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American Gothic Center to Host Grant Wood Tour

 

Officials with the American Gothic Center in Eldon have announced they will host a one day trip via the Ottumwa Transit Authority to see Grant Wood Country.  Stops will include a tour of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Grant Wood’s Studio at 5 Turner Alley, the Anamosa Grant Wood Gallery, Antioch Country School, Anamosa Riverside Cemetery, St. Joseph’s Church, Stone City Quarry, and supper at the General Store and Pub in Stone City. 

 

The day long trip will be held Saturday April 24^th departing from the American Gothic House Center in Eldon at 9:00 a.m. and returning at 9:30 p.m.  The cost is 45-dollars per person.  For more information contact Jessica Strom by calling the center at 652-3352.   

 

City of Ottumwa Prepares for High Water

 

The City of Ottumwa is making preparations for a potential high water event on the Des Moines River.  Ottumwa is protected by a levee system designed to withstand river stages up to 25 feet.  City officials are in a state of high vigilance and maintaining daily contact with the U. S. Army Corp of Engineers. 

 

Ottumwa’s Director of Public Works Larry Seals says “as is always the case during higher river stages our public works and safety crews are prepared to protect the city from the potential of flooding.  The greatest threat to the community is inland flooding, which occurs when heavy rain overwhelms the drainage capacity behind the levee.  All of our storm pump stations have been tested this week and are ready to go”. 

 

Officials say the City has refurbished two of the main storm water pump stations since the flooding in 2008.  The Mary Street Pump Station has been completely updated with a new building, pumps and engines.  The Walnut Street Pump Station has a new engine.  Along the levee in Ottumwa crews have cycled all the flood gates and services all the flap gates to ensure they are in good working order.  The city has an adequate inventory of sandbags on hand if needed.

 

Seals say “we take this threat seriously and are taking steps to ensure our people and equipment is ready if higher water comes.  City operations are not seriously affected until the river reaches 15 feet but a lot of things are happening precautionary steps and planning that the public may not see or notice to make sure we are ready”.   

First Responders Prepare to Deal with Muddy Roads

 

Emergency responders from Wapello County met Wednesday evening to discuss the condition of gravel roads in the County and plan for emergency response in muddy conditions. 

 

Wapello County Engineer Brian Moore noted that most county roads are in fair condition for this time of year, but warned that with heavy rain, road conditions could quickly grow worse.  Local fire and rescue personnel discussed contingency plans for emergency medical response into areas where gravel roads have severely deteriorated.  Fire and rescue personnel from the various communities and the Wapello County Sheriff’s Department will be assisting ORMICS crews with 4 and 6 wheel drive vehicles as needed. 

 

Residents should be aware that if the condition of gravel roads deteriorates, response times may be slower for fire and medical emergency calls in rural areas.  There may be situations of responders having to wait for a 4 wheel drive vehicle to arrive before they can proceed down a road.  Wapello County residents in areas likely to be isolated by poor road conditions should plan to check on their neighbors.   

Ottumwa School District Looking for Preschool Children

 

The Ottumwa Community School District is seeking all children who will be four years old on or before September 15^th to enroll in the free Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for four year olds.  The district also seeks all children who will be 3 year old on or before September 15^th who may be eligible for a free preschool program.  The Programs provide free preschool for 10 hours per week for the 2010-2011 school year.

 

Parents wanting to participate need to attend the upcoming Child Find, to be held March 31^st and April 1^st from 8:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Great Prairie Area Education Agency.  Children will be screened in the following areas:  pre-academic skills, speech/language, hearing and vision.  A summary report will be provided to the parents at the end of the screening. 

 

The Ottumwa Community School District has partnered with several community preschools to provide families with opportunities for quality choice in preschool instruction including the Imagination Station, Indian Hills Community College, Seton Montessori, the YMCA, and the district’s own preschool. 

Preparations Under way for 2nd Annual BBQ Showdown

 

The Ottumwa Area Convention and Visitor Bureau is gearing up for the 2^nd Annual O’Town BBQ Showdown set for June 11^th and 12^th at Bridge View Center. 

 

Events will begin Friday evening with family night with a packed schedule of events including kids jumpers & inflatibles, games and give aways, BBQ taste testing, live music featuring Richie Lee & the Fabulous 50’s, delicious festival food and other great entertainment.

 

The competition on Saturday June 12^th will feature up to 48 teams tying for $10,000 in prizes and will be overseen by the nationally acclaimed Kansas City Barbecue Society.  The O’Town BBQ Showdown is sanctioned by the KCBS and is a State Championship BBQ.  Last year’s competition brought in 37 teams from 5 states and this year’s competition is filling up fast. 

