DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Another homecoming ceremony is set for more Iowa National Guard soldiers returning from a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan.

The guard says about 105 soldiers will be welcomed home on Saturday (July 16th),  in the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls. The soldiers are with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion of the 133rd Infantry.

Homecoming ceremonies were held on Thursday in Cedar Rapids, Boone and Johnson for 185 soldiers.

Nearly 3,000 Iowa soldiers were sent to Afghanistan last year. It was the largest single deployment of Iowa National Guard troops since World War II.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds have scheduled additional town hall meetings across the state, focusing on education. The pair want to hear what ideas Iowans have about improving the quality of education in the state. The town hall meetings will be held prior to the administration’s Iowa Education Summit, which will take place July 25-26, 2011 in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Iowa Education Summit will focus on increasing teacher and principal effectiveness, raising academic standards and putting in place strong matching assessments and innovation that increases learning.

In the KJAN listening area, Branstad and Reynolds will attend a town hall meeting on education in Corning on Friday, July 22nd. The meeting will be held at Noon, in the Corning Elementary School gymnasium. That’s same afternoon, the two republicans will be in Carroll, for a 2-p.m. town hall meeting, at the Carroll High School Auditorium.

For more information, visit www.governor.iowa.gov.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Republicans have recruited a retired Air Force officer to challenge Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal in next year’s election. Pottawattamie County Republicans say they’ve picked Al Ringgenberg to run against Gronstal, saying Ringgenberg has impeccable credentials.

Gronstal, a Council Bluffs Democrat, was elected to the Iowa House in 1982, and won a Senate seat two years later. He used his power this year to block debate on a measure allowing voters to have their say on amending the constitution to ban same-sex marriage. He also was deeply involved in efforts to block a Nebraska doctor from opening a late-term abortion clinic in Council Bluffs.

The House and Senate could not agree on an abortion measure and nothing was passed.

Governor Branstad today (Thursday) approved a proclamation to enact the State Individual Assistance Grant Program. The program will be made available to Iowa residents living in the flood affected counties of Woodbury, Monona, Harrison, Pottawattamie, Mills and Fremont.

The State Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants to families with household incomes at or below twice the federal poverty index. The maximum grant a family can receive is $5,000. The program is launched with a governor’s declaration and at the request of local officials. Applicants must be legal residents of the United States and need to provide all receipts for replacement items claimed.

For an application and instructions, see www.dhs.state.ia.us/Consumers/Assistance_Programs/CashAssistance/DisasterAssistance/StormHelp.html or visit the “Storm Help” link on the front page of the Department of Human Services Website, dhs.iowa.gov.

Officials with the City of Lewis have announced it’s okay to serve tap water to infants. Late last week, the City issued a warning to parents and others who care for infants under six-months of age, about using City water to make infant formula, because test results on a sample taken indicated nitrate levels exceeded the acceptable nitrate standard. Nitrate in drinking water is a serious health concern for infants less than six-months of age.

Jon Martens, with the City of Lewis’ Water System says the raw water sample was taken from the wrong sample tap, and therefore the results of last week’s test are not valid. Martens says a confirmation sample of the water taken earlier this week shows the water is safe, and it is no longer necessary for residents of Lewis and those served by its water system, to take precautions about giving water to infants under 6-months of age.

The City is working to have the violation it incurred as a result of the first sample, invalidated. Officials apologize for any inconvenience, and thank residents for their patience while the water supply was being checked for nitrates.

If you have any questions or comments, contact Jon Martens at 712-243-1395.