EPA Fines Iowa Army Plant and Contractor for Alleged Hazardous Waste Violations
The U.S. Department of the Army and its contractor, American Ordnance LLC, will pay $39,311 in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The Army owns the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown, Iowa, while American Ordnance operates the plant.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the facility operators violated the terms of its hazardous waste management permit in 2023 when they improperly detonated explosives in a detonation chamber; failed to properly close the grenade detonation chamber after it was moved to a different location at the facility; and burned munitions in open burn pans in excess of permit limits.
In response to the alleged violations, the Army and American Ordnance have taken the necessary steps to return the facility to compliance.
RCRA creates the framework for the proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste. Facilities owned by the federal government are subject to the same requirements for safely handling hazardous waste as privately owned facilities.
Don, “Doc”, Shannon, 90, of Houghton passed away on the morning of December 9, 2024 at Fort Madison Community Hospital in Fort Madison, Iowa.
Doc was born July 31, 1934 in Keokuk County, Iowa to Bill and Fronie Shannon of Keota. He was the middle of three sons including older brother Jim and younger brother Ed. After high school graduation, Doc attended Iowa State University and graduated with a degree in Veterinary Medicine. He married Joann “Jo” Shannon on June 18, 1958. He worked at Pahle Veterinary Clinic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin until they returned to southeast Iowa. Doc and Jo established their home and veterinary clinic in Houghton Iowa in 1959, where he practiced for many years until Jo’s passing in 2022.
Doc loved his veterinary work. He often said, “If you love your work, you’ll never work a day in your life. If your work is your passion, your passion is not work.” For many years, his answering machine message always ended with “Thank you for calling, I’m here to help.”
Doc loved amateur photography and Iowa Hawkeye football (even though he graduated an Iowa State Cyclone, Iowa City was closer to attend home games). He and Jo enjoyed playing FreeCell on his iPad. Jo would thumb-wrestle over shared-effort games of this. A love of knowledge and learning was manifest by his passion for reading any newspaper he could get his hands on. He loved sharing knowledge with others and frequently hosted veterinary students from Iowa State University. Doc and Jo loved playing bridge and participated on a regular basis with close friends for over sixty years.
Doc was a member of St. John’s Catholic Church, Houghton, Iowa, the Houghton Knights of Columbus, and was a founding member of the Southeast Iowa Veterinary Association.
Doc and Jo had four children: Sherry Boeding (Steve), Steve (Jennifer), Cindy Hagan (Doug), and Sue Thomas (Eric). Their grandchildren include Amanda Merta (Travis), Sam Boeding (Shari), and Shane Boeding (partner Lydia and son Cailin), Jordan Freske (Adam) and Tyler Gunn, Stephanie Hagan (Doug Carmody) and Matt Hagan, and Avery, Lauren, and Lexi Thomas. Great-grandchildren include Jaxson and Briggs Merta and Rowan and Riley Boeding.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Joann, parents Bill and Fronie Shannon, and his brother Jim.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday December 14, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at St. John’s Catholic Church in Houghton Iowa, with burial service immediately after in St. John’s Cemetery. A luncheon will follow afterwards at the Knights of Columbus community building in Houghton. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Houghton Fire Department. Memorial arrangements are being handled by Barr Memorial Chapelhttps://www.barrmemorialchapel.comwww.barrmemorialchapel.com
By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, December 10th, 2024 at 3:05 pm CDT
The Mount Pleasant City Council will meet in Regular Session on Wednesday, December 1 1 , 2024, at City Hall, 307 E. Monroe Street, second-floor meeting room at 5:30 p.m.
AGENDA
Roll Call.
Consent Agenda: To the Public — All items with an asterisk ( *) are routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion and a roll call of the Council members. There will be no separate discussion of items unless the Mayor, a Council member or citizen so request, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be considered in its normal sequence on the Agenda.
Receive & file communications.
Approve agenda.
*5. Approve minutes of previous meetings.
*6. Approve payment of bills.
*7. Receive report of Officers including Resolution No. 2024-108 approving November transfers.
Old Business-
3rd reading and adopt ordinance amending Chapter 12, Section 12-6 Stop Intersections for Harvest Drive and South Grand Avenue.
3rd reading and adopt ordinance amending Chapter 12, Section 12-4 Speed Limits for South Grand Avenue.
