(Radio Iowa) – South Dakota regulators say there’s too much uncertainty surrounding the Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed pipeline route in South Dakota and they’ve denied the company’s application to build and operate the pipeline in their state. A spokesperson for the company says Summit will reduce the scope of its pipeline route in South Dakota and reapply. Kristie Fiegen is a member of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.

“The current route, in my view, is not viable,” Fiegen said. “Summit Carbon pipeline needs to come back and they need to go back to the drawing board and develop a route and submit a route that will comply with the laws.” South Dakota recently passed a law that does not allow Summit to use eminent domain authority to seize land from South Dakotans who don’t want the pipeline on their property. This is the second time South Dakota regulators have rejected a pipeline application from Summit. “At this point, we really don’t know the route,” Fiegen said. “We don’t know the timeframes. We don’t know their plan.”

A spokesperson for Summit said the decision is disappointing, but the company is committed to the project and will retool and refile its application in South Dakota. The IOWA Utilities Commission granted Summit a permit last year, but construction cannot begin until the company obtains permits from the other states along the pipeline route.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would legalize the sale of raw milk in grocery stores and at farmers markets in Iowa has cleared a House subcommittee. Representative Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton led passage of the 2023 Iowa law that has allowed unpasteurized raw milk to be sold on dairy farms where it’s produced and he’s sponsoring the bill to expand its sale to other sites.

“I believe that people should have the opportunity to consume this should they choose,” Kaufmann says. “I don’t believe I need the government…telling me what is and is not safe. We are perfectly capable of making that decision on our own.” Farmers selling raw milk directly to consumer say they’re concerned about expanded retail sales. Lakaya Tenley and her husband of Mechanicsville have 10 Jersey cows and she says they couldn’t shift to selling their raw milk elsewhere. She asked legislators to instead address state regulations that are going to limit their on-the-farm expansion plans.

“We are opening a retail farm store on our location in Mechanicsville this summer and I feel like there’s some friction to sell our USDA inspected meat in the same building as raw milk,” Tenley said. Abby Costello raises dairy cows and sells raw milk, butter and cheese from a small store in Linn County called A-B-C Acres. “I’m 100% for raw milk, but I’m undecided about the changes that are being proposed,” she said. “When you throw in a grocery store in the middle, growth of bacteria and different things could expand and potentially make a consumer sick and then who’s responsible? The farmer or the middle man?”

Costello supports the move to allow raw milk sales at farmers markets since it would be a transaction between the farmer and the consumer. Robert Horst, a farmer from Bristow, is president of the Iowa State Dairy Association. He says pasteurized milk is heavily regulated and one of the safest products sold in a grocery store and there should be safety standards for raw milk, too, to guard against food-borne illnesses. “We cannot afford any black eye for…the industry where the margins are so thin to begin with,” Horst says, ” and it is a very hard industry to survive in as it is.”

Dr. Kenneth May, president of Iowa Veterinary Medical Association, says the organization has safety concerns about expanding the sale of raw milk to farmers markets and grocery stores — especially now that bird flu has been detected in Iowa dairy herds. “That virus is super concentrated in the milk in cattle,” Dr. May said. “What is the possibility of that jumping to our species? And raw milk is the avenue that that virus couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Others who testified at Tuesday’s subcommittee hearing said Iowans should be able to decide for themselves whether to buy raw milk, while a doctor who’s also a legislator said there are known risks from consuming raw milk. According to the Association of Food and Drug Officials, there were nearly 450 confirmed cases of illnesses in Canada and the United States that were linked to raw milk between 2007 and 2020. Twenty-eight percent of the patients had to be hospitalized and five died.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A Public Hearing is scheduled to take place Wednesday evening at the High School in Atlantic, with regard to the proposed FY2026 Atlantic Community School District Budget. The hearing takes place at 6:30-p.m. in the High School Media Center, prior to a scheduled School Board Work Session.  (If you wish to view the proceedings, here is the YouTube LINK)

The hearing will be followed by action on approving the Budget, along with discussion with regard to 1-1 Device Purchase recommendations, and Health Insurance Vendor discussion for 2025-26.

