(Radio Iowa) – Federal funding is on hold for many programs in Iowa schools that help English language learners and migrant students. Theron Schutte is superintendent of the Marshalltown Community School District, where more than a third of students are English language learners. Schutte says much of the money goes toward paying contracts for staff members who work with underserved populations. He says any loss of funds could have a “significantly negative effect.”

“We would have to make some very difficult decisions going forward,” Schutte says, “which could result in employee layoffs and or programming discontinuation.” The Iowa Department of Education has encouraged superintendents to use leftover funds from past years while the programs are up in the air. Stacey Cole is superintendent of the Storm Lake Community School District, where more than 40-percent of students are English language learners. Cole says if the money doesn’t come through, the district would have to end some federally-funded programs and resort to pay cuts or layoffs.

“Many, many districts were already saying, we don’t know how we’re going to keep providing the services that we’re trying to provide now. We were already there,” Cole says. “This is going to cut us to the core.” The U.S. Department of Education says it’s reviewing the funding to make sure taxpayer money is spent in alignment with the president’s priorities and the department’s statutory responsibilities.

(Ames, Iowa [report from the Iowa Capital Dispatch]) – As Iowa’s universities release external funding numbers for fiscal year 2025, questions remain as to what the federal funding landscape will look like in the future. However, research leaders at Iowa State University say they are optimistic about their chances of keeping dollars coming in for vital research and other areas. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Iowa State University received $549.3 million in external funding in fiscal year 2025, the university announced, of which nearly $330 million went to research. The Ames university saw record funding from three federal agencies — the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and Department of Transportation.

According to a statement provided by ISU and attributed to Associate Vice President for Research Jim Reecy and Dan Kirkpatrick, strategic communications manager for the Office of the Vice President for Research, only four projects awarded in the past fiscal year were canceled or terminated due to shifts in federal funding, totaling $822,000 in funding. While it is “very difficult to anticipate how the university’s federal research funding might change in the 2026 fiscal year,” the statement said, many current government priorities align with university initiatives and research, including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, genomics and rural infrastructure. “Just as they’ve adapted through changing priorities of previous administrations – and will do so for future administrations – the Iowa State research team will explore alternative and creative funding opportunities that align with their key areas of research focus,” the statement said.

Iowa State University in Ames. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Funding from federal sources made up the largest portion of the $705.6 million in external funding the University of Iowa received in fiscal year 2025, totaling $300 million. Dollars went to supporting 2,300 university projects, according to a news release, and nearly $534 million was put toward “research, scholarship, and creative activities.” In response to questions from the Iowa Capital Dispatch, UI Public Relations Manager Chris Brewer referred to the university’s federal updates website and said in an email the university has no more to add.

Cuts to federal funding have hit both universities in past months, with the UI seeing funding halt for its international writing program, Iowa Flood Center and Iowa Geological Survey initiatives and other research. Funding cuts could also impact graduate students, who are paid to teach and assist in research. According to an article written by Kirkpatrick and posted by the university, research funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture dropped by nearly 50%, or more than $24 million, compared to last year. The department also provided only capacity funding for research between January and May of this year, and awarded no new, competitive research grants.

ISU President Wendy Wintersteen joined a call from academic organizations and businesses across the U.S. for renewed national investment in research and development, signing a joint statement in late May in support for strengthening domestic innovation and production. In response to a question about the possibility of separate external funding filling gaps left by rescinded federal funding, the statement said there are other avenues for revenue in the form of state government, business and industry partners, commodity groups and private foundations.

“Regardless of the federal funding environment, the team at the university will continue to explore, expand, and strengthen partnerships with non-federal sponsors in the next fiscal year and beyond,” the statement said.

Auditor of State Rob Sand today (Monday) released an audit report on Mills County, Iowa.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS:
The County’s revenues totaled $25,545,133 for the year ended June 30, 2024, a 7.9% increase over the prior year. Expenses for County operations for the year ended June 30, 2024 totaled $19,928,133, a 7.7% increase over the prior year. The significant increase in the revenues is primarily due to increased property tax revenues and contributions from the Iowa Department of Transportation. The significant increase in expenses is primarily due to the installation of fiber optic cable.

