The RAGBRAI event brings thousands of people to Iowa. In addition to bicycling and eating Iowa food, they also donated $50,000 to a town severely damaged by a May tornado.
People on Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa combined to give that amount in the town of Greenfield when churning through on Tuesday.
The May 21 tornado killed four people and injured dozens.
At one point, it wasn’t clear if plans for RAGBRAI to go through Greenfield could play out. However, it was kept on the route, and bicyclists not only stopped at food stands, but also donated to Greenfield.
Some rebuilding is underway, while some people are still waiting on insurance to get going.
The 51st version of RAGBRAI will end the 434-mile route with stops Friday in Mount Pleasant, and then finishing at Burlington on the Mississippi River on Saturday.
*Recovery from another natural disaster in Iowa continues, after the late June flooding that impacted Siouxland.
Record Big Sioux River levels at Sioux City made water back up in people’s basements in the Riverside area. It also flooded parts of the 12-mile riverfront trail that stretches from Riverside to Chautauqua Park on the south edge of the city.
Two sections are closed.
A section of the trail is closed west of the boat ramp at Chris Larsen Park, with some completely destroyed.
Sioux City Parks and Recreation Department Director Matt Salvatore on Friday told Siouxland Public Media that closed section of the trail stretches three miles to Riverside Park.
“Several areas of the trail were compromised due to flooding, portions of the trail are a total loss,” Salvatore said.
That segment will likely not reopen until 2025. The other riverfront trail section closed is at the far north end, from Military Road to the Sioux City Railroad Museum, which had its grounds flooded.
Salvatore said the Federal Highway Administration and Iowa Department of Transportation will be involved in repairs, including addressing riverbanks.
*Officials have said at least a combined 1,000 homes were impacted by flooding in such towns as Spencer, Rock Valley and elsewhere.
Explore Okoboji News reported a new total for water-impacted homes in Cherokee, Iowa.
Cherokee County Emergency Management Coordinator Justin Pritts said 120 homes were impacted, with 39 having major damage and 19 that were destroyed.
Pitts said people are working hard, but some are understandably struggling to regain a sense of daily normalcy after being displaced. With Cherokee County being cited for presidential declaration status, he said temporary housing options and other public assistance are being kicked into gear.
Pitts is among the members of a new Northwest Iowa committee that’s looking into flood mitigation along the northern portions of the Little Sioux River, which fairly readily floods. The first committee meeting was held Tuesday in Spirit Lake.
In other news, the Nebraska Legislature began a special session Thursday called by Governor Jim Pillen to reduce property taxes.
There were a variety of proposals introduced by the state senators and governor, who proposed to cut the budget and expand state sales taxes in order to reduce school property taxes by more than $1 billion.
State Senator Jana Hughes wants to reduce property taxes more gradually, with an initial cut of about $440 million. To help pay for that, she proposed a 2 percent tax on deliveries of purchases from retailers like Amazon.
Senator Carol Blood proposed creating a new income tax bracket for individuals making more than $250,000 or couples above $500,000.
Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, chairwoman of the Revenue Committee, said she hopes lawmakers stay in session until Labor Day to work out compromises to eventually reduce property taxes.
