(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Local Food Policy Council has released the dates for upcoming mobile food pantries in Cass County. The first 2024 mobile food pantries in the county will take place on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at locations in Atlantic, Anita, and Massena. The mobile pantries are hosted by community partners across Cass County. 

A mobile pantry is a traveling food pantry that delivers food directly to families in need for a one-day distribution. People from surrounding towns and communities are welcome. Mobile food pantries are available free of charge. Anyone in need is welcome, and no documentation is required. Each car can take food for up to two households at a time. For any additional information or questions please contact Grace McAfee, Community Wellness Coordinator, at (712) 250-8170 or by email at mcage@casshealth.org.

 Additional mobile food pantries have been scheduled for Atlantic, Anita, Griswold, and Massena. (See below for details)

Atlantic 2024 Mobile Food Pantries

Where: Cass County Fairgrounds (1000 Fair Ave. Atlantic, IA 50022)

2024 Dates: February 14, April 10, June 12, July 10, September 11, October 9

Time: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm 

Anita 2024 Mobile Food Pantries

Where: Anita Food Pantry (208 Chestnut St. Anita, IA 50020)

2024 Dates: February 14, May 15, August 14, October 16

Time: 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Griswold 2024 Mobile Food Pantries

Where: Central Church of Christ (51 Harrison St. Griswold, IA 51535)

2024 Dates: May 4 and November 2

Time:  10:00 am – 11:30 am              

Massena 2024 Mobile Food Pantries

Where: East Side of Massena’s City Park (500 5th St, Massena, IA 50853)

Dates: February 14,  April 10,  June 12,  July 10,  September 11, October 9. 

Box Pick-Up Time: 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm 

Mobile pantry dates, times, and locations are subject to change. For the latest information on mobile pantries in the county, visit https://foodbankheartland.org/food-resources/find-food/. For information on local food, farmers markets, and food access, follow the Cass County Local Food Policy Council’s Facebook page @CassCountyLocalFood.

(Griswold, Iowa) – Cass County Democrats and the Cass County Republicans, are co-hosting a Legislative Coffee bringing Senator Tom Shipley and Representative Tom Moore to the Griswold Library (505 Main Street). The bi-partisan event will help bring people up to date on the latest legislation in the Iowa House and Senate. It is also a time for citizens to bring their questions and comments to our lawmakers.

The legislative coffee for Senate District 9 and House District 18, takes place from 9:30-until 11-a.m., Saturday (Feb. 3rd).

Sen. Tom Shipley (R-Nodaway).

Rep. Tom Moore (R-Griswold)

Its the first time the two county political parties are co-hosting the coffee. Organizers says “It is important for citizens to be informed and to discuss the laws and amendments that are passing through the legislature. Saturday morning is an opportunity to bring the community together to learn about pending legislation, to ask questions and offer comments.”

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would let court-ordered child support extend to the nine months of a pregnancy has cleared an Iowa House subcommittee. Representative John Wills, a Republican from Spirit Lake, is the bill’s lead sponsor. “I’m very passionate about this,” Wills says. “We’ve got to take care of that baby before it’s born. If we do, it’s going to be a better, healthier baby, in better shape to be able to take on the world. The mother is going to be able to finish school. The mother’s going to be able to do all these things, have less stress on her life. It is going to be better for all and maybe we can even keep women off the welfare system because they’ve got this extra support.”

If the bill becomes law, once paternity is established, a judge could order the father to retroactively provide financial support during the entire pregnancy. Wills says no other state has taken this step to force men to support their child from the moment of conception.  “Parenthood is a two person situation,” Wills says. “It takes two people to create a baby and, right now, that dad is just getting off the hook.”

