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Atlantic and Anita Mobile Food Pantries Scheduled for June

News

May 27th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Cass County, Iowa) – Cass County Wellness Director Brigham Hoegh reports mobile food pantries will be held in both Atlantic and Anita, in June. A mobile pantry is a traveling food pantry that delivers food directly to families in need for a one-day distribution. Mobile food pantries are available free of charge. Anyone in need is welcome, and no documentation is required. People from surrounding towns and communities are welcome.

Anita 2022 Mobile Food Pantries
Where: Anita Food Pantry (208 Chestnut Street, Anita IA 50020)
2022 Dates: June 22, August 24, October 19
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM 

Atlantic 2022 Mobile Food Pantries
Where: Cass County Community Center (805 W. 10th St., Atlantic, IA 50022)
2022 Dates: June 8, August 10, September 14, October 29
Time: 4:00-6:00 PM

Mobile pantry dates, times, and locations are subject to change. For the latest information on mobile pantries, local food, farmers markets, and food access, follow the Cass County Local Food Policy Council’s Facebook page @CassCountyLocalFood or contact Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh at bhoegh@iastate.edu or 712-249-5870.

Gov. Reynolds announces $20M investment in nonprofits to serve Iowans in need 

News

May 27th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Thursday, announced a $20 million investment to help nonprofit organizations in Iowa expand to meet the needs of more Iowans. The new Nonprofit Innovation Fund will provide a competitive grant opportunity to help nonprofit organizations make transformational investments in vertical infrastructure that will enable them to offer additional services or help more Iowans.  Reynolds said “Iowa nonprofits provide critical support to Iowans most in need. While these organizations work around the clock to meet today’s needs, the Nonprofit Innovation Fund will provide innovative and transformational investments to help prepare Iowans for tomorrow.”

Nonprofits are encouraged to apply with shovel ready projects that expand the number of services provided to Iowans and/or projects that increase the number of Iowans served by the nonprofit. Eligible expenses for infrastructure projects include construction costs, acquisition, site development, engineering and architectural services. The program provides awards up to $3 million for infrastructure projects.

Applications will be accepted starting June 27th at iowagrants.gov. Grant recipients must have all funds obligated no later than December 31, 2024 and expended by June 30, 2026. For more information, visit iowaeda.com/nonprofit-innovation-fund/.  Funding for this grant opportunity is made available through the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Winterset hosts celebration for actor John Wayne’s 115th birthday

News

May 27th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The City of Winterset is hosting a celebration this weekend to mark what would have been the 115th birthday of actor and native son John Wayne. Liz Hansen is manager of the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum. A dedication ceremony and grand opening is scheduled for Saturday morning at the museum which doubled in size with the new expansion. “The old museum was refurbished to be movies and movie outfits from the 1930s up to the 1970s,” Hansen says. “The new museum is called Friends and Family, with an Alamo display on one end of it.” Events this weekend include a pancake breakfast, a 5-K run, a sold-out dinner and auction, two free showings of the movie “McLintock!” and more. “We will have book signing by Mark Orwoll who wrote the book, ‘John Wayne Speaks,'” Hansen says. “We will have Barry Corbin here, who is a cowboy character actor, great guy.”

As it’s also a holiday weekend, Hansen is expecting large crowds in little Winterset, especially following two years of postponements due to the pandemic. “It’s like a reunion every year. We have people actually scheduled from two years ago,” Hansen says. “They book up all the bed-and-breakfasts and the two motels that we have. It’s quite a busy time and it’s more fun than you can shake a stick at.”

Born in Winterset in 1907 as Marion Morrison, Wayne started acting during the silent film era of the 1920s and later became a popular icon through his starring roles, especially in westerns and war movies. He was among the top box office actors for three decades, appearing in 142 films and being named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest-ever male stars. While he died in 1979, Hansen says “The Duke” remains much beloved to countless fans. “That’s true!” Hansen says, laughing. “I mean, they still love the past presidents and I think he’s right up there with them.”

