Governor signals she wants more tax cuts in 2022 as she signs 2021 package of tax cuts

June 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a wide-ranging bill into law that cuts personal income taxes, gradually gets rid of the state inheritance tax and erases a property tax levy used to finance mental health services. State money is to be used to finance the mental health system. “Health care professionals and patients who rely on Iowa’s mental health system deserve this sustainability and predictability this funding source will provide,” the governor says.

Reynolds says she’ll recommend MORE personal income tax cuts in 2022. The legislation was a compromise brokered by Governor Reynolds with the Iowa House and Senate to wrap up the 2021 Legislative Session.

SF 619 provides significant tax relief to hardworking Iowans:

SF 619 drops tax rate from 8.53% to 6.5%
- Reduces the number of tax brackets from 9 to 4
- Eliminates Federal Deductibility
Phases out the mental health levy over 2 years, saving property taxpayers over $100 million
Phases out state inheritance tax over 4 years, saving taxpayers nearly $100 million
Expands eligibility for the Beginning Farmers Tax Credit
Food Bank sales tax exemption

SF 619 invests in mental health and foundational priorities like child care and housing:

Dedicated, sustainable mental health funding from Iowa’s General Fund
- Includes a growth factor that allocates new money as revenue increases

Increases eligibility for the Child Care Tax Credits from families making $45k – $90k
Increases workforce housing tax credits to $40 million for FY22 ($35 million for years following)
Extends Brownfield/Grayfield and increases funding from $10 million to $15 million
Develops a Manufacturing 4.0 strategic roadmap for the future of manufacturing in the state of Iowa

Posted in News |

Polk County starts vaccine lottery

News

June 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in the state’s most heavily populated county has approved a lottery with thousands of dollars in prizes to try and lure more residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Polk County leaders say their goal is to get 75 percent of the county’s eligible population vaccinated by the end of the State Fair on August 22nd.
Supervisor Tom Hockensmith said he supports the program. “In order to reach herd immunity, I think we’re gonna have to do things like this to really encourage folks and set folks to, to get vaccinated,” Hockensmith says.

The county will host lottery drawings for all fully vaccinated residents on every Friday starting next week. Ten prizes of one-thousand dollars will be given out weekly. One prize of 50-thousand dollars and a five-thousand-dollar scholarship will be given out every other week. The governor says the state won’t be doing any sort of vaccine lottery — but Polk County Supervisor Robert Brownell thinks it could work for Polk County. “It’ll help drive vaccinations and it’ll help drive our vaccination numbers. And once we can get past this thing, then things really can get back to normal,” Brownell says.

Polk County residents can go to the website immunizepolk.org to register for the vaccine lottery.

Posted in News |

Big antiques show in Walnut this weekend

News

June 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Walnut) – One of the organizers of this Father’s Day weekend’s 38^th Annual Walnut AMVETs Antique Show says approximately 350 vendors from 21 states will be on hand to display and sell their antiques and older collectibles. The event takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Gene Larsen, with the Walnut AMVETs, said the first time the event was held, it started out small, with about 20 or 30 dealers, but then it quickly began to grow each year.

The huge number of vendors, according to Larsen, take up about 15 city blocks over the weekend, in Walnut, in addition to three big halls for displays.

Larsen essentially runs the show, as administrator. He says they make sure vendors have quality items for sale before they are allowed to set up in their display area.

Gene Larsen says people are shocked at the amount and variety of antiques they’ll find.

The event has been featured in almost every antiques-related magazine and newspapers in the country has featured the Walnut AMVETS show. One antiques magazine even rated it in their Top 10 Antiques Travel Destinations in the world.

In addition to antiques, there will be plenty of food vendors. Admission to and parking for the event, are free. The show runs from 8-a.m. to 5-p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Posted in News |

Outdoor Pickleball Courts ready for play in Atlantic

Sports

June 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department reports four new outdoor Pickleball Courts are ready for play. The courts are painted in the west end of the Sunnyside Tennis Courts, and there are three scheduled group times per week:

Sunday’s at 6-p.m. – Organized play. You must sign-up before 4-p.m. Sunday, in order to play. Register by calling Bruce Henderson, at 249-8255.
Wednesday’s at 6-p.m. & Friday’s at 8-a.m. – Pickup games for all levels will take place. Henderson said they will reserve one or two courts for beginner or novice players. Rackets and balls will be furnished for anyone who needs them. Instructors will be available to teach players who are new to the game. Players of all ages are encouraged to join the veteran Pickleball players. Henderson said also, the two courts will also be available for experienced players.

The game of Pickleball.

Bruce Henderson says “It is possible to play at anytime during the week. To play at times other than those mentioned (above), contact Bruce Henderson or call the Parks and Rec Office at 243-3542. Pickleball, by-the-way, is currently the fastest growing sport in the U-S. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of players increased by 21.3%. Currently, there are about 3.8-million players in the U-S.

In 2006, there were only 400 outdoor Pickleball venues across the country.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa COVID-19 update for 6/16/21: 1 additional death (In Pott. County); 101 additional positive cases

News

June 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus Dashboard, Wednesday), indicated reports there were 101 additional, positive cases of COVID-19 over the previous 24-hours, for a pandemic total of 403, 481, and one additional death: a person in Pottawattamie County died. The total number of COVID-related deaths in Pott. County is now 174. Statewide, deaths amount to 6,103. Deaths at Iowa’s Long-Term Care facilities since the start of the pandemic, amount to 2,371.

