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Iowa Public Service workers are eligible for student debt loan relief

News

March 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

AMES, Iowa — Thousands of Iowans will be part of another round of public service loan forgiveness. Thursday morning, the Biden-Harris administration announced an additional $5.8 billion in student debt/loan debt relief for 78,000 public service workers. Next week, Biden will send emails to 78,000 people, letting them know if they continue public service work they will be eligible for loan forgiveness.

Glenwood man arrested on an Assault charge

News

March 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood report the arrest on Thursday, of 22-year-old Neil Emert. The Glenwood man was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail, until seen by a Magistrate Judge.

Iowa City Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison related to Overdose Death

News

March 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DAVENPORT, Iowa – An Iowa City man was sentenced Wednesday (March 20th) to 25 years in federal prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Heroin Resulting in Death and Distribution of a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Heroin Resulting in Death.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa says according to public court documents and evidence presented at trial, on January 23, 2021, Iowa City Police Officers were dispatched to a residence related to a suspected overdose. After investigation, Lugene Shipp, 43, and Dione Dante Mobley, 43, were arrested related to the conspiracy to distribute and distribution of heroin.

Shipp and Mobley were both convicted after a trial last fall. This week, Shipp was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment. After completing his term of imprisonment, Shipp will be required to serve 5 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Mobley is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23, 2024.

The case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department, the University of Iowa Police Department, and the Johnson County Drug Taskforce.

26 “Choose Iowa” grants awarded to IA farmers, small businesses & non-profits

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

INDIANOLA, Iowa — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig has announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has awarded 26 ‘Choose Iowa’ Value-Added Grants to Iowa farmers, small businesses and non-profits in 22 counties totaling $463,000. Those grants will help leverage a total investment by grant awardees of $1,993,190.47. The announcement came at the Cortum Farms & Co. Barn just north of Indianola. This farm was a recipient of a $25,000 grant, which is part of a $51,000 project to work on the barn structure and electrical system, so it can be used to sell ag products.

This year’s grants will support a wide variety of projects including delivery and cold storage for direct-to-consumer meat sales, fruit production and processing, vegetable processing, packaging equipment, cider and wine canning and bottling, farm store and food hub construction, honey production, culinary herb, lavender and cut flower production, warehouse capacity, cover crop seed distribution, agri-tourism opportunities, and much more according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

“Consumers are continually looking for more Iowa food, beverages, and ag products to enjoy and these Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants will help Iowa farmers, small businesses, and non-profits build that supply,” said Secretary Naig in a news release. “We are so pleased to provide these Choose Iowa cost-share investments because they will enhance the availability of Iowa products while creating positive economic activity in communities, big and small, across our state.”

Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants awarded this week include the following projects in western/southwest Iowa (for a listing of the other projects, click HERE) :

Breda Ag Solutions | Carroll | $25,000.00
Increase seed and grain packaging capacity with new palletizing and specialty bagging equipment to reach new export markets.
Total project budget: $954,350.84

Champion Steaks LLC | Creston | $25,000.00
Add on-site cold storage and refrigerated transportation for value-added cattle feed to produce premium-grade beef.
Total project budget: $99,250.00

Ebersole Cattle Co. | Kellerton | $25,000.00
Develop a new food hub in Southwest Iowa and offer home deliveries of beef, pork and poultry.
Total project budget: $60,000.00

Golden Outdoors LLC | Adel | $25,000.00
Customize an existing building for aquaculture and add infrastructure to raise Pacific white shrimp.
Total project budget: $70,000.00

Long Walk Farm | Council Bluffs | $25,000.00
Construct an on-farm store to increase sales of Iowa ag products and build market access for multiple Iowa farms.
Total project budget: $68,948.22

One Farm LLC | Logan | $3,590.00
Expand frozen and refrigerated retail display space to offer additional local ag products.
Total project budget: $7,180.00

Vintage Beef by Gress Family Farms | Charter Oak | $20,000.00
Convert a historic railroad depot into a community farm store with cold storage, packaging and retail space.
Total project budget: $49,130.00

Wills Family Orchard | Adel | $22,927.00
Convert a portion of an existing warehouse into cold storage to extend the seasonal availability of apples.
Total project budget: $45,854.00.

Eastern Iowa school district to cut 50 full-time staff positions in 2024-25

News

March 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – On Thursday, the Linn-Mar School District confirmed that 50 full-time staff positions in the district would be cut for the 2024/2025 school year. At Monday’s board meeting, the district announced that even though they made approximately $3 million in cuts this school year, another $2.5 million would have to be made for the next one as well. 19 full-time teaching positions and 31 full-time classified staff positions would be cut as part of the budget cuts.

The district has cited a combination of expiring COVID-19 relief funding, low funding from the state legislature, and declining enrollment as factors in the financial shortfall.

Fatal house fire in southern Iowa

News

March 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

VAN WERT, Iowa [KCCI] — Authorities in Decatur County say one person was killed in a house fire Thursday morning. A 911 call reporting the fire in the 200 block of West First Street first came in around 10:30 a.m., according to Decatur County Sheriff Chris Lane, who confirmed that one person was dead but did not release the identity. Officials have also not said what they believe caused the fire, which is still under investigation.

Supreme Court hears arguments in U-I Children’s Hospital construction dispute

News

March 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court heard oral arguments Thursday in the dispute linked to the construction of the University of Iowa’s Children’s Hospital. Modern Piping won a judgment of nearly 13 million dollars after alleging the U-I wrongly used an injunction to delay arbitration in a dispute so they could gain early access to the building. University lawyer, Tessa Register, says the injunction did delay the process, but the benefit of the delay was overstated. “The university has not retained the benefit of that delay. When the only arbitration proceeding that has ever been enjoined in this case resumed and completed, the university paid nearly a million dollars in interest to dating back to the date of the initial demand before the injunction,” she says. Register says the U-I settled the claim and Modern should not gain any of the benefit for use of the building.

