On Saturday June 13th, 1 year to the day the historic floods ravaged Linn County, the Linn County Dems served lunch to several volunteers with Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is undertaking a massive Build-a-thon in cooperation with AmeriCorps. 20 homes will be built in 1 week, with the majority of the new homes being reserved for flood victims to enter.

The menu served was hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and lemonade, along with various desserts donated by members of the Central Committee. The Habitat volunteers, both in-state and out-of-state, were appreciative of the hot meal and expressed many caring words! Below find pictures from the event!!

Today, Congressman Dave Loebsack announced $1.6 million in FEMA funds from the Hazard Mitigation Program for Linn County. The acquisition will protect the community from future damages while reducing emergency response and evacuation costs.

Below is the latest news from IDP

Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston Elected President of the National Democratic County Officials - Adds Another Iowa Voice to the DNC

DES MOINES, IA – Today, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman, Michael Kiernan, congratulated Linn County Supervisor, Linda Langston, who was recently elected as the President of the National Democratic County Officials. As President, Linda will serve as a member of the Democratic National Committee.

“I congratulate Linda on her new leadership role with NDCO,” said Michael Kiernan, Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party. “Linda’s voice at the DNC will help strengthen Iowa’s already strong DNC contingency.”

“I’m honored to have been chosen to lead NDCO, and I am excited to work with other Iowans at the DNC level to advocate for Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status,” said Linda Langston, President of the National Democratic County Officials.

Linda Langston was elected to the Linn County Board of Supervisors in the fall of 2002 and began her term of office in January 2003. She was re-elected in November 2006 and again in November 2008. She and her husband, Dave, have lived in Linn County for almost 20 years. They have been married for over 30 years and have two sons.

The complete Iowa DNC contingency is listed below:

Michael Kiernan, Chair, Iowa Democratic Party
Sue Dvorsky, Vice-Chair, Iowa Democratic Party
Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald, Chair, National Democratic Treasurer’s Association
Senator Mike Gronstal, Chair, National Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
Supervisor Linda Langston, President, National Democratic County Officials
Sandy Opstvedt, DNC member elected At-Large, Iowa Democratic Party
Leroy Williams, DNC member elected At-Large, Iowa Democratic Party

Bob Krause, a 2nd District Democrat, former member of the Iowa Legislature and chairman of the Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus, has announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate.

The campaign has also launched a new Website offering information about Krause, ways to stay informed and options for contributing and being involved.

One of the youngest Iowans to serve in the Iowa General Assembly when he was elected in 1972, Bob Krause has spent his entire career to date serving his community, his state and his country.

Currently the Chair of the Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus (IDVC), Bob has worked hard in recent years to bring important veterans' issues to the forefront of the presidential campaign debate.

Raised on a family farm in rural northwest Iowa, Bob graduated in 1968 from Sentral Community School District of Fenton. He was active in 4-H, athletics and editor of the student newspaper. He was elected as a state senator at the American Legion's Boys State program at Camp Dodge.

Democratic women from each of Iowa's five congressional districts recently gathered in Des Moines to take part in an Iowa Women's Summit hosted by DAWN's List (Democratic Activist Women's Network).

The main purpose of the Summit was to discuss strategies on electing Iowa's first female congresswoman and first female governor. Iowa remains one of only two states in the nation (the other being Mississippi) that has never elected either a woman to the U.S. Congress or as governor. An additional focus was the election of more progressive Democratic women to public service at all levels.

Keynote speaker for the event was U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic woman recently elected to represent Minnesota. Several local and state female elected officials from across the state also took part in panel and round-table discussions.

The Iowa House of Representatives took action today to lower property taxes for homeowners and businesses rebuilding after natural disasters and providing more clean up resources for cities and counties.

"This is about revitalizing communities that were hardest hit and helping Iowans recover. We are doing all we can to give communities more tools and incentives to rebuild homes and businesses," said Rep. Tyler Olson of Cedar Rapids, who won approval of the bill.

Senate File 457 helps cities and counties respond more quickly to disasters and also give them more options for financing rebuilding projects. The bill also allows cities and counties to establish "disaster revitalization areas" to encourage redevelopment by capping property assessments in disaster-damaged zones at pre-disaster levels for a period of five years. At the same time, the city or county must identify the measures to protect the area against future disaster damage.

The bill now returns to the Senate.

Congressman Dave Loebsack re-launched his official Web site this week in an effort to better maintain an open dialogue with constituents and provide helpful information and links on a range of issues.

"As the Congressman for Iowa’s Second Congressional District my top priority is to provide every resident with the best representation and constituent service possible," said Loebsack. "My office’s new Web site will better serve constituents by providing helpful information on legislation and federal agencies. Additionally, I encourage folks to sign up for my Facebook, which I created to help foster and maintain an open dialogue with the people in the district."

Today Congressman Loebsack announced $4,265,000 in funding from the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Iowa Army Ammunition Plant and the National Guard Readiness Center in Fairfield will receive funds for construction and facility improvement. These funds are available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.