(Radio Iowa) -South Dakota’s governor signed a bill banning the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines today (Thursday). Sierra Club of Iowa Attorney Wally Taylor says that should stop Summit Carbon from building its carbon pipeline in Iowa.  I think as a practical matter, it does. I mean legally, summit could still get a permit in South Dakota, and if they did, that would allow them to go ahead and construct in Iowa,” Taylor says.

The Iowa Utilities Commission approved a permit for the Iowa portion of the Summit pipeline on the condition they get permits in the Dakotas before they start construction. Taylor says eminent domain is needed to build in South Dakota. “Because, as I understand it, they have a lot of people there who have not assigned easements, and they would have to get eminent domain, and now they can’t do that. So I think, as a practical matter, it may very well stop the project,” he says.

Taylor says their focus continues to be on getting Iowa lawmakers to block the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines here. “There have been several eminent domain bills that have come out of the Iowa House, but they get stopped by Senate leadership. This may change the dynamics a little bit in the Senate, and hopefully we could get a bill through the Senate this year,” Taylor says. Taylor can’t says how likely it is Iowa lawmakers will pass such a bill. “It’s hard to know, but it certainly looks like we’ve got a better shot this year,” Taylor says.

Landowners opposed to carbon pipelines and the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter are holding a Carbon Pipeline Opposition Rally at the Capitol on Tuesday to call on the Iowa Senate to pass a pipeline bill. A spokesperson for Summit Carbon Solutions issued this statement:

“It’s very unfortunate that, despite our approvals in Iowa, North Dakota, and Minnesota, South Dakota changed the rules in the middle of the game. This kind of regulatory uncertainty creates real challenges-not just for our project, but for the ethanol plants in South Dakota that now face a competitive disadvantage compared to their counterparts in neighboring states. While this presents obstacles, our project moves forward in states that support investment and innovation, and we will have more news on that soon.”

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans will need to switch all of their clocks ahead an hour this weekend as we shift back to Daylight Saving Time, and a pediatrician says if you have kids, start getting them prepared for the change tonight. Pediatrician Dr. Casy Freymiller says one thing to try is something called bedtime fading. “It’s the process of doing just short little 15-minute increments of going to bed earlier those few days before Daylight Saving,” Freymiller says, “so those little, small changes aren’t as the big of a change as the hour clock moving forward.”

While an hour may not seem like much, he says getting kids ready for the change in routine is crucial. “Preparing for it and doing that in advance can go a long way,” Freymiller says. “Letting your child know that this is happening in advance, especially during the daylight, goes a long way. They don’t like surprises about bedtime at bedtime, and so definitely doing that earlier can be helpful.” Studies find kids — and teens especially — are prone to the health impacts of getting less sleep.

Radio Iowa photo

“Sleep is very important. It has really quite a lot of benefits that we talk about. The things that I think about are improved mood and improved emotions and how to regulate them,” he says. “It helps us form our memories and learn things during our day-to-day school routine and helps us concentrate, helps us stay on task.”

New data from the C-D-C shows only 23% of high schoolers averaged at least eight hours of sleep per night in 2023. A decade earlier, that number was 32%.

(Corning, Iowa) – [updated] – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests. On Feb. 13th, 37-year-old Daniel Travis Gresham was arrested for Felony Burglary in the 3rd Degree. He was booked into the Adams County Jail, posted a $5,000 bond, and later plead not guilty. Gresham’s jury trial was set for 9:30-a.m. on June 4th.

On February 14th, Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies conducting a traffic stop arrested the driver, 54-year-old Rhonda Jane Thompson, for: OWI/1st offense; Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense; Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs/1st offense, and Speeding. Thompson was transported to the Adams County Jail and processed without incident.

On February 21st, Adams County Deputies arrested 55-year-old Howard Gene Herring, for Felony Burglary in the 3rd Degree. Herring posted a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on April 1st.

(Radio Iowa) – Six employees at the National Weather Service office in the Quad Cities have been dismissed as part of the Trump administration’s overhaul of the agency, which has seen the recent firing of hundreds of workers nationwide. Ray Wolf, a retired meteorologist with the Quad Cities branch of the N-W-S, says staffing shortages have been a chronic issue.  Wolf says, “As the office starts to lose the number of forecasters they have, their ability to staff up during events like the derecho a couple of years ago becomes harder and harder.”’

The N-W-S provides weather forecasts and warnings, and employs roughly 12-thousand people across the country. Wolf says they’ve faced hiring shortages, and the hiring freeze and dismissals will affect numerous day-to-day operations. “To lose the probationary employees, some of whom were pushing years’ worth of experience, it takes time to spin people up in the job,” Wolf says. “So you had people who were ready to go and contribute, and those folks were eliminated.”

Illinois Congressman Eric Sorenson, who represents the Quad Cities, said in a statement the decision was reckless and will do irreparable harm. There is no confirmation about the extent of layoffs from the weather service office in metro Des Moines, or in Omaha, Sioux Falls and La Crosse, which also provide forecasts for parts of Iowa. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say they’re not discussing internal personnel and management matters.

(Radio Iowa) – President Trump has appointed former state Senator Brad Zaun to be regional director of the Small Business Association. Zaun, the former mayor of Urbandale, was the first elected official in Iowa to endorse Trump before the 2016 Iowa Caucuses. Zaun served in the Iowa Senate for 20 years and lost his bid for reelection last year.