“The university is still not in possession of any property of Modern Piping that it received because of the injunction, nor has it retained any benefit received because of the injunction. So modern piping is not entitled to any unjust enrichment in this case,” Register says. Modern Piping’s lawyer, Mark Weinhardt, says the U-I used the illegitimacy of the injunction to get into the building early and that produced more than 12 million dollars in profit. “Until the project is complete and Modern is off the job, it is Modern’s property,” he says.

The Justices questioned that assertion, saying Modern Piping never had any entitlement to profits or revenue that the university from the hospital facility, and Modern would not take it over and operate the hospital. Weinhardt says the U-I didn’t want to follow the contract. “The parties entered into a contract that gives them that exclusive right to the property unless they, A negotiate a agreement that allows early occupancy or B, Modern completes the job,” Weinhardt says. “And the university didn’t want either one of those things. And so as a consequence, they got this illegal injunction instead.”

The Supreme Court will issue a ruling on the case at a later date.

Dairy industry official calls on Congress to address new Farm Bill

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A dairy industry official from Iowa who works in Washington D-C is urging members of Congress to get moving on the creation of a new Farm Bill. Matt Wohlman is senior director of state and industry affairs for the farmer-owned cooperative Land O’ Lakes. “The 2018 Farm Bill has been a really pretty good farm bill for farmers and rural communities and we need to get that Farm Bill reauthorized,” Wohlman says. “It did expire in September of last year and then Congress did a continuing resolution on it until September of this year, but we need to move forward and get this Farm Bill passed.” Wohlman, who’s a fifth-generation family farmer, says there’s little “new money” in the Farm Bill but some tweaks are needed.

“Folks are wanting to make some adjustments to the farm safety net programs, particularly the Price Loss (Coverage) and our PLC programs, adjusting those reference prices that are in the Farm Bill,” Wohlman says, “and then bringing some of the conservation investments that were made over the last few years, bringing those into the Farm Bill programs.” He says the nutritional programs also need to be brought into the conversation.

There’s much partisan bickering in Congress that’s led to an impasse on the Farm Bill over issues like the limiting of climate funding and social safety net programs.

House GOP strikes ‘final position’ on AEAs, teacher pay, school funding

News

March 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has narrowly passed a package to hike teacher pay, increase general state support for schools AND keep Area Education Agencies as the main provider of experts who assist schools with special education needs for students. House Speaker Pat Grassley of New Hartford says it provides certainty for students with disabilities and their parents and, in total, amounts to a five percent increase in state support of schools.

“We wanted to make sure that as we went home this weekend that our schools and Iowans had an idea where House Republicans stand and where our final position is going to be on these three topics,” Grassley said. House Republican Leader Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley says it sends a clear and concise message to the Senate. “We expect for this to grt done because it is a priority,” Windshitl said. “…We need to get this done for our schools and for our kids.”

Under the plan, A-E-As would continue to get 90 percent of state funding for special education services. School districts would be able to spend the remaining 10 percent on district employees, private contractor OR continue to use A-E-A staff. The plan passed with the support of 51 of the 60 House Republicans present last (Thursday) night and is similar to three bills that passed the House in February. House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says adjustments in the package appear to be concessions to Governor Kim Reynolds. who called for a major overhaul of A-E-As in January.

“Don’t have kids, families, educators be shrapnel in this game,” Konfrst said. Democrats argued the package falls far short of the state financial support schools need. Representative Sharon Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City who’s a retired teacher, says the plan weakens the A-E-A system because it reduces funding for other A-E-A services, like teacher training and bulk purchasing of school supplies.”Such nonsense,” Steckman said. “Why are we doing this to our kids and the AEAs? Because the governor wants it.”

Representative Chad Ingels, a Republican from Randalia who voted for the bill, says as the father of two children with Down Syndrome, he fought to get more pay for paraeducators in the package. “While AEA personnel are extremely valuable, paraeducators are there every day beside my kids,” Ingels said, “and they’re underpaid.” Republican Representative Skyler Wheeler of Hull, the bill’s floor manager, has a daughter who’s been diagnosed with autism and he also emphasized the importance of paraeducators and keeping A-E-As directly involved in special education services.

“I believe the Lord has placed us in this position for a reason and we have a significant interest in advocating for students with disabilities,” Wheeler said, “and we have done just that.” A few weeks ago, the House took separate votes on general state aid for schools and on teacher pay. The package that cleared the House last (Thursday) night includes the governor’s call for raise salaries for beginning teachers to 50-thousand dollars, plus money to raise the pay of veteran teachers and hourly staff.

In a written statement, Governor Reynolds said the House plan paves a path forward to further strengthen Iowa’s education system in meaningful ways. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said Senate Republicans will discuss the House package next week and he looks forward to a resolution on education funding, raising starting teacher pay and A-E-A reform.

Carroll Police ask for your help in locating a missing woman

News

March 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

UPDATE 3/23/24: Mary Schroer, who was reported missing on March 21, 2024, has been located. She is safe and in good health. She was located in Eastern Colorado and will be reunited with her family shortly.

(Carroll, Iowa) – The Carroll Police Department is asking for help in locating a missing 86-year-old female. Mary Schroer  was last seen leaving her residence in Carroll on Sunday. She has not returned and has not had any contact with her family.

Mary is 5-feet one-inches tall and weighs 112 pounds. She drives a white 2014 Honda Civic (the photo attached is not the actual vehicle) with New Mexico license 905SPD.

If located call your local police department or the Carroll Police Department at 712-792-3536.