OSKALOOSA, Iowa — The Mahaska County 911 Communications Center says the City of Oskaloosa owes them a lot of money for their services. The county’s 911 director told KCCI-TV that the city owes them over $860,000. Records provided by the director show the same. The records also show invoices and checks exchanged between the two entities. The city’s most recent payment was submitted in April for just under $238,000. The city council approved a voluntary payment of more than $275,000 to the EMA 911 Monday night. Mayor David Krutzfeldt said the payment is voluntary because their agreement with the Mahaska County Emergency Management Commission ended in 2022. The city received a bill for more than $513,000 for fiscal year 2024-25, on July 1st.

City manager Amal Eltahir said those are speculative numbers and that the city would deal with that amount in six months. Some residents are  worried that if the city doesn’t foot the bill, 911 services could disappear in Oskaloosa. The mayor said emergency services are a priority and that they wouldn’t be going anywhere.

It wasn’t immediately clear what would happen if the City doesn’t pay the most recent invoice.

(Des Moines, Iowa [KCCI]) – The City of Des Moines is making strides in addressing homelessness by intensifying efforts to clear homeless camps while also providing supportive measures to help individuals find stable housing. KCCI-TV reports on Monday night, the City Council passed the second reading of a homeless camping ordinance, with a date for the third reading to be determined.

The new ordinance reduces the notification period for clearing homeless camps from 10 days to 24 hours and introduces a potential $50 fine for violators, though the city emphasizes compliance over penalties. The ordinance also includes initiatives like temporary storage for personal belongings, pet shelters, improved transportation, and efforts to increase affordable housing.

A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has facilitated the removal of homeless camps and people sleeping in public spaces for cities like Des Moines.A study shows that 50,000 additional affordable housing units are needed in the next 20 years.

(Radio Iowa) – A teenager has been arrested in connection with the stabbing death of a 23 year old yesterday (Monday) a Des Moines suburb. Waukee Police say they were called to a residential neighborhood shortly before noon Monday and found 23-year-old Brian McGee of Waukee had been stabbed during a family dispute. McGee was taken to a Des Moines hospital, but died of his injuries.

Police have a 16-year-old in custody, but are not releasing his name.

August 5, 2024 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) — Thyme & Spice Co. in Burlington topped four competitors in a statewide pitch contest in Cedar Rapids on Monday evening. Five small businesses from Main Street Iowa districts received $50,000 in state grants after successfully pitching their expansion ideas before a panel of judges, part of the final round of Main Street Iowa’s Open 4 Business contest. The awards were presented by Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and Iowa Finance Authority.

Travis and Ashlyn Long, who opened Thyme & Spice Co. in 2021, won a $20,000 grant to expand their modern version of a spice and tea shop. They plan to use the money to introduce a refill program for their line of olive oils and vinegars. Customers can sample products before they buy, and empty bottles can be exchanged at the store for a discount on their next purchase.

Other winners and their awards include:

• First runner-up, Goldfinch Tap + Eatery, Marion, $10,000.
• First runner-up, Holtz Service & Small Engine, Avoca, $10,000.
• Second runner-up, BlueMoon Holistic Wellness, Nevada, $5,000.
• Second runner-up, Corning Family Chiropractic, Corning, $5,000.

Read more about the five finalists. Thyme & Spice Co. earned another $1,000 for People’s Choice, selected by audience vote. The additional category, sponsored by the event’s host city of Cedar Rapids and The District: Czech Village & New Bohemia, was introduced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Open 4 Business. This year’s contest drew 20 applicants. Of those, 12 were invited to interview virtually with a panel of judges, who then selected five finalists.

The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs.

(Radio Iowa) – It’s a chore many Iowans tackle every week without a second thought, but mowing the lawn can be hazardous, especially for a teenager who’s just taken over the job. Kelly Hilsabeck, the trauma injury prevention coordinator at Gundersen Health System, says there are 85-thousand lawn mower injuries every year nationwide. “They can range from very minor, like a small burn or a cut, to very major like an amputation, broken bones,” Hilsabeck says. “A lot of that can result from blade contact, so we really want to take some safety precautions to avoid that. First of all, we should know how to operate our lawn mower before using it.”