Wayne’s birthday was Thursday.

https://www.johnwaynebirthplace.museum/2022-birthday-celebration/

Richard Johnson, state auditor for 25 years, has died at age 87

News

May 27th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The current state auditor has announced that former State Auditor Richard Johnson died Thursday at the age of 87. Johnson, a Republican, served 25 years as State Auditor before his retirement in January of 2003. Johnson began working in state government in 1968 and served as the finance director of what was then called the Iowa Highway Commission. In late 1978, the state auditor died.

Governor Robert Ray appointed Johnson to the office in early 1979 and Johnson won reelection as state auditor six times. In the 1990s, Johnson joined State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald, a Democrat, in pushing for state government to use accounting standards that more clearly showed both revenue and expenses. In 1996, Johnson endorsed and actively campaigned for then-Congressman Fred Grandy as Grandy ran against Governor Terry Branstad. Grandy came within three-and-a-half points of defeating Branstad in the G-O-P Primary that year.

The legislature passed a resolution in 2002, praising Johnson for his political courage. Current State Auditor Rob Sand has released written statement, extending his condolences to Johnson’s family. Sand says Johnson’s record is a source of inspiration for him and for others in the office. Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann says Johnson called out misuse of tax dollars regardless of party or person and set the modern standard for conservative budget practices.

Red Oak man arrested on a felony criminal mischief charge

News

May 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) — A man suspected of damaging residence in Red Oak being held on a $5,000 bond. According to Red Oak Police, 31-year-old Eric Alan Vannausdle, of Red Oak, was arrested early this (Thursday) afternoon, for allegedly causing an estimated $3,500 damage to a home in the 1200 block of Circle Drive.

Vannausdle faces a Class-D Felony charge of 2nd Degree Criminal Mischief, in connection with the incident.

Chronic Wasting Disease Ambassador program set for more sessions

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University Extension and the D-N-R are offering more sessions of a program called Chronic Wasting Disease Ambassadors. I-S-U Extension’s, Chris Janke, oversees the program. “The idea here is that we can take people that are already may be interested in deer are interested in the management of chronic wasting disease, and equip them with the technical knowledge and skills that they really need to sort of take their education and advocacy in their community to the next level, to try to help us sort of build this broad coalition to address the challenge that chronic wasting disease poses,” Janke says. He says one of the sessions will be in Wayne County.

“That’s kind of a partnership of a bunch of counties in southern Iowa, but we’re hosting it in Corydon,” he says. “And so we’re hoping to get participants from Wayne and neighboring counties. And then also Greene County, because that’s a new area in the state where we’ve just recently found chronic wasting disease.” He says the disease is really complicated and there are some common misconceptions about how to manage it, and what sort of risks that it poses.

“So what we do with this class is we try to get these committed learners caught up to speed on that science and those technical details. And then we actually talk about how to communicate effectively about this disease and how to sort of dispel common myths,” according to Janke. He says it helps supplement the wildlife biologists in the state — which can’t cover every county. C-W-D was first found in wild deer in Iowa in 2013 — and it has been found in wild deer in at least 12 counties. Janke says the best way to deal with it is to try to contain it.

“There is no cure for this disease, it’s 100 percent fatal. And when it gets into a wild population, it basically just continues to become more and more prevalent through time. And so everything we do about C-W-D management right now is trying to reduce it spread across the state,” Janke says. He says reducing the spread also reduces its prevalence within a population of deer. Janke says controlling the disease is important for everyone in the state.

“There are of course, a lot of hunters and we harvest over 100-thousand deer every year, and it’s an important protein source for many families,” he says. “But even if you don’t deer hunt, it impacts you because deer like to run out in front of vehicles or deer can impact agriculture or forestry in the state. So any sort of major disruption to our approach to managing deer is a unique challenge that impacts multiple different sectors of the economy.” If you are interested in taking part, go to the Iowa State Extension website under natural resources — and you’ll find a button that says Chronic Wasting Disease ambassadors.

