August 4, 2022 – (Des Moines) Today, Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Director Debi Durham joined officials from MidAmerican Energy and Mills Economic Development Foundation to commemorate the certification of Mills Crossing through IEDA’s Certified Sites Program. This is the state’s second mega site to be certified and the first located in western Iowa.

“Having certified sites gives us a tremendous advantage in attracting new development opportunities,” said Debi Durham, executive director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority. “The mega site is uniquely suited to companies requiring substantial infrastructure, such as automotive manufacturers and other large-scale industries, making Iowa an attractive location for these larger projects.”

The Mills Crossing site, developed by MidAmerican Energy, is located on a BNSF Railway dual track main line and is minutes from I-29 and I-80 via four-lane U.S. Highway 34. The site has approximately 1,641 acres, including 1,338 contiguous, developable acres.  As a certified mega site, Mills Crossing offers prospective users a strategic advantage for rapid development, access to a population center of one million-plus people and a centralized location in the U.S. connected to markets and ports throughout the country.

“MidAmerican is a leader in renewable energy development and that’s a differentiator for global companies that have their own aggressive sustainability targets to reach,” Kathryn Kunert, MidAmerican’s vice president of economic integration and connections, said. “Having 88.5% of their electricity coming from renewable sources at no net cost instantly puts any business locating at Mills Crossing ahead of the game.”

Iowa launched the state’s Certified Sites Program in 2012 to address the lack of project-ready industrial sites in the state. It is an independent, third-party program with certification through the nationally recognized site selection firm Quest Site Solutions. Iowa’s rigorous certification process is designed to consider national site location standards, as well as Iowa’s natural assets and the needs of the state’s targeted industry sectors of advanced manufacturing, biosciences and finance and insurance.

Site certification remains one of the fastest growing trends in the site selection business, and by introducing certified sites to the market, Iowa is better able to compete for projects. To date, Iowa has attracted more than $1.3 billion in capital investment due to the availability of these development-ready sites. Certification is a time and cost-savings benefit for end users. It also assures business prospects that site due diligences have been completed and mitigation and infrastructure plans are in place – meaning sites are relatively “risk-free”.

The mega site category is only one of seven within the Iowa’s Certified Sites program. Sites must be comprised of at least 1,000 acres to qualify for “mega site” status. Mills Crossing: Your Green Advantage in American’s Heartland, will join 28 other certified sites located across Iowa, in addition to several sites that are currently working through the various phases of the program.

For more information on Iowa’s Certified Sites Program, visit iowaeda.com/locations.

Atlantic, Iowa — The Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) has a new face in the Community Development department. Ashley Hayes has joined the staff as a Community Development Specialist. She will work with SWIPCO communities to continue to improve the region through community and economic development activities and planning.

“I have been a resident of Southwest Iowa for most of my life and have a great appreciation for our communities and the people,” said Hayes. “SWIPCO is an excellent way to assist our area communities and to further help them continue to thrive in this region of rural Iowa.”

Hayes is a graduate of Atlantic High School and has a bachelors in psychology from Buena Vista University. She brings many years of experience in city government and economic promotion through her time on the city council in Atlantic and as the program coordinator at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. Hayes

“SWIPCO Community Development Specialists are Jacks of all trades and must be able to link community needs with the resources that are out there,” said John McCurdy, Executive Director of SWIPCO. “Ashley’s varied experience, including in city government, bring valuable insight and skills to our organization as we work with our most important clients, the cities and counties of Southwest Iowa.”

Hayes lives in Atlantic with her son and remains active in various volunteer organizations in the community, including Atlantic Rising.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, today (Thursday), said they were made aware on Tuesday (Aug. 2nd), of an incident of animal abuse, cruelty and killing, involving two dogs in the rural Cumberland area. The two dogs had been missing since July 27th, 2022 and were found dead near a bridge on 660th Street, close to Tucson Road. Their rear legs  had been bound and they were found to have been shot in the head.

A reward leading to the prosecution of the person or persons responsible is being offered by the family. It has grown from $1,000 to $5,840, as of this post (2:40-p.m., 8/4/22).

These dogs, “Bella” and “Pepper” were found dead. They are owned by the Lank family. (Photos provided by Levi Lank)

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has investigated and will continue to investigate any information that comes to our office pertaining to this incident. Please, if you have any information regarding the case, contact the Cass County Sheriff’s Office at 712-243-2206.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Democrats say this week’s Kansas vote to uphold abortion rights shows the same could happen in Iowa. Jennifer Konfrst is the Democratic Leader in the Iowa House. “This tells us that Americans and Midwesterners and, we know, Iowans believe in reproductive choice,” Konfrst says, “and we should enshrine that right in Iowa’s Constitution.”

A 2019 court ruling in Kansas said the Kansas constitution guarantees a right to an abortion. On Tuesday, 59 percent of Kansas voters opposed changing their constitution, so the Kansas legislature could enact new abortion restrictions.  “Kansans rejected a government mandate that would limit their health care options,” Konfrst says, “and it’s the exact same kind of amendment that the Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate are pushing forward.”

