Author: Theresa Rose

Mount Pleasant Police investigated a two vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon at about 2:15 pm.  The crash occurred in the 1400 block of East Washington Street when a car driven Judy Miller of Mount Pleasant was struck from behind by a car driven by Judy Fuller of New London.  Miller was eastbound attempting to turn left when her car was hit.  Miller was treated for minor injuries at the scene and released. Fuller was issued a citation for failure to stop within an assured clear distance ahead.

Two people on a motorcycle were killed in a chain reaction crash on Hwy 2 in Lee County Tuesday at about 5:30 pm.  Michael Horn of Donnellson  was operating the motorcycle that was pushed into the back of a straight truck by a vehicle driven by Chad Davis of Donnellson. Linda Horn, also of Donnellson was a passenger on the cycle.  Davis was eastbound on Hwy 2 and failed to stop when he came up behind the Horns.  The straight truck was driven by Robert Luke Sr. of Washington Iowa who was stopped in a string of vehicle for a flagger at the start of a work zone on Hwy 2.

Wayland City Council Meeting

Wednesday, August 5

7:30 pm Wayland City Hall

1. Roll Call
2. Consent Agenda
Note: These are routine items and will be enacted by one motion without separate discussion unless a Council member requests an item be removed for separate consideration.
a. Minutes of July 15, 2020
b. Bills for Payment
c. Treas. Report
d. Clerks Budgetary Report
e. Utility Dept. Report
f. Police Dept. Report
g. Firefighter Dept. Report
3. Citizen Forum
The Mayor and City Council welcome comments from the public for items not listed on the agenda. You are asked to state your name and address for the record and to limit your remarks in order that others may be given the opportunity to speak. The Order of Business is at the discretion of the Chair. No action will be taken.
4. Unfinished Business
a. Ongoing Discussion Regarding Covid-19 – West Park Opening Status
5. New Business
a. Water Drainage Concern – 200 Block East Main Street
b. Consider/Approve Quote – Kurita – Water Softener Tank Materials
c. Consider/Approve Proposal – Millards – Water Softener Tank Repair
d. Res. 2020-21 “Resolution to Fix a Date for a Public Hearing on Proposal to Enter into a Sewer Revenue Loan and Disbursement Agreement and to Borrow Money Thereunder in a Principal Amount not to Exceed $700,000”
e. Approve Application for SRF Planning & Design Loan for Phase II Sewer Project – Treatment Solutions and Design
f. Quote for Covered 30’ x 12’ Cement Pad w/Roof at West Park (North of splashpad)
6. Building Permits – Approved
Lydia Rotzinger – 21’ x 5’ x 4’H post wire dog fence at 304 W. 2nd St.
Mark & Tammy Davis – Re-roof house at 109 W. 3rd St
Thomas Howell – Re-roof house at 109 N Madison St.
7. Adjournment

 Renters and Homeowners who previously received $600 unemployment benefit now eligible to apply for rent and mortgage assistance

Des Moines – The Iowa Finance Authority today announced that more Iowans will be eligible to receive assistance with their rent and mortgage payments through the COVID-19 Iowa Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention program. The program’s eligibility criteria have been expanded to allow Iowans who had been receiving $600 a week in federal unemployment stimulus benefits to apply for assistance through the program.

“We acted quickly to launch this program as a vital resource to assist Iowans in staying in their home after experiencing a COVID-19 related loss of income,” said Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Debi Durham. “The program has assisted more than 1,100 renters and homeowners since launching in late May and is expected to assist many more with the eligibility adjustment announced today.” 

The Iowa Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention program offers rent or mortgage assistance for up to four months, with a total household maximum of $3,200 for rental assistance and $3,000 for mortgage assistance.

The program is available to eligible renters and homeowners who have experienced a documented COVID-19-related loss of income on or after March 17, 2020 and have a household income that does not exceed 80% of the median family income limits for their county at the time of application.

The program issues payments directly to landlords and mortgage service providers on behalf of tenants and homeowners.  The application period will remain open through the end of the year or until all allocated funds have been exhausted.

Iowans in need of assistance may apply at iowahousingrecovery.com. Applicants who have applied previously and were declined due to unemployment benefit status are welcome to reapply for assistance. Applicants with an adult member of their household who received the $600 benefit in one or more payments in June and/or July are ineligible to receive rent or mortgage assistance in arrears but may receive assistance beginning with the August payment.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is encouraging Iowans who have moved since the last time they voted to update their voter registration as soon possible. The process only takes a few minutes and can be done online with an Iowa driver’s license or non-operator’s ID.

“It’s vital to keep your voter registration up-to-date, especially heading into a general election,” Secretary Pate said. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be sending absentee ballot request forms to all active registered voters in a few weeks, and we need your address to be accurate. If you’re not registered to vote, now will be a great time to get that done.”

To register to vote or update your voter registration, visit sos.iowa.gov/registertovote. Along with online voter registration, several options are available, including registering through the mail, at various government agency offices, at a voter registration drive and at military recruiting centers. Iowa also allows voters to register at the polls on Election Day.

The statewide absentee ballot request form mailing is expected to take place in late August.

At their Tuesday meeting, the Henry County Supervisors approved construction plans to stabilize a creek bank along Jewel Avenue.  Big Creek is starting to erode the bank and in a couple of years will encroach on the roadway. Rip wrap will be used to stabilize the bank at a cost of about $61,000.  75% of that will be covered with funds from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Bid letting is set for August 25.

County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss also let the Supervisors know that Norris Asphalt has completed the asphalt work on J20 Salem Road and marking the pavement is complete.  Rumble strips will be installed Wednesday or Thursday. After that they are will wait for the guardrail crew and final seeding.