During the Board’s Work Session, the will discuss a concept and cost estimate for the District Master Plan, and receive a virtual school presentation on ACCEL (starting at about 7:30-p.m.).

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds signed the disaster relief bill into law today (Tuesday) that is designed to streamline the disaster assistance process. The Governor said in a bill signing statement that the tornadoes and widespread flooding in 2024 affected tens of thousands of Iowans, and relief programs have proven vital for families and communities to regain their footing and restart their lives.

The bill includes nearly 12 million dollars to help repair homes, along with two million dollars to help cities demolish damaged buildings. It puts 19 million dollars in a revolving loan fund for projects that prepare for future floods, droughts, wildfires and severe storms.

• Extends tax exclusion to disaster assistance for housing developers who received awards under the State Disaster New Housing Grant Program
• Adjusts insurance regulations to better protect consumers and homeowners from unfair practices
• Modifies emergency funds transfer authority in times of disaster to ensure state government’s flexible response to disasters
• Adds $2 million to the Nuisance Property and Abandoned Building Fund to help with demolition costs for disaster-damaged buildings
• Sets up the new Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund to build resiliency from future disasters

(Radio Iowa) –  A northwest Iowa lawmaker is urging his fellow Republicans to pressure G-O-P leaders to allow senate debate of a bill that addresses the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project. Republican Senator Lynn Evans of Aurelia is critical of the Iowa Utilities Commission decision that gives Summit eminent domain authority to seize tracts from land owners who don’t want the pipeline on their property.

“Private property rights are one of the things that make our country unique,” Evans says. “George Washington recognized the vital link between freedom and private property rights, believing they were inseparable. His belief solidified the idea that private property ownership is a fundamental aspect of American society.” Evans says it’s time for a public vote in the senate.

“This is not only a constitutional issue, it is simply the right thing to do for our property owners as many of them who are in objection to the use of eminent domain are generational land owners,” Evans said. “It means much more to them than just productivity. It’s part of their family, it’s part of their heritage and it’s part of their being.” Those remarks sparked a verbal skirmish between two other legislators.

Senator Jesse Green of Boone says he and other Republicans are having private conversations about what to do next and he suggests Senate Democrats are too focused on making public statements about the pipeline. “I get that you guys enjoy theatrics, the cameras, all that stuff,” Green said. Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, says it’s not Democrats, but Republicans who have a super majority of seats in the senate that have the power to bring bills up for debate. “You’re on the run and you’re afraid, so you attack us,” Bisignano said.

Republicans and Democrats in the Iowa House have passed several bills over the past few years to address issues related to the pipeline, but none were considered in the Senate. There is a House-passed bill eligible for debate in the Senate this year, but an attached amendment makes significant changes to the bill.

(Radio Iowa) – It’s Prom season for Iowa high schoolers and the Iowa State Patrol is holding a series of educational talks at schools across the state, warning teens of the dangers they may encounter during the ritual of spring. Trooper Paul Gardner, who’s based in Fort Dodge, says teens need to know the consequences of drinking and driving. “According to MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 31% of teen fatality crashes are attributed to drunk driving, so we cannot say enough how important it is to make good decisions behind the wheel,” Gardner says.

“That goes for teen drivers but it also goes to passengers as well, riding with friends, make sure they’re making the safe decisions on who they’re riding with.” Prom night can be an evening of fond memories to long cherish, though Gardner says it can also be a road to tragedy, especially for relatively new, inexperienced drivers. “Teens are more prone to take risks, show off in front of others, and that can lead to some dangerous driving behaviors,” he says.

Simulated drunk driving crash in Cass County (2019) – part of the “Every 15 minutes” program (LifeFlight DesMoines Facebook page)

“What they need to realize is that there are real-world consequences for those who make bad decisions, like drunk driving, speeding, distracted, careless driving. It’s very important for parents and educators to have a serious talk with their students.”

