we’re only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday. But during the event and then hopefully from then on, we’ll be open all week.”

The memorial display opens on September 4th and will run through the 24th.

Incentives for farmers work to restore Iowa habitat, protect soil

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa News Service) – Practical Farmers of Iowa is looking for landowners who want to help restore natural habitat on their property, and get help doing it. It’s part of a larger effort to help farmers become more environmentally friendly.
PFI’s Habitat Incentive program offers farmers a financial incentive to plant prairie strips on their land, for example.

PFI’s Senior Habitat Viability Coordinator Grace Yi said those strips restore habitat for native species while at the same time reducing soil erosion. “All of these practices are going to have multiple benefits,” said Yi. “So they are going to be good for soil health, good for water-quality improvement, and also provide habitat for wildlife. ”

In addition to the prairie strip portion of the Habitat Incentive Program, PFI is also making incentives available to do precision conservation analysis on their land – which helps farmers make use of unproductive acres. Yi said the end goal of the program is different for most of the farmers who apply.

Rolling Farm Fields, North of Dubuque, Iowa

For some it might be reducing soil erosion and runoff into nearby waterways. For others it night be finding a productive way to use other acres. “For some farmers it might be that corner of the farm is low yielding,” said Yi, “it’s difficult to farm with because it’s steep in slope or it has weird turnarounds, so they can’t easily round out the field. ”

In order to be eligible for the program, at least 50% of the area the farmer plans to change has to be unprofitable. The incentive, funded by federal and state sources, is capped at $10,000.

IATC State Rankings (Sept. 2nd)

Sports

September 2nd, 2024 by Asa Lucas

The Iowa Association of Track & Cross Country Coaches released their latest state rankings on Monday September 2nd.

BOYS

CLASS 1A

13. Jackson Walter, St. Albert

26. Carter Buttry, Sidney

27. Aiden Gaul, St. Albert

CLASS 2A 

3. Kyle Wagoner, Clarinda

6. Emmanuel Grass, Red Oak

12. Hayden Heitbrink, Red Oak

17. Luke Daoust, Shenandoah

20. Osiel Pedersen, Red Oak

22. Bryce Williams, Red Oak

CLASS 3A

7. Dayton Wiederin, Kuemper Catholic

11. Alex Amaro, Bishop Heelan Catholic

18. Daniel Delarosa, Sergeant Bluff-Luton

22. Erik Heslink, Harlan

28. Fletch Badding, Kuemper Catholic

30. Baylen Kueffer, Sergeant Bluff-Luton

CLASS 4A

3. Evan Lillie, Lewis Central

10. Marshall Arkfeld, Lewis Central

14. Kevin Coots, Lewis Central

 

GIRLS

CLASS 1A

1. Lili Denton, St. Albert

30. Maura Ryan, St. Albert

CLASS 2A 

4. Riley King, Clarinda

5. Hailey Egbert, Shenandoah

24. Lilly Mather, Shenandoah

27. Alexa Barnes, Clarinda

CLASS 3A

2. Lindsey Sonderman, Harlan

4. Grace Berglund, Glenwood

6. Addison Bertrand, Bishop Heelan

8. Ashlyn Rau, Harlan

11. Breckyn Petersen, Glenwood

13. Megan Hughes, Glenwood

17. Brylee Schechinger, Harlan

23. Katrina Williams, Atlantic

26. Allie Anderson, Harlan

CLASS 4A

2. Delayna Reese, Lewis Central

3. Ava Bussey, Lewis Central

8. Madelyn Hoss, Lewis Central

High School Volleyball Results from Saturday

Sports

September 2nd, 2024 by Asa Lucas

AHSTW TOURNAMENT 

Riverside 6-0

East Mills 5-1

Atlantic 2-3

AHSTW 1-5

CAM 0-6

HARLAN TOURNAMENT 

Glenwood 6-0

Treynor 4-2

Underwood 3-3

Harlan 2-4

St. Albert 1-5

Missouri Valley 0-6

LEWIS CENTRAL TOURNAMENT 

Lewis Central 5-0

Tri-Center was 3-2

Stanton finished 2-3

Thomas Jefferson 0-5

HUMBOLDT TOURNAMENT 

Kuemper Catholic 4-0

No. 25 Iowa blanks Illinois State

Sports

September 2nd, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Iowa overcame a slow start as the 25th ranked Hawkeyes beat Illinois State 40-0. Quarterback Cade McNamara led the Hawkeyes to 34 second half points and finished 21 of 31 for 251 yards and three touchdowns.

McNamara missed most of last season with an ACL injury.

McNamara spent most of the past two years injured.

The Hawkeyes got a lift from freshman receiver Reece Vander Zee. The former Central lyon/George-Little Rock star had two touchdown receptions and finished with five catches in his collegiate debut. Vander Zee emerged during the second half of preseason camp.

Vander Zee waas asked if he was nervous at the start of the game.

Vander Zee says growing up in northwest Iowa prepared him for this moment.

With Kirk Ferentz suspended for the opener Seth Wallace served as acting coach.

Wallace says it was a good opener despite the slow start.

Wallace says Vander Zee’s play was a big lift for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa State beats North Dakota

Sports

September 2nd, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Iowa State scored on the second play of the game and went on to beat North Dakota 21-3. The Fighting Hawks cotrolled the ball and ran a total of 72 plays to just 48 for the Cyclones. North Dakota finished with 174 yards of rushing.

That’s ISU coach Matt Campbell who was pleased with the effort.

Campbell says there are plenty of areas that need work.