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Feenstra presses NASA to explore biojet fuel

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 11th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Congressman Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, says NASA research on what’s called “sustainable aviation fuel” should examine the use of biofuels for airplanes and spacecraft. “When I questioned Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in our committee meeting in May, she told me directly that she believes biofuels and biofuel technologies have an extremely bright future in sustainable aviation fueling,” Feenstra says.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel — sometimes called biojet fuel — is a crop based alternative to jet fuel made only from petroleum. “This cleaner, more affordable of powering transit and lowering emissions in NASA’s future of clean air transportation is extremely essential and is needed,” Feenstra says.

During a U.S. House subcommittee meeting Thursday, Feenstra proposed and the panel approved adding language to House Democrats’ infrastructure plan that will require NASA research and development of “sustainable aviation fuel” to include biofuels. Also Thursday, the White House invited representatives of the ethanol and biodiesel industry to a discussion about wider use “sustainable aviation fuel.”

Bond referendum vote Tuesday for Audubon MS/HS Building Project

News

September 11th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Audubon, Iowa) – Patrons of the Audubon Community School District are heading to the polls Tuesday, Sept. 14th, to cast their ballot on a Special Election for a Bond Referendum with regard to the district’s facilities.  Voters are being asked to approve a Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS), that would allow them to bond for up to $7.6 million in additional funds — with just under $2 million of that going to refinance a 2013 bond now at lower rates — against the district’s one cent sales tax revenue. Superintendent Eric Trager said the change in the district’s RPS was needed to make sure that there would be enough funding to complete the $10.8 million middle school/high school renovation project.

The only other real change to the RPS is the expiration date, currently at 2032. The legislature extended the SAVE program through Fiscal Year 2052 so districts must extend their RPS in order to utilize the SAVE funds over that longer time period. School District patrons will also vote for a Board Member at Large to fill a vacancy term ending 2023. The candidate on the ballot is Anne Bomstad Miller.

The election will be Sept. 14 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Audubon Agri-Hall, or absentee at the Audubon County Auditor’s office 8 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. through Sept. 13. (Additional information on the RPS follows, below)

 

 

IKM-Manning Bond Vote set for Tuesday

News

September 11th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Manning, Iowa) – Patrons of the IKM-Manning School District are being asked to vote Tuesday, Sept. 14th, $19.5-million General Obligation Bond, that if approved, would allow the district to address a series of facilities needs in both Irwin and Manning. School officials say three needs identified include: Safety and Security; Space and Capacity, and Long-Term investments.

The ballot referendum reads as follows: “Shall the Board of DIrectors of the IKM-Manning Community School District in the Counties of Audubon, Carroll, Crawford and Shelby, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $19,950,000 ot provide funds to renovate, remodel, repair, improve, furnish and equip, including HVAC/ventilation, safety and security improvements, and to construct, build, furnish and equip an addition to the Manning school building and improve the site; and to renovate, repair, improve, furnish and equip the Irwin school building?”

According to district administrators, the tax rate impact would amount to $118 per year on a home with a $100,000 assessed value. For agricultural property, it would be an additional $2.63 per acre/year, depending on where you live. The district’s tax rate would increase from $9.51/$1,000 of taxable valuation to $11.81, which is still one of the lowest tax levies in the area.

Out of 327 public school districts in the state, only 15 have a lower tax rate than IKM-Manning—placing the district in the bottom 5 percent. Officials say interest rates remain at historic lows at this time, and by moving forward now, they can take advantage of those low rates and significantly reduce the total cost of the proposed projects.

Polling stations open 7am-8pm on Tuesday, Sept 14th

  • Audubon – Irwin Community Building
  • Carroll – Sacred Heart Church
  • Crawford – Manilla Fire Department
  • Shelby – Irwin Community Building

For more information on IKM-Manning’s facility needs and the proposed solution on the ballot, visit https://www.ikmmanningbond.org.