The proposal has already cleared the Iowa legislature once in response to a *2018* Iowa Supreme Court ruling that upheld abortion rights. The proposed constitutional amendment must be approved a second time before it could be included on the 2024 Iowa election ballot. Konfrst says if that happens, she doesn’t expect support for abortion rights to diminish two years from now. “This is an issue that Democrats are in line with the people on and Republicans are not and it’s my job, it’s our job to remind Iowans of that,” Konfrst says. “One party is here to protect your freedoms. One is trying to take it away. That’s what we’ll be talking about.”

Eric Van Lancker, the Democratic Party’s nominee for lieutenant governor, says Iowans are telling him abortion rights are a very important issue. “Kansas did what we know Iowans believe here, (which) is that the overreach of government doesn’t belong in that doctor’s appointment with a women and her doctor,” Van Lancker says.

It’s possible Republicans in the legislature may abandon their proposed constitutional amendment on abortion. In June, the Iowa Supreme Court reversed a previous ruling that said Iowa’s constitution guarantees a woman’s right to an abortion. That ruling meant a 24-hour waiting period for abortions in Iowa went into effect last month. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds also has asked a district court to lift an injunction, so an Iowa law that bans abortions after the sixth week of a pregnancy may be enforced.

(Radio Iowa) – The state Board of Education decided today (Thursday) against reviewing a decision by the West Des Moines School District to keep the book “Gender Queer” in its freshman building library. The Board of Education decision sided with their legal counsel’s recommendation that the parent can’t bring the request because her son was not in the school at the time she asked for the review. Alan Ostergren is the lawyer for parent and disagreed, and says there’s no objective criteria at any level in reviewing a book. “We’re talking graphic depictions of sex acts. And and I want to be clear, it’s not because it’s two boys in here. Okay, that’s not the point. That’s not the point of this. I don’t care if it’s males and females, I don’t care if it’s adults, whatever it is,” Ostergren says. He says the parent wants the book removed because the actions depicted in the pictures and writing are not appropriate for this school.

“The issue is, we all understand the context that this is happening in. Parents feel that the public schools are absolutely out of control, and disregarding their interests and what they want to see,” he says. The school board vote on the issue was split and Ostergren was asked if the recourse for the parents is at the ballot box. Ostergren says this is a choice as he says nobody in authority decided to do anything in this case. “Standing up and saying, ‘You know what, maybe we’re going a little too far.’ Maybe we’re sexualizing children too much. Maybe we should listen to people. And not just assume that because we’re credentialed, we know everything,” he says. Ostergren says there was significant debate during the school board meeting and he says significant opposition to the board’s decision.

“I think it reflects the debate that’s going on all over Iowa, that parents are beside themselves at this feeling of loss of control of what’s going on in public schools,” he says. The attorney for the West Des Moines School District, Kristi Latta, disagreed with Ostergren’s assessment of the case. “The fact that Mr. Ostergren says there’s no objective criteria is just not the case. In the record, before the administrative law judge policies were submitted that talk about materials, controversial materials, objection on materials, you know, what factors are to be weighed in those situations,” Latta says. She says the Board of Education review is the sixth time the issue has been review and things followed the protocols set down, starting with a building level review committee.

The committee ultimately decided to keep the book on the shelves of the library — again, just to be clear — not required reading, not part of the curriculum. It’s just sitting on the shelf in a library. So optional, voluntary, all of that stuff,” Latta says. “And as the superintendent testified at the hearing, to the extent that any parent didn’t want their child the ability to check that book out, they could make a note of that, and that would be accommodated.” Latta agreed with the Board of Education’s legal counsel on whether the board should even consider the merits of the book.

“I think there is a jurisdiction issue with regard to the fact that this is not a parent of an aggrieved child. The child does not attend the school where the child is at. For that reason — they really cannot be aggrieved,” she says. Latta says the ultimate choice should be left to the people who are elected by the community in which they live, and they’re responsible to their constituents. She says if there’s dissatisfaction then the remedy is at the ballot box. I think if there’s dissatisfaction or someone’s unhappy to a certain degree, they can, you know, make another choice then about, you know, whether or not that’s a school that they want to attend. They can take steps to say, I don’t want my child to check that particular book out of the library,” according to Latta. She told the Board that overturning the school board decision would create more issues.

If you were to reverse the decision, based on the merits, it would be a sea change for the way that this prior state board has acted with regard to its precedent,” Latta says. Lawyer Ostergren says his client is considering the options and whether they will challenge the Board of Education’s decision in district court.

ATLANTIC, Iowa – Aug. 4, 2022 – A joint Iowa DOT/BNSF railroad project to reconstruct Iowa 44 on the south side of Portsmouth will close the road at the at-grade railroad crossing beginning Monday, Aug. 15 at 7 a.m., until Wednesday, Aug. 24, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 4 maintenance office.

During this closure, motorists will follow a marked detour route using Iowa 191, and Shelby County roads F-32 and M-16.

ATLANTIC, Iowa – Aug. 4, 2022 – A joint Iowa DOT/ BNSF Railway project to reconstruct the at-grade rail crossing on Iowa 37 on the east side of Earling will close the road starting Monday, Aug. 8 at 7 a.m., until Saturday, Aug. 13, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 4 maintenance office.

During this closure, motorists will follow a marked detour route using Shelby County roads M-16 and F-32, and U.S. 59