Wills says if the bill becomes law, a court could order the father to provide health insurance coverage to the mother during the pregnancy. Under current practice, judges consider the income both parents earn in determining child support — after the child is born.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, today (Tuesday) during their committee/assignment updates, talked about RAGBRAI, the impact of inflation, and other matters. Supervisor Donna Robinson said she attended a recent SWIPCO meeting, during which this Summer’s RAGBRAI was discussed. Red Oak is the first overnight stay on the week-long bicycle trip across the State.

Supervisor Randy Cooper said he had a Southwest Iowa Mental Health meeting, Monday.

Board Chair Mike Olsen said inflation is affecting budgets in Montgomery and other Counties across the State.

Montgomery County BOS mtg., 1-30-24

He said everyone was trying to come up with solutions, but the bottom line, is that there will likely be some cuts in service. In her report to the Montgomery County Supervisors, Engineer Karen Albert said crews have been pushing back snow drifts with their loaders and trucks and conducting maintenance and repairs. She said they now have six of their eight trucks running. She also talked about the progress on a current bridge project.

The Board received a HIPPA update from Public Health Administrator Samantha Beeson, and under “New Business,” discussed with Auditor Jill Ozuna, Beacon and related add-ons, with regard to the Schneider GIS/Mapping service.

She said for an extra, one-time set-up fee of $1,300 and an annual charge of $768, services such as address changes and related matters could be added. And, a property service module could be added for an additional $1,116 per year hosting fee. That element breaks down property taxes, per house and/or parcel.

The Board took the information and request under consideration for their budget discussion. Their next meeting is February 6th, during which they will have a Public Hearing on the budget at 8:45-a.m., and they will act on setting a Bonding Hearing for tuck-pointing, as 8:45-a.m., February 27th.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill in the Iowa House would require students to prove they are U-S citizens or are “lawfully present” in the U-S in order to quality for in-state tuition at the state’s public universities and community colleges. Hector Salamanca Arroyo, of Waterloo, says he qualified for in-state tuition to attend DMACC in 2011 before he received deferred-action status under DACA. He told a House subcommittee Monday that without in-state tuition, college would have been unaffordable.

“Education is supposed to be the mechanism that levels the playing field,” he says, “and if an Iowa student is trying to continue their education, we shouldn’t punish them by putting higher education out of reach.” The only supportive comments on the bill came from G-O-P lawmakers on the House panel who said Iowans should not support the tuition of immigrants who are not legally authorized to be in the U-S.

The bill now goes to the full House Judiciary committee.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Summit Carbon Solutions has reached an agreement to nearly double the number of ethanol facilities that will connect to its proposed carbon dioxide pipeline system in Iowa, the company announced Monday. The agreement with POET — which says it is the world’s largest biofuel producer — would add 17 ethanol plants to the proposed system in Iowa and South Dakota. A dozen of those are in Iowa, which gives Summit a total of 25 in the state. Those sites would extend Summit’s footprint into at least seven new counties in Iowa, but the precise routes of those extensions are not yet clear.

The company could not immediately provide an estimate of how many additional miles of pipe will be required. The new locations are near Arthur, Ashton, Coon Rapids, Corning, Emmetsburg, Fairbank, Gowrie, Hanlontown, Iowa Falls, Jewell, Menlo and Shell Rock. Summit’s first hazardous liquid pipeline permit request — which has reached the final stage of the Iowa Utilities Board regulatory process — includes about 690 miles of pipe and 12 ethanol producers. Summit filed for a second permit for a 31-mile extension to another ethanol plant last year.

2023 map of the original proposed Summit CO2 pipelines

The latest announcement is a direct result of Navigator CO2’s abandonment of a similar pipeline proposal about three months ago. POET had an agreement with Navigator to connect to its system. Summit’s system would connect to ethanol plants in five states and transport their captured carbon dioxide to North Dakota for underground storage. The ethanol plants would then produce fuel that is classified as “low carbon,” enabling the producers to sell into new markets and to be eligible for generous federal tax credits.

The Iowa Utilities Board is now considering whether to grant Summit a permit and what conditions it might have. The board has not indicated when it will issue its decision.