(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Community Foundation for Western Iowa and SHARE Iowa today (Friday), announced “Do Good Days” will be held April 24 – 27, 2024. During Do Good Days, community members and nonprofits across western Iowa are encouraged to join SHARE Iowa and the Community Foundation for Western Iowa to honor and celebrate what doing good means to them.

In conjunction with National Volunteer Week, SHARE Iowa and the Community Foundation will celebrate volunteers and nonprofits, encourage volunteering, and provide trainings for nonprofits to better engage with volunteers. Community members are encouraged to find options to engage with nonprofits, explore creative ways to volunteer their time, and make
an impact in their community.

Donna Dostal, CEO of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa states, “At the Community Foundation, we know that when people do good where they live, great things happen. With SHARE Iowa, folks tell us all the time that ‘to do good makes you feel good.’ Now is the perfect time for everyone in our community to come together and take this opportunity to do good and create lasting impact.”

During Do Good Days, the Community Foundation for Western Iowa and SHARE Iowa support capacity building and sustainability of nonprofit organizations through education and sharing best-practices around volunteer engagement. Together, they are hosting two free training courses for nonprofits: Engaging Families in Service presented by Kamryn Ryan, AmeriCorps Seniors & Capacity Building Officer with Volunteer Iowa on the morning of Wednesday, April 24. What’s April Without AI zoom lunch and learn on Thursday, April 25, is presented in partnership with the Business Ethics Alliance and facilitated by AnnMarie Marlier Ph. D and Executive Director of the Business Ethics Alliance.

According to Dostal, “Helping nonprofits better connect to their volunteer supporters and to utilize new and improved resources is a priority for the Community Foundation and SHARE Iowa. We are very excited to invite our partners and share this wonderful information with them so they can engage with volunteers, create a culture of philanthropy, and build lasting relationships in the communities they serve.”

To honor volunteers in our region, the Community Foundation also created the “Do Gooder of the Year” award and will announce the second annual winner in the afternoon of Thursday, April 25. All nonprofit organizations participating on the SHARE Iowa platform were encouraged to nominate their volunteers or “Do Gooders” of the year.

SHARE Iowa is an initiative of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa and a community engagement conduit offering simple ways for neighbors, nonprofits, and businesses to come together and strengthen our local communities. It is a free dynamic online resource for our nonprofit partners that helps them to better reach and engage with people who want to have an impact into their community by donating dollars, shopping from nonprofit wish lists, attending events, or discovering volunteer opportunities.

Check out www.sharegoodiowa.org to learn more and support nonprofit organizations making an impact in western Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa lawmakers rushedg to pass a bill that will help hundreds of Iowans get a full payment from a legal settlement for victims who were abused by Boy Scout leaders.

That’s Representative Ann Meyer, a Republican from Fort Dodge. She says the bill provides an exemption to the Iowa law that requires child sex abuse victims to file lawsuits by the time they reach the age of 19 — or within four years of when they realized they’d been abused.

Representative Timi Brown-Powers, a Democrat from Waterloo, says hundreds of Iowa men who were victimized are counting on the legislature to act and she used to work with one of them.

The governor signed the bill into law today (Friday). It passed the Senate unanimously 10 days ago. The House passed the bill today (Friday) on a 90 to one vote, but House members made an adjustment to the bill. Representative Charley Thomson of Charles City says the change makes the legislature’s intent clear.

Thomson says without the change, there was a good chance someone would sue to block the bill from becoming law. In a statement, Gov. Reynolds said Friday, “Those who were sexually abused while in Boy Scouts should have the ability to receive the greatest amount of compensation available. Even after an initial disclosure, it may take many more years before a victim is willing to file a legal action in a public court proceeding. We should not stand in the way of these survivors receiving their justified compensation. I am proud to sign this bill and I hope it brings some sense of justice and closure.”

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill that will cuts Iowans’ income taxes next year. Senator Dan Dawson, a Republican from Council Bluffs, says the governor will sign it into law.

