DES MOINES, Iowa, Dec. 11, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today announced that the Agency is investing $162,638 in grants to two rural Iowa projects to repair and rehabilitate housing to improve the lives of very low income homeowners in several underserved rural Iowa communities. The funding is through the Housing Preservation Grant program.

“These investments announced today will help some of our rural neighbors—in very low-income households—eliminate safety hazards, which will allow them to remain at home in the midst of old age or disability,” said Director Greenfield. “President Biden, Vice-President Harris, and Secretary Vilsack have led the way in promoting lasting economic and social benefits that uplift our rural underserved communities.”

Today’s projects are part of a larger nation-wide announcement. A list of all investments may be found online here. The investments are part of President Biden’s commitment to advance equity for all, including those who have been historically underserved, marginalized and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.

Iowa recipients of Housing Preservation Grants

–Region XII Council of Governments Inc. received $101,663 grant to help rehabilitate housing that is owned and occupied by very-low income people. This project will make necessary repairs to help eliminate health and safety hazards in homes and will improve the living conditions of 15 homeowners in rural Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, and Sac counties.

–City of New Hampton received a $60,975 grant which will be used to help rehabilitate housing in the city that is owned and occupied by very-low income people. This project will repair furnaces, plumbing, flooring, windows, roofing, siding, and electrical systems. The project will also install or repair accessibility features such as ramps and accessible bathroom fixtures. Once completed, the project will help eliminate health and safety hazards in homes and will improve the living conditions of seven homeowners in New Hampton, in Chickasaw County.

New Web Resources for Rural Communities

USDA Rural Development today also unveiled two new web resources that underscore the agency’s mission to ensure all people have equitable access to federal programs.

A new history webpage traces USDA Rural Development’s evolution from the Great Depression and New Deal to the present, highlighting the many ways the agency supports efforts to create prosperity in rural communities.

A new feature on Rural.gov makes it easier to find federal resources in one place. The Find Programs and Opportunities tool includes hundreds of millions of dollars in financing and technical assistance opportunities that are easy to search, filter and find.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will hold 29 events out of 99 counties in Iowa, this week.  In this area, Ramaswamy will hold Town Hall events this Thursday. Tickets for the events are available through the candidate’s website (shown below).

The schedule is as follows:

• 9-a.m. at the Guthrie Activity Center at Guthrie Center.
• 10:30-a.m. in Adair County at the Hotel Greenfield.
• Noon at the Pizza Ranch in Atlantic.
• 1:30-p.m. Thursday at Vic’s Main Tap, in Audubon.
• 3-p.m. at the Buck Snort Restaurant in Harlan.
• 4:30-p.m. Thursday at The Boneyard, in Logan.
• And, the Pottawattamie County Town Hall event for Vivek Ramaswamy will be held 6:45-p.m. Thursday, at Barley’s Bar & Grill, in Council Bluffs.

https://events.vivek2024.com/?_gl=1%2A14rkxv6%2A_gcl_au%2AMTk4NjkxMzAzOS4xNzAyMzE5MjUz&_ga=2.252023689.1458380787.1702319254-1114449620.1702319253

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports 41-year-old Dustin Brian Benge, of Greenfield, was arrested Dec. 8, 2023, at the Adair County Courthouse. Benge was taken into custody for Violation of Probation on the original charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine- 2nd offense; A Class-D felony charge of Dominion/Control of a Firearm/Offensive Weapon by a Felon; and Tampering with a Witness. His probation was revoked, and Benge was ordered to serve a term not to exceed five-years on the Dominion/Control charge, two-years on the Tampering charge, and two-years on the Possession charge. The sentences will be run concurrently. Benge will serve his time at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville. He was also ordered to pay fines amount to $2,735 plus a 15% surcharge.

And, 44-year-old Ryan James Cook, of Anita, was arrested December 9th in Adair County, on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation. Cook was being held without bond in the Adair County Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has said her goal is to get rid of the state income tax by the end of her current term, which would be December of 2026. A bill that cleared an Iowa Senate committee last spring suggested elimination of the state income tax could be accomplished in the next decade. “The Senate Republican goal has always been to eliminate the income tax in a responsible and thoughtful manner,” Republican Senator Dan Dawson says. “and that is the pathway that we are going down this next session.”

Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver (on left) and Senate Ways and Means chairman Dan Dawson. (RI file photo)

Dawson, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, says he’s looking forward to seeing the tax plan Governor Reynolds is set to unveil in January. Under current law, the state’s personal income tax will become a flat three-point-nine percent by 2026, but Republican leaders say the state is still taking in far more tax dollars than needed to run the government.

Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum says the focus of tax cutting should be on helping working families and elderly Iowans. “Not on the wealthy and the big corporations who have quite frankly benefitted from this series of tax cuts we’ve seen in recent years,” Jochum says. Jochum and Dawson made their comments at a forum sponsored by the Iowa Taxpayers Association. The 2024 Iowa legislative session begins Monday, January 8.

(Glenwood, Iowa) –  Police in Glenwood report a man from Nebraska was arrested Sunday, on drug charges. Authorities say 39-year-old Cody Heanue, of Cedar Bluffs, NE, was arrested for Possession of a controlled substance and possession drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $1,300 cash or surety. Heanue posted bond, and was released.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) —Police in Iowa City arrested nine people, including a woman from Pottawattamie County,  for allegedly bolting themselves to a door at Kinnick Stadium, preventing university staff from entering on Saturday, KCRG reports. In criminal complaints, police said the group was protesting at around 4:30 p.m. when they chained themselves to an entrance door using U-bolts and shouted abusive language at police and university staff. Police said they had to use bolt cutters to cut the protesters free of the door. They then had to lift the protesters off the ground and take them to police vehicles after they allegedly refused to comply. Police said the group caused more than $200 in damage during the protest.

The following people were charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct and interference with official acts for the incident:

• Anthony Allou, 19, of Coralville
• Ariele Andalon, 27, of Iowa City
• Miriam Daoud, 22, of Cedar Rapids
• Ella Doolittle, 22, of Council Bluffs
• Jared Kula, 22, of North Liberty
• Brian Nilles, 23, of Ashton
• Clara Reynen, 26, of Iowa City
• Cassidy Slater-Scott, 24, of Iowa City
• Gabriel Sperry, 26, of Iowa City

Police did not confirm what the group was protesting.