Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024
Vol. 5, No. 22
PCMExplorer Local People. Local Stories.
Recent snowfall could help drought conditions for farmers
While added winter moisture can be beneficial, the state has a long ways to go for topsoil to be at adequate level
Official appointments made for the City of Monroe By Jamee A. Pierson PCM Explorer
Jamee A. Pierson/PCM Explorer Recent snowfalls will hopefully help the drought conditions in Iowa with more than 97 percent of the state in some level of drought.
By Jamee A. Pierson PCM Explorer Mother Nature has made her presence known after dropping more than a foot of snow from Jan. 8 to 13 and causing the temperatures to plummet below zero for daily highs. While a change in the forecast closed schools and gave snow plow businesses their first real run of the season, it also brought much needed moisture to the soil the state so deeply depends on. The State of Iowa has been in a drought, with some areas in extreme drought conditions, going on four years. According to Greg Wandrey, Iowa Corn Growers Association Di-
rector of Sustainability, more than 97 percent of the state is in some level of drought. “Many places in the drought-stricken areas of the state are more than 10 inches of rainfall short of longtime averages. Rainfall in Iowa averages 32 to 34 inches per year with less in the northwest and more in the southeast,” Wandrey said. “Not many areas of the state have been near the average the past few years.” Going back to data from November 2020, Wandrey said the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship listed topsoil moisture condition rated 12 percent very short, 28 percent short, 58 percent adequate
and 2 percent surplus. The subsoil moisture condition rated 20 percent very short, 33 percent short, 46 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. A year later, the conditions bounced back with topsoil moisture levels rated 3 percent very short, 20 percent short, 74 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 7 percent very short, 29 percent short, 62 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus. The following year did not have as good results with moisture levels plummeting. In 2022, topsoil moisture condition rated 23 percent very short, 33 percent short,
KNIFF MCCULLA:
Legislature should help citizenship process of immigrants who want to work State representative’s priorities for 2024 legislative session strive for improving workforce and economic develBy Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer
Editor’s note: The following is the final piece in a series of three articles going over Jasper County lawmakers’ priorities for the 2024 legislative session. For this year’s legislative session, Iowa House Rep. Barb Kniff McCulla’s priorities of workforce and economic development almost fully align with her role on the five committees she serves: commerce, economic growth and technology, health and human services, labor and workforce and ways and means. Kniff McCulla was only just appointed to the labor and workforce Kniff McCulla committee this legislative session. As a small business owner, she knows workforce is a constant challenge, and she told Newton News that perhaps it was that experience that earned her a spot on that committee. “I don’t know they must have flagged that and said, ‘OK, if you’re so interested in that we’re putting you on that!’ So we need to bring more workforce to this
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particular state,” Kniff McCulla said. “We’re just so short, and every industry I’ve spoken with agrees. That’s really going to be my drive here this next year.” Specifically, Kniff McCulla wants to allow the legalization of immigrants who really want to work. From what she has gathered speaking with immigrants, they tell her if they can get into a legalized system somehow — which she acknowledged could be more a federal problem than a state problem — they will work. “They say, ‘We want to work. We want to be part of the United States. We want to be part of the dream.’ And there are some of those individuals out there,” she said. “It’s not all, you know, coming across the border that are horrible, that are causing issues. We gotta close the borders but that’s a federal piece.” Kniff McCulla clarified it is going to take some heavy vetting to ensure they have individuals “that truly want to be United States citizens.” “There are people out there are willing and able to work and want to work and would love to come to the United States,” she said. “But right now we’ve got such a mess going. And what’s taken centerstage KNIFF MCCULLA | 3
DROUGHT | 3
At the start of each year the Monroe City Council reviews the appointments for council members and city staff. At the Jan. 8 meeting, the council members, including new members Andy Algreen and Butch Umble, found where they would specialize for the upcoming year. Appointments by mayor Doug Duinink include mayor pro tem Andrea Steenhoek, water and sewer all council members, streets, Algreen, general Steenhoek, park and cemetery Jen St. Peter, public safety, police and fire department Umble and Jean Goemaat along with Monroe Police Chief Nick Chambers. Local boards also were named for the upcoming year including the board of adjustment, planning and zoning board and library board. Board of Adjustment: Sherri Breckenridge, Jeremy St. Peter, Melissa Van Der Hart, Charles Burns, Richard Aalbers and Gary Munson Planning and Zoning Board: Patty Duinink, Nick Steenhoek, Marcia Schnug, Kathy Van Veen, Brian Briles, Donita Breckenridge and Cary Diekema Library Board: Rebecca VerHeul, Janet Rankin, Mary Sellers, Nicky Tapps and Stacie McCoy 911 representatives are Rob Wilson and Tyler Jenkins with alternates Chambers and Duinink Caldwell and Brierly, PLLC was named the city attorney and the PCM Explorer and Newton News are the official papers of the City of Monroe. Leighton State Bank and IPAIT are the depositories for 2024.
State shares outside firm’s findings on local public health Four models show different levels of control local public health entities would maintain; no changes planned in the near future By Jamee A. Pierson PCM Explorer Following the statewide consolidation of Public Health and Human Services to a single agency in 2022, Health Management Associates, a healthcare consulting firm from Minnesota, began conducting a review of the delivery of health and human services (HHS) in Iowa. During the Jan. 11 Jasper County Board of Health meeting, administrator Becky Pryor highlighted some areas where county residents may be affected by the firm’s recommendations. “I see a theme within this that the recommendations come down to them recommending 10 to 15 regions comprised of counties that are by each other and they need to have a population of 50,000 or more,” Pryor said. “We have a population of 37,000 to 38,000 people. That means we would have to be with another neighboring county. Also, this isn’t saying they are doing anything yet, these are all just recommendations made by this company.” After really digging into the almost 200 page document, Pryor found a table that assessed different states in the county and how they do public health. It ranged from having a local county board of health to
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the state having control of public health. On the side of more control, the firm has a regionally administered centralized governance model based on Arkansas. In this model, HHS would provide administrative, policy, managerial direction and support and Local Public Health Agencies (LPHAs) would be organizationally a part of HHS. Other features include the establishment of a local presence in each county staffed by state employees. Local boards of health would be eliminated, but each county would appoint a county health officer to enhance local input, engagement and collaboration. HHS would create 10 to 15 multi-county administrative districts accountable for the effective, efficient and equitable allocation and use of public health resources and for ensuring foundational public health services and capabilities are available in all parts of the state. The firm found advantages of the least local control model are it ensures more consistent public health service levels across the state, has the potential to generate efficiencies/eliminate duplicative efforts, potentially allows quicker response to emerging challenges and needs and is the simplest option. HEALTH | 3
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