An Ames-based realty company got the green light from the FAA to fly a commercial drone. Hunziker Companies says it’ll use the drone to show clients the exterior of a house. The drone cost about a thousand dollars.
ISU basketball coach Fred Hoiberg could be moving to Chicago, now that Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has been fired today. Rumors that Hoiberg will be tapped as Bulls head coach have been swirling the past few weeks, as Hoiberg has said it’s his dream to one day coach in the NBA.
West Des Moines is looking to try a different form of developing – a walkable urban scenario with plenty of subdivisions within walking distance of shopping centers and amenities. Leaders heard from researcher Patrick Lynch from Smart Growth America who performed a case study on the city, and he said property values will drastically increase in walkable communities.
The city of West Des Moines’ Public Works department is also setting some new rules for next week’s annual spring cleanup. The department says bagged or boxed items won’t be collected this year because those can be put out on the curb year round. The city also says it won’t accept appliances like air conditioners and gas grills.
What looked like progress last week at the state capitol has hit a wall this week as budget talks continue to drone on. A significant $166 million gap remains in the 2016 state budget…as Democrats continue to hold out for more money for K-12 education and health care…while Republicans continue to stick to their mantra that they will not spend more money than what the state takes in.
Renewable energy use across the US is at its highest level since the 1930’s -that’s according to the Energy Information Administration. Wind energy, which has a huge market in Iowa, saw the largest growth rate, but old school wood burning to heat homes has still dominated green energy production.
Des Moines area residents will be able to be a part of the planning process for new water trails in the metro. The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning has set up a game-like website for residents to create a master plan for 150 miles of creeks and rivers, including better maps and signs. The water trails are expected to be completed by fall of 2016.
You can’t go to the beach today at Gray’s Lake Park. The Parks and Rec department shut down the swimming beach because of elevated E.coli levels. The department blames recent rains and water from the Raccoon River for the high bacteria.
You won’t have to pay money to go to the 4th Annual Family Leadership Summit in Ames on July 18th. For the first time, Family Leader announced that the event is free to all Iowans. Headliners for the event includes presidential candidates Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Rick Santorum, and likely contender Bobby Jindal.
Newly announced GOP presidential candidate George Pataki isn’t making Iowa his first stop on the campaign trail. The former New York Governor released a video announcement this morning and will spend time with New Hampshire voters first. Pataki was last in Iowa for the state GOP Lincoln Dinner.