New Business-
Approve the issuance of a new Class E Retail Alcohol License for Iowa Wine & Spirits at 109 S Jefferson Street.
Arlene Mae Haifley, 93, a resident of Fairfield, passed away Saturday, December 7, 2024 at Prestige Care Center in Fairfield.
Per Arlene’s wishes there will be no services held at this time.
Inurnment will be at Evergreen Cemetery in Fairfield. Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield is assisting the family.
Arlene was born September 18, 1931 in Jefferson County, the daughter of Harold and Elsie (Olson) McIntire. She married Robert Haifley, October 9, 1949 in Fairfield. He preceded her in death December 1, 2018.
Arlene was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Caring for her family was her greatest joy. She was a member of Suburban Heights Baptist Church in Fairfield.
Those left to honor her memory include her daughter-in-law, Christine Haifley; grandchildren, Korie (Gary) Cochran, Matthew (Erika) Haifley, Jennifer (Brian) Vanderhart and Michelle (Dana) Semprini; and eight great-grandchildren, Hannah, Connor, Steven, Austin, Evan, Noah, Carson and Harper; siblings, Marilyn Kane of Fairfield, Pamela Cubbage of Batavia, and Steven McIntire of Goldfield, Iowa.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; and sons, Robert Allen Haifley, Jr. and Guy Lee Haifley.
Online condolences may be made to Arlene’s family by viewing her obituary at www.behnerfh.com.
Henry County, Iowa — The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation has awarded $143,000 to 30 County organizations. An estimated 35,000 people will benefit from the 20th round of grants to be made by the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation.
The 30 grants were announced at a special celebration and media advisory event held at the Union Block Building in Mt. Pleasant on December 10th beginning at 11 am. The event was open to the public, all grant recipients, public officials from throughout the county and community leaders.
This was the 20th time that the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation has engaged in grant making. The foundation applied for and received funds from the County Endowment Fund legislation.
Enhance Henry County Community Foundation President, Robert Meyer, talked to KILJ about announcement day means for these organizations.
“Our foundation received a total of $157,184.36. Twenty five percent of this was restricted to permanent endowment and 75 percent was required to be released through local competitive grant making. In addition, we took $32,466.84 from our endowment earnings and granted them as well.” said Robert Meyer, Foundation President.
“We received grant applications totaling $509,727.66. We only wish that we had more resources at the foundation because we know there are many needs and worthy projects throughout the county.”
The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation was organized by representatives from throughout Henry County. “Our mission involves helping the communities and non-profit organizations of the county,” said Robert Meyer. “We want to partner with communities and non-profit organizations to help them with programs and projects that might otherwise not be available to the individuals, families and visitors to our county.”
As an affiliate foundation, the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation can assist donors who wish to make outright and testamentary gifts of support to our foundation or other charitable organizations in the county. “It’s even possible for local charitable organizations to establish their own funds and benefit from special tax credits and the professional expertise and investment management we help provide,” said Robert Meyer.
Further information about Enhance Henry County Community Foundation is available by contacting, Lora Roth at 319-385-8728.
Organizations awarded:
MOPS – Winfield Food Pantry- $3,500
Henry County Child Advocacy Council- $1,000
Old Threshers Foundation -$5,000
Henry County Public Health/Healthy Henry County Communities – $2,000
Southeast Iowa Regional Board of Realtors® recently sold their office building on Summer Street in Burlington, IA providing an opportunity for the Mount Pleasant Council to donate its portion of the net proceeds to 5 local 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.
Members of the Mount Pleasant Council met to nominate and vote on various charities with the goal of supporting organizations that enhance the communities of Henry County, IA. The Henry County non-profit organizations selected to receive these funds were Henry County Conservation, Mount Pleasant Library, New London Library, Salem Library, and the Winfield Library. $9,848.73 was donated in total.
In addition to the Mount Pleasant Council, Realtor councils in Fort Madison, Keokuk, Burlington, Fairfield, Ottumwa, Rathbun and Oskaloosa also donated funds from the sale of the office building to their communities, for a combined total donation of $131,300 throughout Southeast Iowa.
The Mount Pleasant Council of the Southeast Iowa Regional Board of Realtors includes: Benchmark Real Estate, Cottage Realty, Epique, Fraise Auction & Real Estate, Jennings and Associates, Real Estate by Waters, and Southeast Iowa Realty.
