Students First ESA applications for 2023-2024 closed; 18,893 applications approved

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES – Today, the Iowa Department of Education announced that 18,893 Students First education savings accounts (ESAs) were approved by the Sept. 30 program close date. ESA accounts for applicants who did not meet this deadline are closed for the school year and the funds will remain in the state’s general fund.

Out of all ESA applications submitted by the June 30 application deadline, 5,927 applications were denied based on not meeting residency or household income requirements. Another 4,792 applications were closed, primarily if they were duplicates or if the applicant made the request.

A breakdown of approved applications by county is as follows:

Counties with 1,000+: Sioux, 1,200; Scott, 1,309; Linn, 1,344; and Polk 3,179.
Counties with 500-999: Dallas, 508; Johnson, 585; Dubuque, 892; Woodbury, 930; and Black Hawk, 955.
Counties with 300-499: Marion, 300; Cerro Gordo, 354; Webster, 372; Pottawattamie, 403; Plymouth, 415; and Carroll, 438.
Counties with 200-299: Lee, 212; Clinton, 228; Marshall, 231; O’Brien, 257; and Delaware, 284.
Counties with 100-199: Allamakee, 113; Story, 113; Jones, 114; Jefferson, 115; Wapello, 115; Floyd, 116; Bremer, 118; Washington, 142; Clay, 143; Jasper, 144; Jackson, 148; Crawford, 154; Buena Vista, 154; Des Moines, 156; Muscatine, 160; Winneshiek, 168; Boone, 176; Kossuth, 184; Mahaska, 191; Lyon, 198; and Warren, 199.
Counties with 50-99: Hamilton, 50; Union, 51; Poweshiek, 55; Iowa, 66; Benton, 71; Palo Alto, 75; Humboldt, 83; Howard, 89; Buchanan, 99.
Counties with 25-49: Clayton, 25; Franklin, 26; Butler 27; Winnebago, 27; Sac, 29; Calhoun, 30; Madison, 35; Fayette, 37; Pocahontas, 43; Chickasaw, 46; Page, 49; and Shelby, 49.
Counties with 1-24: Emmet, 1; Cass, 1; Clarke, 2; Montgomery, 2; Monroe, 2; Wayne, 2; Fremont, 2; Mitchell, 3; Guthrie, 3; Appanoose, 3; Taylor, 4; Van Buren, 4; Adams, 5; Tama, 7; Wright, 7; Davis, 7; Audubon, 7; Lucas, 7; Keokuk, 8; Worth, 8; Greene, 9; Harrison, 10; Dickinson, 12; Monona, 13; Ida, 14; Adair, 15; Cherokee, 17; Hardin, 17; Osceola, 18; Henry, 18; Mills, 21; Grundy, 21; Hancock, 22; and Cedar, 22.
Counties with no approved applications: Decatur, Louisa, and Ringgold.

Enrollment will be confirmed through the state’s certified enrollment process, which schools are required to report by Oct. 15. Details about ESA program participants will be available after certified school enrollment numbers are finalized in December, per the department’s standard practice.

Ottumwa Announces Trout Stocking on October 23

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Sam Parsons

OTTUMWA — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will be stocking 1,500 rainbow trout in the pond at the east side of Wapello street by the orange and blue playground equipment on Thursday October 26, 2023 at 10:30 A.M. All Iowa fishing regulations apply at the pond. There is a bag limit of 5 trout per day; the possession limit is 10. There is no fishing derby for this stocking.

The Ottumwa Park Department has partnered with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to improve fishing in the ponds in Ottumwa Park. The Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau has been involved in trout stocking in urban areas for over 30 years in an effort to introduce trout fishing to more anglers across the state. More information about fishing in Iowa, including licensing and the urban trout-stocking program can be found online at www.iowadnr.gov.

H & S FEED & COUNTRY STORE PET OF THE WEEK: BRUNO

Posted on October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 by Bob Ballard

This week’s H&S Feed and Country Store Pet of the Week is “Bruno”, an adorable 7 month old domestic shorthair mix kitty. Bruno is a very friendly fella who loves everyone, including kids, other cats and even dogs! He’s very affectionate and loves to ‘talk’ and chase flies. Bruno is litter trained and is in search of his ‘furr-ever’ home.

If you’d like to set up an appointment to meet Bruno or any of the pets at Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter, visit https://www.stephenmemorial.org/ and fill out an adoption application.

Check out our visit about Bruno with Shanna from Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter here:

Hollywood studios break off strike talks with actors, who slam ‘bullying tactics’

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Sam Parsons

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Talks bitterly broke off between Hollywood actors and studios late Wednesday, killing any hopes that the three-month strike by performers would come to an end anytime soon.

