(Radio Iowa) – There’s a new program in Greenfield to support the emotional recovery of residents who are struggling after last year’s powerful tornado.

Greenfield Chamber of Commerce director Stacie Eshelman said the “mental toll” of surviving this kind of a disaster can sometimes be the hardest to overcome. “I think as Midwesterners or maybe Iowans we just tend to try to pick ourselves up and move on and this is a little bigger than a lot of us have ever had to deal with,” Eshelman said. “…Some people are just so grateful to be alive and you have people who are mad and angry and sad and devastated and there’s no real cookie cutter way to help people through this on the emotional side.”

Photo by Melissa Ehrman Johnson of Greenfield tornado damage. (File photo from May, 2024)

Under Greenfield’s new “Resilience, Insight, Support and Empowerment” or RISE program, Adair County residents impacted by last year’s tornado may be eligible for reimbursement of some out-of-pocket costs for mental health counseling. “People are just now maybe realizing that they need a little more help,” Eshelman said, “so we’re hoping they take advantage of that.”

The tornado that struck Greenfield on May 21 of last year killed four people, damaged or destroyed over 200 homes and leveled about 30 businesses in Greenfield. A fifth person driving north of Corning was killed. The tornado was on the ground for 44 miles.

(Radio Iowa) – Fifteen Civil War veterans now have gravestones in Des Moines thanks to a group that works on the forgotten histories of soldiers. Cemetery historian Mike Rowley held a dedication ceremony earlier this month at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines to commemorate their service to the country.

“The gravestone is really just a marker and a way to remember an individual, and then kind of start their own search for the history of that individual. And it opens up endless stories,” he says.
Rowley says he’s carrying on his ancestors’ legacy as the son of a veteran himself.

His three-person team of researchers has marked around 400 gravestones in Iowa so far and he hopes it help inspire people currently in the military.  “We, as residents and citizens, value what they do, so that they won’t be forgotten even after 100 years. And hopefully it’s a bit of encouragement to those individuals as well,” Rowley says.

Rowley says he finds stories of great heroism and great tragedy through his research.

(Radio Iowa) – The leader of the Iowa National Guard, Major General Stephen Osborn, talked about the meaning of Memorial Day during a recent event at Camp Dodge.

“Memorial Day began as Decoration Day, honoring Union soldiers after the Civil War, and over time it became a National Day of Remembrance for all those who gave their lives in the service of our great country,” Osborn says. “It is a solemn day, but also a hopeful day. We honor the fallen, not only in silence, but with action. We honor them by living well, by leading well, and by never taking our freedom for granted.”

Osborn says everyone should take time to think about the sacrifices men and women in uniform have made. “I encourage each and every one of you to take some time and reflect. Not just on those who we have lost, but reflect on why they served,” he says. Osborn says it is okay to enjoy the holiday. “Fire up the grill, spend time with your family and friends,” he says, “but let us also remember.the freedoms that allow us to do these things, it’s our responsibility to carry that legacy forward,” Osborn says.

Maj. General Osborn. (RI file photo)

General Osborn made his comments during a recent event celebrating the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says she will meet with Iowans over the next several months and develop a property tax reform plan. In 2023, Reynolds signed a bill into that capped some property tax levies and created new property tax exemptions for veterans and Iowans over the age of 64 who own a home. Reynolds says it’s time to go farther. “I do need to focus on property taxes,” Reynolds said. “That is what we hear about all the time and I was hopeful that the legislature — they had kind of asked to take the lead on that this year, so we let them. I worked on other things.”

Reynolds has until June 14th to sign or veto the bills passed by the 2025 legislature, then she plans to spend the rest of the year working on property tax reform. “I am going to be out in the state and I am going to be talking to Iowans and stakeholders and laying out what it looks like,” Reynolds says. “I mean we have to think differently about how we deliver services to our citizens. We can’t continue to have the level of government that we have and expect the property taxes to go lower. It’s just not feasible. The math doesn’t work.”

Only eight other states have more counties than Iowa. And, according to the U-S Census Bureau, Iowa has more than 18-hundred local units of government, including cities, counties, school districts and townships. During a weekend appearance on Iowa P-B-S, Reynolds did not suggest mergers or consolidations, but she did say every option that would lower property taxes should be considered. “We have to figure out how that system, how we holistically look at the package moving forward and that just, you know, is disruptive…That means people will be a little uncomfortable, but we’ll have the conversation,” Reynolds said.

Governor Kim Reynolds is this weekend’s guest on “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS. (Iowa PBS photo)

“…Forty percent of property taxes is education, so we have a school funding formula that is crazy. It’s so complicated.” One of the main elements of a property tax reform plan key Republican legislators developed over the past two years calls for sending another 400 million dollars in state tax dollars to public school districts, to replace local property taxes. Reynolds appears reluctant to do that. “It’s still taxpayer dollars,” Reynolds said. “I always say it’s local, federal, state — it’s all coming out of the taxpayer’s pocket.”

