(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Environmental Protection Agency is fining an eastern Iowa company over alleged hazardous waste violations. The E-P-A says Red Star Yeast Company of Cedar Rapids will pay nearly 38-thousand dollars in civil penalties to resolve the case. The agency says Red Star didn’t follow federal regulations in producing yeast for baking and for industrial ethanol production.

The company’s also agreed to buy emergency response equipment for local responders, items including protective suits and boots, a thermal imaging camera, and chemical classifier strips. In addition, the E-P-A says Red Star will buy hazardous waste containment systems to be donated to the Cedar Rapids Fire Department and the Linn County Hazmat Team.

(Radio Iowa) – The kids may hate it, but Iowa parents could lay down the law that they’ll have to wear a coat over their costumes if they’re trick-or-treating tonight (Monday) or tomorrow night. Temperatures across the state are expected to dip some 20 degrees colder than normal, while wind chill factors may drop into the teens, according to meteorologist Rod Donavon at the National Weather Service. “While it’s going to be sunny today, we are expecting temperatures to remain pretty cold with highs in the 30s,” Donavon says. “That will be dropping off pretty quickly as we get into trick-or-treat time this evening, with temperatures dropping off in the 30s pretty quickly, and if anybody is out there beyond seven o’clock, you’d see some 20s out there.”

Some Iowa cities hold their trick-or-treating on Halloween, and Donavon says it may be even colder tomorrow night, as a system is approaching. “We are expecting a little bit more wind, which could add a little bit to the chill factor,” Donavon says. “High temperatures, we’re still looking generally in the 30s but as we drop into trick-or-treat time, we will be having temperatures in the 20s and 30s, and we will be looking at that wind basically in the 10-20 mile per hour range. It could drop some wind chills into the teens.”

Parts of Iowa had snow over the weekend, and Donavon says we’re nearly done with that, at least for now. “We did have some areas up across northwest Iowa that did have one-to-three inches of snowfall,” Donavon says. “With that, we did see some flurries across central Iowa this morning, but overall, generally dry conditions outside. We do have a chance of snow showers across far northeast Iowa later tonight into Tuesday morning, but otherwise mostly dry.”

The forecast calls for high temperatures back to near-normal in the low 50s by Friday.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports two men were arrested on separate warrants last week. 28-year-old Joseph Daniel-Lee Dalton Bond, of Orient, was arrested Oct. 24th on a Polk County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault/Impeding the flow of air/blood. He was held for Polk County until his release on Oct. 26th. And, 20-year-old Cory Daniel Hansen, of Adair, was arrested Friday (Oct. 27), in Adair. He was taken into custody on a Dallas County warrant for Assault & Criminal Mischief in the 1st Degree. Hansen was immediately transferred to Waukee Police held on the warrant.

Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports also, 41-year-old Moises Plaza, of Des Moines, was arrested in Fontanelle on Oct. 23rd, for OWI/3rd offense, and Driving While Barred. He was released on a $5,000 cash or surety bond, a few days later. 49-year-old Billy Gene Hart, of Urbandale, was arrested by the Iowa State Patrol Oct. 28th, in Adair, for OWI/1st offense. He was cited and released from the scene.

And, 27-year-old Aurelio Shawn Sempek, of Johnston, was arrested by Adair Police on Oct. 28th, for OWI/1st offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. He was released Sunday on a $2,300 cash or surety bond.

(Ankeny, Iowa) – Dr. Stephanie Anderson, Superintendent  of the Riverside Community School District, reports member school districts of the Rural School Advocates of Iowa (RSAI) convened their Annual Meeting on Tues., Oct. 17, at 4:30 PM at the FFA Enrichment Center, in Ankeny. RSAI advocates on behalf of the students, parents and communities in rural Iowa to ensure all students have access to a great Iowa education, regardless of where they live. RSAI members include 187 Iowa school districts, several of which are among the largest geographic school districts in the state. All nine area education agencies, Iowa’s three Regents’ Universities and Des Moines Area Community College are affiliate members of RSAI.