The studios announced that they had suspended contract negotiations, saying the gap between the two sides was too great to make continuing worth it, despite an offer as good as the one that recently ended the writers strike. The actors union decried their opponents’ “bullying tactics” and said they were wildly mischaracterizing their offers.

On Oct. 2, for the first time since the strike began July 14, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists had resumed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, streaming services and production companies in strike talks.

When negotiations resumed with writers last month, their strike ended five days later, but similar progress was not made with the actors union.

The studios walked away from talks after seeing the actors’ most recent proposal on Wednesday.

“It is clear that the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction,” the AMPTP said in a statement.

The SAG-AFTRA proposal would cost companies an additional $800 million a year and create “an untenable economic burden,” the statement said.

In a letter to members sent early Thursday, SAG AFTRA said that figure was overestimated by 60%. The union said its negotiators were “profoundly disappointed” the studios had broken off talks.

“We have negotiated with them in good faith,” the letter read, “despite the fact that last week they presented an offer that was, shockingly, worth less than they proposed before the strike began.”

Actors have been on strike over issues including increases in pay for streaming programming and control of the use of their images generated by artificial intelligence.

The AMPTP insisted its offers had been as generous as the deals that brought an end to the writers strike and brought a new contract to the directors guild earlier this year.

But the union letter to actors said the companies “refuse to protect performers from being replaced by AI, they refuse to increase your wages to keep up with inflation, and they refuse to share a tiny portion of the immense revenue YOUR work generates for them.”

From the start, the actors talks had nothing like the momentum that spurred marathon night-and-weekend sessions in the writers strike and brought that work stoppage to an end. Actors and studios had taken several days off after resuming, and there were no reports of meaningful progress despite direct involvement from the heads of studios including Disney and Netflix as there had been in the writers strike.

The writers did have their own false start in negotiations, however. A month before the successful talks, the initial attempt to restart ended after just a few days.

Members of the Writers Guild of America voted almost unanimously to ratify their new contract on Monday.

Their leaders touted their deal as achieving most of what they had sought when they went on strike nearly five months earlier.

They declared their strike over, and sent writers back to work, on Sept. 26.

Late night talk shows returned to the air within a week, and other shows including “Saturday Night Live” will soon follow.

But with no actors, production on scripted shows and movies will stay on pause indefinitely.

Climate Statement says Iowa needs more solar power to supplement wind

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Sam Parsons

By Grant Gerlock (Radio Iowa)

The latest Iowa Climate Statement signed by more than 200 scientists and researchers at Iowa colleges and universities says the state needs to invest more in solar power.

Retired Iowa State University climate scientist Gene Takle says when wind is paired with solar, they tend to make up for each other’s weaknesses.

“Iowa’s wind energy resources are maximum in winter and early spring, while solar energy is maximum in late spring and summer when wind is low. And strong nighttime winds at turbine-height complement strong daytime solar energy in summer and fall,” Takle says.

Around 60% of electricity generated in Iowa comes from wind. University of Iowa environmental health professor Peter Thorne says solar could potentially overtake wind. “Solar could produce as much energy in Iowa as wind does today, leading Iowa to close in on that 100 percent renewables benchmark that we want to achieve,” Thorne says.

Several large-scale solar projects are under development, including a 200 mega-watt solar farm in Linn County at the former Duane Arnold nuclear plant. Iowa’s electric wind production is higher share than any other state, but Iowa solar energy capacity is well below the national average.

Oskaloosa Schools Announces “Five to Thrive” Strategic Plan

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Sam Parsons

OSKALOOSA — Oskaloosa Schools has launched a five-year strategic plan to enhance extracurricular experiences for students in grades 7-12, titled “Five to Thrive.” The long-term goal of the plan is to increase overall student participation and success in activities and athletics.

“At Oskaloosa Schools, we aspire for incredible academic accomplishments, but also high levels of engagement and achievement in extracurricular activities,” said Mike Fisher, Superintendent. “Our Five to Thrive strategic plan is designed to ignite early enthusiasm among students, assisting them in discovering their passions, be it hobbies, performing arts, or sports, that will enable them to excel during their high school years and beyond.”

By 2028, the plan’s goals include achieving increased overall 7th-12th grade activities participation, alongside winning in each program and across the entire department. Each activity will be evaluated using five specific performance metrics tailored to the nature of the sport or activity.

Additionally, the district will emphasize developing strong student and adult leadership built on service, leadership, and success. The plan seeks to foster a successful culture centered on healthy relationships, ensuring student satisfaction and retention.

