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Iowa Transportation Commission approves funds for airport improvement projects in Carroll, Creston and Denison

News

August 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Ames, Iowa) – The Iowa Transportation Commission today (Tuesday), approved $9.3 million for the fiscal year 2025 State Aviation Program, which includes several subprograms.  The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) will fund $6.3 million for a variety of aviation safety initiatives, system planning, and air service development activities. It will also provide funding for airport development projects at 23 airports in Iowa. Eligible AIP projects include runway, taxiway, and apron development; fuel systems; navigational aids; maintenance of aviation weather systems; runway marking; windsocks; emergency operational repairs; land-use planning; air service initiatives; and the mitigation of obstruction and wildlife hazards at airports. The AIP program is funded through the State Aviation Fund using revenues from aircraft registration fees and aviation fuel taxes.

In this area, AIP projects approved include:

  • $13,491 towards the total project cost of $17, 988, for Taxiway Repair at the Arthur N Neu Airport, in Carroll.
  • $55, 250 towards the total project cost of $65,000, for Obstruction Mitigation at the Creston Municipal Airport.
  • and, $33,500 for the removal of underground storage tanks at the Denison Municipal Airport. The total project cost for which is $67,000.

The Iowa DOT’s Aviation vertical infrastructure programs will provide $3 million for projects at six general aviation airports and eight commercial service airports throughout Iowa. These programs provide funding for the maintenance and development of airport facilities such as terminal buildings, maintenance facilities, and aviation hangars. Vertical infrastructure programs are funded from Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund appropriations.

Iowa DOT Aviation Program Manager Shane Wright notes the FY 2025 program has many good projects that make headway developing an aviation system that supports the economy and important aviation services in the state. “It builds a strong aviation system while leveraging federal, local, and private investment.”

The State Aviation Program supplements local and federal funding sources and seeks to maintain a safe and effective statewide air transportation system. Details on the State Aviation Program funding can be viewed at https://iowadot.gov/aviation/airport-managers-and-sponsors/State-Funding/state-funding-programs

Nodaway Valley Superintendent talks about using district facilities following the May, 2024 tornado

News

August 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Nodaway Valley Community School District Superintendent Paul Croghan said there was never any question the District would respond to serve the City of Greenfield and Adair County, following last May’s devastating tornado. Croghan told KJAN, after-all, “Community” is in the District’s name.

He said they were glad to be able to open-up the building so the Adair County Memorial Hospital could use it for a good part of the Summer. Croghan said the hospital moved its staff and equipment out last week, and the custodial staff from CAM and Nodaway Valley stepped-up to get the school ready for teachers by Monday, August 12th.

The hospital re-opened on Monday, with some services, such as the ER, surgery room and the inpatient floor not expected to re-open until October.

Mr. Croghan says he anticipates the school will be ready for the first day of classes at Nodaway Valley on August 23rd.

The district’s facilities in Greenfield weren’t damaged by the tornado, which was amazing, Croghan said considering the extent of damage the City and parts of the county sustained.

Sadly, a total of five lives were lost during the tornado’s trek through parts of Adams and Adair Counties.

CAM School Board tables Daycare agreement, but passes Bond referendum Resolution

News

August 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM School Board met in a regular monthly session, Monday evening, in Anita. Superintendent Paul Croghan told KJAN News, the Board approved their 400 Series policies, but tabled action on a Daycare Agreement. They passed a Resolution ordering an election on the issuance of $22.5-million in General Obligation Bonds. The referendum paperwork will be submitted to the Cass County Auditor’s Office in the near future so it can be placed on the ballot for the November General Election.

The Board then discussed plans for the CAM School District’s facilities.

Mr. Croghan reminds residents that school starts August 23rd for the CAM School District, and safety should be a top priority to make sure students are safe this coming school year, especially when it comes to transportation of students.

