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4-H Judges Training Set for Saturday, March 18 in Oakland

News

March 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Oakland, Iowa) – Current Iowa 4-H fair judges, as well as those considering becoming a 4-H judge, are invited to attend training on Saturday, March 18, at the Oakland Community Center, Oakland, IA. It will be held from 9:00a.m. – 2:00p.m. This training is geared toward adults who are interested in working with young people and evaluating exhibits at county fairs. Topics covered include positive youth development, how to evaluate, educate and encourage during conference judging, and 4-H exhibit expectations and guidelines. The training will be delivered by Iowa State University Extension & Outreach Youth Program Specialists. Information will be presented regarding numerous exhibit areas, including clothing events, communication events, ag and natural resources, photography, family and consumer science, and more.

“We would like to encourage those who are new to 4-H judging to come to the training and check it out. We are always in need of more adults who can support youth in this way,” said Rhesa R. Leiding, ISU Extension and Outreach Youth Program Specialist. She added, “This is also a great time for those who have been judges in the past to get updated information.” In addition to current and new judges, 4-H club leaders and others interested in learning more about judging at fairs are welcome to attend. The cost of the training is $25, which covers snacks, lunch, and all materials.

Registration forms can be obtained by contacting Rhesa Leiding rleiding@iastate.edu OR Mary Taggs mtaggs@iastate.edu .

Registration forms and payment are due by March 13th to Fremont County Extension and Outreach, 610 Clay Street PO Box 420 Sidney, Iowa 51562.

Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offering an Advanced Grant Writing Workshop for Guthrie County in April

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Officials with Guthrie County ISU Extension and Outreach report an in-person NO COST Grant Writing 201 Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5th, 2023, in Guthrie Center, Iowa. Representatives of nonprofits, local government, schools and other organizations from Guthrie County and the surrounding area are encouraged to register for the Grant Writing 201 workshop presented by an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach – Community & Economic Development Specialist.

Grant Writing 201:

Grant writers who want to upgrade and polish their skills may register for Grant Writing 201, presented from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5th, in Guthrie Center, IA at the Guthrie County Iowa State University Extension and Outreach office. The target audience for Grant Writing 201 is individuals with prior grant writing or grant management experience, or who have previously participated in Grant Writing 101. If you have grant experience but have not previously participated in Grant Writing 101, please email Lindsay Henderson at lindsayh@iastate.edu prior to registering and describe your prior grant writing experience in the email.

Participants are encouraged to come with an active project or program in mind for which they are seeking grant funding. A workbook will be provided for drafting a grant proposal during the session, and participants may also bring any information for a grant program of interest to the April 5th workshop.

Topics addressed will include documenting need with evidence, methodology, logic models, evaluation, budgets, and writing tips. Participants will have time to work on sections of their grant proposal during the workshop and receive feedback from their instructor and peers. Participants should also bring a laptop or tablet device to the workshop.

The hands-on workshop is being sponsored by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach of Guthrie County at no cost to participants. The workshop will be held at the Guthrie County Extension office located at: 212 State Street, Guthrie Center, Iowa 50115. Registration is required by April 4th. Go to https://go.iastate.edu/RNKX0R to register.

Grant Writing 201 will be presented by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Community Development Specialist, Lindsay Henderson, who has extensive experience writing and reviewing grant applications and working with various federal, state, local and private foundation grant programs. For more information about the workshops, contact Lindsay Henderson at lindsayh@iastate.edu or 515-835-6605. For assistance with registration, contact Krista Downing at the Guthrie County Extension office by calling 641-747-2276, or email kristad@iastate.edu.

Trailer stolen from Creston

News

March 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Creston, Iowa) – A woman from Creston reported to police Wednesday night, that a trailer was stolen from her back yard in the 600 block of S. Vine Street. The trailer was described as a 2019 Roadclipper 5 X 8, is black, with side rails. It has a wood deck and a ramp on the back. The trailer is valued at $1,500.

Students stage walkouts to protest LGBTQ bills in legislature

News

March 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – High school students in at least 20 different Iowa districts staged walk outs yesterday (Thursday) to protest bills in the legislature that they say unfairly target L-G-B-T-Q youth. The president of the sophomore class at Storm Lake High School said during a demonstration outside her school that students just want to remember their high school years as normal and fun, but Iowa legislators are making that really hard for a certain group of students.

