(Radio Iowa) – A regional recreational trail system spanning more than one-hundred miles in northwestern Iowa will connect several towns, including Sergeant Bluff, Sioux City, Merrill, Hinton and Le Mars. Siouxland Chamber of Commerce president Chris McGowan says linking the communities is a strategy to overcome the area’s labor shortages.  McGowan says, “To take a pause on aggressively recruiting more businesses and creating more job vacancies and saying, what can we do to enhance quality of life in the region so that we can attract more people?”

Sioux City is one of the largest towns in the state without a trail connection to another city. It’s estimated it could double the amount of visitors the trails see within five years of the project’s completion. Sioux City Parks and Recreation director Matt Salvatore says the regional trail system will be a real game-changer for the area. “I think that could really transform the community,” Salvatore says. “People will move to Siouxland because of the quality of life amenities, and we can see our communities start to grow, and we can see our employment start to go up.”

The project is made possible by a seven-million dollar grant awarded by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. As part of the grant, the project must be completed by 2026.

(Kendall Crawford, Iowa Public Radio)

(Harlan, Iowa) – Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Alex Londo said today (Monday), “We have received a few reports of damage throughout Shelby County (from the storms that took place Saturday night). If you had damage from the storm please call 712-755-2124 to report it and be included in the damage report that we will provide to the state. This is not a guarantee that you will receive assistance, but there is a potential for it. When you call you will be asked your name, address, phone number, type of damage, and if you have insurance on the damaged property. If you qualify for assistance someone will reach out to you for what to do next.”

Initial reports indicated there were numerous power outages in Portsmouth and parts of Harlan, with large trees down in Harlan, and tree debris littering the roads.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors are set to hold public hearing Tuesday, on the 2^nd reading of revisions to the Solar Power Zoning Ordinance. The hearing takes place as part of the Board’s regular weekly meeting, beginning at 8:30-a.m., in the Courthouse Supervisor’s Meeting Room. Last week, the Board approved the 1^st reading that made language in the Ordinance more consistent and removed unneeded definitions. They also added some sections with regard to the availability of funds for decommissioning, ground cover, and noise.

In other business, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisor’s will act to Swear-In Jill Ozuna as the Montgomery County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections. She will succeed Stephanie Burke, who resigned to take a job with the Stanton Community School District. Ozuna will fill the seat by appointment, effective August 1^st, and until at least the General Election in November.

The Montgomery County Supervisor’s will also act on: A request for use of the Courthouse lawn on Aug. 20^th, for the Red Oak Farmer’s Market; Approving an ARPA funding request for the Law Enforcement Center LED lighting upgrade. MidAmerican Energy is providing the County with an incentive that pays for 25 percent ($8,600) of the project. The cost to replace the fixtures is around $34,400. It’s estimated the new lighting would save the county around $7,634 per year.

Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm will provide the Board with a proposal for pipeline inspection, and the Board will act on approving an abatement for a County-owned parcel.

*Please note, this is a public meeting; however, it will be conducted via ZOOM
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(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak say no injuries were reported following a hit-and-run property damage accident Saturday afternoon. Authorities say a 2013 Ford F-150 pickup driven 18-year-old Joseph E. Daniel and owned by Julius Daniel, both of Red Oak, was backing out of a parking spot, when the vehicle struck a legally parked 2022 Chevy Silverado pickup owned by Kenneth Hamman, of Red Oak. Daniel drove away from the scene, but a bystander videotaped the incident. Officers also obtained images of the vehicle by Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency security cameras.

Damage from the incident amount to $12,000 for the Chevy and $2,500 for the Ford. No citations were issued, according to the Police report.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports four recent arrests, including that of a woman arrested for Burglary. Authorities say 27-year-old Ashley Kay Heston, of Clearfield, was taken into custody early Friday afternoon, in the 700 block of W. Mills Street. Heston was charged with Burglary in the 3rd Degree. She was transported to the Adams County Jail and held on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

Late Friday evening, 35-year-old Brodie Pingree, of Creston, was arrested at his home and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Pingree was released the following day on a $2,000 cash bond. Saturday night, two men: 18-year-old Dominik Shoemaker, of Afton, and 19-year-old Bryce Larkin, of Creston, were arrested at the Creston Middle School, on Assault charges. Both men were later released from the Union County Jail on $900 bond, each.

(HARLAN, Iowa) — The Rosmann family, of Rosmann Family Farms, and Eric Madsen of Madsen Stock Farm, will host a Practical Farmers of Iowa field day in partnership with Farming for Public Health exploring weed control strategies in organic row crops on Tuesday, Aug. 2nd, from 1-4 p.m., near Harlan (1222 Ironwood Road). The event – “Weed Control Strategies in Organic Corn and Soybeans With Buffalo Cultivators and Planters” – is free to attend and will include lunch. RSVPs are appreciated for the meal by July 27. To sign up, visit the event page at practicalfarmers.org/field-days or call Debra Boekholder at (515) 232-5661.

