Annual Scholarship Award to Encourage Horticulture Careers; available to all ages

The Cass County, Iowa Master Gardeners (CCMG) are again offering a $1,000 scholarship to local students, with applications due April 1, 2023. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide post-secondary funds to individuals who are studying and intend to pursue a career in a horticulture-related field. This scholarship is available to students who are graduating seniors in any of the following Iowa school districts, in which currently reside members of CCMG: Atlantic, AHSTW, CAM, Griswold, or Red Oak. This scholarship is also available to previous graduates, of any age, of any of these school districts. Scholarship committee members want to emphasize that students of any age studying in a horticulture-related field are encouraged to apply, regardless of the type of program they are studying, as long as they intend to obtain some degree or certificate in a horticultural-related field.

The goal of the Master Gardener program is to support horticulture education and community service. CCMG members provide many hours of volunteer service and gardening education within their local communities. This scholarship is designed to further that focus on education and community service. Enrollment in a horticulture-related program of study is required for consideration. Examples of horticultural-related fields are included on the application to give applicants an idea of degree fields that may be eligible to apply. The scholarship winner will be selected based upon horticulture-related career goals, history of community service, academic success, and quality and completeness of application. (Financial need is NOT a criterion.)

The scholarship is for any student pursuing post-secondary education during the 2023-2024 school year. A scholarship check will be issued in January 2024, in the student’s name directly to the academic institution, upon receipt of an official grade transcript for the completed Fall 2023 semester, demonstrating a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5. A previous scholarship recipient may re-apply, but an individual may only receive a total of two scholarships from this program.

The application form is available through the high school guidance departments, or on the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/. Applications should be submitted to the Cass County Extension Office, 805 W 10^th St, Atlantic, Iowa 50022, or emailed to keolson@iastate.edu on or before the April 1 deadline for consideration. Questions can be directed to the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132.

DES MOINES – Today, Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) announced $26.88 million in grant funding through the final round of Destination Iowa, a $100 million investment in quality of life and tourism attractions. In recognition of the high interest in the program, Gov. Reynolds also announced an additional investment of $15 million to fund Destination Iowa applications from rural communities that did not receive grants in previous rounds.

In all, Destination Iowa awards were granted to 46 projects totaling $115 million that activated $480,265,783 in total investment. The seventh round of Destination Iowa funded the 10 projects. For the additional $15 million, IEDA reviewed applications already submitted by rural communities, defined as 30,000 residents or fewer that are not adjacent to communities of 30,000 or more residents.

Awards made from the additional $15 million, include (from our area:

The City of Denison was awarded $4,500,000 for the Crawford County Wellness and Recreation Center. The award represents 24% of the total project investment of $18,643,000.

The City of Treynor was awarded $800,000 for a multi-phase park and recreation project. The award represents 31% of the total project investment of $2,577,455.

The Stanton Community Foundation and Montgomery County were awarded $850,000 for the Stanton Area Trail Project. The award represents 35% of the total project investment of $2,456,110.

Funded projects must be completed by June 30, 2026. For more information on the Destination Iowa program, visit iowaeda.com/destination-iowa/. Funding for this program has been made available through the federal American Rescue Plan Act.  

Radio Iowa)- An Iowa towboat is headed upstream from Dubuque and it appears there will be an early start to the navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River. Al VanGuilder, with the U-S Army Corps of Engineers, says there are already some areas of open water at Lake Pepin along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.

VanGuilder says there’s still “pretty decent ice” on the upper end of the lake, but it’s thin enough for towboats to bust through to reach St. Paul. The towboat from Dubuque will rendezvous with another and they hope to reach the Twin Cities on Saturday, which he says is the unofficial start of spring.

The shipping season opened on March 21st last year.

(Radio Iowa) – The head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office for 15 years and 27 auditing officials from other states are raising concerns about a Senate bill that would limit the Iowa State Auditor’s ability to investigate state agencies.

The Republican who led debate on the bill Tuesday night said it would keep information private that’s not relevant to an audit. The president of the National State Auditors Association says limitations in the bill should be eliminated to protect the auditor’s ability to investigate “waste, fraud and abuse.” State Auditor Rob Sand said the bill guts the ability of the professionals in his office to conduct audits.

“This is the single most pro-corruption bill that has ever come out of the Iowa legislature,” Sand said during a news conference in his statehouse office.

Rob Sand. (RI photo)

The bill creates a process that lets state agencies refuse to give the state auditor’s office documents and it would forbid the state auditor’s office from going to court to get access to that information. “Any agency could bury any document that they don’t want to be seen in the light of day,” Sand said. “I think that’s dangerous and irresponsible.”

David Walker, the former Comptroller General of the United States for Presidents Reagan, Clinton and both Bushes, issued a written statement about the bill. Walker said it “undercuts” the independence of the Iowa State Auditor’s Office and parts of the bill “are inconsistent with Generally Accepted Government Accounting Standards.” Sand says he hopes legislators heed these concerns.

“We have experts from around the country who are saying that this is a terrible idea,” Sand said, “…that we are going to impact the state’s bond rating, that we are going to impact the state’s credit rating, that we could risk losing hundreds of millions of dollars that the federal government provides for services here in Iowa.”

Sand is the only Democrat currently serving in statewide elected office.