You also need to dress for the job, including long pants, eye and hearing protection, and good shoes — no flip-flops. One of the biggest risks with lawn mowing is accidentally coming into contact with the spinning blade. “The big thing with blade contact is if we need to clear out any debris, any grass under the mower, make sure it’s off, but go ahead and take that extra step and disconnect that spark plug,” Hilsabeck says. “That’s just going to prevent that blade from spinning quickly around in a rare event that once you do clear that debris, that it would do that and cause a serious injury.”

The mower blade is also a hazard, in that it could launch — at a high rate of speed — anything you run over. “We really want to be aware of projectile hazards when going to mow,” Hilsabeck says. “Look over your lawn before mowing. Remove any rocks, twigs, toys that might be outside, because in the event that you do run it over, a lawnmower can spit it out at over 100 miles per hour and cause an injury to yourself or anybody close by.” Add gas to the mower before starting it up, and she suggests if you need to refill the tank during the job, let it cool off first so there’s no risk of spilling fuel on any hot parts.

Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.

(Radio Iowa) – The 49 Iowans who are delegates to the Democratic National Convention have voted electronically for Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee. C-J Petersen is one of those delegates and the designated “whip” to round up votes in the group. “We were all elected as Biden delegates, but we knew that we had to make a decision and the moment we unanimously voted to unite behind Vice President Harris felt historic to me,” Petersen says. “because not only were we doing something we were not obligated to do — we could vote for anyone that we wanted to — but it was unprecedented in modern history.”

Petersen made his comments last (Monday) night during an online gathering of Iowa Democrats.  “Giving up power willingly after a lifetime of service is a stunning act of selflessness and patriotism and I want to say, ‘Thank you,’ one more time to Joe Biden for passing the torch.” Sue Dvorsky of Coralville – a former chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party — says Iowa Democrats still have muscle memory from when Iowa voted twice for the Obama-Biden ticket and can spur turn out for Harris and the person she picks as a running mate.

“We have a chance here to remember who it is that we are,” Dvorsky said. “…We don’t need permission to lead and we are behind her and whoever it is 100%.”

The online event lasted about 90 minutes and raised about 25-thounsand dollars for Iowa Democrats running in local races.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans for Tax Relief president Chris Hagenow is optimistic Iowa lawmakers will be open to making changes next year in a tax break for big corporations. It’s called the “research activities” tax credit and it’s refundable. That means the state is required to cut the corporation a check for any amount above what the company owes in taxes. Hagenow says the latest data from the state of Iowa shows John Deere received over 19 million dollars in tax credits for research activities last year.

“The conditions are ripe for a new conversation about these credits,” Hagenow says, “and not even necessarily because of this one particular example with regards to John Deere.” John Deere was the state’s largest recipient of Iowa’s research activities tax credit in 2023. Hagenow says Iowans may find that worrisome given recent layoffs at Deere facilities in Iowa, as well as the company’s plan to build a plant in Mexico.

“We generally support a flatter, fairer tax code for everyone without carve outs for anyone,” Hagenow says. “With regard to John Deere, then, being the biggest recipient of those credits, it really makes it much more difficult to take.” In tax year 2023, about 350 corporations filed for the state research activities tax credit — with claims totaling 77 million dollars. Hagenow, a former Republican lawmaker, says he hears from small business owners who cannot qualify for this kind of a lucrative subsidy.

“I think Iowans instinctively know a lot of these incentives are there and they’re not always fairly applied,” Hagenow says.

The 1984 Iowa legislature created the research activities credit. Businesses may receive a credit worth up to six-and-a-half percent of the company’s annual budget for research. Backers of the credit say it keeps companies in Iowa that are doing high value research — with highly paid staff. According to a state report, the salaries paid to employees who do research accounted for over 56 percent of the total amount of the tax credits awarded last year.

