skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Rewarding Sustainability, "Smart Growth" in Iowa Communities

play audio
Play

Tuesday, March 15, 2016   

DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowans working toward sustainable development and community improvement are being honored for it.

The "Best Development Awards" were started in 2001 as a way to reward individuals and communities who were doing a good job incorporating smart growth and sustainable development in projects. Kari Carney, who heads 1000 Friends of Iowa, the group that sponsors the awards, said it's important to recognize those who are thinking about how their projects fit into the overall life of their communities.

"It's about changing the way we think about development," she said, "in a way that's good for everybody in the community, and good for our environment and sustainability in the long terms."

She said the projects also make economic sense in the long run, making communities more vibrant and sustainable. Awards are presented in seven categories, ranging from new residential projects to mixed-use facilities and restored commercial properties.

Carney said the sustainable-development movement has gained popularity.

"We're seeing more and more projects happening around the state, and this year, we had a record number of projects apply," she said. "I think we tend to think that these are mostly happening in urban areas, but there's an awful lot of rural communities who are doing it, too."

Projects in communities ranging in size from Winterset and Glidden to Cedar Rapids and Davenport were recognized this year.

She said the entries are evaluated not only on their environmental sustainability, but on the project's ability to be a model that encourages others.

"We wanted to make sure that folks who were making an effort to do things right were getting recognized, as a way to help encourage more folks to want to try to look at these projects, and do these types of projects as well," she said.

The full list of the award-winners is on the 1000 Friends of Iowa website. Winning projects are in Ames, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Elkader, Glidden, Manning, Monona, Sioux City and Winterset.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021