A tale of two rivers: The Mississippi nears flood stage as the Missouri is dangerously low

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Boaters on both sides of Iowa need to use caution during the upcoming holiday weekend, but for different reasons. Water levels are expected to rise more than a foot on the Mississippi River due to snow melt and rains to the north. On the Missouri River, however, D-N-R fisheries biologist Bryan Hayes says it’s exceptionally dry and the water levels are very low. “The lakes that are really affected are the oxbow lakes along the Missouri River corridor,” Hayes says. “Last winter, the Missouri River was historically low and when the Missouri River is low and the groundwater is low, it lowers the level of these oxbow lakes.”

Some of the trouble areas in the west include Carter Lake in Pottawattamie County, which is is three feet below crest. The water level at Lake Manawa has been down a few feet all spring. Elsewhere, low levels are reported on Blue Lake in Monona County, DeSoto Bend in Harrison County, Snyder Bend and Browns Lake in Woodbury County, and several others along the Interstate 29 corridor.

“Boaters headed out this Memorial Day weekend will see abnormally low conditions in those lakes,” Hayes says. “It’s going to impact access through the boat ramps to these water bodies as well as present hazards while out boating, so we just really urge caution.” The watershed of the Missouri River extends all the way to Montana, with several flood control reservoirs in South Dakota.

“The Corps of Engineers has increased the releases for the navigation season on the river, so eventually we’ll start to see water come back into these systems,” Hayes says, “but the lag time, it’s just not going to happen before Memorial Day weekend and it may not happen this summer at all.”

Meanwhile, National Weather Service forecasters say the Mississippi River is rising quickly and currents are strong. That waterway is expected to crest at Davenport on Sunday around 13-and-a-half feet, that’s about 18 inches shy of the initial flood stage.

2 arrested on warrants in Montgomery County

News

May 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two men were arrested on separate warrants, today (Thursday). 42-year-old Robert Lee Bopp, of Shenandoah, was arrested at the Page County Jail, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $20,000. And, 37-year-old Cory Ross Smith, of Elliott, turned himself-in to the Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Possession of Methamphetamine. His bond was set at $1,000.

New Iowa law requires testing for radon in Iowa public school buildings

News

May 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The governor has signed a bill into law that requires testing for radon gas in public school buildings. The legislation is named in honor of Gail Orcutt, a retired teacher from Pleasant Hill who died of radon-inducted lung cancer in 2020. She had lobbied for the bill for a decade. Senator Jackie Smith of Sioux City is among the lawmakers who paid tribute to Orcutt before voting “yes” on the bill.  “This is a bill about the lungs,” Smith says, “but it was pushed by the heart.” The bill lets school districts use local option sales taxes to install radon mitigation systems. Testing to screen school buildings must be completed by July 1st of 2027. Senator Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City voted for the bill, but raised concerns about that deadline.

“Do you think it makes sense to wait five more years to have a radon test in a building that might have a radon problem and kids being exposed to radon gas for the next five years?” Bolkcom asked. Senator Craig Johnson of Independence says it’s his understanding many schools have already been tested for radon, but this will spur others to do so. “My wife works in a public school,” Johnson says. “Believe me, I want this to get started as soon as possible myself.”Officials estimate about 400 Iowans will die of radon-inducted lung cancer this year. Radon is an odorless gas that seeps into homes and buildings through cracks in the foundation and every Iowa county is considered to have high levels of radon in the soil. In addition to testing of existing school buildings, the new law requires radon control systems to be part of any new school construction projects.

Representative Art Staed of Cedar Rapids is a retired teacher. “This will save lives,” Staed says. “It’ll save students’ lives and it’ll save teachers’ lives.” The bill passed with the support of all but two members of the legislature. The governor held a private bill signing ceremony on Tuesday for advocates who’d pressed for passage of the legislation.

Oelwein man with long record going to prison on drug charge

News

May 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A northeast Iowa man with multiple previous convictions is going to spend more than 15 years in federal prison for dealing meth. Fifty-five-year-old David Alan Tafolla of Oelwein pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance., Tafolla admitted that he was involved in drug trafficking from October 2020 to May 2021 and sold meth on four occasions.

Officers searched his home in May of 2021 and recovered meth, marijuana, and more than 36-thousand dollars in cash from drug sales. Tafolla has previous convictions in more than twenty cases that include assaults, going armed with intent, burglary and stalking.