Adequate School Resources: State Supplemental Assistance, or SSA, was a top priority for RSAI members, since this funding supports the very survival of rural schools. Last month, Gov. Reynolds announced Iowa’s Fiscal Year 2023 surplus of $1.83 billion in the General Fund, plus $902 million in reserve funds and $2.74 billion in the Taxpayer Relief Fund. Attendees discussed the impact on rural schools if additional tax cuts are made rather than directing a portion of the State’s combined coffers totaling over $4.6 Billion to public schools. Despite the state’s fiscal strength and high inflation, the Legislature set a modest increase of 3.0% per student last year. The state’s increases in revenues per student have lagged rural school costs of educating students in 13 of the last 14 years.

Dan Rold, the Riverside School Business Official, indicated, the continued underfunding of SSA, especially when compared to ever increasing inflation, has essentially resulted in an effective pay cut for school districts and staff.  This will continue to exacerbate already existing problems with school districts’ ability to attract and retain qualified staff.  Many districts have already been forced to dramatically increase salaries for staff at all levels and classifications in order to attract applicants for open positions.  Fund flexibility is an extremely temporary solution to this problem, as funds that are used for annual salaries will be unsustainable as those balances are depleted.  The other option is to completely abandon programs that the state itself considered high priorities only a few years ago, in order to permanently utilize those funds for general salaries.  Rold says the ultimate losers in all of this are the students, as they will receive a lower quality education than they otherwise would with adequately funded public schools.  The future negative societal impact of a lower quality education far outweighs the immediate financial benefit of withholding adequate funding for schools.

Staff Shortages: is also high on the list of priorities for rural schools who are struggling to recruit and retain great teachers, paraeducators, bus drivers and staff. Although adequate funding would help make school employees’ pay competitive with other jobs, it would not alone be enough. Attendees discussed the need for school leaders and state officials to change the culture of political speech; to restore education to a respected profession. Amanda Brandon, 6-12 Vocal and Band Teacher at Riverside shared, Staff shortages have led to increased workload and reduced specialized instruction for students as I have combined roles as a band, choir, and stage production teacher. It is affecting the overall quality of rehearsals, performances, and student engagement and may even lead to teacher burnout.

RSAI members also affirmed the following issues as priorities for the 2024 Legislative Session:

• Oppose expansion of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) to homeschool and support: 1) a level playing field, 2) oversight of ESA, and 3) funding to follow students to public school who withdraw from private school.
• Opportunity Equity, Increased Student Needs and Mental Health resources.
• Quality Preschool including 1.0 weighting for full-day programs.
• Extension of Whole Grade Sharing, Reorganization and Operational Sharing Incentives.
• Local School Board Authority rather than state-directed mandates.
• School Foundation Formula Equity to close the per pupil funding gap within 10 years.
• Bond Issue Elections limited to November (Oppose) and Simple Majority vote (support).
• Supported Area Education Agencies (AEAs) and the services they provide to rural schools.
• Resources: Position Papers on key issues and a Digest of the 2023 Legislative Session are available on the RSAI legislative website at: http://www.rsaia.org/legislative.html

(Radio Iowa) – Two people were killed in a high-speed crash in Davenport over the weekend. Police say officers spotted the Chevy speeding and driving recklessly about 2 A-M Sunday in Davenport’s downtown. Officers tried to pull the car over, but it sped away and they didn’t pursue. Minutes later, police say the Impala left the road and hit a building.

A female passenger was dead at the scene, while the man who was driving was taken to the hospital where he later died. No names were released. No one was in the building at the time of the crash.

EARLHAM, Iowa — (KCCI)- A man from western Iowa was found guilty last week of sexually abusing children at a central Iowa childcare facility. 30-year-old Caleb Fairchild, of Stuart, was arrested in October 2022 and charged with three Class-B Felony counts of sexual abuse in the 2nd Degree, and one count of indecent contact with a child, and Aggravated Misdemeanor. The abuse was carried out between 2019 and 2021 at an Earlham preschool and childcare facility.

Fairchild is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 18th.