(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Starting tomorrow (Tuesday), June 17th, and continuing through Thursday, June 19th, law enforcement agencies across Iowa will conduct a statewide Slow Down or Move Over project, with an extra enforcement effort placed on spreading awareness about the Move Over or Slow Down law.

Iowa State Patrol Public Information Officer Ryan Devault says moving into another lane or at the very least slowing down when approaching a vehicle stopped along the side of a highway or interstate, should be common sense. Iowa’s “Move Over” law, also known as the “Move Over or Slow Down” law, requires drivers to change lanes or reduce speed when approaching a stationary vehicle displaying flashing lights, including emergency vehicles, tow trucks, and certain other vehicles like construction and maintenance vehicles. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to $210, and a potential license suspension.

It’s been a State law since 2002.

(Iowa DNR News) – Iowa woodlands, wildlands and waterways draw hundreds of thousands of tourists and recreational users each year. Much of the spread of invasive species comes from people simply enjoying nature. Uninvited guests can hitch a ride on outdoor gear, shoes and clothes, traveling hundreds of miles in a single day.

Take these easy steps to stop the spread of invasive species in your community.

1. Verify that the plants you buy for your yard or garden are not invasive. Many non-native plants can become invasive. The Forest Invasive Species Guide includes quick ID photos and common management techniques to control 19 invasive trees, shrubs and plants.
2. Look for spongy moth egg masses on all outdoor equipment when traveling from a spongy moth quarantined area.
3. Clean your boots before and after you hike in a new area to avoid spreading seeds. This is a common way garlic mustard and other plants are spread.
4. Do not buy or sell firewood from outside your county. Firewood can contain emerald ash borer, Sirex woodwasp, Asian longhorned beetle, oak wilt and many more pests. Plenty of firewood is available locally near state and county parks. Make sure to burn all of the firewood at the campsite and not leave it or transport to a new area.
5. Work with your Private Lands Forester for plans to make your forests more resilient to invasive species.

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Is your newly planted tree thirsty? You may need to water trees planted in the spring or summer one to three times a week in the first few months after planting. Water early in the morning or evening so the tree roots have a chance to absorb most of the water and the sun can’t evaporate it away. Check the moisture level in the soil near the tree’s trunk (four to six inches below the surface) at least once a week, and more often during hot, dry weather. If the soil feels moist or damp you can hold off on watering, if it is dry you need to water your tree. The soil should be moist, but not saturated after watering.

Newly planted trees need regular and consistent watering for optimal growth and health. A gallon of water is equal to about one inch of rainfall.

• Immediately after planting and mulching – 5-15 gallons, depending on container size
• Week 1 – 2 gallons of water per diameter inch of trunk daily
• Week 2 – 2 gallons per diameter inch 4-5 days per week
• Week 3 – 2 gallons per diameter inch 2-3 days per week
• Week 4 and thereafter – 2 gallons per diameter inch once per week

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The popular Trees for Kids grant program is accepting applications through August 22 to plant trees in public areas of communities (park, community center, public school, etc.) this fall. Grantees can be awarded up to $2,500 to purchase trees and mulch. Youth are required to be engaged in the process, most often helping to plant the trees on site.  Studies show trees planted around schools and in neighborhoods give youth increased levels of concentration, lower levels of aggression, lower levels of obesity and fewer symptoms of ADHD.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports three men were arrested last week on separate charges. Wednesday morning, 33-year-old Tyler Lee Carter, of Adair, was arrested after the Adair County 9-1-1 center received two calls about a person making an “unusually loud or excessive noise,” (yelling or screaming) that was disturbing his neighbors. His bond was set at $300. Carter was released from jail later that afternoon with a citation for violating the City’s Noise Ordinance.

As previously reported on KJAN, Saturday morning, 22-year-old Alex Guerrero, of Grand Island, NE, was arrested by Police in Stuart, for OWI/1st offense, Reckless Driving, and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana-1st offense. Guerrero was observed by Stuart Police driving a Ford Mustang eastbound on Front Street at a high rate of speed (estimated at 60 mph) in a 25 mph zone. The car also passed through a 4-way intersection without slowing down or stopping. The same car was later clocked at 77-mph in a 35-mph zone. Following a traffic stop, and during an investigation, Guerrero admitted to being “extremely high,” handed the officer a THC vape from a pouch that was between his legs. The man thought he was in Grand Island. Testing determined he was impaired by THC.  Guerrero was released from custody a few hours later, on a $2,300 bond.

