[Community Development]
Benefits from ethanol plants help our area
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Increased employment, higher corn use and lower energy costs are among the advantages.
Northern Iowa seems to be a geographical center for many new ethanol production plants, according to recent reports. One such plant - the Tall Corn ethanol plant, located two miles east of Coon Rapids - has been a boon to north central Iowa. The plant purchases 18 million bushels of corn each year f...
[Commitment to the Community]
Colorful Iowa "barn quilts" spread
Thursday, June 01, 2006
… and Sac County student wins scholarships for his involvement.
A growing attraction “Barn quilts,” the colorful patchwork designs on barns and other outbuildings sprouting up around northeast and northwest central Iowa counties, are continuing to grow in number. From their inception in Grundy County in 2003 as a way to invite residents and tourists to “take the...
[Home & Garden]
Termite-infested mulch from hurricane areas?
Friday, March 17, 2006
Iowa specialists say it’s an urban myth.
The warningIf you are a gardener with a computer, likely you took notice when you received an e-mail warning about mulch recently. The note said, “After the hurricane in New Orleans, many trees were blown over. These trees were then turned into mulch, and the state is trying to get rid of tons and t...
[Family Fun]
A Sneak Peek at Peeps
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
This year, more than 700 million of those soft, sweet chicks will sweeten Easter across America. Here’s the inside scoop—and a sneak peak at what’s new.
A Sneak Peek at Peeps We nestle them in baskets, hide them, decorate with them, nibble at them and gulp them whole: That little yellow Peeps marshmallow treat is an Easter staple and have been for more than half a century. There are Peeps fan clubs, Peeps T-shirts, Peeps screen-savers, Peeps e-cards...
[General Information]
Dirty Dozen tax scams
Thursday, March 23, 2006
The IRS has noticed these problem areas appearing on this year’s tax returns.
Tax Day—April 15—is a day many Americans dread. We may have minimized our tax liability through a mortgage deduction or by contributing to an IRA or Flexible Spending Account, but many of us will still owe money to the U.S. Treasury. Unfortunately, many people look for illegal ways to avoid paying t...
[Seasonal Topics]
Why save daylight?
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Energy savings plays a role.
It’s nearly time to “spring forward” into Daylight Savings Time (DST). We’ll have that extra hour of daylight in the evenings until autumn rolls around, when we’ll “fall back” to standard time. We may wonder why we bother tinkering with the clock twice a year just to maximize usable daylight, b...
[Kids Stuff]
Energy Kid's site
Monday, March 20, 2006
Fun energy facts from the Department of Energy.
At a site sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, you can learn more about energy use, types of energy and how we use energy. Did you know…? About energy use and waste:
The United States uses nearly a million dollars worth of energy each minute? This is used in manufacturing, homes, transpor...
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