Omaha Woman Sentenced for Role in Sex Trafficking of Minors

News

September 10th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Omaha, Nebraska) – Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp has announced that 22-year-old Lauryn Besta, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced Friday in Omaha Federal Court, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Besta to 142 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After her release from prison, Besta will begin a five-year term of supervised release.

An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office determined that from January 2016 and continuing through January 2019, in the District of Nebraska and elsewhere, Besta (also known as “Lola”) and a co-defendant, Darien Brewer, conspired and agreed to recruit, transport, and entice four minor females, under the age of 18 years old, to engage in commercial sex.  The victims were introduced into the lifestyle of prostitution through the use of drugs and alcohol provided by Besta and Brewer.  Besta and Brewer often referred to the minors as “the Bunny Gang.”

Investigators determined that Besta and Brewer would instruct the minors how to advertise, solicit, and charge for commercial sex acts in the District of Nebraska and elsewhere.  They obtained commercial sex customers for the minors by purchasing and posting advertisements on internet sites such as www.backpage.com. Sex customers responded to the advertisements via telephone and text message and commercial sex acts were coordinated to occur at various hotels, motels, and other locations.  Besta and Brewer used vehicles and public highways to drive the minors to various hotels, motels, and other locations for commercial sex acts, including Omaha, Nebraska; Lincoln, Nebraska; Iowa; and Houston, Texas.  The minors paid a portion or all of the payments received for commercial sex acts to Besta and Brewer.

On August 27, 2021, Chief Judge Rossiter sentenced Brewer to 180 months’ imprisonment and a five-year term of supervised release.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.

Iowa’s new Artisanal Butchery Task Force holds first meeting

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 10th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says to achieve the goal of expanding existing Iowa meat lockers and getting new ones established, more people need to be trained as butchers. “You can’t just walk in off the street and automatically go to work,” Naig told Radio Iowa. “There’s training that’s required.”

A few college-level programs in the state offer instruction in meat processing, but Naig said more training programs, like apprenticeships, are needed. “There is a really good meat science program at Iowa State, but that’s a four year or an advanced degree and there’s a place for that from a management perspective or if you’re looking at food safety or specialty products….There’s a few community colleges with meat science programs as well, for a two-year program,” Naig said. “And then we think that there are folks who don’t need either of those and, really, what they need to do is come into a meat locker and do an apprenticeship.”

The Artisanal Butchery Task Force. (Ag Dept photo.)

Naig is chairman of the Artisanal Butchery Task Force, a temporary group created by a state law passed this spring. The group held its first meeting this week. “What we saw in the last year, year and a half is that the small meat locker was incredibly busy and we think there’s a tremendous opportunity for that to expand,” Naig said, “…so I think what we try to look at, then, is what can we do to try to have an impact.”

The legislature set aside $750 thousand worth of state grant money to help small meat lockers expand. Naig said the demand is there, from the consumer end. He’s heard from cattle producers who have potential customers for their beef, but can’t find a meat locker to break it down and package it. “It builds on a great Iowa brand for meat, direct to consumer and I think even branded products that end up in grocery stores and in restaurants is a good thing, too,” Naig said. “To me there’s just tremendous opportunity that also, potentially, can bring more cattle into the state.”

Naig is also lobbying the USDA to make more Iowa meat lockers eligible for the $500 million in federal grants that will be available. A meat processor must be federally-inspected or enrolled in a USDA program to ship meat across state lines to qualify. Naig said about half of Iowa’s 250 meat lockers are state inspected and under current rules would be ineligible for the federal grants.

Woodbury County Sheriff says no to vaccine mandate

News

September 10th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan, a Republican, announced his is opposed to the vaccine mandate issued by President Joe Biden.

Sheehan’s department has around 120 employees. The president’s mandate calls for any workplace with more than 100 employees to have all workers vaccinated or have weekly COVID testing.

Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan.

Gov. Reynolds announces appointments to Iowa’s boards & commissions

News

September 10th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – Today (Friday), Gov. Kim Reynolds announced appointments to Iowa’s boards and commissions.

