(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Economic Development Board has approved provisional funding from new hotel/motel and sales tax revenues for six Reinvestment Districts. The City of Ames has approval to spend 10 million dollars on a proposed downtown district that includes an indoor aquatics center and a new full-service hotel.

Cedar Rapids received nine million dollars for developing residential and hotel spaces AND entertainment venues. Des Moines received more than 26 million dollars for a project that involves building a hockey arena in a shopping mall. Des Moines also is getting 23-and-a-half million dollars for projects on a former industrial site, including the Pro Iowa soccer stadium and three hotels.

Fort Dodge received 17 million to redevelop the Crossroads Mall. And Newton was awarded 14 million dollars for the redevelopment of former Maytag buildings.

A t-bone style crash in Atlantic Friday afternoon resulted in one person suffering minor injuries. According to Atlantic Police, the accident at 7th and Elm Streets occurred at around 12:14-p.m. The injured driver was transported to Cass Health. No names were immediately released.  Cass EMS, the Atlantic Fire Department and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Atlantic Police Department at the scene.

The A-PD also provided updates on two accidents that took place on Wednesday. The first took place At around 5:10-p.m., between Culligan Water and the Atlantic Fire Department buildings. Authorities say a vehicle driven by Estuardo Lam, of Atlantic, was pulling out of a driveway at 1307 SW 7th Street, in an attempt to turn north onto SW 7th Street. A vehicle driven by Travis Fletcher, of Griswold, was traveling southbound on 7th Street (Highway 6), when Lam pulled out in front of him. Fletcher was transported to CCMH to be checked out for non-life threatening injuries. Lam was transported by private vehicle to the hospital, to be checked out. Damage from the collision amounted to $24,000.

And, a little after 9-p.m. Wednesday, a motorcycle operated by Onesimo Garcia, of Atlantic, was traveling west in the 600 block of 7th Street (Hwy 6) near Laurel Street, when he became unbalanced. Garcia tried to correct the situation, but ended-up losing control of the cycle before he crashed. He was transported to CCMH for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Damage to the motorcycle was estimated at $700.

Atlantic Police report two arrests this past week. On Thursday, 37-year-old Nichole Price, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault. She was booked into the Cass County Jail. And, last Sunday, 33-year-old James Erickson, of Atlantic, was arrested for Theft in the 5th Degree. He was cited and released from the scene.

(Updated 3:23-p.m.) The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board has approved state tax breaks for a company in Council Bluffs that makes bingo cards, pull tab tickets and other products used by lotteries and charities.  Two other companies are getting tax breaks for expansion projects in Lake View and Story City.

The Pollard Games facility in Council Bluffs will undergo a nearly nine-and-a-half MILLION dollar expansion. The company plans to introduce new product lines and hire 151 more people when the project’s completed.

Evapco in Lake View makes products for the international cooling and industrial refrigeration markets. It’s 12-and-a-half million dollar expansion is expected to lead to the creation of 83 new jobs.

And, state officials say Dose Steelworks has outgrown its current facility and is gettting state tax breaks as it converts a facility in Story City to manufacture its trailers. The company plans to spend four-point-seven MILLION dollars on the project and create 14 new jobs.

(Radio Iowa) – Representatives from the student governments of the three state universities were supportive of proposed tuition increases during a meeting of the Board of Regents Thursday. Tuition would increase roughly three-point-four percent at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, and one-point-five percent at the University of Northern Iowa. I-S-U student body president Julia Campbell spoke first. “In the wake of the pandemic, we want to have as minimally disruptive an impact on students as possible — many of who are struggling financially. Given current fiscal constraints — there is not a realistic way to maintain the level of education we experience without cutting campus services or increasing tuition,” Campbell says.

Campbell says while they understand the need for a tuition increase, they have this request. “We’re asking that it be as small an increase as possible to still allow us to maintain the exceptional level of education our regent institutions have offered for decades,” she says. University of Iowa student body president Regan Smock says the state needs to provide more funding. “When we invest in higher education — we invest in young people who will be the next generation of leaders in our state,” Regan says. “It is necessary to allocate funding to these higher education institutions so that we can help create world-renowned academic programs that allow students to be leaders in their respective fields, and be successful in our ever-changing world.”