AUDIT FINDINGS:
Sand reported ten findings relating to the receipt and expenditure of taxpayer funds. They are found on pages 84 through 90 of this report. The findings address issues such as a lack of segregation of duties, adjustments needed to properly record receivables in the County’s financial statements, lack of current and delinquent property tax reconciliations, related party business transactions in which the County did not seek a bid and noncompliance with Chapter 403 of the Code of Iowa pertaining to the proper use of tax increment financing revenues. Sand provided the County with recommendations to address each of these findings.

Nine of the findings discussed above are repeated from the prior year. The County Board of Supervisors and other County officials have a fiduciary responsibility to provide oversight of the County’s operations and financial transactions. Oversight is typically defined as the “watchful and responsible care” a governing body exercises in its fiduciary capacity.

A copy of the audit report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website at Audit Reports – Auditor of State.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports three arrests took place over the past few days. At around 2:20-a.m. Sunday, Creston Police arrested 37-year-old Travis Daniel Sheive, of Creston, for Public Intoxication/1st offense. Sheive was being held in the Union County Jail.

Saturday night, 24-year-old Jeffrey Dale Dillenburg, Jr., of Creston, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for OWI/1st offense. Dillenburg, Jr., was being held in the Union County Jail. And, Friday afternoon, Police in Creston arrested 41-year-old Steven Christopher Lamer, of Creston, for Theft in the 5th Degree. He was being held over the weekend in the Union County Jail.

(The following article was written and submitted by the Center for Rural Affairs):

NEVADA, IOWA– Rural economic development comes in many forms, however, in Iowa wind energy is a dominant presence and Adair County is a great example of that. Adair County contributes to Iowa’s status as the second highest producing state of wind energy, hosting more than 500 turbines, or 8% of all turbines in the state.  The Center for Rural Affairs’ new report, “Wind Impact Case Study: Adair County,” examines the economic impact of this development, detailing how tax revenue has been used by the county to support public services, such as schools and infrastructure projects. The report includes perspectives from local public officials, landowners, and a local co-op. 

“With an increasing demand for energy generation, wind energy will continue to provide new rural development opportunities,” said Alex Delworth, senior policy associate with the Center for Rural Affairs. “While not new to Iowa, wind energy can be new to many counties, and they may look to counties like Adair to better understand the public financial impact.” In 2024, wind projects provided more than $5.5 million in tax revenue to Adair County, or 25% of total revenues. Since 2015, through a special financing method, the county has been able to distribute more than $26 million worth of funds for roads and bridges, with additional funds being sent to normal taxing bodies.

“A former supervisor related it to having 500, $1 million homes with far fewer needs,” said Delworth. “Once operational, turbines provide consistent tax revenue for local services without requiring much from them in return.” Local farmers can also benefit from consistent revenues through land-lease payments; however, many took a step further through the creation of a local wind energy co-op, which has over 200 predominantly farmer investors and has developed 13 turbines throughout the county.

“Adair County is a great example of what wind development can look like in Iowa at its highest level,” said Delworth.

To access and read the case study, visit cfra.org/publications.

Established in 1973, the Center for Rural Affairs is a private, nonprofit organization working to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities through action oriented programs addressing social, economic, and environmental issues.

(Radio Iowa) – Five teenagers from the Cedar Falls area are joining thousands of bicyclists on this week’s RAGBRAI. It’s the debut of Cedar Valley Youth Cycling, an offshoot of the Des Moines-based Dream Team, which was founded nearly 30 years ago. The Dream Team takes kids from challenging backgrounds and pairs them with mentors for the seven-day bike ride. Jie Liu co-founded the Cedar Valley team for the same reasons, to build confidence and endurance. “A lot of learning happens gradually during the long time training,” Liu says. “At the beginning, they start with 20 miles and when we finished the last week of training, during the weekdays, they typically go 30 to 35 miles, then the weekend is somewhere between 50 to 70 miles.”