As regional administrator of the Small Business Administration, Zaun told Radio Iowa he will spend most of his time traveling Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. The agency provides loans as well as counseling and contracting advice to small businesses.

Former state Senator Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale) (official photo)

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Thursday), approved a contract addendum for County Engineer Nick Kauffman. The addendum, effective for the next Fiscal Year, is for a five-percent increase in salary. Supervisor Jodie Hoadley.

The Board also approved a Summer internship position. Engineer Kauffman said they had an Engineering student as an intern last summer, and it worked out well. The Supervisors authorized Board Chair Nathan Baier to sign the front page (title sheet) plans for the W1 Lee (Township) Bridge Project. Bid letting for the project, the engineer’s cost estimate for which is $235,625, will take place March 31st. And, the Adair County Supervisors approved the signing of a contract and performance bond for the FY 25 Rock contract for a Farm-to-Market road.

They then passed a resolution setting the date for a joint hearing with the Cass County Board of Supervisors, to vacate a portion of Adair-Cass Avenue, as March 18th at 9:05-a.m. Earlier this week, the Cass County Board of Supervisors passed a similar resolution.

In other business, the Supervisors approved renewing an agreement with Mike Mangels for mowing at the Grove Cemetery, at a rate of $25.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Deputy Auditor Sheri Wendt reports a Special Election for the City of Lewis will take place April 29, 2025. The election is to fill the position of Mayor in Lewis, that was recently left vacant. If you live within the City Limits of Lewis, Iowa, you may now circulate your nomination papers and turn them into the Cass County Auditor’s Office.

You have until April 4th to file nomination papers with the Auditor’s Office, in order to have your name on the ballot for the Special Election. Persons with questions may call the Cass County Auditor’s Office at (712)-243-4570.

(Des Moines, Iowa/Iowa Capital Dispatch) – A bill advanced from the House Agriculture Committee Wednesday that would establish a pilot program to reduce the average, statewide use of commercial nitrogen fertilizer. House Study Bill 165 was amended in the committee to task the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship with the administration and development of the pilot program. The program would work with farmers to evaluate crop production strategies that “enhance nitrogen management” in the state. Rep. Jon Dunwell, R-Newton, said the amendment calls for a $2 million appropriation from the fiscal year 2026 general fund. This would create a dispersal fund for the program and incentives to participating farmers who would be paid at least $5 per farmed acre that is involved in the program.

Dunwell said the goal of the pilot program is to reduce the statewide average use of commercial nitrogen fertilizers by 15%, or 30 pounds per acre. An earlier version of the bill tasked IDALS to implement a commercial fertilizer study, rather than a pilot program, to “determine innovations that may be practically incorporated as part of crop production practices.” According to a recent study from Iowa State University, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer needed to “maximize the profitability” in corn production has increased by about 1.2%, annually, for the past three decades. The study, which looked at corn production in the Midwest, attributes the increased need to the “nutrient demands of higher yields.”

Researchers said the trend is also likely to continue, and that rising optimum nitrogen rates would be “even higher” if it weren’t for increased use of nutrient efficiency practices like crop rotation, improved drainage, spring fertilizer application and more informed application tools. IDALS recently updated its nutrient reduction strategy, which included several practices aimed specifically at reducing overall nitrogen application. The department also promoted a new, free calculator developed by the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative that helps farmers determine the best rate of nitrogen application for their farm. These efforts from IDALS were part of the department’s participation in a larger, 12-state task force to address the growing size of the hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico by reducing nutrient levels in the Mississippi River Basin.

The efforts also seek to reduce nutrient levels from non-point source polluters in Iowa waters. The bill moves next to the full House for debate.

(Lewis, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board is holding an “Outdoor Mobile Apps Program.” Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning will give a presentation pertaining to Outdoor Mobile Apps, in the Community Room at the Atlantic Public Library (507 Poplar St.), on Saturday, March 15th, beginning at 11-a.m.

All ages welcome to attend the presentation. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Bring your phones, or tablets to discover how to use outdoor apps you might be interested in, everything from plants, birding, to hunting!

(An example of an outdoor mobile app)

The Cass County Conservation Board says they hope you to see you there!

(Atlantic, Iowa)- The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, reviewed and approved the final plans for the 2025 Downtown Street Improvement Project. City Engineer Dave Sturm updated the Council on the milling and asphalt overlay project, and said the cost estimate of just just $1.8-million City Administrator John Lund had prepared for his Council agenda informational packet, was correct. He also mentioned a project completion timeline.

Sturm said the contractor will have dates which they are not allowed to work – IF the project is not completed beforehand – of events where such work would interfere with those events, like AtlanticFest. He addressed concerns of some business owners, the public and Councilman Gerald Brink, that the street work would be disruptive to the point of being “a disaster” with regard to the process of milling and overlaying the pavement.

It’s a large project, involving 22 blocks of paving. The project includes the following sections of the downtown area in Atlantic, and have been in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for many years: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Streets, from Poplar Street to Walnut Street, Chestnut Street, from the Depot Station to 7th Street, and Walnut Street, north of 7th Street.

A public hearing on authorizing the bid letting for the project will be held 5:30-p.m. April 2nd, in the Council’s Chambers inside the Atlantic City Hall. Sturm said the public will receive reasonable notice of when and where the work will begin, to avoid parking issues.

Dave Sturm said the work does NOT include a concrete project for other streets in the City.

Both the asphalt milling/overlay, and separate concrete projects were included in the bonds the Council approved earlier during Wednesday’s meeting.