Regan says another year of a tuition freeze is not a solution. “I do not believe that the tuition that existing for the last year was a win for students in Iowa. A freeze in tuition does not help students in the long run without a corresponding increase in state funding to make up for the funds lost during the global pandemic,” according to Regan. University of Northern Iowa student body Vice President, Alisane Struck, says the modest increase proposed for works for now. “While we understand that tuition must go up to ensure quality — we are concerned about the long-term costs for students,” Struck says. “As you all know, with the high in-state profile of students that U-N-I has — the university plays a critical role in the state of Iowa for providing rich educational experiences for students.”

This was the first reading of the proposed tuition rates. A final vote is scheduled for the board meeting on July 28th.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill named in honor of a Davenport veteran who died by suicide has passed the US Senate unanimously last night and is headed to the president’s desk. The bill cleared the U.S. House in May and outlines steps to improve mental health care options for veterans who live in rural areas. Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines is the lead sponsor of the bill, named in honor of Sergeant Brandon Ketchum, a retired Marine. “Despite receiving therapy and addiction treatment after returning from his tours, Brandon had a hard time adjusting to civilian life,” Axne said, “and when he sought in-patient hospitalization in 2016 from an Iowa VA, the treatment rooms were full and he was turned down for the care he needed. Hours later, Sergeant Ketchum took his own life.”

The three Republicans from Iowa who serve in the House joined Axne, a Democrat, as co-sponsors of the bill. “Veterans put their lives on the line and serve our nation with honor and when they come home, they should be able to receive the care that they need,” Axne said, “regardless of zip code.”

Axne talks about the bill on the House floor.

Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion said “not every war wound is visible” and many veterans struggle with mental health challenges when they return home. “No veteran should ever experience what Sergeant Ketchum did in taking his own life because he couldn’t get the services that he needed,” Hinson said.

The bill would create three new programs within the Veterans Administration to give veterans who live in rural areas access to a team of mental health experts. It also requires a report from the VA on what resources may be needed to improve mental health care for veterans who are rural residents. Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull said Ketchum’s heartbreaking death shows there’s a lack of adequate care for veterans’ “unseen wounds.” Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Ottumwa who is a veteran, said Sergeant Ketchum’s death is tragic and shows the country “must do better for our veterans.”

ONAWA—A malfunctioning sensor drained the city of Onawa’s water storage structure overnight Thursday. Although water pressure is restored, the city issued a boil advisory for the entire community, including the rest area along Interstate 29. Pressure losses can cause bacteria to enter the water distribution system. As a precaution, the city and DNR recommend residents boil their water until results from two days of testing show water is safe to drink.

Residents should bring all water used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth or preparing food to a boil, let it boil for one minute and let it cool before using. Or, use bottled water. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Residents can use tap water for bathing and similar purposes.

For more information, call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.

(Updated) It’s time to sign-up for the upgraded statewide emergency notification system. The new Alert Iowa System “Smart 911,” effective July 1^st, will replace the original Alert Iowa system implemented in 2014. Alert Iowa is a free service that allows individuals to receive notifications sent from local authorities to stay informed on potentially life-threatening and hazardous situations involving severe weather, law enforcement/security incidents, flooding, chemical releases, critical infrastructure disruptions, community-based alerts, and other emergencies and important information.

Even if you already have the current version of the Wireless Emergency Notification Systems (WENS) through Alert Iowa, you need to register on the new website, or through your respective county’s Facebook page. There, you will fill in the requested information, create a User ID (or use your e-mail), and a password. Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon said the information from your current account (if you signed-up with the old system), will not transfer over to the Smart 911 system.

He says with the other system, some people had three different accounts, for one reason or another.

With this switch, residents of all area counties will have access to new features and functions and can create one user account for their whole family including multiple addresses that can cover your home, work, or school locations. Kennon says switching to the new platform allows residents to receive enhanced alerts via phone, text and email, and answer poll questions that will give emergency officials critical information during emergency situations.

Individuals who are signed up for alerts will receive reliable information about emergency and disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information; including tailored updates based on specific needs and geographic location. With more active weather patterns impacting the region, an emerging drought, history of major flood events, and the switchover date of July 1 approaching, individuals who want to stay informed and be alerted to potential threats should register for the new system.

Thursday evening, for instance, the Montgomery County Communications Center received reports of a tornado with debris seen in the area near Grant. Out of an abundance of caution, outdoor warning sirens were activated for the City of Grant while spotters were being dispatched. The information was sent out also, through the Montgomery County Alert Iowa system.

Those registering will be able to select the type of alerts they want to receive and how they are alerted and communicated with before, during, and after emergencies and disaster.