Liu is a laboratory specialist at the University of Northern Iowa, and she launched the team with her husband, Josh Sebree, who’s a professor in U-N-I’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Liu says the five young people on this first team have worked very hard to be able to accomplish the goal of pedaling more than 400 miles to complete the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. “They’re slowly building their endurance,” Liu says. “It’s changing your mindset. It’s like, ‘I can really do long distance if I stick to it and don’t give up.'” Members of the team range in age from 13 to 17, and they started their indoor training for the ride back in March. RAGBRAI offers many challenges, like the weather of late July in Iowa, the daily chore of cycling between 40 and 70 miles, and having to keep up that pace for seven straight days.

“For a lot of them, this is probably their first time to be away from their family for this extended time,” Liu says. “That, plus the heat probably will take a toll after a few days. I’ll guess the first couple of days will be pure excitement, then the third or fourth days it’s tiredness, and the homesickness probably will kick in.” To keep the team’s morale high, Liu says they’re planning for a special event at the end of the fourth day of RAGBRAI along with members from the original Des Moines-based cycling group. “Dream Team planned a Family Night, for all the family to visit team members at Iowa Falls,” Liu says. “All the parents will be able to see the kids and have a nice dinner with them and talk with them and pump them up, ‘You can do it,’ as family support is very important in the program.”

As an additional incentive, each team member that completes RAGBRAI will be allowed to keep the bike they rode, which was donated through the program. While that may’ve been an early selling point for some of the teens, Liu says it’s less about getting a free bike, and much more about completing the enormous challenge — and doing so as a team.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – All sorts of events and activities are available to the public during this year’s running of the Cass County Fair. Take a look at the schedule for all six days, below!

(Atlantic, Iowa) – KJAN listeners and social media followers provided photos of funnel clouds that formed late Sunday evening south of Wiota, near Anita, and northwest of Atlantic. The first reports of a funnel being seen was south of Wiota, at around 5:12-p.m.

A short while later, two separate funnels were spotted near Lake Anita and the Anita Sale Barn. KJAN received several pictures of both phenomenon, referred to by the National Weather Service as “Cold Air funnels.”

A little after 5:30-p.m., the Weather Service sent out a Special Weather Statement advising “Funnel clouds are possible due to current atmospheric conditions. These funnel clouds are typically brief, drop only a few hundred feet from the cloud base, and rarely become a tornado or cause damage.”

They urged persons seeing them, to report their observances to the National Weather Service. Another funnel was observed northwest of Atlantic, just before 6-p.m., Sunday.

There were no confirmed reports of any funnels reaching the ground, and no injuries were r

Ashley Andrew (photo)

eported. Check out the photos in posts on our Facebook page. Here are just a few of the images we received….

Travis moon (photo)

Travis moon (photo)

Leo Dennis (photo)

Callie Marie Chamberlin (phot0)

Chad Frieze (photo)

(Courtesy Kristen Hilpipre-Calhoun)

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa Department of Education analysis shows there are statewide teacher shortages in over two dozen specialties, like world languages. The Algona School Board recently approved the use of an online learning program to teach upper-level high school Spanish courses for the next school year. Joe Carter is Algona’s superintendent.

“We have not been able to hire a high school Spanish teacher,” Carter said. “…We found some options that a number of the schools in the state, including some in the North Central Conference, are using. It’s Logra Learning.” The company is among the 14 private companies the state has approved as online content providers and the only one that focuses solely on teaching Spanish. It offers tutoring as well live Zoom sessions for students.

“It’s developed by licensed teachers who have taught Spanish in the classroom as well as taught Spanish online, so they’re very experienced at doing this,” Carter said. ” They have thousands of students who are part of their program currently.” Based on the per student cost, Carter estimates the company will bill the school district about 29-thousand dollars for online Spanish classes for just over 100 high school students.

“We certainly would prefer an in-person teacher for our kids,” Carter says. “We don’t have that option right now and I think this is the next best option.” Carter says the district advertised its opening for a high school Spanish teacher for quite some time — and had no applicants. The Iowa Department of Education’s list of teacher shortage areas shows there aren’t enough math, science, music and art teachers — and there’s even a shortage of P-E teachers.

According to a Texas company that offers online teaching options, there were over a thousand unfilled teaching slots in Iowa schools in the 2024-25 school year.