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.

Iowa Group on Lookout for Sustainable Buildings, Projects

play audio
Play

Friday, December 11, 2015   

DES MOINES, Iowa - Each year, the 1,000 Friends of Iowa's Best Development Awards bring attention to cities, companies, and individuals who show how responsible development and planning benefits Iowa's communities and the environment.

The group is now on the lookout for its next winners for good sustainability practices. One of last year's winning projects was the revival of a major building on the main street of Slater, in Story County. Jennifer Davies, the city's economic development coordinator, says the project led to a full downtown revival in this town of fewer than 1,500 people.

"It was kind of the start to a new beginning for our main street," says Davies. "Kind of the driving force to everybody really taking a better look at their buildings, and making sure that they're properly maintaining them and upgrading them."

Slater's building received last year's award in the "mixed use" building category.

Davies says the project was especially important because a similar downtown building collapsed in 2006, and Slater residents didn't want to see that happen again.

"Everybody was so excited when they started seeing progress," says Davies. "They would stop by and tell the contractors and the property owners stories of the past, of what they remembered going and doing in that building."

City officials assisted with grant writing and a zero-interest loan. The building now houses business office space on the main floor, and an apartment upstairs.

Davies says Slater residents could not wait to see the final product.

"Actually when they got to the point where they got new windows and doors in, they actually had to lock the doors because they were having way too many people in and out," she says. "Trying to see all the progress, because everybody was so excited to see it salvaged."

To nominate a "sustainable" project for recognition, look on the 1,000 Friends of Iowa website, 1000friendsofiowa.org.

The deadline for nominations for 2015 is next Tuesday, December 15.






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