(Radio Iowa) – The rumbling sound of snowblowers at work was rare in January. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says there just wasn’t much snow to blow.  “We’re in a snow drought across the state, anywhere from 14 to 22, inches below average for this season, we had about two inches of snowfall in January, a little over six inches below average. Near the top ten least snowy January is on record,” Glisan says. Glisan says there wasn’t much precipitation of any kind for most of January.

“We were working on the second driest January in 153 years of records, and the rainfall event across southern Iowa to end the month actually boosted the average a little over three tenths of an inch across the state, seven tenths of an inch below average,” he says. The top of the state had the biggest deficit. “The northern third of the state, driest January on record,” Glisan says. The statewide average puts us right around the 15th driest, again, out of 153 years of records.” Glisan says the dry January creates a situation that could be a problem is the snow picks up the rest of the winter.

“A lack of snow pack through the season has allowed a frost depth down to about 22 inches in central Iowa. That has implications if we do get a snow pack on the ground,” Glisan says. Glisan says if we do get snow the deeper frost will take longer to thaw and more of the water will run off instead of sinking into the soil. Glisan says January had some ups and downs, but the overall temperature wasn’t too out of normal.

“We’re about a degree below average. We came in about eighteen-point-four (18.4) degrees, preliminarily, so not exceedingly warm, not exceedingly cold. We did have a cold snap during the middle of the month, and then warmed up towards the end. So when you get that roller coaster type activity, it basically averages out,” he says. Glisan says early indications are for a colder and wetter February.

DES MOINES— Governor Kim Reynolds has introduced legislation to improve students’ math proficiency and civics education to the Iowa House and Senate.

Her office says a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education shows declining math scores among Iowa students. According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, Iowa fourth graders fell from 7th to 30th and our eighth graders from 15th to 23rd in the nation for math proficiency.

In order to improve math performance, Gov. Reynolds’ bill requires early screening and targeted intervention for students struggling with mathematics. The Iowa Department of Education will support schools and districts in identifying students and developing personalized mathematics plans.

Gov. Reynolds’ bill also proposes equipping teachers with evidence-based strategies and tools to effectively provide math instruction in the classroom. Her bill provides resources for parents to further support their children’s numeracy development at home.

“Our state’s math scores show there is plenty of room for improvement,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Next to early childhood literacy, nothing is a more proven indicator of future success than math proficiency. More than a quarter of Iowa fourth graders are not proficient in math—that is unacceptable. We must provide math instruction in the way we know it works to keep our students competitive and set them up to excel in life after school.”

Gov. Reynolds’ bill would also require high school students to score 60% or higher on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Naturalization Test to graduate. Her bill would provide accommodations for English language learners and students with disabilities. Students would be allowed to retake the exam until they achieve a passing score.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans on a House subcommittee have approved a bill to require any handouts in Iowa classrooms adhere to President Trump’s executive order renaming two landmarks. In January, Trump renamed Mount Denali as Mount McKinley and the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. “I think it’s just a matter of pointing that out.” That’s Representative Bob Henderson, a Republican from Sioux City who is a retired math teacher.

He says the bill does not require the purchase of new textbooks or wall maps with these name changes, but would apply to anything handed out — including tests. “The Department of Interior has officially changed the name of Mt. Denali back to Mt. McKinley as of….January 24,” Henderson said. “…Gulf of America seems to be a more appropriate name for that even though it has been about close to 200 years that it has been known as the Gulf of Mexico.” Henderson says it’s unclear when the Gulf of America will be its official name in federal records.

The president’s executive order gave the Department of Interior 30 days to make the change in the official federal database of all U-S geographic names. During a subcommittee hearing on the bill, Heaven Chamberlain of Bondurant called it silly. “We all know what the Gulf of Mexico is,” she said. “It does not need to be the Gulf of America.” Representative Mary Lee Madison of Des Moines, the only Democrat on the subcommittee, voted against the bill and criticized the name changes Trump has ordered.

“I think don’t think we have to jump every time somebody wants to do something,” Madison said. The bill’s sponsor is the chairman of the Education Committee in the Iowa House. Last week, a proposal that would have required all state agencies in Arkansas to update maps and educational materials failed in a committee in the Arkansas legislature.

Minden, Iowa – Community partnerships continue to drive progress forward in tornado stricken Minden. The latest support comes from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) through a Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery award in the amount of $1,172,042.

The IEDA award will support the development of three duplexes near Depot Street and Main Street, creating six new affordable housing units. The units will be developed by Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs and Neola-based Cook Construction & Remodeling.