Last year, 351 people were killed in crashes on Iowa’s roads, and Gardner says 55 of them were teens, and half of those involved speeding, drunk driving or both.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department report a school was placed in lockdown status this (Tuesday) morning, following an alleged threat of violence. Authorities says 10:22-a.m., Council Bluffs Police Officers responded to the Franklin Elementary Elementary School, for a report by 39-year-old Joyce Sweeney, of Council Bluffs, that a third party was on their way to “shoot up the school.” Officers were on scene within minutes. School staff followed their lockdown procedures preventing access into the school. Nearby schools were advised to go into lockdown as a precaution.

Council Bluffs PD Shield

After an investigation, it was determined the threat was not credible, and Sweeney was charged with Providing False Information. Providing False Information is a simple misdemeanor, punishable by 30 days in jail or a fine. Sweeny was banned from the school for the rest of the school year.

All schools were released from lockdown within 25 minutes of the start of the incident.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Defying Prohibition, farmers-turned-entrepreneurs, used their hog houses, barns and basements for moonshine operations. The story told by author Ann Hanigan Kotz takes you through early 20th century history in Iowa beyond Templeton Rye. The program will be held Sunday, April 27 beginning at 2 pm at the American Legion Memorial Building.

Many bootleggers were drawn into the business to support their families. There may be humorous stories of dodging the ever-present federal regulators, but the murder of a pastor in Sioux City takes you to the dark and dangerous side. Local federal agents constantly worked to find and destroy stills and inventory. Kotz grew up in Carroll County and has done much research to give a broad picture of the bootlegging business. A novel, Moonshine by Moonlight, is based on her research.

Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise (ARISE) sponsors the program. There is no fee and the building is handicapped accessible.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Grow Another Row Committee is hosting a free event at Mollett Park (1020 E. 3rd Street Place, in Atlantic) on Tuesday, April 29^th at 5:30 pm.   “Spring into Growing” is a chance for local residents to learn about spring gardening in small spaces. Participants can plant greens and herbs in pots to keep on their porches or patios. This free educational gardening event will help participants learn how to plant, care for, and harvest early-season plants to enjoy this spring.

Participants are welcome to bring their own pots; otherwise, pots can be provided. The Grow Another Row Committee will provide seeds and soil. Extra pots will be available if needed, and attendees can also plant an extra pot to donate to the local food pantry. We’ll be planting lettuce, spinach, and herbs including basil, oregano, cilantro, and dill. Learn about seeds and planting tips for pots, raised beds, and other small food gardening spaces. Bring your own gloves and diggers if you have them, or we will have extras.

Container gardening is a way for people to enjoy the benefits of gardening. Shown here is an example of an herb and vegetable garden.

To get to Mollett Park, follow Mulberry Street north until it curves east (3rd St. Place), and proceed to the end of the cul-de-sac. All ages are welcome. There is no cost to attend due to local sponsorships. A “Seed” mix (trail mix) snack will be provided, along with a water cooler.

If you are interested in attending, registration is strongly encouraged by Monday, April 28. This will ensure that we have enough supplies. Please register by contacting Kate Olson at the Cass County Extension Office by email at keolson@iastate.edu or by phone at 712-243-1132.

(Radio Iowa) – The legislature has sent the governor a bill to let schools assemble “safety assessment teams” that could share information about students who might pose a threat. Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs says people from the local, county and state offices could be part of these teams. “To try to identify potential problems sooner,” Dawson said, “and get the needed intervention.” Local police, juvenile court officials, mental health counselors and social workers could be part these teams alongside school officials. The bill also would let state agencies and schools share information on students they believe may pose a threat to others.

Republican Representative Henry Stone of Forest City says collaboration among educators, law enforcement and social service professionals is already happening, but there are some hurdles now to sharing information. “Threats directed toward the safety of our children at school are on the rise across the country,” Stone said. “…All this bill does is if a school chooses to participate, it will give that school a tool that they can utilize to break that communication barrier.”

Stone says schools must still adhere to laws that prohibit the disclosure of sensitive health information and student education records. The Iowa Department of Public Safety proposed the legislation, which is headed to the governor for approval. The bill cleared the Senate unanimously a month ago and the House gave it unanimously approval yesterday (Monday).