(Radio Iowa) – The city of Rock Valley and the Rock Valley Community School District are receiving millions of dollars in FEMA reimbursements nearly 20 months after devastating flooding. The City of Rock Valley has been approved for more than three-point-seven (3.7) million dollars. City Administrator Tom Van Maanen calls it “very, very positive news,” but says the recovery effort is still ongoing. “We’re far from done,” he says. The city currently has roughly 25 separate FEMA applications tied to flood recovery.

“With these getting signed off, we’re probably have resolved 15 of the 25, but money-wise, it’s probably about a third of our total requests into FEMA. But we have some big applications still working through with FEMA,” Van Maanen says. The funding reimburses the city for money already spent to replace equipment lost at the city shop, complete water and sewer work for displaced residents, and lease temporary spaces for city facilities.

Van Maanen says the money will be used to retire debt the city had to take on while waiting for federal approvals. The city has paid roughly one million dollars in interest while waiting for FEMA funding. Several large projects are still pending, including the reconstruction of the library and city shop, and a proposed 35 million-dollar home buyout program. FEMA says additional projects will continue to be reviewed and funded on a rolling basis.

This funding was part of a broader FEMA approval announced this week that included disaster recovery dollars for other communities in Iowa and Nebraska. The Rock Valley Community School District is receiving more than five-point-seven (5.7) million dollars for building repairs tied to the flood.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board approved the first awards today (Friday) for the state’s new Business Incentives for Growth or BIG program. Department of Economic Development spokesperson Kanan Kappelman says projects Bettendorf, Bondurant, Hiawatha, Vinton and Waverly are getting awards. “In total, the awards for these five companies will assist in the creation of 536 jobs and will result in close to 270 million dollars in new capital investment for the state,” she says.

Kappelman says they companies can use the money in several different ways.”Projects that modernize their facilities, include expansions, relocation of operations to Iowa. So it runs the gamut, but they need to fulfill their contractual obligations in order to receive the tax benefits,” she says. She says some of the companies that have been in Iowa for decades.

“And these companies include, of course, Arconic and Vermeer, truly legacy companies and we see their expansion projects are definitely a very positive reflection of Iowa’s advanced manufacturing industry,” Kappelman says. Arconic is going to build a new aluminum casting complex at its Davenport Works facility in Bettendorf, increasing its capacity to process and recycle aluminum into ingots used to make sheet and plate products. The 131 million dollars capital investment is expected to create 40 jobs.

Vermeer Corp. to build new production facility in Bondurant Vermeer is based in Pella and makes agricultural and industrial equipment and plans to develop a 300-thousand-square-foot production facility in Bondurant. The nearly 103 million-dollars capital investment is expected to create 182 jobs CCB Packaging in Hiawatha plans to add automated production line for packaging it provides to food and pharmaceutical companies. The 13 million-dollar capital investment is expected to create nine jobs. Two companies are receiving awards to bring business to Iowa.

“Sewer and Revolution Concrete Mixers, companies that are seeking new investment in Iowa. And so it’s really a great mix of companies,” she says. Sewer Equipment Company of America in Illinois plans to purchase a facility in Iowa to manufacture its sewer cleaning and vacuum equipment components. The three million dollars capital investment is expected to create 30 jobs.

Revolution Concrete Mixers in Minnesota will purchase an existing facility in Waverly and install approximately eight million dollars in equipment to establish new production and assembly operations. The 18 million-dollars capital investment is expected to create 275 jobs. Kappelman says many of the new jobs in the program will be paying top dollar. That includes Arconic.

“They are set to create 40 jobs incented at a qualifying wage of 28 dollars, 46 cents per hour. Vermeer also looking to create jobs 182 in total, 62 of which are incented at a qualifying wage of 35 dollars and 11 cents per hour,” she says. The BIG program was created last month.

(Radio Iowa) – Dozens of people calling for state action on water quality rallied at the statehouse Thursday. Alison Barnhill of Huxley, is a member of Food and Water Watch. “I’m here for two groups that can’t be here today, who can’t speak up for themselves,” she said. “And one is my sister and all the other people like her who are ravaged by chemotherapy and radiation and are too immuno-suppressed to be here.” Participants placed flowers on a table in the rotunda in honor of Iowans who’ve died of cancer.

Jen Sinkler, a communications organizer with Progress Iowa, told the crowd her mom just completed treatment for her second type of cancer. “Even though she is now dealing with permanent alterations to her daily life, she’s going to be O.K.,” Sinkler said, “But we are not O.K.”

Sinkler and others at the rally called on House members to oppose a bill that would shield the makers of Roundup from lawsuits that claim the company failed to warn consumers of health risks, as long as the pesticide’s label follows federal guidelines. The bill passed the Iowa Senate last year.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa county is still struggling to get federal dollars to make repairs after flooding in 2018 and ’19. FEMA initially offered four-and-a-half million dollars to restore the Linn Grove Dam and a nearby park in Buena Vista County. The agency later offered seven-and-a-half million, then pulled all funding, though it was restored through arbitration. County conservation director Greg Johnson says the latest offer still isn’t enough money to repair the dam and popular fishing spot. “We as a community just want to move forward and make the repairs that are needed to protect the property into the future,” Johnson says.

