(Radio Iowa) – The deadline is next week for Iowans who are involved in the film industry to submit entries for this year’s Iowa Motion Picture Awards. The honors recognize outstanding creative and technical achievement in Iowa’s motion picture industry in all of its forms, according to Jim Brockhohn, president of the Forest City-based Iowa Motion Picture Association. “Anybody can enter,” Brockhohn says. “You just have to have a connection in Iowa, whether it be the director, the writer, an actor.”

The association was founded as a way to showcase the film and media talents of Iowans, and this is the 34th year for the awards. Brockhohn says there’s a new feature this year. “We did partner up with the Fridley Theaters and the Fleur Cinema and Cafe for our film festival,” Brockhohn says. “We’re going to be having films from the nominees. All the nominees are going to show their films the week leading up to our award show. So that will be Monday through Friday on May 26th through May 30th.”

The deadline to submit entries is January 31st. Nominees will be notified at the end of March, with the awards event planned for May 31st at the Palms Theaters in Waukee.

(On the web at impa.tv)

(Radio Iowa) – After months of troubles, power outages and delays, the sale of the Marshalltown Mall to a new owner is expected to be finalized today. Jeff Strong is co-owner of Reserve Development, an investment group based in Dallas, Texas. “Even though we’ve never bought a mall before, it is what we do,” Strong says. “We buy vacant properties. We have a specialized niche in buying mostly vacant or vacant properties. It’s just something satisfying about bringing that back to life.” The current owner, Kohen Retail Investment Group, has been criticized for its management of the mall. Strong says they bought one property from Kohen before.

“We had bought something from this owner in Texas, similar situation as the mall situation, but it was a strip center out front. Only had one tenant,” Strong says. “The previous owner, they have a certain model that they use, one that I don’t necessarily subscribe to, where you don’t spend any money, but if you just put some money into the project, you can attract all kind of tenants.” He says rejuvenating the Marshalltown Mall will not be a minor undertaking. “This is a big project. This will be one of the bigger projects we’ve done,” Strong says. “As of today, we won’t spend less than 30 million. I don’t know how much above that it’ll be, but it won’t be less than 30 million.”

The Marshalltown Mall opened in 1972 and at one point had JCPenney and Younkers as anchors. (Historic photo from KFJB)

Strong says that includes the purchase of the property and any renovations.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold a Budget Work Session Friday in Atlantic, beginning at 9-a.m.  During their meeting the Board will hold conference call with Jason Comisky, Bond Counsel, with regard to unspent bond proceeds. Afterward, the Board will:

• Discuss Salaries and Wages
• Hold talks with the Cass County Treasurer, and Budget Discussions with the following Department Heads/specified areas:
  • Sanitarian
  • Medical Examinations
  • 2017 Agribusiness (TIF)
  • Local Option Sales Tax (LOST)
  • Road Clearing
  • Wed eradication
  • Insurance Trust Fund
  • Transfers
  • Non-Departmental
  • and Cass County Auditor.

Their meeting takes place in the Supervisor’s Board Room inside the Cass County Courthouse.

(Massena, Iowa) – [Updated] The CAM and Nodaway Valley School District Boards of Education held a joint Special meeting Wednesday evening at the CAM Elementary School, in Massena. The Board began the process of finding a replacement for Superintendent Paul Croghan, by agreeing to select a search firm.

Superintendent Croghan…

Nodaway Valley holds the contract of Superintendent Paul Croghan, who they chose to remove from the position last November.

The Nodaway Valley Board wants to include CAM with each step of the upcoming search and hiring process because of the strong potential that CAM could continue sharing a superintendent with NV. It’s hoped a replacement for the Superintendent can be in place by July 1^st.

In other business, the Boards discussed and acted on renewing of the Pearson Virtual Schools (Connections Academy) contract.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett, Wednesday evening, updated the City Council on the Bull Creek Improvement Project, which was selected during a Mayor’s Design Workshop in Ames last year, in partnership with Iowa State University’s College of Design and ISU Extension and Outreach. The workshop team will provide recommendations and possible resources that will help the City move forward, including access to ISU students who will assist in the process.

