(DES MOINES) – Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg have announced #OwnItIowa, a new closing cost assistance program is available for Iowa home buyers.The campaign is hosted by the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Association of REALTORS® and encourages all Iowans 18 years and older to visit IowaHouseHunt.com through August 31, 2017, for a chance to win $2,500 cash and learn about homeownership resources. A new, limited-time program offering $1,500 in closing cost assistance with conventional loans was also rolled out as part of the campaign.

The Iowa Finance Authority offers a variety of programs for eligible home buyers including $2,500 down payment assistance, $1,500 in closing cost assistance on conventional loans through the new, limited-time program and $5,000 down payment assistance for eligible service members and veterans.

Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison says “The Iowa Finance Authority is pleased to unveil the #OwnItIowa campaign as a fun way for Iowans to win $2,500 this summer.” He encourages all Iowans to participate in the chance to win through August 31st.

“All indicators are pointing up for Iowa’s housing market,” according to Iowa Association of REALTORS® CEO Gavin Blair. Blair said “The number of days a home is on the market is at a near record low and competition for homes is strong. This translates to the need for home buyers to be armed with information, which is exactly why we’re teamed-up to offer the #OwnItIowa promotion.”

DES MOINES –Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today (Monday) announced that four successful watershed-based demonstration projects funded in 2014, and set to end this year, will receive a 2nd round of funding. The locally-led projects will build upon previous demonstration objectives and continue working towards accelerated implementation of practices that improve water quality. Among the projects receiving extensions, is the Walnut Creek Watershed Project (Montgomery County). More details about each of the projects can be found at https://www.cleanwateriowa.org/farm-1/.

Northey said “Extending these projects will allow us to build on the strong foundation that has been created in these watersheds and continue to learn more about the best ways to get water-quality-focused practices on the land.  These projects create a great opportunity for farmers to see practices up close and better understand how they might work on their own farm.”

The projects will receive a total of $1.88 million in additional funding through the Iowa Water Quality Initiative over the next three years. In addition to the state funds, these four projects will access approximately $4.1 million in matching funds to support water quality improvement efforts as well as other in-kind contributions.

The funds will allow the projects to focus on scaling up implementation of conservation practices identified in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and continue to build on existing assessment and evaluation methods.  Also, an additional $200,000 has been allocated for these projects which will be targeted towards implementation of select priority nutrient reduction conservation practices including wetlands, saturated buffers and bioreactors.

These four projects will continue to build upon existing partnerships as well as expand efforts to include new partnerships developed during the first three years.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship also has been successful in securing additional federal resources for several of these projects through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Project (RCPP).  Northey says those funds, when paired with Iowa Water Quality Initiative and partner investments, do more than what any one group or organization can accomplish alone.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports 40-year old Teresa Joan Earley, of Creston, was arrested Friday evening at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Earley was taken into custody on two Union County Warrants (1 warrant for theft 4th degree and two counts of forgery, and 1 warrant for forgery).  She was being held for Union County in the Ringgold County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office says a man wanted on a Taylor County warrant was found in an abandoned house Saturday afternoon, about four-miles west of Shambaugh. Joseph Cody Foster was taken into custody at around 3:15-p.m. on an active warrant for failure to appear to serve time in the Taylor County Jail on a previous conviction.  Foster was located at 2570 270th street* and subsequently turned over to Taylor County authorities.  (9-a.m. News) * Sheriff’s Office correction on the address issued Monday afternoon*

Joseph Cody Foster

BURNSVILLE, Mn (June 26, 2017) – In recognition of the recently passed legislation in Iowa that makes texting a primary traffic violation, AAA – The Auto Club Group, has provided the Iowa State Patrol with1,000 CELLslips (www.cellslip.com) to use in enforcement and education efforts starting June 27th.   The CELLslips serve as a reminder to put your phone away and avoid distractions while you’re driving.

As fatalities have risen statewide and nationally over the last few years, it is no surprise that distracted driving has been identified as a significant contributing factor.  In a recent Traffic Safety Culture Index Survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, several statistics stand out:
Cell phone use while driving is widespread. More than 2 in 3 drivers report talking on their cell phone while driving in the past month, and nearly 1 in 3 say they do so fairly often or regularly.
Most drivers view texting or emailing while driving as a very serious threat to their own personal safety and consider it completely unacceptable. However, nearly 1 in 3 (31.4%) admit to typing or sending a text message or email while driving in the past month, and 2 in 5 (40.2%) report reading a text message or email while driving in the past month.