Dawson says the state has a structural surplus of over five BILLION dollars of unspent tax dollars.

The bill passed the Senate on a 39 to seven vote. Senator Janet Peterson, a Democrat from Des Moines who voted against the bill, says a flat tax benefits the wealthiest Iowans.

Senator Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, says Republicans are shrinking the state’s ability to fund priorities like schools.

Lawmakers are pushing to complete the work of the 2024 legislative session either today (Friday) or tomorrow (Saturday).

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has issued a report detailing information on seven arrests conducted since April 6th. Most recently:

On April 10th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriffs Office arrested Amber Schreck, 39, of Villisca, on a warrant for Failure to Appear.  Schreck was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held pending her later release after serving time.

On April 9th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jennifer Ponder, 38, of Red Oak, on narcotics related offenses.  Ponder was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held pending her later release on bond.

On April 9th, 2024: the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Lynn Frohlich, 53, of Audubon, on narcotics related offenses.  Frohlich was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance; and, 42-year old Maxwell Conoan,of Grand Junction, CO, was arrested on warrants for Forgery and Theft 2nd Degree.  Conoan was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release to another jurisdiction.

On April 8th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mark Regan, 48, of Griswold, on the charges of Domestic Abuse Assault – 1st Offense and Interference with Official Acts.  Regan was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.

On April 7th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Christian Grulke, 18, of Adair, for Depositing or Throwing Debris on a Highway.  Grulke was transported to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.

On April 6th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Tyler Morgan, 33, of Council Bluffs, on the charges of Possession of Burglary Tools, Interference with Official Acts, Theft 2nd Degree and Harboring a Runaway.  Morgan was transported to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office where he was booked and held.

(Oakland, Iowa) – The East Pottawattamie County Extension office will host a free, one-hour learning session for private well owners on May 7, 2024. The program will help attendees understand their well’s water quality and connect them to resources to manage their well.

Did you know that Iowa has a unique funding source for free or low-cost annual testing of private wells? Or that some water pollutants are odorless, tasteless and will not be removed by boiling water? If you’re curious about the answers to these questions, then take advantage of the upcoming learning session which will detail how to test your well and who can help, common contaminants, and factors that affect well water quality.

The program will be taught by Catherine DeLong, Water Quality Program Manager for ISU Extension and Outreach. According to DeLong, “About 230,000 Iowans rely on private wells as their home’s main water source, yet many do not know they should be testing once a year and that Iowa has a unique funding source to help cover the cost of testing.”

The free program will take place on May 7, 2024 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm at the Oakland Community Building located at 614 Dr Van Zee Road, in Oakland. Pre-registration is requested; to RSVP contact the East Pottawattamie County Extension office by phone (712-482-6449) or email (reannh@iastate.edu).

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, received a monthly report from Cass/Guthrie County Environmental Health Executive Director Jotham Arber. In his report, Jotham said they’re doing a lot of Perc (Percolation) Tests for septic systems, this month.

Arber reminds those who plan to buy or build a new home in the rural areas, to give them a call, so you know where the tile lines are, if any, before the first shovel of dirt is turned.

He said there’s a new septic system guide realtors will give buyers new to the rural area, knowledge of how septic systems work, as compared to a city sewer line.

He said in addition to the Perc tests, they are conducting well water tests.

Arber wants people to know also, they’ve been getting a lot of calls about restaurant inspections/complaint. He says the local Environmental Health Department does not do restaurant inspections. That’s under the jurisdiction of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL).

People had been filing complaints about insect infestations, such as cockroaches, and building safety. Other questions can be directed to the County Public Health Department.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports three arrests occurred Thursday (April 18th), along with an incident of Burglary/Theft. Authorities say 19-year-old Royce Taylor, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant. Taylor posted a $1,000 bond and was released. 27-year-old Breanna Studey, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, and on two counts of child endangerment. Her bond was set at $5,000.

