January 9, 2025 (DES MOINES, IA) – Rural Iowa grocers and food producers are among the recipients of Rural Innovation Grants, as announced today by Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). More than $275,000 in awards are being distributed to 20 small businesses through the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative.  “Entrepreneurship in rural areas builds sustainable, resilient communities,” said Debi Durham, director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority. “These grants help businesses continue to turn a profit and grow, while providing good-paying jobs and keeping wealth right at home.”

The Rural Innovation Grant program supports creative, nontraditional ideas that address critical issues and development challenges faced by communities that have both fewer than 20,000 people and are not located next to a city with a population more than 40,000. This year’s Rural Innovation Grants focus on independently owned grocery stores struggling to upgrade technology or adopt new service delivery models; small food producers, to assist in getting their products into new markets; and second-stage growth companies — those that have been operating for a few years with sales typically more than $1 million — that are looking to sell to markets outside Iowa.

The most recent application round opened in September. IEDA received 40 applications — 27 from rural grocers, nine from food producers and four from second-stage growth companies. Selected recipients include:

• Freeman Foods, North English & Wellman — Technology upgrades at both grocery locations will support online ordering, as well as pick-up and delivery services. Point-of-sale and back-office systems will also be updated to better serve customers, particularly aging populations and those living in rural areas of Washington and Keokuk counties.
• La Perla Jarocha Store, Webster City — Along with current products from Latin America and other countries, increased storage capacity will allow for a more diverse inventory, including a year-round selection of fresh produce and perishable goods. A partnership with Crooked Creek, a produce farm in Auburn, will offer consistent supply. La Perla Jarocha also plans to expand its digital presence.
• Woods Super Market, Pocahontas — The only grocery store in Pocahontas County will install electronic shelf tags throughout for seamless and accurate price changes. This will save staff time and help the store remain competitive.
• Calyx Creek Lavendar & Lodging, Oxford — Production of culinary lavender products will be brought on-site. Using its own Iowa-grown lavender will allow for the creation of six to eight new culinary lavender products, including lavender-infused baking mixes, lavender syrups, a variety of flavors, drink blends and culinary lavender buds.
• Lansing Housing Products Inc., Lansing — Its patented Tough Tek Metals safety screens are highly effective for child safety, and exceed standards for vandalism, hail and hurricane impacts. This manufacturer is focused on expanding into public schools across the United States and regions prone to hurricanes.

For more information on the Center for Rural Revitalization programs, visit iowaeda.com/center-for-rural-revitalization.

(Radio Iowa) – The chairman of the newly-created House Higher Education Committee is calling on a state board to block the University of Iowa’s plan for a new School of Social and Cultural Analysis. Representative Taylor Collins, a Republican from Mediapolis, says it’s merely a name change that would let the university’s Gender Studies programming continue. “It has now become clear that the academic programs, many of the ones that legislators were concerned about, instead of eliminating them, they are now combining them into an entire school,” Collins says, “basically a ‘School of Wokeness.'” Last month, University Iowa officials proposed closing the Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies Department and the Department of American Studies — and creating a new School of Social and Cultural Analysis.

Collins initially praised the plan, saying the university was responding to the agenda of the House Higher Education Committee before the panel holds its first meeting. Now, the chairman of the SENATE Education Committee and Representative Collins are both calling on the Board of Regents to reject the plan. “Iowans are no longer interested in funding these kind of academic programs like Gender Studies,” Collins says. “Our universities need to be focused on providing for the workforce needs of the state, not peddling an ideological agenda.” Collins says some of the newly-appointed members of the Board of Regents will be change agents and allies in efforts to rid the state universities of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

University of Iowa officials have said the new School of Social and Cultural Analysis is part of a multi-year plan to reconstruct the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to better serve students and faculty. Administrators say many of the graduates from a new School of Social and Cultural Analysis would be employed in community and social services, where job openings are projected to grow eight percent over the next decade.

(DES MOINES) – The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors recently approved more than $5.7 million in grants to assist 48 agencies with homelessness assistance initiatives during the 2025 calendar year. IFA Directo Debi Durham says “The homelessness assistance awards announced today will have a direct impact in helping thousands of Iowans in their time of need. Iowa’s homeless service professionals work tirelessly to help get Iowans back on their feet and into permanent housing, and this funding will aid in those efforts.”

Individuals in need of homelessness assistance should visit iowahousinghelp.com or call the coordinated entry system at 833-739-0065. Residents of Des Moines or Polk County should call centralized intake at 515-248-1850. Residents in the Siouxland area should visit siouxlandhomeless.org or call 712-224-5247.