(Clear Lake, Iowa) – A crash this (Monday) afternoon north of Clear Lake resulted in the death of one teenager and injuries to another. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at around 2:20-p.m. on Hickory Avenue, north of 275th Street, when a 2008 Subaru Outback driven by 15-year-old Jannali Bear-Dont-Walk, of Clear Lake, went out of control as the car was traveling northbound on Hickory Street.

The vehicle cross the road into the path of a southbound 2024 GMC 3500 pickup. After the vehicles collided, the driver of the Subaru and a passenger, 16-year-old Aali Martinez, of Clear Lake, were transported to Mercy Hospital in Mason City, where Jannali Bear-Dont-Walk died from injuries suffered in the crash. Both teens were wearing their seat belts. The accident remains under investigation.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Clear Lake Police, Clear Lake Fire/EMS, Mason City Fire, and Mercy Air Med.

(Radio Iowa) – In an update to our previous report, authorities say a  77-year-old University of Iowa physics professor was killed and four others were injured following a four-vehicle crash in eastern Iowa early Sunday evening.

The accident happened on Highway 1, near Solon. According to the Iowa State Patrol’s accident report, the driver of a Jeep Cherokee failed to stop at a stop sign, crashed through a camper and hit an S-U-V on the driver’s side. Dr. Usha Mallik, an emeritus professor of physics at the University of Iowa, was driving that third vehicle and died at the scene.

Dr. Usha Mallik (U of I photo)

A fourth vehicle was hit by debris from the camper. The driver of the first vehicle was flown to University of Iowa Hospitals. A one year old child, a woman from Cedar Rapids and a man from Paris, France, were taken by ambulance to the same hospital in Iowa City.

The professor who died in the accident has been involved in research at CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. In 2020, Dr. Mallik received a University of Iowa award for being a mentor to students and faculty as well as her service to the global “high energy physics” community.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic is set to meet at 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, August 7th, at City Hall. On their agenda is action on approving an Order to close certain streets in Atlantic on Saturday, Aug. 10th, for AtlanticFest. If approved, the following streets would be closed from 5-a.m. until 6-p.m.:

• Chestnut Street (both lanes), from 6th to 7th St.
• Chestnut (both lanes), from 2nd to 6th.
• 6th Street (Both lanes) from Walnut to Chestnut.
• 6th Street (Both lanes) from Chestnut to Poplar.
• 5th Street from Chestnut to 1/2 block east of the alley before the Post Office.
• 5th Street from Chestnut to Poplar.
• 4th Street from Chestnut to 1/2 block east, right before the alley.
• 4th Street from Chestnut to Poplar.
• 3rd Street from Walnut to Poplar.
• Walnut Street will remain open.

The Council will act on passing a Resolution “Setting the date for a Public Hearing on a proposed Ordinance vacating the 66-foot wide street Right-Of-Way (ROW),” beginning west of the ROW line of Laurel Street extended, then west to the east property line of the Iowa Interstate Railroad (a parcel approx. .7″ of an acre). The request (Which was previously heard during the Council’s meeting on May 1st), comes from property owner Rob Stamp, who wishes to have an additional access to his property to the north, by means of cutting the curb on the vacated area, and pouring a driveway, and maintain it as another entrance.

Atlantic City Hall building

The City’s Engineer recommends the Council approves the request, CADCO’s Executive Director reports there is no economic development purpose for the City to maintain ownership of the ROW. AMU’s Exective Director says there is no water or electric infrastructure below the parcel in question, and Atlantic’s Public Works Director said the ROW has no current or future value to the City. The Planning and Zoning Commission will issue their recommendation to the Council during the meeting Wednesday evening.

The Atlantic City Council will also hold the 3rd and final reading of an Ordinance that rezones the Camblin Hills Subdivision from R-2 (Low Density/Single Family) residential to R-4 (Multifamily) residential. The first reading was passed during the Council’s meeting on July 10th.

In other business, the Council will act on an Order to approve a bid from Tim Beadle, for 411 Birch Street, in the amount of $5,350. The City’s Personnel and Finance Committee has endorsed his bid. The final order of business is action on a proposal to move the Sept. 18th City Council meeting to Sept. 16th, due to the Annual Iowa League of Cities Conference.