Police in a Des Moines suburb investigating 2 day care center bomb threats

News

August 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Clive, Iowa) – Police in the Des Moines suburb of Clive said Monday, they were investigating two bomb threats made at daycare centers in the community. Clive Police said that at around 3:38-p.m., Monday, staff at the Cadence Academy, 14300 Hickman Road, called Westcom Dispatch to report a bomb threat to their building. Staff reported that an e-mail had been received stating that a bomb had been placed inside the facility. As part of Cadence Academy’s policies, and to safeguard the children, evacuation of the facility was conducted. Clive Police and Fire responded to the scene and were able to search the building, however, no threat was located.
The e-mail also mentioned a similar threat to the KinderCare facility at 15200 Hickman Road. That center was also evacuated and searched, with no threat being found. Chief Mark Rehberg stated, “Due to the robust security procedures in place at both centers, it is unlikely that anyone would be able to access them without the knowledge of staff.” Rehberg continued, “The policies both centers had in place were followed by staff and ensured that all of the children in their care were safe and well protected.”
Police say they will follow up with their federal partners to attempt identification of the person(s) responsible for the e-mail. Authorities said “Communication is key during an incident such as this, and the Clive Police and Fire Departments encourage all parents to update their contact information with any daycare provider to ensure immediate notification of any event.”
The matter remains under investigation.

Small town Iowa is setting for new novel, as well as locale for book’s launch

News

August 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A writer of historical fiction from the West Coast will make several appearances in Iowa this week to launch her latest novel, which takes place in eastern Iowa more than a century ago. Rachel Fordham, who lives in Washington state, has set many or her books in Iowa. “Beyond Ivy Walls” follows a young woman in 1903 who lives in the town of Monticello and works in a feather duster plant, which Fordham says was a real factory at that time. She says extensive research is key. “I started reading the old newspapers in hopes of finding more about the factory, and while doing that, I read about miracle cures, you know, there’s an advertisement for all kinds of home remedies,” Fordham says. “So that played into the story, as well as roller skating and other things that were relevant to that time period.”

Helpful folks at the Monticello library were able to connect Fordham with a descendant of the factory’s owners, and others, who knew a wealth of information about the town’s history. While she’s only been in the state once before, Fordham says she adores Iowa as the setting for her work. “My first novel featured the orphan trains, and so I picked a state that was a popular destination for the orphan trains to end in, and kind of fell in love with Iowa,” Fordham says. “I liked the idea of being able to have them be standalone novels, but still have little nods to each other in them, and so I wrote several books in Iowa for that reason.”

Rachel Fordham

Historical fiction isn’t just about the past, Fordham says, but there are many tie-ins with modern day, which is part of why she says the genre continues to be popular. “Obviously, people kind of love jumping back in time and getting to experience what it might have been like for their ancestors and people who came before them,” Fordham says. “As far as our feelings and our emotions and things like that, those are really universal, so being able to feel this like connection, this story may have taken place in the past, but I see myself in it, I think keeps drawing people back again and again.”

Fordham says she did not meet with her publishers or publicist to determine where to launch the book in order to boost sales, calling this week’s trip to Iowa a “heart project.” “I really loved my research experience with these people. I loved setting my book in Monticello. I want to go there. That’s where I want the book launch to take place. I want to meet these people. I want to walk on these streets,” Fordham says. “It will be rewarding for me, and it will be a fun experience for the people who have this unique and special connection to the book.”

Schools across Iowa are working to adjust to a new school attendance policy

News

August 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Schools across Iowa are adjusting attendance policies to comply with a new state law. Senate File 2435 defines “chronic absenteeism” as when a student is absent for 10% of the school year. The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education is set to discuss and act on the district’s policy, Wednesday evening.

Director of Student Services for Cedar Rapids Community School District, Chris Gibson told KCRG-TV, that they have been working diligently to try to understand the law, their policies and procedures that would bring them into compliance with the law.

When a student misses eight days of school, their family will receive a letter letting them know their child is chronically absent. If a student misses 12 days, they will be required to have an engagement meeting between the school, the student, and the parent. A student reaches truancy after 15 days of being absent. If that happens, another meeting will be held with the county attorney present.