Sergeant Scott Bright, Public Resource Unit Coordinator for the Iowa State Patrol, says “The Iowa State Patrol is committed to doing everything possible to educate motorists of the dangers related to cell phone use in vehicles, as well as protecting those who travel on our roadways. Technology has become one of the biggest threats to the safety and welfare of the motoring public, and we are dedicated to both enforcement and continued education with the goal of reducing traffic crashes and fatalities in Iowa and across the nation.” Bright says “The Iowa State Patrol appreciates the continued support from AAA to help [us] achieve [those] goals and save lives!”

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

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Gleaming chrome, dazzling paint and thundering engines are part of an Independence Day weekend tradition in central Iowa that dates back 26 years. The Goodguys Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals will be underway Friday through Sunday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Goodguys spokeswoman Betsy Bennett says it’s a showcase for historic, beautiful vehicles. “This event will have about 4,000, maybe up to 4,500 hot rods, customs, classics and muscle cars up through 1972,” Bennett says. “We include the muscle cars as ’73 is about when the gasoline crisis hit and so the ’72s, we bring those full-blown muscle cars into that spectrum.”

The vehicles are being driven and trucked to Iowa from all across the nation. Attendance for the three-day show may reach 70-thousand and for some, Bennett says it’s a history lesson on wheels while for others, a cruise down memory lane. “When people are at the event, we hear lots of conversations about what they used to drive when they were in high school,” Bennett says. “They may see a car that looks like what they had or it may be the exact car. There’s a lot of history and a lot of stories that go with all of these cars that come into this event.”

One of the big draws of the weekend is the Goodguys AutoCross, a closed performance race course where speed and skill meet in a fastest-car-wins contest.  “It gives them a chance to really test the performance of their car and their driving abilities,” Bennett says. “There’s a lot of really tight turns, there’s a few straightaways where they can get a little speed and then they have to hit the brakes pretty hard. It’s designed for performance and driving skill and you’re racing the clock.”

Some of the most famous names in American racing will be taking part in the AutoCross. “Last year, the two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Junior won this event so he will be back in town racing for Team Speedway, as well as Robby Unser who is his cousin, a 9-time Pikes Peak Hill Climb winner,” Bennett says. “Lots of great competition on that race course.”

The weekend events also include a dragster exhibition, a swap meet and cars-for-sale area, arts and crafts, kids’ activities, live music, and fireworks on Saturday night.
www.good-guys.com

(Radio Iowa)

Iowans who plan to celebrate the upcoming holiday with alcohol are being told to plan ahead. Patrick Hoye, chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says Iowa roadways are already more congested over the busy holiday period, but adding intoxicated drivers to the mix ramps up the danger. Most fatal crashes in Iowa over the Fourth of July period, historically, have involved alcohol. “In Iowa, there were five fatalities in 2015, with three of those being alcohol related, and five fatalities in 2016 in which four were alcohol related,” Hoye said.

These days, according to Hoye, it’s easier than ever to avoid driving drunk. “There’s alternate transportation – whether it be designated drivers, calling a friend, cabs and taxis, Uber, Lyft…there are just so many way to prevent you from having to drink and drive,” Hoye said.

The legal limit in Iowa for driving drunk is a blood alcohol content (BAC) is point-oh-eight (.08). Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows nationally over the 2015 Fourth of July holiday period (6 p.m. July 2 – 6:00 a.m. July 6), 146 people were killed in crashes involving at least one motorist with a BAC of .08 or higher.

(Radio Iowa)

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a woman and three children have been injured in a collision with a train in north-central Iowa. The crash occurred a little before 3:30 p.m. Saturday, southeast of Fort Dodge. An Iowa state trooper says the southbound sport utility vehicle driver didn’t see the eastbound train at the crossing, which is marked by signs but doesn’t have electronic signals or crossing gates.

The car driver has been identified as 38-year-old Traci Guthrie, of Fort Dodge. She’s been release from a hospital. Ten-year-old Colin Guthrie was flown to a Des Moines hospital, as was 8-year-old Colton Guthrie. Seven-year-old Colton Buckley was treated for minor injuries.

The Creston Police Department reports 46-year old Michael Williams, of Creston, was arrested Saturday evening. Williams was taken into custody at around 5:30-p.m. in the 200 block of S. Peterson, for Public Intoxication/2nd offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Disorderly Conduct. He was later released from the Union County Jail on a Promise to Appear in court.

Creston Police also took to reports of theft over the past week. Saturday afternoon, a resident of the 500 block of W. Mills St. reported someone broke into his home and took an XBox One, two controllers, several games and an external hard drive. The loss was estimated at $500. And, On June 20th, a resident of the 100 block of W. Buckeye, in Creston, reported that sometime between March 1st and March 31st, someone took a wedding band from her home. The loss was estimated at $550.