 

If you are interested in competing in the 2010 cook-off officials encourage teams to sign up as soon as possible due to limited availability of cooking sites.  Teams will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis.  For more information call Bridge View Center at 641-684-7000.   

Southeast Iowa Orchestra announces next Artist in Residence

 

The Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra is proud to present oboist Dane Philipsen as its 2010 Artist in residence.  Philipsen will perform for more than 18 schools, community and service groups throughout southeast Iowa from March 9^th through the 21^st.  SEISO has sponsored residencies by outstanding performing artists since 1982 climaxing in solo concert performances with the Orchestra in the three major sponsoring communities of Ottumwa, Burlington, and Mt. Pleasant.

 

The performances will be Saturday March 20^th at 7:30 p.m. at the Burlington Memorial Auditorium; Sunday March 21^st at 3:00 p.m. at IHCC St. John’s Auditorium in Ottumwa and again at 7:30 p.m. in the IWC Chapel Auditorium in Mt. Pleasant.

 

The Southeast Iowa Symphony Artist-in-Residence Program has been nationally recognized by the League of American Orchestras and receives support from the Iowa Arts Council, Wapello County Foundation, and the Ottumwa Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

 

Dane is the son of Michael and Marva Philipsen of Ottumwa. 

State Official Explains Closing the State Patrol Office in Ottumwa

 

The Iowa Department of Public Safety has announced plans to shut down two Iowa State Patrol District Posts including the one in Ottumwa.  Spokesperson Courtney Green says the district headquarters in Ottumwa will close in mid April. 

 

She says “it will save roughly 25-thousand dollars in facility costs and an additional 100-thousand dollars a year by not filling vacant positions”.  She says “the good thing is it will not affect the number of troopers patrolling Iowa’s highways”.  Also to be closed is the district office in Cherokee. 

 

Greene says troopers who currently report to the office in Ottumwa will continue to patrol their assigned counties but their home office will move to Osceola or Mt. Pleasant

State Senator Keith Kreiman Supports Legislation on Guns

 

The Iowa Senate has sent the governor a bill that would take guns away from those convicted of domestic abuse and forbid those who’re the subject of a “no contact” order from owning or selling guns and ammunitions.  Senator Keith Kreiman a Democrat from Bloomfield says the bill is intended to reduce fear.

 

Kreiman says “as a supporter of the Second Amendment, I understand that there is a fear that this bill will affect Second Amendment right”.  He says “the short and direct answer is that this bill affects no person who has not been found by a judge or jury to have committed domestic abuse or assault”.  The lawyer says domestic abuse is extremely dangerous not only to families, but to law enforcement and sometimes to innocent bystanders. 

 

The senate approved the bill on a vote of 36 to 12 while the Iowa House approved the bill on a vote of 73 to 25. 

Two Area Legislators Announce Re-Election Bid

 

Two area lawmakers have announced their intention to seek re-election to the Iowa Legislature.  State Representative Curt Hanson a Democrat from Fairfield has announced he will seek re-election to the Iowa House of Representatives. 

 

Hanson says “I feel honored to serve the people of House District 90.  With so many families struggling in today’s tough economy, my main priority is to help strengthen Iowa’s middle class and support small businesses.  It’s essential to find new ways to improve Iowa’s economy and create good paying jobs”. 

 

Hanson is currently serving his first term in the Iowa House and is a member of the Environmental Protection, Natural Resources, Public Safety, and Transportation Committee, as well as the Education Appropriations Subcommittee. 

 

And State Senator Becky Schmitz of Fairfield filed petitions this week at the Iowa Secretary of States office making her campaign for re-election official.  Schmitz represents Senate District 45 which includes all of Washington, Jefferson, and Van Buren counties and a portion of Johnson and Wapello counties. 

 

Schmitz says “I am running for re-election to the Senate so that I can continue to create more opportunities for the people in our largely rural part of Iowa”.  She says “I will continue to work hard to ensure that the policies of State Government help middle class families and small business owners recover as quickly as possible from this national economic recession”. 

Van Buren County Board of Education Discusses Closing Birmingham Child Center

 

Residents in Birmingham are upset with plans by the Van Buren County School Board to close the Birmingham Early Child Care Center. 

 

The proposal to close the center was discussed by the Van Buren County Board of Education last night.  Birmingham Mayor Willis Buregge told KBIZ news this morning a number of representatives and parents attended the meeting.  The Board of Education is considering the idea of closing the Birmingham Early Child Care Center due to cuts in state funding.

 

Buregge says the center is for the kids and residents and parents in Birmingham feel the school district is not suppose to make money.  He says the issue should be what’s best for the kids and NOT money. 

 

Buregge says the community is also upset because of the way they found out about closing the early child care center.  He says they found out through word of mouth. 

 

The Van Buren County Board of Education is expected to discuss the closing of the child care center again on March 31^st.