And, 33-year-old Cody Hunkins, of Glenwood, was arrested on two-counts of Child Endangerment, Possession of a controlled substance/3rd offense, and Possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $6,300.

Glenwood Police said also, Silver Creek Renovatons LLC, of Malvern, reported Thursday, an incident of Burglary and theft that occurred in Glenwood. Additional information is not available.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University student is among the few nationwide chosen for the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Emma Alstott is a global resource systems and horticulture major from Fort Dodge. Alstott learned she’d been picked for the academic honor last week after returning home from a three-month study visit to Greece. “I didn’t even think I would be selected as a campus representative because I had to do a preliminary competition as well, through the college,” Alstott says. “So even to be selected to move on to me was a huge honor, and then when I found out I was selected on the national level, I almost couldn’t believe it.”

Alstott has done two study abroad trips, spending two weeks in Kosovo in a city that has formal a sister city relationship with Fort Dodge. “I was very lucky to participate in the Sister City exchange in 2019 right before COVID happened, luckily, so I was the last group to go over there before we put a pause to the program,” Alstott says. “That was definitely a very foundational experience in me deciding what I wanted to study.”

Emma Alstott (ISU photo)

Alstott, who plans to graduate from I-S-U in 2026, says her latest educational journey in Greece was fully immersive. “I took five different classes, three were focused on horticultural sciences, such as olive production and viticulture,” she says, “and then the other two were focused on the Greek language as well as Greek culture.”

The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, books and room-and-board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. It’s named for the late U.S. Senator and 1964 GOP presidential candidate Barry Goldwater of Arizona.

(Radio Iowa) – A southeast Iowa lawmaker estimates the budget in county could be cut by up to half a MILLION dollars due to the wide-ranging tax bill up for debate in the legislature today (Friday). One section in the bill gets rid of a law that dates back to Iowa’s horse and buggy days. It requires Lee County to maintain two courthouses — one in Fort Madison and one in Keokuk. Representative Martin Graber, who’s from Fort Madison, knows the history. “Originally the county seat was in Fort Madison and the courthouse was there and the people in the southern part of the county said: ‘Hey, we want something,’ so the original act of 1848 established one in Keokuk and they were happy,” Graber says. “They wanted to make sure that somebody who needed to file a court action in Keokuk didn’t have to go to Fort Madison to do it.”

The Lee County Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution asking legislators to repeal the 1848 law, so the board has authority to close one of the courthouses. Graber says the county offices are in Fort Madison, but that courthouse is likely to be closed because the one in Keokuk is larger and has enough space to accommodate trials. Graber says it will be a positive budget move for Lee County taxpayers. “In Fort Madison there’s the courthouse itself. Across the street they own a house. They have to have a sheriff’s deputy present — all of this ongoing stuff,” Graber says. “What I’ve been told is it probably approaches half a million dollars a year because they’re aging buildings, they have to do maintenance on them and stuff like that.”

The courthouse in Fort Madison was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. “There’s somebody somewhere who’s going to want to buy that piece of property,” Graber says. “It’s a tremendous old building. I mean just great architecture, big pillars and I can’t hardly believe there isn’t going to be some business or venue that’s going to want to say: ‘Hey, we’re going to turn this into a restaurant or a speakeasy or whatever it may be.”

Fort Madison was originally a U-S Army post and the site of a battle in the War of 1812. It’s named for James Madison, the 4th president of the United States. The City of Keokuk is named for Chief Keokuk of the Sauk tribe. There’s also a Keokuk County — about a hundred miles northwest of the City of Keokuk.

(Hancock, Iowa) – A blaze that destroyed a two-story home in Hancock early this (Friday) morning, also claimed a life. According to Hancock Fire Chief Josh Billings, one person was found deceased inside the home located in the 300 block of Kimball Street. The blaze was reported at around 3:15-a.m. The structure was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived.

Hancock Fire received assistance at the scene from the Avoca and Oakland Fire Departments. The victim’s name has not been released, and the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Photo Credit: Alexa Brink