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Biofuels industry preps for battle over shift to electric vehicles

Ag/Outdoor, News

January 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Renewable Fuels Association executive director Monte Shaw is calling on the Biden Administration to reverse the ethanol waivers the Trump Administration granted the oil industry. “The message from this one action, which could be taken immediately, would signify that we are truly entering a new, more hopeful phase for biofuels,” Shaw says. Shaw delivered the opening speech at today’s (Tuesday’s) virtual Renewable Fuels Summit and began by focusing on the Trump Administration’s decision to ignore court orders and grant waivers. Shaw also warns of the looming fight over accelerated production of electric vehicles as well as arguments about ethanol’s role in reducing carbon emissions. “In short, we must be ready to do battle in 2021,” Shaw said.

Shaw says policymakers must consider whether normal working people can actually afford E-Vs — electric vehicles — or if they’re even best option to reduce carbon. “Here’s the dirty little secret. An EV today, charged in a state like Missouri or Minnesota or many others that rely on coal for electricity actually has a higher carbon footprint per mile than my flex-fuel Tahoe motoring down the road powered by E85,” Shaw says. “Biofuel supporters must be ready to fight EV mandates in 2021.”  Shaw says research shows the carbon content of tailpipe emissions is reduced when a vehicle is running on ethanol blended fuel.

“Never in my lifetime has DC descended into the tribalism and lack of serious thought we are seeing today and, let’s face it, that’s saying something,” Shaw said. “…We are seeing elected officials hit the policy ‘easy button’ of an unworkable slogan that will fit on a bumper sticker instead of bringing people together to work on real solutions that require time, earnest effort and — heaven forbid — a bit of compromise.”

Shaw is asking the IOWA legislature to increase state grant money for retailers that install pumps for higher blends of ethanol. According to the Iowa Corn Growers Association, 57 percent of the corn harvested in Iowa is used to produce ethanol.

Test Iowa sites remain closed Tuesday in Council Bluffs, Des Moines due to weather and road conditions 

News

January 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – State-operated Test Iowa drive-thru sites in Council Bluffs and Des Moines will remain closed today, Tuesday, Jan. 26, due to conditions resulting from heavy snowfall.  Individuals who were scheduled for testing today will be notified of the closures by Test Iowa through email.  All sites are expected to open for regular hours on Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Individuals whose appointments were cancelled Monday or Tuesday due to the winter storm can bring their QR code to any site during open hours to be tested. There is no need to take the assessment again or schedule a new appointment time.

Locations and hours of operation for all test sites can be found at testiowa.com or coronavirus.iowa.gov.

Iowa COVID-19 update for 1/26/21: 4 additional deaths, 803 new cases

News

January 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Public Health (as of 10-a.m. Tuesday, 1/26), reported 314,066 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide since Iowa’s outbreak began, with an additional 803 cases confirmed since 10-a.m. Monday. There were also four additional deaths, leaving the statewide death toll at 4,492. Of Iowa’s pandemic-related deaths, COVID-19 is reported as the underlying cause for 4,095 deaths. For 397 Iowans, COVID-19 was a contributing factor to their deaths. The website said 4,123 of the state’s deaths involved Iowans with preexisting conditions.

The Iowa DPH reports today there are eight less COVID-19 outbreaks among long-term care facilities in the state, for a total of 60. LTC’s account for 1,941 of Iowa’s current positive cases. COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care facilities account for 1,865 of the state’s total deaths. Health officials say 1,102 LTC patients have recovered.

Iowa DPH today reports 415 hospitalizations, 32 more than Monday. Officials say 78 patients are in intensive care units, 49 patients have been admitted since Monday’s report, and 37 people are on a ventilator.  In RMCC Region 4 (Western/southwest Iowa hospitals): 26 are hospitalized w/Covid; 6 are in an ICU; no one was admitted since Monday, and one person is on a ventilator, down from three on Monday.

Iowa’s average reported 14-day positivity rate is down from 11.0% Monday to 10.3% today. The past 7-day average is 8.0%.  Of the state’s confirmed cases, 276,447 Iowans recovered.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

  • Cass, 1,153 cases; {+3}; 43 deaths
  • Adair, 697; {+0}; 20
  • Adams, 302; {+1}; 3
  • Audubon, 424; {+2}; 8
  • Guthrie, 1,046 {+0}; 24
  • Harrison County, 1,587; {+2}; 62
  • Madison County, 1,245; {+5}; 10
  • Mills County, 1,386; {+1}; 17
  • Montgomery, 892; {+1}; 24
  • Pottawattamie County, 9,186; {+19}; 115
  • Shelby County, 1076; {+19}; 27
  • Union County,  1,118; {+2}; 23

Travel troubles persist after storm dumps up to 14″ of snow on Iowa

News, Weather

January 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) Travel is still not recommended on many roads across the southern two-thirds of Iowa following the latest winter blast. Some areas of central and southwest Iowa report very heavy snow, according to meteorologist Chad Hahn, at the National Weather Service. “Generally speaking, across the state, ten to 14 inches is going to capture most areas,” Hahn says. “As you go north, less, but certainly from Ames, the Des Moines metro and south, ten to 14 would capture most of those.”

I 35 Mile Marker 105 near Huxley

Some flakes are still flying in eastern Iowa but this round of snow is almost over, he says. The trouble is, strong winds are blowing snow and reducing visibility, in addition to causing drifts on roads minutes after plows pass. “The Department of Transportation and snow plows have been out there doing their best to keep everything open but certainly there are some problematic areas,” Hahn says. “We encourage folks to check with 511ia.org in order to get that information.”