And the governor says it’s too soon to say a firm limit on how much city and county budgets may grow should be part of the final plan. Reynolds hints an even broader tax discussion could be ahead. “Tax credits, should we maybe reduce some those and plug that into property tax savings or into individual income tax savings?” Reynolds asks. “Sales tax, what do we do with that?” Reynolds has signed a series of tax cuts that have eliminated the tax on retirement income and cut the individual income tax rate to three-point-eight percent.

Reynolds, who announced last month she wouldn’t seek reelection, now says her goal of completely eliminating the state income tax by the time she leaves office would be a little aggressive — and she will engage in a property tax reform debate instead. “I want to create a foundation that when I do leave, the next Republican governor that sits in that chair will be able to continue to reduce the individual income tax rate,” Reynolds said.

(Norwalk, Iowa) – A Polk County man was injured after being struck by a vehicle Sunday evening, in Warren County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 42-year-old Eric Gene Rudolph, of Des Moines, was walking in the ditch along Interstate 35 west of Norwalk, when he was struck by a 2019 Chevy Equinox, driven by 62-year-old Dale Loren Acker, of Greenfield.

The accident happened when Acker fell asleep at the wheel as he was traveling south on I-35 near mile marker 62 at around 6:35-p.m. His vehicle entered the west-side ditch before striking Rudolph. Following the collision, the vehicle continued through the ditch before coming to rest on the shoulder of I-35.

Eric Rudolph was transported by Norwalk Fire & Rescue to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. Dale Acker was not injured.

(Marne, Iowa) – A Cass County (IA) man who died following a single-vehicle rollover accident early Saturday afternoon, has been identified. According to his obituary from Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic, 33-year-old Lucas K. Nelson, of Marne, died in the crash.

The accident happened just before 1-p.m., Saturday, at Highway 83 (the Marne Road) and Fayette Road, southeast of Marne. Cass County Sheriff John Westering had earlier confirmed the driver/lone occupant of a pickup truck was ejected during the accident, and died from their injuries.

Marne Fire and Rescue, Cass EMS and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. Additional information concerning the crash was not immediately released.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two public hearings will be held during Tuesday morning’s regular meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, in Red Oak. The Board’s meeting begins at 9-a.m. in their Courthouse Board Room.

The first hearing – at 9:15-a.m. – is with regard to a Proposed FY 24/25 Montgomery County Budget Amendment, followed by action on passing a Resolution adopting the amended budget, as proposed.

The second hearing – at 9:20-a.m. – is with regard to Proposed Wind Ordinance Amendments to the Montgomery County Zoning Ordinance. The Board set the hearing date and time during their meeting on May 6th. The wind ordinance hearing will be followed by the 1st Reading of the Ordinance, and possible waiving of the 2nd and 3rd Readings, if necessary.

In other business, the Montgomery County Supervisors will receive a Maintenance update from Maintenance Director Dan Wright, who will discuss a proposal to concrete the Courthouse parking lot, and a proposal with regard to the Courthouse Elevator.

The Board is expected to act on approving FY25/26 Public Library contracts for financial support, as follows:

• Red Oak – $17,820
• Stanton – $6,020
• Elliott – $6,020
• Villisca – $7,645.

(Marne, Iowa) – One person died following a single-vehicle rollover accident early this (Saturday) afternoon, southeast of Marne. The crash, involving a pickup, occurred just before 1-p.m., at Highway 83 (the Marne Road) and Fayette Road. Cass County Sheriff John Westering confirms the driver/lone occupant of the vehicle was ejected, and died from their injuries. The individual was a Cass County (IA) resident. Their name was not released.

Highway 83 was closed for about an hour, following the crash. All Marne units returned to their station a little after 3-p.m.

CLIVE, Iowa [KCCI] — Police in Clive are investigating, after a one-pound bag of marijuana was found at a discount store. The large bag was discovered by a man who was looking through the bins and opened a USPS box at the “Where ya Bin” store on University Avenue, the former “Toys R Us” building.

Authorities have not provided any further information. KCCI reports Where Ya Bin officials declined to comment on the matter.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and that means swimming. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has released its first beach advisory this year. Swimming is not recommended at four including the beaches at Backbone, Beeds Lake, Black Hawk and Nine Eagle state parks.

Forty-one beaches were tested. E. coli levels were found to exceed the standard at those four. The DNR tests weekly through Labor Day.

https://iaenvironment.salsalabs.org/weeklywaterwatch-5-23-25?wvpId=84cddfd2-63c4-4a40-ad0b-c724fc23c4b7