Rosmann Family Farms includes Ron Rosmann and Maria Vakulskas Rosmann; David Rosmann and Becky Tompkins-Rosmann; Daniel Rosmann and Ellen Walsh-Rosmann; and Mark Rosmann and Virginia Lehner-Rosmann. Rosmann Family Farms is a multi-generational diversified crop and livestock operation on 700 acres of certified organic land. The farm consists of cattle, hogs, egg layers and a range of crops, including popcorn, soybeans, corn, small grains, hay and pasture, annual forages and cover crops. Maria operates the farm store, Farm Sweet Farm. Ellen and Daniel operate FarmTable Delivery and a restaurant, Milk & Honey in Harlan, featuring local foods.

Eric Madsen raises organic crops and livestock near Audubon with his parents, Vic and Cindy, and will join Ron during the field day to provide additional perspective on mechanical weed management. During the field day, Ron and Eric will share their organic weed control experiences and cultivator know-how while showcasing their Buffalo equipment. Guests will learn how to improve cultivator settings and fine-tune a planter. They will also have a chance to a cultivator field demonstration and learn about cultivating oat stubble.

Cultivator specialist Dale Kumpf, of Global Equipment Company, will be on hand to speak and share his knowledge. Other speakers will include Iowa State University extension organic specialist Kathleen Delate, who will talk about weed control and crop rotations in organic systems, and Olga Reding of the Iowa Organic Association. Though Buffalo equipment is featured, concepts and strategies discussed will be relevant to any high-residue cultivator. Full event details are available at practicalfarmers.org/weed-control-strategies-in-organic-corn-and-soybeans-with-buffalo-cultivators-and-planters.

This event is part of PFI’s 2022 field day season, which includes 41 events hosted by farmers located across the state, and beyond, on topics spanning the agricultural spectrum. Attendees can expect a welcoming atmosphere, a spirit of curiosity, a culture of mutual respect and farmers openly sharing their knowledge and experience. The full roster of events – along with additional information about PFI field day policies and logistics – is available at practicalfarmers.org/field-days. For questions, contact the PFI office at info@practicalfarmers.org or (515) 232-5661.

The field day is sponsored by Albert Lea Seed; Farm Power Implements; Iowa Farmers Union; Iowa Organic Association; Iowa State Organic Ag Program; OCIA International, Inc.; Organic Valley – Organic Prairie – CROPP Cooperative; Riverside Feeds, LLC; Sunrise Foods International; and The Scoular Company. Practical Farmers’ 2022 field days are supported by Level A sponsors Albert Lea Seed; BioTill Cover Crops; Grain Millers Inc.; Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance; Iowa State University Department of Agronomy; Iowa State University Extension and Outreach; MOSA Certified Organic; Nori Carbon Removal; P&K Midwest; Sinclair Tractor; Sunderman Farm Management; and Van Wall Equipment.

(Radio Iowa) – The rules for collecting unemployment in Iowa changed this month — going from 26 weeks to 16 weeks before the unemployment benefits end. Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend says it’s too early to know if that has had an impact yet.  “It didn’t start until o claims that were started, are filed July 3rd forward. So we’re just in the very beginning of it. And right now, you know, our unemployment claims are as low as they’ve been since the 70s. So we’re not seeing a lot of people on benefits, because people are finding jobs,” Townsend says.

The June unemployment rate fell to the level we saw before the pandemic hit. Critics say cutting back the time benefits are paid will hurt some Iowans. Townsend doesn’t agree. “The reality is, no one in Iowa needs to be unemployed for 26 weeks. And if you look at the average length or duration of unemployment benefits for the last decade, it’s been about 12 to 13 weeks, per year,” according to Townsend. “And those are usually the folks that are on unemployment on a regular basis, every year because of construction, you know, they work in construction or outside jobs.”

She says it’s unusual for those workers to need 16 weeks of unemployment and they are not the target of the change. “We’re trying to get the folks that kind of have a business model or a lifestyle choice to take a job where they only want to work six months a year, and they want to draw six months of unemployment,” she says. “Those are the folks that we’re targeting to say, you don’t need to be on unemployment for six months, if you have a job, that will allow you to work for six months, we can get you another job to fill that other six months.” Townsend says with the number of jobs available and I-W-D’s return to work focus, this should not be a big deal for many job seekers.

“You know, our goal is to get you to get to your next job as quickly as possible. And we would love to do it in you know, two to four weeks,” according to Townsend. “If you’re at 16 weeks, we know that we somehow failed to help you because it’s taking you that long to find the right job. So we want to, we want to make sure that you don’t have to worry about the 16 weeks that you found your next job at the 6 weeks point.” One of the twists in the downturn of the economy is many people who retired are coming back into the workforce. Townsend says it’s hard to say how long these workers will stay before going back into retirement. “As long as we continue to see increasing inflation — I mean, it doesn’t appear to even be leveling off yet — it just continues to increase. And while there’s been a slight decrease in gas in the last couple of weeks, there’s really no indication that it’s going to get below four dollars, which most people that went into retirement didn’t plan on paying four dollars down for gas,” Townsend says.