Multiple schools said they have had a problem with absences. The Vinton-Shellsburg School District plans to help parents keep track of their child’s absences.

You can read a summary of the school attendance law here.

NW Iowa man alleges confused deputies mistakenly searched his home

News

August 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa Capital Dispatch)  – A northwest Iowa man is suing two Cherokee County deputies, alleging they mistakenly entered and searched his home while attempting to search a neighbor’s house. The lawsuit, initially filed in state court before being transferred to federal court, seeks unspecified damages from deputies Jason Galeano and Isaiah Isaacs for trespassing, assault and conducting a warrantless search. The county itself is not named as a defendant in the case, although the deputies are being sued for acting in their official capacity as county law enforcement officers.

Dustin Konrady, a resident of Cherokee, alleges that on the evening of Dec. 18, 2023, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a man named Terrance Bute who alleged that a man named Michael Lewis had held a gun to his head and hit him with the weapon. City and county police responded to the call. According to the lawsuit, officers’ body-camera video at the scene shows Galeano asking other officers, “Which is the house?” in reference to the house where the alleged assault took place. An officer can allegedly be heard responding that Lewis’ address was 514 N. 5th St., which was a few houses away from where the officers were standing.

The lawsuit alleges that Bute showed signs of intoxication and that he told officers Lewis had guns in the bedroom of his house. When Galeano asked Bute, “Which house is it?” Bute allegedly provided a confusing and vague answer referencing a long driveway with a sport utility vehicle. At one point, according to the lawsuit, Lewis left his residence to speak to police and was then handcuffed and led away from the scene by police who allegedly failed to confirm his address. Believing the house at 510 N. 5th St., was Lewis’ residence, Isaacs and Galeano searched the porch, found a key to the door, and entered the home, according to the lawsuit.  The deputies searched the home’s kitchen and basement, then conversed in the living room while covering their body cameras and microphones for several seconds, the lawsuit alleges.

A still photo from a body-camera video shot during a search of a home by Cherokee County deputies in December 2023. (Main image courtesy of U.S. District Court; sheriff’s insignia courtesy of Cherokee County)

They then entered the bedroom, according to the lawsuit, waking Konrady and his dogs. Galeano asked whether they were in the Lewis house and Konrady responded that Lewis lived next door, according to the lawsuit. The officers allegedly apologized and left, then went next door at which point Galeano can be heard on the video telling Isaacs, “This is more like it.” The lawsuit alleges the deputies then searched Lewis’ home despite the lack of a warrant.

Lewis was never charged with any crimes in connection with the incident. The deputies knew their warrantless search of the two houses was unlawful as evidenced by their efforts to cover their body cameras and microphones while inside each of the two houses, the lawsuit claims. The county has yet to file a response to the lawsuit on behalf of the deputies. Cherokee County Sheriff Derek Scott declined to comment on the case, noting that the litigation is still pending.

IHSAA & IGHSAU to separate golf, tennis seasons starting in 2025-26

Sports

August 13th, 2024 by Jim Field

The Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union have collaborated to reduce spring schedule congestion by moving boys’ golf and girls’ tennis to the fall sport seasons starting in the 2025-26 school year.

The changes address decades-long concerns from member schools over scheduling and were approved by both the IHSAA’s board and IGHSAU’s board following discussions at a joint meeting in early July.

Iowa’s current spring schedule includes eight sports – golf, soccer, tennis, track and field for both boys and girls – and overlaps seasonally with baseball and softball.

The adjustment was discussed across 2023-24 district meetings, the IHSADA state conference, advisory committees, and the 2023 IHSAA membership survey.

Among nine other peer state associations in the Midwest, seven separate golf seasons by gender and all nine separate tennis seasons. The increased availability of facilities, coaching, and school resources, plus the reduction of scheduling conflicts are the top cited reasons for those successful season separations.