And, Saturday night, 49-year-old David Allen Jones, of Shannon City, was arrested in rural Greenfield, for OWI/2nd offense following a traffic stop for speeding and because the vehicle was seen swerving onto the shoulder of Highway 25, in the 2700 block. An investigation determined his Breath Alcohol Content was .160% (Twice the legal limit for intoxication). Jones was later released on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – An eastern Iowa man is accused in a weekend shooting rampage in Tennessee. Police in suburban Nashville arrested 26-year-old Jovien Smith, of Davenpor,t on murder and other charges late Saturday. Reports say Smith was visiting there with his girlfriend and her five children, who range in age from one to 13 years. He and the woman had an argument, during which police say Smith threw the woman’s phone out the minivan’s window and he tried to grab the wheel. Police say Smith shot the woman, then shot four of the five children. A four-year-old girl was killed. The others were all hospitalized, two in critical condition. Smith’s bond is set at $2.6-million.

(Cass County, Iowa) – A Cass County road grader and a semi-tractor trailer/dump truck collided last week south of Atlantic, but no injuries were reported. Iowa State Patrol Trooper Ryan DeVault told KJAN News the accident happened at around 1:45-p.m. Tuesday, June 10th, on 620th Street at Miami Road.

Trooper Devault said the accident happened when the semi tried to pass the grader.

Accident at 620th & Miami Rd (Photo submitted)

The investigating report pegged the damage at $40,000 altogether, but Trooper DeVault said that is subjective, and simply used as a statistic for the Iowa Department of Transportation’s data.

There were no citations issued.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Officials with the Red Oak Police Department report the driver of a Ford Fusion was cited Friday evening, following a collision at Corning and 3rd Streets. Authorities say 18-year-old Cadence Turnbull, of Red Oak, was traveling West on Corning Street and attempting to turn south onto 3rd Street. A 2013 Chevy Impala driven by 17-year-old Paige Baier, from Griswold, was traveling East on Corning and continued east through the uncontrolled intersection, when Turnbull’s Ford turned in front of Impala instead of yielding, and struck the Chevy, causing a police estimated total of $3,800 damage.

The accident happened at around 5:35-p.m.  Cadence Turnbull was cited for Failure to Yield upon left turn.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says six people were arrested over the weekend, with two arrested on drug charges. Sunday evening, 41-year-old Paul William Daniels, of Creston, was arrested at McKinley Park, on charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance (PCS)/Marijuana-1st offense, and on an outstanding warrant for Probation Violation (On an original charge of Domestic Abuse Assault-Impeding Air/Blood Flow causing bodily injury, 2 counts of Domestic Abuse Assault/3rd or subsequent offense, and Harassment in the 1st and 2nd Degrees. Daniels was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, pending a court appearance.

Sunday afternoon, 40-year-old John David Foster, of Creston, was arrested at Rainbow Park on charges of Disorderly Conduct-fighting or violent behavior, and interference with Official Acts. He was later released on a $600 bond. Also arrested Sunday afternoon, was 32-year-old Ely Laramie Will, of Clearfield, who was charged with Driving While Barred, PCS with the Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, and Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp. Will was being held without bond, pending a court appearance.

At around 12-a.m. Saturday, Creston Police arrested 34-year-old Alex Richard Cunningham, of Creston, for Violation of a No Contact Order. He was being held without bond until seen by a Judge. At around 1:40-a.m. Saturday, 60-year-old David John Rathe, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. He was later released on a $1,000 bond. And, at around 12:04-p.m., Saturday, Creston Police arrested 22-year-old Damien Nish Beard, of Afton, at Rainbow Park in Creston. Beard was charged with Disorderly Conduct – Fighting or Violent Behavior. He was released from jail on a promise to appear in court.

(Exira, Iowa) – Pastor Glen Meyers with the Exira Christian Church, reports the church has been chosen as the Audubon County distribution site for the Healthy Kids Initiatives Pilot project. The program is designed to provide healthy, nutritious food items to kids age 4-18 who qualify for free or reduced price lunches at school during the months of June, July, and August. Pastor Meyers says “We have been selected to target the families with qualifying students in 1) Audubon County or 2) Attending Exira Elk Horn Kimballton school district from Shelby County.”

The food is being distributed on Thursday afternoons from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm at Exira Christian Church. Families may access the food once per month per child. According to Paster Meyers, the Exira Christian Church was provided with food for 60 children per month, and  “we desperately need to get the food to eligible families in June.”