There remain three Long-Term Care (LTC) facility outbreaks in Iowa, with a total of 26 positive cases among patients and staff. Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate is steady at 2.0%. The seven-day positivity rate is steady at 2.3%.

There are a total of 83 Iowans hospitalized with COVID. Health officials report 22 patients are in an ICU; 13 COVID patients were admitted to a hospital, and 11 patients are on a ventilator. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western & southwest Iowa), there are two people hospitalized with COVID-19, two people are in an ICU. No one was admitted over the previous 24-hours, and once again there were no COVID patients on a ventilator.

In the immediate KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County (since the beginning of the pandemic) and the total number of deaths (Since the beginning of the pandemic) in each county to date:
Cass, 1,477 cases; 55 deaths
Adair, 993; 32
Adams, 354; 4
Audubon, 553; 10
Guthrie, 1,314; 32
Harrison County, 1,935; 73
Madison County, 1,788 19
Mills County, 1,803; 24
Montgomery, 1,116; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,351;174
Shelby County, 1,376; 37
Union County, 1,381; 35

Posted in News |

JUDITH “JUDY” D. [Lansman] WILLIAMS, 80, of Cheyenne, WY (& formerly of Audubon) – Graveside Svcs. at a later date

Obituaries

June 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

JUDITH “JUDY” D. [Lansman] WILLIAMS, 80, of Cheyenne, WY (& formerly of Audubon), died June 10th, in Fort Collins, CO. Graveside services for JUDY WILLIAMS will be held at a later date, in Brush, CO. Allnutt funeral home of Fort Collins, Colorado is in charge of arrangements.

JUDY WILLIAMS is survived by:

Her sons – Jon D. (Valerie) Carey, of Vermillion, SD; Robert J. (Terry) Carey, & Timothy M. (Cheri) Carey, of Atlantic.

Her daughter – Susan (Jeff) Bates of Bennington, Nebraska.

9 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, and her special friend, Roger A. Vigen.

Posted in Obituaries |

Local Posted County Prices for the grains, 6/16/21

Ag/Outdoor

June 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Cass County: Corn $6.66 Beans $14.69
Adair County: Corn $6.63 Beans $14.72
Adams County: Corn $6.63 Beans $14.72
Audubon County: Corn $6.65 Beans $14.71
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $6.69 Beans $14.69
Guthrie County: Corn $6.68 Beans $14.73
Montgomery County: Corn $6.68 Beans $14.69
Shelby County: Corn $6.69 Beans $14.69

Oats $2.97 (always the same in all counties)

Posted in Ag/Outdoor |

Nevada Woman Charged with Insurance Fraud

News

June 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division report a Nevada (Iowa) woman, 31-year-old Danielle Tiffany Dutton, was charged with four counts of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information (Class D Felony) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. The charges against Dutton stem from an investigation which began in January 2020. Criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau allege Dutton made false statements to insurance companies involving multiple electronic devices in an attempt to receive insurance benefits she was not entitled to. On June 9, 2021, Dutton was charged and released with a promise to appear.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

Posted in News |

Water the lawn or let it go dormant? Turfgrass expert offers drought advice

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A lush, green lawn is a source of pride for many Iowans and this prolonged drought is forcing many of us to quit worrying about having the best lawn on the block — and let the grass go dormant. Adam Thoms, a horticulture professor at Iowa State University and a turfgrass extension specialist, says it’s stressful for grass to shake up the watering schedule, so he’s telling Iowans if their lawns are already turning brown, just let them go. “Putting them in and out of dormancy by watering and stopping and then restarting is really hard on the turf,” Toams says. “It’s okay to go into dormancy. The grass can last for 30 to 60 days with that straw brown color and it won’t hurt it at all. It’ll come back out in the fall.”

Des Moines Water Works, which serves more than 500-thousand customers in 18 central Iowa communities, is asking residents to voluntarily conserve and cut back on watering by 25-percent. Last Friday, demand for the utility hit 90-percent of production capacity. Toams predicts many folks in the Des Moines metro -will- cut back, as requested. “There’s some research out there that shows when they ask for those voluntary commitments that people do step up and follow those,” Toams says. “We always suggest that you don’t water every day anyway. It’s better to do a deep and infrequent watering. That forces the turf roots to go deeper to chase that water deep in the soil, so, that’s an okay thing.”

Some people turn on the sprinklers for hours at a time and let them saturate the grass, but Toams says most lawns don’t need more than an inch of water in a week’s time. “If you can break that down over two or three times a week — that one inch — that’s fine,” Toams says. “If we get a week like next week’s coming up that they’re saying it’s going to be a little cooler, you can dial that back to eight-tenths of an inch or something like that. And of course, if we get any kind of rain, count that against your inch.” If you’ve laid sod within the past year or are trying to grow new grass from seeds, you’re in for what could be an expensive, frustrating challenge.

“Those are the ones that are going to get hurt by this drought. They’re the ones that need regular watering just because they don’t have a deep root system,” Toams says. “We do need to make sure that those get regular waterings. If you’re thinking about overseeding or adding seed to your yard, just wait. Right now is not the time. It’s too hot and it’s obviously too dry.”

Plus, given the weather patterns, he says more water restrictions are likely looming. If the dry weather lasts through summer and grass has been dormant up to six weeks, apply an inch or so of water in a single application. The grass won’t green up, but it’ll keep the roots alive. If the drought continues, water in that fashion every two weeks, but not enough to bring it out of dormancy. Toams suggests Iowans give their lawns a good dose of fertilizer this fall to help them recharge and ideally, come back strong next spring.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |