The Main Street Manning organization has received a $50,000 HUD Challenge Grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. A total of $430,000 in Housing and Urban Development Challenge Grants are being awarded to nine Iowa communities through a fund administered by the Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa.  The funds will be distributed in the form of grants to the selected Main Street programs. The estimated total project cost of the nine projects is more than $1.2 million.

Governor Terry E. Branstad and Senator Tom Harkin joined representatives from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Main Street Iowa to make the announcement during a special check presentation ceremony held Saturday, at the Des Moines Botanical Center. The grants will benefit local improvement projects such as repair of front and rear façades of downtown buildings, interior rehabilitations; restoration of historic downtown landmarks; accessibility improvements in historic properties and renovation of upper floor living spaces.

The Challenge Grant program is funded through an appropriation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  Since the first appropriation in 2002, the program has awarded a total of $4.9 million and has leveraged approximately $36.9 million in local investments.

Officials with PRIDE (the Progressive Rural Iowa Development group) have announced three legislative coffees have been scheduled for various communities in Cass County for the 2012 Iowa session. Randy Baxter, President of PRIDE, says “These coffees are opportunities to have face-to-face dialogue with our Iowa legislators, Senator Nancy Boettger, and Representatives Clel Baudler and Jack Drake.” Baxter adds that “The legislators always appreciate coming to Cass County because we have such terrific attendance. People here really want to have input into our state government, so they participate when the legislators make time to come to our towns.” 

The first coffee is Saturday, February 11th, at the Legion Hall in Massena, at 10 a.m., with special guest will be Mike Cormack, policy liaison to Jason Glass, director for the Iowa Department of Education and former social studies teacher from Massena. Mike will join Boettger, Baudler and Drake, to discuss education reform, one of the top issues of the current legistlative session.  The second event will be held Saturday, March 10, at the Marne Community Center, at 7:30 a.m.!   The early start time allows the legislators and citizens to attend the coffee, and, be present later in the morning at the county’s political conventions. The final coffee will take place Saturday, April 14, at the Cass County Museum in Griswold at 10 a.m. 

P.R.I.D.E. is the economic development organization that works on behalf of the cities of Cumberland, Griswold, Lewis, and Marne for Cass County development, plus numerous individual members and businesses in Southwest Iowa. For additional information, or to join P.R.I.D.E., please contact Randy Baxter, president, at 781-2395, or Clarke Gerlock, vice-president, at 712-774-5476.

VAIL, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in Crawford County are looking for a suspect who they say threatened a teller at the Westside State Bank in Vail with an explosive device before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash. The robbery occurred just after 9 a.m. Saturday. Crawford County Sheriff Jim Steinkuehler said the man, described as white, in his 30s or 40s with a red goatee, threatened a teller with a Molotov cocktail but did not use the homemade bomb. The sheriff says the suspect, who was also wearing sunglasses, took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled on foot.  Bank President Matt Lujano declined comment.