(Radio Iowa) – The final tenants of the iconic Wallace Building across from the state capitol are in the process of moving out and the building will eventually be demolished. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig held a “goodbye party” for current and former employees at the end of last week. Naig says the building went into service in 1978, the same year he was born. “I sort of laugh every time I heard about the maybe somebody talking about the state of the Wallace Building, maybe not being quite up to up to snuff and old and and out of date. And I thought, well, that, that that maybe I feel that way too sometimes,” Naig says. Naig is one of five Ag Secretaries who worked in the building. The others are Bob Lounsberry from 1973 to 1987, Dale Cochran from 1987 to 1999 , Patty Judge from 1999 to 2007, and Bill Northy from 2007 to 2018.

Naig says the Wallace Building has had a lot of internal issues with its structure and operating systems, but it is one of the most photographed buildings in the state because of the reflection of the state capitol on the mirrored windows that span the south side. Former Ag Secretary Patty Judge was at the goodbye party and says the building’s issues were apparent right away. “When I came here the first day, we started finding all of the problems, all the things that were wrong with this building. My gosh, we couldn’t keep the bathrooms open,” Judge says. Judge says some people don’t want to see the building go, but she says it isn’t worth it to keep it open. “The money that was spent with maintenance and repair and then the back end starts falling off and we can’t park back there anymore and my gosh,” she says. “For those who think this is a criminal act to not be in this building and support this building any longer, believe me, I’m on the other side.”

Wallace Building

Retired state climatologist Harry Hillaker was a part of the Ag Department, but says he was at the National Weather Service Office until moving to the Wallace Building in 2003. “Actually had an office, not too many people had their own office in this building. It’s like, wow, I was more privileged than I was expecting to be,” Hillaker says. “It was very good working here because it was actually the only time was with the rest of the department.” Hillaker says the climate in the Wallace Building was different. “It was definitely on the warm side, especially in the wintertime in the building, which you think would be the other way around, at least down where I was in the basement,” Hillaker says. “People always made a joke though that my office had no windows, which seemed like a weird thing for a weather guy, but I was very happy to have an office.”

The Ag Department will be out of the building by the end of the month. The spokesperson for Governor Kim Reynolds in a statement says “the Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS) has initiated the process to demolish the Wallace Building without selling or otherwise disposing of the underlying land which requires the approval of the legislature.” The Wallace Building was named for Henry A. Wallace, the founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred and President Franklin Roosevelt’s first Secretary of Agriculture. He served one term as Roosevelt’s vice president.

(Radio Iowa) – A central Iowa company that develops real estate and manages properties is starting its second annual Hometown Tours in Iowa cities where housing is in high demand and businesses are eager to find workers. Chace Hauschilt, a development and operations specialist with Kading Properties, says they’re hearing from many communities that are in need of new homes, but he says the Urbandale-based company can’t get to them all.  “The Hometown Tours allow our team to spend an entire day within the community and it really gives the community an opportunity to showcase what makes their community unique,” Hauschilt says. “We’re also engaging in discussions with local civic leaders and local employers about what their current housing needs are, and if we may be able to help with that.” This year’s tour will kick off with Webster City on Thursday, with stops planned in the coming weeks in Mason City, Fort Dodge, Fairfield, and Denison.

“We meet with a lot of local city leaders, city officials, and then we also meet with a lot of the larger employers in the areas,” Hauschilt says. “Maybe they’re looking to expand or maybe they’re having a hard time retaining and attracting talent and they’re interested in new housing opportunities.” Kading has already built what it calls “workforce housing” in 28 Iowa communities over the past five decades.  “What we develop is townhome-style leased housing,” Hauschilt says. “We have two-bedroom and three-bedroom options and those could be anywhere from 850 to 1,300 square foot. We do provide all of the property management, so mowing the lawn, any landscape issues and any other maintenance issues, we take care of all of that for our residents.” By eliminating the need for long commutes, the company says it helps employers retain skilled labor and boosts local economies, while saving families time and money on travel and fuel. Hauschilt says they price the homes accordingly.

“Typically, it’s around 80% of the area median income,” he says. “Our goal is always to try to fit that within the different communities and we see that we’re oftentimes around a dollar a square foot within the communities, but it just depends on what the workers are getting paid within the community and what the need is within it as well.” A Kading news release says each of the five stops on the tour “highlights a unique Iowa town and the role attainable housing plays in building a stronger, more sustainable future for Iowans.”

https://www.kadingproperties.com/hometown-tours