The following (area resident) appointments are subject to Senate confirmation [Name/County]:

Iowa Comprehensive Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Fund Board
Patricia Beck, Carroll

Iowa Great Places Advisory Board
Danna Kehm, Pottawattamie

Iowa Workforce Development Board 
Brad Elliot, Ringgold

The following appointments are not subject to Senate confirmation:

Empower Rural Iowa Initiative-Connecting
Kevin Cabbage, Montgomery
Justin Wagner, Harrison

Empower Rural Iowa Initiative-Growing
Tina Bakehouse, Mills
Ron Reischl, Carroll

Empower Rural Iowa Initiative-Investing
Chuck Morris, Page
Wayne Pantini, Union

Iowa Arts Council
Donna Dostal, Pottawattamie

Iowa Council for Early ACCESS
Johnathan Wunderlich, Pottawattamie

Iowa Drug Policy Advisory Council
Brenna Bird, Guthrie

Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System (ISICS) Board

Daniel Schaffer, Crawford
Jason Hoffman, Carroll

Temporary closure of eastbound I-80 in West Des Moines scheduled for Sept. 22 and 23

News

September 10th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

CRESTON, Iowa – Sept. 10, 2021 – The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston Construction Office reports a project to set beams for the new Ashworth Road bridge over Interstate 80 in West Des Moines requires closing eastbound I-80 between Jordan Creek Parkway and Grand Prairie Parkway overnight from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 22 and Thursday, Sept. 23, weather permitting.

During this closure, traffic will follow a marked detour route using Jordan Creek Parkway, University Avenue, and Grand Prairie Parkway.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

Brink files for re-election; A number of position still open

News

September 10th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Cass County Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns said Friday (Today), Gerald A. Brink has filed nomination papers to be placed on the Nov. 2nd ballot for re-election to the City Council At Large, in the City of Atlantic. And, Matt Shehan has filed nomination papers for Mayor of Griswold. Current Mayor Brad Rhine had not filed for re-election as of Friday afternoon.

Karns said also, “We have a number of offices that still don’t have candidates to fill the positions.  Filing deadline is Sept 16th 5:00 p.m. School Candidates will file with their perspective School Board Secretaries and City Candidates will file with the Cass County Auditor’s Office.”

Here are the open positions for the City Elections in Cass County:

Anita:          City Council- 2 positions

Atlantic:      Ward 2- 1 position

Cumberland:   City Council- 1 position

Lewis:          City Council- 2 positions

City Council Vacancy-1 position (please be sure they put that it is a vacancy position on paperwork)

Marne:        City Council- 2 positions

Massena:    City Council- 2 positions;          Mayor

Wiota:        City Council- 3 positions;             Mayor

Cass County Sheriff/Atlantic Police Chief concerned about recent drug activity

News

September 10th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Top law enforcement officials in Cass County are expressing concerns about recent drug activity in the area. A joint statement issued by Sheriff Darby McClaren and Police Chief Dave Erickson, says “Southwest Iowa has had numerous recent incidents where young people in the area are overdosing on Fentanyl. This overdosing is causing people in the area to stop breathing and sometimes die. Law enforcement and emergency responders have saved a number of overdosed people, but have also found several deceased. In many cases the victims are taking pills that they believe to be Oxycontin, or they don’t even know what they are taking.

Sheriff Darby McLaren File Photo)

Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson (P.D. website photo)

“These pills are obviously dangerous, because the people making the pills have no expertise on how to properly make these pills. One pill may give the drug user the high they are looking for, and the next pill may be their death sentence. Young people in the area are experimenting with these drugs.” The Sheriff and Chief say “We urge parents to talk to their children, even children old enough to be out of their house about the choices they are making with illicit drugs. Drugs specifically that they think were manufactured and dispensed by a doctor or pharmacy. The drugs law enforcement are seeing are made to look exactly like the drugs that the doctors and pharmacies are prescribing. Do not take or buy drugs from anyone except ones that are prescribed to you from a doctor.”

Both men add, “If law enforcement can help please let us know, feel free to contact the Cass County Sheriff’s or the Atlantic Police Dept. We would encourage people with information on who is selling the drugs to please contact us.”