We’re in the midst of what Hahn says is an “active” weather pattern, which means some Iowans will have to shovel snow again tomorrow. “Tonight, we expect another little shot of moisture coming in, nothing at all compared to what we just experienced,” Hahn says. “Some areas, especially across the south part of the state, upwards of an inch of snow late tonight and early on Wednesday.”

After that front passes, it should be clear skies for a few days but Hahn says there’s another chance of winter storms looming this weekend.

(Podcast) KJAN 8-a.m. News, 1/26/21

News, Podcasts

January 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Foot of snow blankets parts of Midwest, disrupts travel

News, Weather

January 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A major winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow on parts of Nebraska and Iowa, disrupting traffic and shuttering some schools, while blanketing other parts of the middle of the country. There were early closures of several coronavirus testing sites on Monday in Nebraska and Iowa, and both states saw 12 or 13 inches of snow in places by Tuesday morning.

At least 4 inches of snow was expected into Tuesday across most of an area stretching from central Kansas northeast to Chicago and southern Michigan. Elsewhere in the U.S, a storm buried northern Arizona in snow on Monday while sending flurries to the outskirts of Las Vegas and Phoenix.

 

Shelby County settles with former EMA Coordinator in Overtime/compensation case

News

January 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

A lawsuit filed by the former Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator against the Shelby County Board of Supervisors and Shelby County EMA was settled on Friday, January 22nd. The settlement provides plaintiff Jason Wickizer with a total of $860,000. Wickizer will receive a payroll check in the amount of $58,701 for wages, with all standard withholdings. A check will be made payable to the Wicker’s attorneys, Skinner and Paschke, PLLCE in the amount of $801,299, for damages which include physical injury, emotional distress, attorney’s fees and costs.

The County Emergency Management Commission and County EMA had authorized their legal counsel with the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP), to resolve claims against the county. The settlement concludes a case that had been was transferred to, and pending in, Page County District Court. Wickizer’s Attorney, Kellie Paschke, told KJAN News the suit was filed to clear her client’s name and prove his innocence in an alleged case of improper payroll disbursements. The lawsuit was filed in July 2019. Paschke said “Jason, through the course of his employment was not your typical 9-to-5 employee (due to the nature of his Emergency Management position).”

(She says he was always on-call for natural and other emergency situations, he had to cover dispatcher shifts when necessary. Which resulted in many hours of overtime.)

The overtime was compensated through either an overtime rate as an hourly employee (at time and 1/2), or “Comp time,” in lieu of overtime, allowing him to take time off at a later date.

(When Wickizer discovered he wasn’t being compensated on a time-and ½ basis for Comp Time, he began to question why he wasn’t receiving that on a regular basis.)

The Supervisors, she said decided “Maybe Jason was just earning too much, and so they took away his Comp time altogether,” which led to the lawsuit. The petition alleged that the defendants knowingly and intentionally failed to compensate Wickizer for his labor, services and paid leave. The County went to the State of Iowa’s Auditor’s Office and requested an audit, which led to the County hiring its own auditing firm: RSM U-S, LLP, out of Indianapolis, IN., to conduct an internal audit of the time-off policies within the EMA. A special investigation was released in March 2019 where Wickizer was named in the audit report. Wickizer was named among the others for allegedly receiving improper payroll totaling $13,494.62. His employment was then terminated.

Paschke says the auditing firm failed to include Wickizer’s Comp Time in their analysis.

She says “It’s incredibly frustrating that Jason’s good name has been dragged through the mud in the community, all because somebody had a bone to pick with how much he worked, apparently. Paschke noted that it seems “A little unusual, that rather than vote themselves (The EMA Commission/Supervisors) on the settlement agreement, they authorized their legal counsel to do it.”

Creston man arrested Tuesday morning on an OWI charge

News

January 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Creston Police, early this (Tuesday) morning, arrested a man following a traffic stop. Authorities say 31-year old Andrew Long, of Creston, was arrested at around 3:50-a.m. at Elm/Adams Streets, for OWI 1st Offense. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Podcast) KJAN Morning News & Funeral report, 1/26/21

News, Podcasts

January 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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State to soon release study on park fees

News

January 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) The Department of Natural Resources is preparing to release the results of a study of the fees charged for using state parks next month. The Chief of the State Parks, Forests and Preserves Bureau, Todd Coffelt, says they did the study at the direction of lawmakers. “The direction was for us to compare prices with other public utilities that provide camping services similar to what we do in state parks,” according to Coffelt. “And we have gone through that and compared each location to a 60-mile radius. We have identified the amenities that a visitor will be able to experience and utilize And we’ve kind of identified some of our lower use areas in order to focus and promote the amenities that visitors can use.”

Coffelt says this comes after a period when parks were shut down by the pandemic and there were concerns about the future. “There were a lot of questions if we are not making money then how are we going to survive. And as we regained our composure and brought it back — people really engaged with the idea of getting out and doing more with their families in the new found time that they had,” Coffelt says.

Coffelt says the comeback included 16-and-a-half million visitors to the state parks. “Camping revenue is higher than it was last year even though we were closed for a month — just to put that into perspective,” Coffelt says, “our revenue for cabins and overnight accommodations has increased.” He says the pandemic has helped them focus on how to best operate the system. “We continue to look at what we can do differently, we continue to experience challenges similar to the states around us of what do we expect in 2021,” Coffelt says. “We are ready for what the future has to offer because we’ve learned a lot of what we can do — we’ve learned a lot of what needs to be done — but those are the things we are working on.”

Coffelt made his comments during the Natural Resources Committee meeting last week.