“Five to Thrive is positioned as a sustainable program, aimed at involving more students in our activities,” said Ryan Parker, Activities Director. “Our vision is to strengthen the activities department, fueling increased participation and success both in the immediate future and five years down the road. I look forward to witnessing the positive impact it will have on our students and the entire community.”

The Activities Leadership Cabinet developed by the district and leading the Five to Thrive plan includes the following district staff members: Brett Doud, Head Football Coach; Betsy Luck, Head Girls’ Track Coach; Greg Walter, Head Boys and Girls’ Soccer Coach; Bret Foster, Head Boys’ Golf Coach; Kista Grosshans, Head Football Cheerleading Coach; Kim Gile, Student Council Advisor and Video Production Lead; Mike Comfort, Head Boys and Girls’ Cross Country Coach; Kathy Akers, Drama Director; Rachel Brown, Head Boys and Girls’ Swim Coach; Ashley Goytia, Head Volleyball Coach; Caitlin Woods, Head Softball Coach; and Brandon Lenhart, Head Boys’ Basketball Coach.

“The Five to Thrive plan will positively transform our football program and all activities,” said Brett Doud, Head Football Coach. “It’s a rallying call for excellence across the board that will elevate not just our football team, but also all our extracurricular pursuits.”

The comprehensive details of the Five to Thrive strategic plan will be presented to the Oskaloosa Community School Board during its board work session, scheduled for October 24.

Mahaska Chamber Seeking Nominations for Annual Chamber Awards

Posted on October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 by Sam Parsons

OSKALOOSA — Would you like to nominate a business or individual who has made a big difference in Mahaska County in the past year? Mahaska Chamber & Development Group will again be presenting several civic awards. You are urged to submit nominations for these awards. The categories are as follows:

Retail Business and Service Business of the Year (2 awards)-The most outstanding retail or service business in the Mahaska community during this past fiscal year must be in business for minimum of two years, demonstrate success, with evidence of commitment and contribution to the community.

Industry of the Year –The most outstanding industry in the Mahaska community during the year will have a stable employment history, will have been in business for minimum of two years, showing evidence of commitment and contribution to the community and a commitment to sound management practices.

Business Person of the Year -This individual will have demonstrated those qualities which have distinguished him/her in business: proven commitment and contribution to the community, a commitment to ethical business practices, recognized within their profession, a Mahaska County resident, a history of success in their business.

Citizen of the Year -This individual will have demonstrated outstanding involvement in and support of his/her community over an extended period of time.

Community Improvement Award-This commercial or industrial property will have made improvements which enhance the appearance and /or economic vitality of the Mahaska community through new development or through the redevelopment of an existing property.

Educator of the Year -This individual from a Mahaska County school will display a true passion and devotion to the betterment of students.

Student of the Year -This individual will be a graduating senior or college student from a school in Mahaska County who is well-rounded and displays exemplary leadership and service for the betterment of Mahaska County.

Volunteer of the Year -This individual volunteers their time and goes above and beyond for the betterment of Mahaska County.

Up & Comer – This young individual or new business owner will be recognized for their dedicated commitment, passion and high standard of excellence while leading the charge in Mahaska County.

Chuck Russell Award – This person or project will be recognized for their dedicated commitment in preserving the rich heritage and history of Oskaloosa and Mahaska County.

To make any nominations or if you have an innovative idea for a “special award” for exceptional achievement in a category not mentioned, you are encouraged to phone 641- 672-2591 or email ddegroot@mahaskachamber.org with “Mahaska Chamber Award” in the subject line to present the suggestion to the Chamber. Nominations must be received by Friday, November 3.

TOBY KEITH BACK ON TOP WITH “DON’T LET THE OLD MAN IN”

Posted on October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 by Bob Ballard

Toby Keith‘s last Top Ten hit was “Beers Ago” eleven years ago. After that, his presence on the country charts and country radio has lessened considerably. But perhaps this is a lesson for fans, to never count the Big Dog Daddy out.

Toby has been quite public with his recent health issues, battling stomach cancer for the last few years. So when Toby was honored with the Country Icon award at last month’s People’s Choice Country Awards, it was encouraging to see him take the stage to perform, and when he did, he played a relatively unknown song that has taken on a whole new meaning for the singer and his fans.