The funding is made available through the federal Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, the State-funded Shelter Assistance Fund (SAF) and the federal Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program. The Iowa Finance Authority conducted competitive application processes for the ESG and SAF programs, while HOPWA funding is distributed by formula based upon Iowa Department of Public Health data. Applications were scored in several categories, including project design, experience and capacity, community partnerships, performance, budget and grants management.

In the KJAN listening area, the following entities received SAF and/or ESG grants:

• Heartland Family Service (Pottawattamie County) – $62, 957 (ESG)
• MICAH House (Pott. County) – $125,452 (SAF)
• New Visions Homeless Services (Pott. County) – $149,082 (SAF); $71,262 ESG
• Siouxland Community Health Center (Serving Adams, Audubon, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pott., Sac, Shelby & Taylor Counties, plus 16 others) – $154,451. (HOPWA)

Emergency Solutions Grant Program (ESG)
The primary purpose of the Federal Emergency Solutions Grant program is to help Iowans and their families quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness. Examples of eligible services include rental and other emergency financial assistance, street outreach, case management and supportive services. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and by the Iowa Finance Authority in Iowa. Twenty-seven agencies were awarded a total of more than $2.9 million in 2025 Emergency Solutions Grant Program funds.

Shelter Assistance Fund (SAF)
The State-funded Shelter Assistance Fund program provides assistance to help with the costs of operations of homeless and domestic violence shelters, essential services for the homeless and evaluation and reporting services. Thirty agencies were awarded a total of more than $1.7 million in 2025 Shelter Assistance Fund grants.

Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS is a federal program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development designed to assist persons who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and their families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Five agencies were awarded a total of more than $1 million in 2025 Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS grants.

The list of awards is available here.

(Radio Iowa) – The state Appeals Court has upheld a Cedar Rapids man’s murder convictions in the shooting death of his father, mother, and sister in June of 2021. Alexander Jackson was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his family members. Jackson had claimed there was an intruder in the basement of the family’s home on the day of the murders and they struggled and he was shot in the foot. Jackson appealed his convictions saying there was not enough evidence, some evidence should not have been allowed, and questioned the jury instructions.

The Appeals Court ruled the jury instructions were proper, testimony from one police officer should not have been allowed, but it did not impact the case. The court concluded its ruling by saying there was overwhelming evidence of Jackson’s guilt.

(Stuart, Iowa) – Officials with the Stuart Fire Department said on social media, Guthrie County Communications dispatched Stuart Fire and EMS to a residential fire in Stuart. The call went out at around 5:46-a.m. today (Thursday). When Stuart Fire arrived on the scene, they confirmed flames showing, and the mobile home was fully involved. At that time, Stuart requested Menlo and Dexter Fire.

When firefighters arrived, they learned the lone occupant was out of the structure. Stuart FD quickly initiated an exterior attack. Within minutes the fire was knocked down. The fire appears to have started as a result of the wood burning stove. The structure is considered a total loss. There were no injuries to fire personnel or occupant of the home.

Agencies on scene were; Stuart Fire, Menlo Fire, Dexter Fire, Redfield Fire, Guthrie County Sheriff, Stuart Police, and Adair & Guthrie County EMA.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – In a continuation of their budget planning strategy, the Adair County Board of Supervisors will meet Friday morning to hear formal budget requests from various governmental bodies. The first session is at 9-a.m.  The last budget request for the day will be heard at 10:10-a.m.  On the schedule to present budget requests, is:

9:00 a.m. Jotham Arber – Environmental Health FY26 Budget Request

9:15 a.m. Stephanie Claussen – Adair County Home Care FY26 Budget Request

9:30 a.m. County Libraries FY26 Budget Request

9:55 a.m. Historical Society FY26 Budget Request

10:10 a.m. Brenda Dudley – Midwest Partnership FY26 Budget Request

Fair Board FY26 Budget Request

SICOG FY26 Budget Request

On Wednesday, the Board took budget requests from representatives with: The DHS; Southern Iowa Trolley; MATURA; RC&D; Adair County Ag Extension, and Tourism officials.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are once again teaming up with Iowa State Ag and Biosystems Engineering specialists to bring planter equipment expertise to farms across the state. Planter University workshops are set for Feb. 3-7 and 11, 2025. The series begins in Southwest Iowa, with a session in Atlantic set for Monday February 3rd at the Cass County Community Center. The workshops are an opportunity for farmers, agricultural service providers, equipment and precision ag dealers, and others to gain insight into how planters function; how to optimize settings for individual seed, field and equipment needs; and improve understanding of planter wear and calibration.

“Planter University goes far beyond a typical planter clinic and provides attendees direct access to specialists with expertise in planter technology and settings,” said Meaghan Anderson, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “We are excited to host these workshops across the state again this February.” Specialists from the Iowa State Digital Ag group will lead each workshop and focus on small-group, hands-on learning with row units representing a variety of technologies currently available for planters. The Digital Ag group is renowned for its key industry partnerships and unique expertise in equipment development and precision agriculture. Meetings will also offer continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisers.