Bull Creek erosion (Snyder & Associates photo) https://www.snyder-associates.com/projects/municipal-engineering-planning-services-communities/

Bull Creek has been a topic of discussion for several years. In August 2024, the Mayor said the Workshop she attended was an amazing experience and a good opportunity for the City of Atlantic.

The Iowa Mayors Design Workshop served as a space to identify and address complex design issues communities in Iowa face. The two-day workshop brought together mayors and community leaders from six Iowa towns to connect with ISU faculty, research and extension staff, and design professionals from local firms to enhance the vitality of their regions for current and future generations.

(Iowa News Service) A company working to create sustainable energy sources is investing in corn to make jet fuel, which it said burns far cleaner than the traditional, petroleum-based version. Some Iowa farmers see it as a market for their crops in addition to the ethanol they already create. Alyssa Shousse, a corn farmer near Griswold, sees producing jet fuel with her corn as an opportunity to create sustainable energy from her crops beyond ethanol and on a much bigger scale. Jets used nearly 100 billion gallons of fuel last year.

“It’s an absolutely insane number,” Shousse acknowledged. “If there’s a better way that we can break into that market, make it a little bit more renewable, I think any of that is good for making a better impact for the environment.” Supporters want federal lawmakers to create incentives to encourage more sustainable airline fuel production in Iowa and across the U.S., perhaps creating incentives mirroring the support ethanol receives.

Patrick Gruber is CEO of the fuel development firm Gevo, which has facilities in Iowa and is part of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition. He said it is competitive with traditional jet fuel and far more environmentally friendly. “A petro-jet spews out about 22 pounds of CO2 per gallon,” Gruber pointed out. “We can eliminate that whole footprint of 22 pounds.”

Supporters argued sustainable aviation fuel burns cleaner than traditional jet fuel. They want to expand the practice to include more sectors of agriculture. Critics have countered the effects of agricultural-based jet fuel are still up in the air.

(Iowa News Service) – Advocates for young Iowans worry proposed federal cuts could affect families who rely on Medicaid for their health care. A new national report argued the number of kids covered by the program is already heading in the wrong direction. The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families said nearly 4.2 million fewer children were enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program by the end of 2023, as states cut their Medicaid rolls when pandemic-related assistance programs ended.

Anne Discher, executive director of the advocacy group Common Good Iowa, said proposed cuts, projected to be as much as $2.5 trillion, would have an especially damaging effect on Iowa’s rural kids. “Thirty-nine percent of kids in rural areas are covered by Medicaid compared to adults,” Discher reported. “Whereas about 17% (of people) in rural areas are covered by Medicaid. ” The report showed Iowa ranks 22nd in the nation for the number of kids covered by the program.

She stressed proposed cuts could sever the only access many Iowa kids have to staying healthy. “Medicaid is health insurance,” Discher emphasized. “It’s really what unlocks the door for kids so that they can go see a doctor when they’re sick. They can get well child care. Their parents can get medications when they need them or they can go to the hospital without parents having to choose between their health or buying groceries or paying the rent.”

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, said Medicaid should have been an issue in the November election but was ignored. “There was complete silence about it, despite the fact that it is the largest source of public coverage by far in the United States,” Alker observed. “It’s also a very popular program with the voters of all political stripes.”

Alker added the cuts will impact rural areas hardest, not just in Iowa but nationwide.

(Radio Iowa) – The man charged in the 1983 shooting death of a Sioux City woman is fighting his extradition back to Iowa. Sixty-two-year-old Thomas Duane Popp was arrested January 11th in Washington state on a first-degree murder charge in the death of then 18-year-old Terri McCauley.

The Woodbury County Attorney’s office confirms that Popp is still being held in Cowlitz County Washington on a 750-thousand dollar bond. Terri McCauley was last seen alive in September of 1983 and her body was found in October after her mother filed a missing persons report. McCauley had been shot to death with a shotgun.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission will get more input on a potential casino license for Linn County during their meeting in Jefferson today (Thursday). The Commission will hear a presentation from the two companies that performed studies on the state’s gambling market and how a new casino might impact the existing venues. It will be the first public discussion of the studies they received at the end of December.

The commissioners will also question the Cedar Rapids Development Group and the Linn County Gaming Association about their proposal for a casino on the Cedar River. These are the final steps before commissioners vote on whether to award the gambling license at a special meeting on February 6th.