Week of July 27- August 2

DES MOINES, Iowa (August 3, 2020) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly from April through November.

“While spotty thunderstorms brought much needed rainfall to parts of the western Iowa drought region, other areas were not as fortunate and drought conditions persist,” said Secretary Naig. “As we begin August, cooler temperatures and chances of thunderstorms are expected over the short-term, which would be beneficial to moisture-stressed corn and soybeans.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s site at nass.usda.gov/ia.

Crop Progress

Although some areas of the Iowa received more than an inch of rain, statewide farmers had 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending August 2, 2020, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Fieldwork activities continue to be primarily spraying, harvesting hay and grain movement. Reports of aerial applications of fungicide continue.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 14% very short, 33% short, 51% adequate and 2% surplus. Northwest, West Central and Central Iowa all report topsoil moisture supplies are mostly short to very short. Subsoil moisture levels rated 10% very short, 31% short, 57% adequate and 2% surplus.

Corn silking or beyond reached 95%, 2 weeks ahead of the previous year and 5 days ahead of the 5-year average. Corn in the dough stage or beyond reached 44%, 10 days ahead of the previous year and 4 days ahead of the average. Corn condition declined to 73% good to excellent. Soybeans blooming reached 91%, 2 weeks ahead of last year and 6 days ahead of average. Soybeans setting pods reached 70%, 16 days ahead of last year and 6 days ahead of average. Soybean condition also fell to 73% good to excellent. Nearly all of the oats are turning color or beyond. Oats harvested for grain reached 85%, over 1 week ahead of last year and 5 days ahead of the average.

Alfalfa hay second cutting reached 90%, 1 week ahead of last year but the same as the 5-year average. Third cutting reached 17%, 5 days ahead of the previous year but 2 days behind average. Hay condition rated 66% good to excellent. Pasture condition rated 46% good to excellent. For the first time since the week ending April 5, 2020 less than half of pastures were rated good to excellent.

Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Temperatures through the last week of July were seasonal across much of the state with sections of eastern Iowa reporting slightly warmer conditions. Iowa’s average temperature was 73.0 degrees, 0.4 degree above normal. Unseasonably dry conditions continued over a majority of Iowa, though parts of the state’s southwestern corner reported rainfall totals of up to two inches above normal. In the opposite corner of Iowa, departures of more than an inch below normal were observed.

An upper-level disturbance continued to move south through Sunday (26th) afternoon, bringing light to moderate rainfall to much of Iowa. Following closely behind, a sluggish cold front re-fired evening thunderstorms in southern Iowa. Showers and thunderstorms remained over southern Iowa into Monday (27th) morning as temperatures behind the front dipped into the upper 50s and low 60s across Iowa’s northern third. Rain totals for the previous 24 hours showed that the highest amounts occurred in southern Iowa with over 40 stations reporting an inch or more. Many stations in the southwest reported over two inches with a gauge in Osceola (Clarke County) observing 3.01 inches; the statewide average rainfall was 0.41 inch. As skies cleared though the afternoon, highs reached into the low to mid 80s with a light northerly wind. With high pressure controlling the pattern, clear skies overnight into Tuesday (28th) dropped morning temperatures into the low to mid 60s; some upper 50s were also reported, up to four degrees below normal. Daytime highs rebounded into the mid to upper 80s with sunny skies and southerly winds. Isolated showers formed in northern Iowa with some stronger storms leaving higher amounts in the state’s northwest corner. Rainfall ranged from a trace at a handful of stations in north-central Iowa to 1.15 inches at Akron (Plymouth County).

A boundary set up over northern Iowa separated cloudy skies and northerly winds from clear conditions and southerly winds across southern Iowa into Wednesday (29th) morning; temperatures were generally in the 60s. As the boundary transitioned to a warm front, partly cloudy conditions pushed farther south as morning lows remained in the upper 60s and low 70s. As the day progressed, showers and storms pushed into southwest Iowa. With muggy conditions and temperatures in the 80s, additional thunderstorms formed along the warm front during the afternoon. Some of these storms persisted along a concentrated east-west swath across the middle of Iowa. A low pressure center in northern Missouri spun additional bands of scattered thunderstorms into eastern Iowa though Thursday (30th). Morning rain totals along the Iowa-Nebraska border were between 0.30 inch to around one inch with locally heavier totals. There was also another pocket of heavier rain in east-central Iowa where Marengo (Iowa County) reported 2.44 inches. Gusty northerly winds and cloudy skies kept afternoon highs in the upper 70s and low 80s. A pocket of thundershowers worked across southeastern Iowa during the evening hours and pushed southwest before dissipating; rainfall was generally under a few tenths of an inch. Friday (31st) was another pleasant day with highs similar to Thursday and lower relative humidity. The average statewide high was 82 degrees, two degrees below normal. High pressure lent to quiet conditions into Saturday (1st) though clouds were on the increase in western Iowa as scattered thundershowers pushed into the northwest quadrant. Additional showers popped up in northern Iowa into Sunday (2nd) morning. The state’s western one-third picked up measurable totals on the order of few tenths to near an inch. Low temperatures were in the mid 50s to mid 60s with departures of up to 10 degrees below normal at some stations.

Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation at stations in northern Iowa to 3.22 inches in Oakland (Pottawattamie County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.62 inch while the normal is 0.94 inch. Multiple stations in eastern Iowa reported the week’s high temperature of 94 degrees on the 26th, on average 10 degrees above normal. Webster City (Hamilton County) reported the week’s low temperature of 51 degrees on the 1st, 10 degrees below normal.