The Weston–Underwood segment of the Great American Rail Trail took a significant step forward this month when the Iowa Transportation Commission approved the application to the Statewide Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TAP).

The approval, issued at the Commission’s January 13, 2026 meeting, includes $1,920,435 in funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program. These federal transportation funds are anticipated to be available beginning October 1, 2026, which marks the start of Federal Fiscal Year 2027.

This milestone advances planning efforts for the Weston–Underwood trail segment. Before eligible reimbursable project expenses may occur, the project must receive authorization from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and be included in the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency’s (MAPA) FFY 2027 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) as well as the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).

Photos courtesy of Pottawattamie County Trails Association and Western Iowa Development Association. (Via Pottcounty-ia.gov)

In addition to the TAP award, the Weston–Underwood segment has also received $500,000 through the State Recreational Trails Program, approved by the Iowa Transportation Commission in November 2025. This funding is part of a broader, multi-source approach to advancing the project.

These awards do not fully fund the Weston–Underwood segment. Pottawattamie County is awaiting decisions on two additional grant applications, expected in the coming months, that could help close the remaining funding gap.

Additional updates will be shared as the project continues through required planning and authorization steps.

(Radio Iowa) – Administrators at a southwest Iowa school are promoting literacy in a new way. A book vending machine is now installed in the media center at Clarinda’s Pre-K-6 Building. Clarinda Elementary Principal Lesley Ehlers says she worked with a local vending company to get the machine donated. It has slots for 20 different books and is inscribed on the side with the district’s literacy motto, “Readers are Leaders.”

“Literacy continues to be a huge focus at the elementary level,” Ehlers says. “We just want all of our students to enjoy reading, to be able to have books at their leisure, at home as well, not just here at school.” She says the school librarian selected and purchased the books using a grant of 27-hundred-50 dollars from the school’s Cardinal Fund. Ehlers says they’ll start making the books available through the machine to the district’s 6th grade students this semester.

“We’re starting with our 6th graders, since this is their last year at the elementary building,” she says, “and either offering the opportunity to select a free book on their birthday, or half birthday, or around there. We’re trying to catch up with all of our students, but by the end of the school year, all of our 6th graders will have an opportunity to select a book.”

Ehlers hopes to expand the machine’s availability to other elementary grades in the future, provided other funding sources and book donations are secured.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that’s cleared an Iowa House subcommittee would have the board that governs the state universities study whether a springtime event at Iowa State University should be revived. The annual VEISHEA celebration began in April of 1922 and featured parades and events in each of I-S-U’s colleges. Off-campus riots between 1988 and 2014 prompted Iowa State officials to permanently cancel VEISHEA.

Representative Ross Wilburn, a Democrat from Ames, says one year, the rioting started because bars in Ames ran out of beer. “Under the influence of alcohol, riots have ranged from 1000 up to 5000 and 8000 people,” Wilburn says. During VEISHEA in 1997, a man who was not a student was stabbed to death during an off-campus fight and in 2012 another out-of-town visitor died at an off-campus party.

In 2014, rioters near the I-S-U campus flipped over two cars, damaged businesses and climbed up street signs and light poles. A man hit in the head by a falling pole was flown to a Des Moines hospital for treatment.

Republican Representative Taylor Collins of Mediapolis, chair of the House Higher Education Committee, is sponsoring the bill that calls for a study of whether it would be practical and beneficial to restart VEISHEA celebrations, but Collins did not attend the subcommittee hearing. Collins is an Iowa State graduate.

(Red Oak, IA) – A man from Mills County was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop sign, following a collision this (Thursday) morning, in Montgomery County. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the accident took place at the intersection of C Avenue and 120th Street, at around 11:10-a.m.

Authorities say an investigation determined a pickup owned and operated by 49-year-old Robert Stanlee McMann, of Henderson, was traveling east on 120th Street when the vehicle ran a stop sign and struck a Peterbilt semi driven by 46-year-old Adam Paul Cooper, of Emerson, and registered to Cooper Truck and Trailer.