“Don’t Let The Old Man In,” a reflection on someone facing the last years of their life, was especially poignant considering the circumstances. With many in the crowd on hand and at home watching in tears, the song landed hard – and continues to have an impact. Surprisingly, the performance led to the song’s resurgence, and this past week ending up at the #1 spot on the Country Digital Song Sales chart. So congratulations and best wishes for a continued recovery to country treasure Toby Keith.

https://youtu.be/GdZtSLzL3WQ

This day in Country Music History

Posted on October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 by Bob Ballard

Today in 1981, the 15^th annual CMA Awards were held. In a history-making move, Barbara Mandrell won Female Vocalist honors as well as Entertainer of the Year for the second year in a row (she was the first artists to do so); George Jones won Male Vocalist and the Horizon Award went to Teri Gibbs. The Single of the Year was “He Stopped Loving Her Today” by George Jones.
Today in 1985, Marie Osmond and Dan Seals enjoyed having a #1 single with “Meet Me In Montana.”
Today in 1987, the 21^st annual CMA Awards were held. Hank Williams Jr. was named Entertainer of the Year; Randy Travis and Reba McEntire were the Male and Female Vocalists, and the Horizon Award went to Holly Dunn. The Single of the Year was “Forever and Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis.
Today in 1991, Sammy Kershaw made his chart debut with “Cadillac Style.”
Today in 1991, Ricky Van Shelton’s drove to #1 with his single, “Keep It Between The Lines.”
Today in 1993, the “Cheap Seats” album by Alabama and the “Honky Tonk Christmas” album by Alan Jackson were released.
Today in 1993, Suzy Bogguss’ “Voices In The Wind” album was certified gold.
Today in 1993, the “Common Thread: The Songs Of The Eagles,” which had with some of the royalties benefitting the Walden Woods Project, arrived in stores. Among the artists contributing: Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill and Trisha Yearwood
Today in 1996, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and other performed in front of 45-thousand fans at Farm Aid ’96 in Columbia, South Carolina.
Today in 1996, the truth was that Trisha Yearwood was at #1 in Billboard with “Believe Me Baby (I Lied).”
Today in 1997, singer/songwriter/actor John Denver was killed when the experimental plane he was piloting crashed into the Monterey Bay. He was 53.
Today in 2010, The Band Perry’s self-titled debut album was released.
Today in 2012, Thomas Rhett married his lovely wife, Lauren Gregory.
Today in 2013, the ribbon cutting was held for the $4-million Taylor Swift Education Center at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
Today in 2015, Scotty McCreery joined North Carolina governor Pat McCrory in Garner for the official announcement that online driver renewal was being made available statewide.
Today in 2016, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt and B.B. King were inducted in the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame during an event at Austin City Limits Live.
Today in 2016, Blake Shelton made his first visit to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, joining Gwen Stefani and her three children.
Today in 2016, Elvis Presley ranked #4 as Forbes listed the top-earning dead celebrities after earning $27-million in a year. Also in the Top 13: Michael Jackson, was #1 ($825-million) and John Lennon was #8 with $12-million.
Today in 2018, while Lindsay Ell was writing a song in Los Angeles, her parked rental car was broken into – and the thieves stole her laptop, her wallet and $5,000 worth of gear.
Today in 2018, Kane Brown and Katelyn Jae were married at Mint Springs Farm in Tennessee. Since that happy day? The couple welcomed their first daughter in October 2019 – and their second daughter in December 2021.
Today in 2018, Chris Lane’s single, “Take Back Home Girl,” which features Tori Kelly, was certified platinum.
Today in 2018, Justin Moore’s single, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” was released.
Today in 2019, Marshmello & Kane Brown hit the top of the Billboard country singles chart with “One Thing Right.”
Today in 2019, Whiskey Myers’ self-titled album debuted at #1 on the Billboard country albums chart
Today in 2019, NBC taped “Dolly Parton: 50 Years At The Opry” at the Grand Ole Opry. Lady A performed “Islands In The Stream,” and Toby Keith sang “Kentucky Gambler.” Also honoring Parton? Chris Janson, Dierks Bentley, Emmylou Harris, Margo Price and Hank Williams Jr.
Today in 2019, Trace Adkins married Victoria Pratt in New Orleans with Blake Shelton as the officiant.
Today in 2020, Parmalee drummer Scott Thomas married Lexia Chamryk at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.
Today in 2020, Luke Bryan’s “Down To One” hit the airwaves.

NEW CMA PROMO STARS LUKE BRYAN, PEYTON MANNING

Posted on October 11, 2023October 11, 2023 by Bob Ballard

The 57th Annual CMA Awards are less than a month away, and returning hosts Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan are pumped to be coming back for a second time. In a new promo to promote their return – and the upcoming awards – the country superstar and the NFL legend are seen on horseback riding off into the sunset when Peyton gets a call asking them to host again.

“Wait a minute. You want us to host the CMA Awards again?” he says. “I got to be honest, we’re in the middle of riding off into the sunset.”

Source: People

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