(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Senate has unanimously endorsed the idea of adding mental health professionals who a masters degree to a state program that helps nurses and physicians assistants repay their college loans.  Republican Senator Tim Kraayenbrink, of Fort Dodge, says “All the recipients are required to work in rural areas. The bill helps address some of our shortfalls and shortages in mental health in our rural areas.”

The loan repayment program is ONLY available to those who work full-time in a rural community and the state grants are NOT subject to income taxes. Senator Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, says there’s bipartisan support for this move. “Mental health professionals — and we don’t have enough overall — but the ones we have, too many of them are concentrated in urban areas,” Quirmbach said. “I think this bill will help us get more of that type of medical assistance out to our smaller communities.”‘

The current program offers state grants to nurses and P-As and the money is to be used to repay student loans. It’s only available to those who are working in a rural area with “diminishing” health care services.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s former secretary of agriculture is back in the state to survey flood damage and talk to displaced residents, especially farmers who have had many hundreds of acres underwater. Bill Northey, now an undersecretary at the U-S-D-A, says it was “mind-boggling” to tour the disaster areas of water-logged southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri on Thursday.  “It’s devastating. We’ve talked to producers. This is one of the worst they’ve had,” Northey says. “We need to be able to work with our partners in other parts of the federal government to say how do we need to address the overall issue going forward, also, how do we need to respond to help people right now?”

Northey and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley plan to conduct a town hall meeting at the Mills County Fairgrounds in Hamburg this (Friday) afternoon at 1:30 p-m. Northey says he worries a wrecked levee system along the Missouri River is leaving the area vulnerable to more flooding, perhaps very soon. He says he knows fields are unprotected, as farmers wait for the water to recede. “This is going to take a long time to get out of the way so folks can get back to picking up debris and trying to rebuild levees and certainly get back to a more normal situation,” Northey says. “But it could be worse before it gets better as well.”

Northey says he’s overwhelmed by the scope of the damage he’s witnessing in the region, noting, flooding is always devastating but he wasn’t prepared for this. “It’s just mind-boggling to see it in person,” Northey says. “How much water there is and how much water has to get off of here to eventually make this land such that they can get out there and get some planting done.”

Northey says he has two messages for his boss, U-S Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue. First, farmers need help to recover — now, and second, changes are needed in how the Missouri River is managed to prevent another repeat.

(Thanks to Brent Martin, KFEQ, St. Joseph, MO.)

(Radio Iowa) — Floodwaters are gradually falling but residents in four southwest Iowa communities who are still subject to mandatory evacuation orders haven’t seen their homes in about two weeks. Matt Schoville and his family had to flee their home near Percival and have been staying at a campground outside of Sidney. Schoville says the dislocation has been devastating. “I really don’t know what we’re gonna do, it’s crazy,” Schoville says. “There’s not much to rent or to buy around this area, to even relocate for now.”

In Fremont County, part of Hamburg remains evacuated, while Percival, McPaul and Bartlett are fully evacuated. Mike Crecelius, Fremont County’s emergency management coordinator, says FEMA is helping people with losses but there’s a long recovery process ahead. “Some of our county roads aren’t even there anymore,” Crecelius says. “There was that much force with the water flowing south that we have large portions of county roads that are missing or there’s holes in them.”

Crecelius says this second major Missouri River flood within a decade is disastrous for the region. “Bartlett, in 2011, only had three to four feet of water in it,” Crecelius says, “and this time, Bartlett had water to where you could only see rooftops.”  He says the river needs to drop below flood stage before communities can start to see relief. The National Weather Service says snowmelt from South Dakota is coming down the river, and that’s one thing delaying water levels from dropping.

(Thanks to Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Transportation officials say it will take months to repair major roads in western Iowa damaged by spring flooding. The Des Moines Register reports that state transportation official Scott Suhr says crews were on site Thursday to inspect some of the worst damages on parts of Interstate’s 29 and 680, Highway 34 and state highway 2. Suhr says around 25 miles of interstate in southwest Iowa and roughly 14 miles of roads north of Council Bluffs remain closed Thursday afternoon due to washed away shoulders, eroded pavement and scattered waste.

Suhr noted his chief concern is state Highway 2, since portions are still submerged. Suhr added getting construction equipment into the area will be challenging because the ground is drenched, saying that inescapable spring downpours could muddy things.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Friday), approved the appointment of Chris Heuton, from rural Wiota, as Franklin Township Trustee. The appointment was made to fill a vacancy created by the death earlier this month of Ray Zellmer, and it is effective through the remainder of the term, ending 12/31/2020.

The Board also approved, after some minor editing by the Cass County Attorney, a partnership agreement for the purpose of creating, funding and overseeing a Wellness Coordinator position to serve the residents of Cass County. Board Chair Steve Baier said the agreement was between the County/Board of Supervisors, Cass County Agricultural Extension, CCMH, and the Nishna Valley Family YMCA. The agreement is for a period of 15 months, ending July 1, 2020. The County’s share of the cost will be paid for through the Local Option Sales Tax/Community Betterment Development.

In other business, the Board approved the renewal of a lease between the County and Partnership 4 Progress, for the Willow Heights building. And, they approved an agreement with the Iowa Dept. of Transportation for a Highway Safety Improvement Program as part of a Secondary Federal Aid Swap Project, and a related amendment for FY 2019.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon report cities in Cass County will conduct their outdoor warning siren tests at noon today (March 29th). And, siren tests will occur each Friday at noon throughout the summer season, except if there is an actual threat of severe weather.