“Former participants overwhelmingly enjoyed the workshop approach and stated the workshop improved their ability to confidently make adjustments during planting season,” said Levi Powell, Iowa State ag and biosystems engineering program specialist. “We are going to help attendees better understand the physics behind traditional and high-speed planters and how to evaluate planting performance, because every planter, operator and operation is different. This event will focus on how to dial in the right settings for you and your operation,” added Ben Covington, Iowa State ag and biosystems engineering program specialist.

The training will be offered at six locations. Attendance will be limited to maintain small group sizes and allow for hands-on activities. Registration for each location is $100 and closes seven days ahead of each meeting. There is no on-site registration available. Registration is now open online , and closes on Monday January 20th for the Atlantic location. A registration link is available on the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass or by visiting https://go.iastate.edu/planter.

Registration includes lunch, refreshments, reference materials, seed depth tool, closing wheel hold up bracket and CCA credits. Registration check-in opens at 8:30 a.m. and the program begins at 9 a.m. The program concludes at 3 p.m. at the following dates and locations:

Feb. 3 – Cass County Community Center, Atlantic
Feb. 4 – Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm, Sutherland
Feb. 5 – Northern Research and Demonstration Farm, Kanawha
Feb. 6 – Heartland Acres Agribition Center, Independence
Feb. 7 – Crystal Creek Enterprises, 2457 Highway 30, DeWitt
Feb. 11 – Alliant Energy Ag Innovation Lab, 3800 University Boulevard, Ames

Additional Winter Agronomy Education Offerings:

Registrations are still open for the 2025 Crop Advantage session on January 21 in Atlantic, with an opportunity for farmers and crop advisers to hear current research and crop production information from Iowa State University. The meeting includes catered lunch and continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisers (CCA). Private pesticide applicator continuing education will be available and will require a separate fee payable at the location. The Atlantic Crop Advantage meeting will be held at Cass County Community Center (805 West 10th Street., Atlantic, IA) on January 21, 2025. Registration check-in opens at 8:30 AM and the program runs from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Program highlights include a 2025 weather outlook, a deep dive into nitrification inhibitors, short corn research, DOT regulations for agricultural use, and managing waterhemp.

This meeting is part of a series being held at multiple locations across the state throughout the month of January. For more program details and registration information, for Atlantic or other Crop Advantage locations, including dates, times, and program details visit: https://go.iastate.edu/cropadvantage. Early registration for each location is $75; late registration completed less than seven days prior to the meeting, or on-site, is $100. Early registration for the Atlantic location closes at midnight on January 14th.

CropsTV online learning is also returning for a fifth season, providing the convenience of crop production education at home, office or anywhere there’s an internet connection. Watch the episodes on-demand, on your schedule. The CropsTV program contains topics selected to best fit an online learning environment with supplemental materials and links to resources. Many topics are unique to CropsTV. Instructors are Iowa State University faculty, staff, extension specialists and guest presenters from around the Midwest. This program is exclusively on-demand and episodes will be available for viewing from Jan. 7 through April 15 for subscribers. CropsTV features 25+ episodes that cover a variety of topics selected from the Integrated Crop Management Conference, Crop Advantage Series, or are exclusive to CropsTV. Registration and viewing for CropsTV Season 5 is now open online for a $100 subscription fee at https://go.iastate.edu/cropstv.

For Planter University or Crop Advantage registration questions, please reach out to Registration Services at registrations@iastate.edu or 515-294-6222. For all other questions, email crops@iastate.edu or contact local extension field agronomist Aaron Saeugling at clonz5@iastate.edu.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service proposes a critical habitat zone to protect endangered freshwater mussels along part of Iowa’s southeastern border. The plan to protect “spectaclecase” mussels covers four-thousand miles of rivers in 17 states, including a portion of the Mississippi River from the Quad-Cities to Keokuk. Agency biologist Nick Utrup says the designations are critical for the recovery of the mussel species, but they won’t change agency operations much.

Utrup says, “It gives us another tool in the toolbox, so to speak, so we can look at these specific areas and say, ‘What can we do here in this one very specific critical habitat unit to help recover the species?'” Setting up what’s referred to as a critical habitat zone for the mussel means any federally funded projects in the area must first be approved by U-S Fish and Wildlife. Utrup says mussel harvesting for button manufacturing in the late 1800s was one of the biggest reasons for their population decline in the Mississippi.

“That was a huge problem,” Utrup says. “Once you knock back a species like that, it takes a long time to recreate the numbers and to bring them back to where they used to be.” The agency is taking public comments on the proposal until February 11th, though Utrup said the proposal may not be approved until fall.