Both vehicles were disabled by the collision, but no injuries were reported.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Atlantic Police Department today (Thursday) released a report on arrests that took place Jan. 12th through the 28th. All subjects were arrested and taken the the Cass County Jail:

1/12/26 – Jesse Carlton, 25 of Audubon, Violation of a no contact order and Interference with official acts.

1/15/26 – Andrew Pdeigo, 53 of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was arrested for Public Intoxication; Benjamin Deal, 35 of Walnut was arrested on Possession of controlled substance 3rd of subsequent offense (meth), person ineligible to carry dangerous weapons, possession of marijuana 1st offense, and driving while license suspended or revoked.

1/16/26 – Jason Albert, 48 of Atlantic was arrested on a charge of OWI 2nd offense.

1/17/26 – Sores Soram, 55 of Atlantic was arrested on a charge of Driving while license denied or revoked.

1/20/26 – Nathaniel Riesberg, 28 of Atlantic was arrested for Making a false report to public entity and OWI 2nd offense.

1/22/26 – Christopher Martin, 28 of Atlantic was arrested on a charge of Domestic abuse assault 1st offense.

1/23/26 – Randy Sizemore, 39 of Atlantic was arrested on charges of Forgery and Public Intoxication.

1/26/26 – Dwayne Rollins, 53 of Atlantic was arrested on a charge of Public Intoxication.

1/28/26 – Jesse Carlton, 25 of Audubon was arrested for Sexual abuse 3rd degree.

The following individuals were cited into court by Atlantic Police:

1/12/26 – Jeremiah Jacob, 45 of Atlantic was cited for Harassment 3rd degree.

1/16/26 – Susan Barnes, 71 of Griswold was cited for Theft 5th degree. (Shoplifting)

1/17/26 – James Schmidt, 53 of Fenton, Ia was cited for theft 5th degree. (Shoplifting)

(Radio Iowa)- Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig is asking lawmakers to boost funding for the state’s “Choose Iowa” program that supports individuals and businesses that produce everything from locally grown food to trees and soy candles. There’s a one-hundred dollar yearly fee for enrolling in the program, which launched in 2023. The number of participating businesses jumped 113 percent last year. “We want to continue to grow that membership — recruit new members, retain existing members (and) increase consumer awareness. The more that consumers know that Choose Iowa’s out there, the more they’ll look for it, the most products will be sold,” Naig said. “And, of course, we also are now really going the next level of how do we help connect our Choose Iowa members with distributors, with retail, you know, try to get to where they can sell some larger quantities on a more predictive basis.”

Naig is asking for a 300-thousand dollar boost in the Choose Iowa program budget. He’d use part of that money to hire someone with experience in getting products placed in retail locations. “Recognizing that we’ve got members that are just getting started. You’ve got members who are in a growth potential,” Naig said. “You’ve got other members where they are at a point where they need to get into distribution now. They are really looking to grow big.”

The program handed out half a million dollars in grants to businesses this past year and Naig says each state tax dollar awarded to a Choose Iowa business led to nearly a dollar of matching local investment.

(Radio Iowa) – President Donald Trump announced work is underway to make E-15 available nationwide during his stop in Iowa Tuesday. Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a fellow Republican, says supporters can’t let up until the issue is done. “While our farmers are hurting and our ag economy is on the brink….I’m telling in these conversations with my colleagues, half measures are unacceptable. And so we need to make sure we’re delivering on E-15,” Hinson says. Hinson says she recently had a conversation with a member of the U-S-D-A about the high cost of fertilizer.

“U-S-D-A is very aware, and so is Secretary Rollins, of input costs and what our folks are facing,” she says. President Trump also talked about the payments to farmers to offset loses from tariffs and Hinson says those will help. ” I think it’s a good start, but farmers don’t want checks, they want markets, and that is what we need to be focusing on,” she says.

Hinson is from Marion and currently represents Iowa’s Second Congressional District, but is running for the open U-S Senate seat.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested Sunday on separate OWI charges. Deputies arrested 35-year-old Kyle Christian Jorgensen, of Anita, for OWI-2nd Offense. Jorgensen was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on his own recognizance.

And, 26-year-old Will Garvey Brickner, of Evanston, IL, was arrested Sunday for OWI-1st Offense, Possession-Marijuana 1st offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Brickner was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on bond.