Hawkeye 10 Conference
Rolling Valley Conference
Non-Conference
Hawkeye 10 Conference
Rolling Valley Conference
Non-Conference
The Environmental Protection Agency has released its final rule for biofuel blending requirements over the next three years, with ethanol production targets that are not as high as initially proposed in December. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says this latest E-P-A decision fails to meet the intent of the Renewable Fuels Standard.
The rule does increase production requirements for biodiesel and renewable diesel, but Naig says those levels are below current usage. The state ag secretary is also accusing the E-P-A of pitting one sector of the renewable fuels industry against another by lowering the ethanol numbers.
Naig says the Biden Administration has failed to support the benefits of renewable fuel production.
Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, says for an administration obsessed with reducing carbon emissions, this rule makes absolutely no sense. Senator Joni Enrst, a Republican from Red Oak, says the Biden Administration is refusing to recognize that biodiesel and ethanol are homegrown cleaner fuel solutions that are available today. The president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association says the proposal fails on all fronts and the head of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says the E-P-A has set up a lose-lose situation for ethanol and biodiesel producers. Critics say the Renewable Fuels Standard diverts too much prime farmland to produce fuel rather than food.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Adair and Cass County is offering the Iowa Master Conservationist Program as a joint program between the two county Extension Offices this summer and fall. Classes will take place at local outdoor parks and public areas, providing participants with hands-on interaction with the diversity of the state’s natural resources. The program teaches about Iowa’s natural ecosystems and the diversity of conservation challenges and opportunities that exist in the region. Graduates of the course learn to make informed choices for leading and educating others to improve conservation in Iowa.
The program consists of approximately 12 hours of online curriculum and six face-to-face meetings. The online modules will include lessons and resources by Iowa State subject-matter experts to be reviewed at the participants’ own pace at home or at their local County Extension office. Module topics include conservation history and science, understanding Iowa ecosystems, implementing conservation practices in human dominated landscapes and developing skills to help implement and educate others about conservation practices.
The first hands-on learning program will be a partnership program with Harrison County Extension on Thursday evening June 29th at 5:30 PM. This meeting will take place at Willow Lake Recreational Area, near Woodbine where participants will learn about the different landforms of Iowa, specifically the Loess Hills of Western Iowa and what makes them unique to Iowa and the world! Subsequent meetings will be held at different locations in Adair and Cass County one Tuesday evening per month from July-October of 2023. All local meetings will begin at 6 PM and last from 2-3 hours depending on the topic. Each face-to-face meeting will be led by local subject-matter experts to demonstrate how the principles covered in the online curriculum play out locally.
Registration for the course is $50 per person and is due at the time of registration. To register or with questions, contact the ISU Extension and Outreach office in Adair County at 515-231-2741 or Cass County at 712-243-1132 or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass or www.extension.iastate.edu/adair for registration forms and details. The deadline to register is Wednesday, June 28th.
Photo: Katelyn Johnson
The City of Stuart is experiencing a growth spurt and a new water tower built in town caused a grammatical stir this week. As the water tower was being painted the town name appeared correctly on one side but not on the other. One side of the tower spelled out “START” and had a bit of a clip on part of the first T. Photos and videos of the misspelling went viral on social media in the area. The contractor later explained that the name wasn’t centered properly on that side of the tower initially and was going to be repainted. It has since been fixed up.
The town is expecting the construction of around 150 new homes and that is why the new water tower was going up. Current residents mostly got a chuckle out of the temporary snafu.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports Cass County (Iowa) man was sentenced Tuesday, for conspiring to distribute fentanyl causing serious bodily injury or death. 19-year-old Mason Blaine Loudermilk was sentenced in Council Bluffs US District Court, to 192 months (16-years) in prison. Loudermilk must serve a six-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, Loudermilk plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. The investigation revealed that between August 2020 and May 2022, Loudermilk obtained fentanyl, in pill form, from a source in Omaha, Nebraska. In turn, Loudermilk distributed the pills containing fentanyl in and around Cass County (Iowa) causing several fentanyl overdoses, each overdose requiring medical attention to prevent death.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. Agencies involved in the investigation include the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Atlantic Police Department, Cass County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Office, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (SWINE), Council Bluffs Police Department, Iowa Division of Intelligence, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Crime Lab, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Omaha Police Department.
Fentanyl has become the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills often resemble pharmaceutical pill, but contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. Visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website to learn more about One Pill Can Kill.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Rescue crews and law enforcement responded to the scene of a single-vehicle accident Wednesday evening, south of Atlantic. The page about the SUV accident at 620th (S. Olive St.) and Jasper Road, went out at around 7:13-p.m. Two people were injured, one suffered from a head laceration. The other arm pain. A helicopter was dispatched out of Des Moines was asked to land at the Cass County Hospital. The vehicle license plate came back as being registered to a 2004 Jeep Liberty.
Atlantic Police, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies, Atlantic Fire & Rescue along with Cass EMS. Additional information was not immediately available.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Cass County, Wednesday, released information with regard to recent arrests.
On Wednesday, June 21st, deputies arrested 33-year-old Jeffrey Rowland, of Council Bluffs, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Rowland was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held.
On June 18th, Cass County deputies arrested: 44-year-old Daniel Anderson, of Adair, on a valid arrest warrant; and, 32-year-old Charles Masmar, of Waterloo, was arrested for OWI 1st Offense. Both men were transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending release on their own recognizance.
On June 17th, 28-year-old St Raed, of Council Bluffs, for Driving While Barred. Raed was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.
On June 15th, 59-year-old Connie Nichols, of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Nichols was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held pending her later release on her own recognizance.
And, on June 13th, 43-year-old Nathan Hobbie, of Shenandoah, was arrested in Cass County for OWI 1st Offense. Hobbie was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release.
(Rural Carroll County, Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol, Wednesday evening, released details about a fatal UTV accident that took place Tuesday afternoon, southeast of Carroll. The Patrol reports a 2017 Chevy Express van driven by 60-year-old Paul Heuton, of Carroll, was traveling north on Olympic Avenue at around 2:26-p.m., at the same time a 2022 John Deere Gator UTV operated by 62-year-old Randy Daniel, of Glidden, was traveling east on 230th.
When Daniel failed to stop at the posted stop sign prior to entering the intersection, Heuton took evasive action, but was unable to avoid striking the UTV on its passenger side.
The UTV rolled and entered the northeast ditch, along with the Express van. Randy Daniel was transported by ambulance to the Carroll County Hospital, where he died from his injuries. He was not wearing a seat belt. Another person was injured, but the Patrol’s report did not indicate that person’s name or age. It’s also not clear which vehicle that person was a passenger in.
Carroll County EMS and Carroll County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene.
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS