In response to the increase for needs in green technology, Hawkeye Community College custom designed a two year green technician certification program integrating various aspects of green technology including wind energy, solar energy, HVAC and geothermal to name a few. The brand new program was approved in the spring of 2011, and then implemented with [...]
2011 EDIES Story 8 of 24: Traer Municipal Utilities reveals the answer that was blowing in the wind
The dozens of meteorological wind towers erected all over Tama County, Iowa to measure wind speeds, should have tipped you off by now that we have above average wind speeds and transmission lines compared to the rest of the U.S. But it was even before these appeared that Traer Municipal Utilities started investigating the possibilities of locally produced energy from wind. [...]
Elections Update: Major changes in elected officials for Tama County, Iowa’s communities in 2012
If Tama County, Iowa really is a microcosm of the national political makeup and attitudes as national media has alluded to in the past, then what would you conclude if six or seven out of twelve towns elected new mayors? Even Meskwaki elected a new chairman. It is not a surprise that in general American [...]
Green Update: Traer Municipal Utilities breaks ground in clean tech energy solutions
In spite of the fact that Iowa has the lowest overall business utility rates, taxes, real estate costs, and wages in the nation (1), local leaders in Traer, Iowa continue to look out for our best possible, probable and preferred future economic landscape. They recognize the opportunity of leveraging assets already in place since the state [...]
Global Update: Where in the world does Tama County, Iowa stand on international relations?
“After I graduated from school in Tama, I left my hometown and ultimately went to work for a big international corporation. As a youngster I did not realize how lucky I was to learn emerged in Tama County’s rich diversity with classmates from Meskwaki, immigrant kids from Mexico etc. Now I know it gave me [...]
Fun Update: Early August is Sizzling in Tama County
The heat is on but we won’t let that stop us from having fun. The first two weekends of August are packed with fun things to do across Tama County. Get in on the premier showing of an independent film set in Clutier and see if you can spot any neighbors in the cast. [...]
Storm Update: How are business opportunities and our job market impacted by the 7/11/11 Derecho
Tama County, Iowa has been holding strong on a $13.42 average hourly wage through the recession, and rebounded to a 6.1% unemployment before the straight-line storm hit. Though this is very comparable to the State’s 6.0% unemployment, (and extremely favorable compared to the national 9.1% unemployment) wages are still significantly lower in Tama County than [...]
Storm Update: Day 2 of recovery from July 11, 2011 Hurricane of the Prairie
We now have a name for the devastating act of nature that hit Tama County, Iowa yesterday, July 11, 2011. The formal report is not yet in, but experts believe that it was not a tornado, (though every bit as devastating and much more rare.) It was a persistent high-speed straight-line wind storm, a Hurricane of the [...]