She says each person will have to decide how much longer they have to work to make up the economic losses. “Probably it’s gonna depend on their own financial situation and how much their 401-K, if that’s how they’re funding their retirement, has been impacted by the changes in the economy,” she says.  Townsend says the job market right now favors retirees and others when it comes to job options. “Employers are now willing to say, if you’ll give me four days a week, and you want to work six hours a day, I will take it. Or if you want to work Monday through Thursday, 10-hour days, I’ll take it if you want to work Tuesday through Friday, you know, or just three days a week, there’s so much more flexibility available that I think that that might incentivize those that are coming back out of retirement to stay a little bit longer,” Townsend says.

Townsend encourages anyone looking for work — retirees or otherwise — to contact I-W-D to get help finding the best job that fits their needs.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Democrats will be hosting Iowa Senate District 9 candidate Tripp Narup, of Villisca, during the Cass County Fair.  Party Chair Denise O’Brien says Narup will be at the Democrat’s booth in the commercial building beginning at noon on Sunday, July 31st.

Tripp Narup

Tripp Narup is running for the Iowa Senate seat currently occupied by Republican Tom Shipley.

Retired Admiral Mike Franken will be visiting the Cass County Fair on Monday ( August 1st) afternoon.

Retired Vice Admiral/Iowa Senate candidate, Mike Franken.

Candidate Franken is running for Republican Senator Charles Grassley’s seat in the U.S. Senate. A meet and greet will be held Monday evening (August 1st) at the Atlantic Public Library beginning at 5:30 p.m.

(Radio Iowa) – Relatives have set up a fundraiser to create a trust fund for the nine year old boy who survived the shooting at a state park that killed his parents and younger sister. State investigators say Sarah Schmidt, her husband Tyler and their six-year-old daughter Lula of Cedar Falls were killed Friday morning while camping at Maquoketa Caves State Park. Cedar Falls Mayor Bob Green shared in a Facebook post that nine-year-old Arlo Schmidt had “survived the attack and was safe.”

A cousin of the family set up a go-fund-me account for the boy. By Sunday evening more than 163-thousand dollars had been donated. Sarah Schmidt worked at the Cedar Falls Public Library. The library is accepting cards, drawings and mementos in honor of the family.

The suspected shooter was a 23-year-old from Nebraska who was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a wooded area of the park, some distance from the campground. He had been camping in the park with his parents. The suspect’s father told The Des Moines Register in an email that he heard the gunshots and the shouts of the nine-year-old boy yelling for help.

(Radio Iowa) – Thousands of people are leaving Ida Grove this (Monday) morning, headed to Pocahontas in day two of the RAGBRAI — the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. It’s the first time Pocahontas has been an overnight stop on the route and Pocahontas Mayor Jada Hallberg says it’s go time. “All those details that, you know, seemed like a far out situation are now here,” Hallberg says. “We’re seeing them come together and so there’s a lot of excitement building in the community.” Some cyclists start pedaling before sunrise to beat the heat and get to the day’s final destination. Entertainment on the main stage in Pocahontas will start at 2 p.m.

“If you’re familiar with Pocahontas, you know about the bohemian background. Staying with that we have a little bit different type of bohemian polka band called ‘Polka Tunes.’ They’ll start at 2 p.m. They’ll go to five,” Hallberg says. “We have ‘Hometown Native’ coming back to get us ready for the main act…’Pop Rocks’ at eight o’clock.” Being a host community is a huge undertaking and Hallberg says it’s not just residents of the community who are stepping up.

“RAGBRAI officials told us, ‘Yes, you’ll need a lot, but don’t be surprised people will be stepping up at the last minute,’ and we are seeing that and we are very grateful to everybody who gives us a couple of hours of their time in any capacity to help,” Hallberg says. “Being a small community, I’d say that is one of our largest challenges, so we are maybe spread a little a thin, but also the good thing is outside people are coming in to help us, just not from Poky, but from our county and even relatives of people are coming in from out of town and out of state. They’re coming back to help.”

Sergeant Bluff, the kick-off point for this year’s RAGBRAI, is starting to get back to normal after thousands of visitors pedaled away Sunday. Erin Edlund, a member of Sergeant Bluff’s RAGBRAI Committee, says it was a picture perfect morning as residents lined the streets to cheer on the riders. “We had a great turnout from residents. We had a great turnout from riders and a lot of the riders did get up pretty early,” she says. “I would say the vast majority were gone between 6 and 7:30 am.”

Severe weather that marched through Iowa Saturday stayed just south of Sergeant Bluff. Streets were being cleared Sunday. “We had a team of residents that showed up ready to work and get trash picked up and make sure that we had things mostly put away,” Edlund says. “Sergeant Bluff is mostly back to normal, which feels a little strange after all the build up to this.”

RAGBRAI’s route today (Monday) covers just over 71 miles. Riders will pass through Galva, Schaller, Nemaha, Newell and Fonda before reaching Pocahontas. RAGBRAI will wrap up in Lansing on Saturday.