“The support from IEDA is truly laying the foundation for new housing in Minden,” stated Mayor Kevin Zimmerman. “This funding is helping us to meet our community’s needs in a targeted and strategic manner.”

The duplexes will be constructed on land the City purchased with support from the Community Foundation for Western Iowa. The Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, which prepared the successful IEDA application, will administer the grant.

“The collaboration that allowed us to be in the position we are today has been unprecedented,” said Blake Johnson, Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs Executive Director. “We are thrilled to be part of Minden’s recovery efforts and are anxious to get started on these six units.”

Construction is anticipated to begin in the spring, with the units expected to be listed for sale in the fall. The two bedroom, two bathroom units will each be nearly 1,300 square feet.

For more information on the City’s overall tornado recovery efforts, visit https://mindeniowa.com/recovery.

February 3, 2025 (DES MOINES) — The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) today (Monday) awarded $93,846 in Certified Local Government (CLG) grants to historic preservation projects in Des Moines, Mount Pleasant and Red Oak, as well as Benton, Louisa, Madison and Muscatine counties. Also, the city of Keokuk will receive a $13,460 grant to plan for future historic preservation.

The latest awards will support CLG projects that include:

• The nomination of two downtown districts — in Earlham and Mount Pleasant — to the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. The Madison County Historic Preservation Commission completed a survey in  2020 and determined the area retains its historic and contextual significance.
• A plan for a comprehensive citywide historic survey in Des Moines.
• A survey of Red Oak’s historic East Hill district, which features many homes that were constructed for the city’s founders.

“Historic preservation not only encourages public appreciation locally, but it boosts a community’s visibility to outsiders who want to experience those stories and places for themselves,” said IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham. “Giving people reasons to travel and stay longer supports community revitalization and is a vehicle for economic development.”

The CLG program encourages governmental partnerships, provides training and technical assistance and supports preservation of historic resources at the local level. Iowa’s CLG program is one of the largest in the nation and is administered by IEDA’s State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service. Funding comes from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service.

While not yet part of the CLG program, Keokuk received a Planning for Preservation grant, which aims to help Iowa communities establish a strong foundation for future historic preservation efforts in their community.

Funding for the selected CLG projects will be distributed in the form of matching grants. Download a list of today’s awards.

(Radio Iowa) – The Midwestern economy improved slightly during January, according to the latest Creighton University survey, but Iowa’s economy continued to struggle.

Creighton economist Ernie Goss says supply managers are fearful new tariffs will hurt business, and in anticipation, many firms increased inventory levels during January and boosted imports to a record high. For only the third time since last July, Goss says the overall Business Conditions Index climbed above growth neutral.

“It’s much like what the Federal Reserve had to say last week,” Goss says. “The economy is doing okay, but it’s skimming like a stone, skimming across the water. It goes below the water and above the water, below the water, above the water. That’s the way the manufacturing economy in Mid America is doing, according to our survey.”

Ernie Goss (Creighton University photo)

The survey is based on a zero-to-100 scale, with 50 being growth neutral. For January, Iowa’s economy hit a regional low of 43.1, which was up from December’s score of 40.8. Still, Goss says more employers in the region added to their workforces during the month.

“Hiring, wow, it went up above growth neutral, and this is the first time in some time it’s risen above growth neutral,” Goss says. “We’ve had almost a year of below growth neutral readings, and it rose to 51.1 and that’s up from December’s 46.4 and that’s almost, I won’t call it great news, but it was good news compared to what we’ve been seeing.”

For a fourth straight month, Goss says the wholesale price inflation gauge rose, but it continues to indicate modest inflation. Because of that, he expects the Federal Reserve to pause on any interest rate change at its next meeting in mid-March.

Despite weak manufacturing employment readings over the past year, Goss says about one in five firms reported labor shortages.

“The nation’s lost for 2024 about 93,000 jobs, and that’s about eight-tenths of 1%,” Goss says. “Our Mid America region lost about 7,900 jobs in the year, and that’s about five-tenths of 1%.”

According to the latest U.S. International Trade Administration data, Iowa experienced a $1.5 billion drop in 2024 year-to-date manufacturing exports compared to the same period in 2023 for a 9.6% decline.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood report a woman from Malvern was arrested Sunday. 33-year-old Jennifer Schraft was arrested for OWI/1st offense. She posted a $1,000 bond, and was released. Also arrested Sunday in Glenwood, was 32-year-old Rebecca Durr, of Glenwood. Durr was taken into custody on a Pottawattamie County warrant, and held without bond in the Mills County Jail.