Some central Iowa students protested outside the governor’s residence. Others rallied in the Iowa Capitol rotunda, chanting: “we say gay.”The chant is a reference to a bill introduced in Iowa and other states to ban classroom discussions about sexual orientation in elementary schools. The bill is sometimes called the “don’t say gay” bill.

Shenandoah man arrested in Red Oak

News

March 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police Wednesday evening, arrested a man from Shenandoah. Police say 22-year-old Zachary Lee Miller was arrested on a Montgomery County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Miller was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 cash-only bond.

IRS: Federal tax refunds are averaging about 11% smaller this year

News

March 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are getting a refund on their federal taxes this year should expect it to be a smaller check than it was last year, according to I-R-S spokesman Michael Devine. “About 11% less per tax return,” Devine says, “and that’s because many of the credits that were pumped up during COVID have returned to their 2019 levels.” If you haven’t already filed your returns, Devine urges Iowans to file electronically, though you do still have more than six weeks.

“E-file is the fastest and safest and absolutely the most accurate way to do your return, because the software doesn’t make an arithmetic mistake,” he says. “It doesn’t put the wrong number on the wrong line.” If you’re due a refund this year, Devine says e-filing is the fastest way to get what you’re owed.

“When you e-file your return and use direct deposit, so the money goes right into your bank account, you get your tax return processed faster,” he says. In most cases, Devine says you can expect a refund within 21 days and often, even faster. The deadline to file your 2022 federal return is April 18th, while state returns are due May 1st.

EPA moves to allow E15 sales year round in Midwest — next year

News

March 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a rule to let E-15 be sold year round in the Midwest — starting in 2024. Governor Reynolds says she is thrilled the E-P-A has approved the waiver she and the governors of seven other Midwest states requested, but Reynolds says year round sales of E-15 should begin THIS summer. She calls the delay unacceptable and plans seek another waiver.

Reynolds is scheduled to speak this (Thursday) morning to the National Ethanol Conference in Florida. Farm groups and the renewable fuels industry say waiting another 14 months for higher blends of ethanol to be sold year round injects uncertainty into the corn and ethanol markets.

Iowa hires New York company to manage new state-funded ESAs

News

March 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has selected a New York company to administer the new state-funded Education Savings Accounts created by a law she signed in January. Earlier on Wednesday, Odyssey was one of four companies that applied for the Iowa contract. The governor’s office announced state officials will now start negotiating contract details with the company.

Starting this fall, low-income parents who enroll a child in a private school will apply for about 76-hundred dollars from the state to cover tuition and other expenses. In the third year, all private school parents will qualify for the state funding. Odyssey is managing Education Savings Account programs in Arizona and Idaho.

According to the governor’s office, the company will be in charge of customer service and fraud detection. Critics say the law Reynolds signed does not provide enough direct oversight to prevent fraud.

Study: White-tailed deer can carry COVID and may give new variant to people

News

March 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa)- White-tailed deer are susceptible to coronavirus infections and researchers at the U-S-D-A’s National Animal Disease Center in Ames are looking into how different variants of the virus impact deer over time. U-S-D-A Veterinary Medical Officer Mitchell Palmer says once a disease is established in wildlife, it’s difficult to get out of wildlife, plus, there are about 30-million white-tailed deer in the U-S.

The research team has been infecting captive white-tailed deer with different coronavirus variants, though the deer don’t develop a fever or clinical signs of COVID-19. Palmer says it’s possible a new variant could pop out that might be infectious to people.

February Is Wetter Than Normal With More Rain Than Snow

News, Weather

March 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – February ended up being much wetter than normal — though state climatologist Justin Glisan says we had a “snow drought,” where there was more rainfall than snowfall. February averaged a little over two inches preliminarily of precipitation, which is almost an inch above average. Glisen says the month will end up in the top 20 wettest February’s on record, after we saw the sixth driest February last year.

A warmer than average overall temperature could be part of the reason for the below average snow — as the state averaged 25-point-nine degrees — about one-point-eight degrees above average.