“We’re sitting here six, seven years later, and it would be really nice to get this project completed.” In 2022, it was estimated the project would cost more than 12-million dollars, while Johnson says it’s likely higher today. At one point, FEMA claimed the project wasn’t eligible for any funding, but Johnson says both sides went through arbitration with the Civilian Board of Public Appeals. “We had the CBPA ruling deeming the dam as an eligible project a year ago, the expectations that it would be scoped to today’s, 2025 costs, and that’s not what had happened,” he says.

County officials have until April 1st to appeal FEMA’s most recent offer, and Johnson says that -will- likely happen.

(Radio Iowa) – A relief fund has been set up for members of the Iowa Lakes Community College Baseball team and their families. One player was killed and a dozen other players were hospitalized when a bus carrying the team and coaches crashed February 11th. Estherville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lexie Ruter says the chamber has set up an account for donations and will send the money to the college to distribute.

Ruter says it may be used to help cover families’ travel costs to get to the 12 players who were hospitalized or to attend the funeral for Carter Johnson, the 19-year-old outfielder who was killed in the crash.

Johnson’s funeral was held Wednesday in Rapid City, South Dakota. There’s a link on the Iowa Lakes Community College website to make donations.

(Clarinda, IA) – Two people were injured when an SUV hit the rear of an Iowa DOT snowplow Friday morning, in Page County. According to the Page County Sheriff’s Office,the accident happened at around 5:55-a.m. on Highway 2 at F Avenue,

Authorities say an investigation into the crash determined that an Iowa Dot snowplow, a 2011 International truck, driven by 37-year-old Daniel Meie,r of rural Clarinda, was clearing roadways on Highway 2 and F ave. The snowplow was traveling west bound on the Highway with its emergency lights activated. When the driver of the snowplow slowed down to turn onto F Ave., the plow was hit from behind by a 2004 Hyundai SUV driven Zavier Jay Huntley. The Sheriff’s Office said Huntley attempted to slow down, but lost control of his vehicle on the icy roadway before collided with the snowplow.

Both drivers were transported to the Shenandoah Medical Center following the collision.

The SUV sustained heavy damage in the crash, while the Iowa DOT snowplow sustained only minor damage.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, reports a Powell, Tennessee man was sentenced Thursday, February 19, 2026, to 10 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor. According to public court documents, 52-year-old Shawn Christopher Powell, communicated with a person he believed was a 13-year-old female between May and August 2025. Powell sent messages about wanting to engage in sex acts with the minor. In August 2025, Powell traveled from Tennessee to Iowa with the intent to meet up with the minor to engage in sex acts, and had condoms, sex toys, prescription pills, and children’s clothing in his possession at the time of his arrest.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Powell will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Child Exploitation Task Force investigated the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.

(Atlantic, IA) – Officials with Cass Health in Atlantic have announced the facility was recently recognized as a 2026 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. The award marks the tenth year in a row that Cass Health has achieved national recognition. The Top 100 awards program celebrates outstanding performance annually among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®.

Brett Altman, Cass Health CEO, noted, “For the past 10 consecutive years, this honor has served as a powerful vote of confidence from our neighbors. We are deeply grateful to the communities we serve for trusting us with their personal health care needs. While we strive for perfection every day, we are never complacent; we remain committed to challenging the status quo and delivering the meaningful improvements our patients deserve.”

“The delivery of care within rural communities is perhaps more complex today than at any point in recent memory. This year’s Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals have emerged as true leaders – committed to their mission through a powerful combination of resilience, dedication and innovation,” said Michael Topchik, Executive Director of The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We’re delighted to recognize this year’s winners and celebrate their Top 100 status.”

Now in its 16th year, the INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging publicly available data, the INDEX is utilized nationwide by rural hospitals, health systems with rural affiliates, hospital associations, and state offices of rural health to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations, quality, patient perspective and finance.

(Radio Iowa) – Three bills that would limit the power of Iowa governors have advanced ahead of today’s (Friday’s) deadline for committee approval of policy bills — and all three bills involve actions Governor Reynolds took during the pandemic. One bill would prohibit governors from closing a place of worship, even during a disaster. Another bill would restrict a governor’s authority to decide how long a state of emergency or public health disaster may last — and Iowa governors wouldn’t be allowed to order businesses to close, change election procedures or stop in-person visits at health care facilities. Republican Representative Samantha Fett of Carlisle led debate on that bill in a House committee.

“House Study Bill 726 is a bill that strengthens constitutional liberties, preserves essential public health tools, and clarifies the proper roles of the executive and legislative branches.” A third bill would make it harder for the executive branch to move forward with certain administrative rules. Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, a Democrat from Ames, voted against the bills. “I don’t love the idea of closing down places of worship and certainly that needs to be a last resort,” she said, “but in the case of an emergency I do believe that we need that flexibility in the state.”

Republican legislators are considering the bills now that Governor Kim Reynolds is not seeking re-election and voters will choose Iowa’s next governor in the November 3rd election.