In 2025, boys’ golf (3A, 2A, 1A) and girls’ tennis (2A, 1A) will compete in both the 2024-25 spring season and the 2025-26 fall season. Class 4A boys’ golf has competed exclusively in the fall since 1993 and features the earliest competition start date of any fall sport.

Other HS Sports Changes:

In Basketball, the closely guarded “five seconds” rule will be eliminated starting in 2024-25. Following previous board discussion and basketball advisory committee recommendation, substate final games in Class 4A and Class 3A will be hosted by the higher-seeded team.

In Bowling, a split season for boys’ and girls’ bowling to start in 2025-26. This concept would potentially end the current coed championships format and allow for staggered start and finish within the current 16-week schedule. The individual tournament will now also bowl out to eighth place, similar to the team tournament.

In Golf, Three teams will advance from each round of the postseason to the next in 3A, 2A, and 1A golf, with no regard for home course in qualification. This will ensure a set number of qualifiers at district meets and 12 qualifiers at the state meet for those classes.

In Tennis, A consistent scoring format is coming to the postseason, with both singles & doubles and the team tournaments now featuring ad scoring, best two out of three sets, with a 10-point super tiebreaker instead of a complete third set. All consolation rounds and the coed state tournament will remain no-ad scoring.

Big Prize Lottery ticket will expire in one month

News

August 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A Powerball ticket with a six-figure prize will soon become a worthless piece of paper. Iowa Lottery Spokesperson Mary Neubauer says the ticket worth 500-thousand dollars was purchased March 16th at a Kwik Star in Mason City. “You have 180 days, or almost six months in Iowa to claim prizes in Powerball. So that ticket will expire at the close of business on September 12th of this year, if it’s not claimed by the deadline,” she says. Neubauer and others from the Iowa Lottery staff went to the store Monday to raise awareness of the unclaimed prize. “Lots of people were, you know, kind of sharing their theories. Certainly, one of the theories was that it was a truck driver who was just passing through and maybe never check the ticket,” Neubauer says. “Others wonder if somebody just set it aside and maybe it’s still, you know, tucked in somebody’s sun visor or sitting on their dresser at home. Others wonder if maybe they just checked to see if they won the jackpot and didn’t check any further.”

The prize is large enough that the winning ticket has to be redeemed at Lottery Headquarters in Clive. “If the prize expires without being claimed, the money goes back into the Iowa Lottery prize pools for future games and promotion. So it will go to pay prizes, just not the particular prize that expired,” she says. “With this being such a major amount we’ve talked about, you know, maybe doing something special with this money to hold, to hold a special promotion, to give it away.” A two million dollar Mega Millions ticket expired in 2023 with being claimed. Neubauer says anything could happen in the final month and they hope everyone checks their tickets. “There have been times when somebody did come forward, like within the last month that a prize was eligible. So you never know. I mean, we will never say, Never, until that expiration date hits,” Neubauer says.

Neubauer says the store where the ticket was sold will keep a sign up letting people know until the ticket expires.  “The clock is really ticking down on this prize. We are down to exactly one month before this $500,000 prize that was won in the power of Powerball game will expire.”

New law implements school attendance policy for all schools in Iowa

News

August 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Schools across Iowa are adjusting attendance policies to comply with a new state law. Senate File 2435 defines “chronic absenteeism” as when a student is absent for 10% of the school year. The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education is set to discuss and act on the district’s policy, Wednesday evening.

KCRG-TV reports the Director of Student Services for Cedar Rapids Community School District, Chris Gibson said “We have just been working diligently to try to understand the law, and try to think about our policies and procedures that would align with that law,”

When a student misses eight days of school, their family will receive a letter letting them know their child is chronically absent. If a student misses 12 days, they will be required to have an engagement meeting between the school, the student, and the parent. A student reaches truancy after 15 days of being absent. If that happens, another meeting will be held with the county attorney present.

Multiple schools said they have had a problem with absences. The Vinton-Shellsburg School District plans to help parents keep track of their child’s absences.

You can read a summary of the school attendance law here.