Iowa's second-largest data center hub rejects moratorium
COUNCIL BLUFFS — Mayor Jill Shudak asked her council to temporarily stop data centers so they could create regulations. The Council Bluffs City Council unanimously refused (KMTV-News Now). That means Council Bluffs, already with 11 data centers nearby, will remain a prime focus for future data center developers. Shudak had cited citizen concerns about water and electricity use, while council members cited the jobs generated by data centers and the potential for a moratorium to scare away future development. Public Works Director Matt Cox had also warned the council that it’s hard to monitor use of the nearby Missouri River when data centers are proposed piecemeal, reports Radio Iowa. Council Bluffs is the second-most concentrated area for data centers, next to the Des Moines area, and is also home to the first-ever data center built in Iowa, by Google, in 2007.
Music, drag, more at Fort Dodge Pride Festival Saturday
FORT DODGE — Live music, vendors and food trucks , speakers and more will be at the fifth annual Fort Dodge Pride Festival Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. The live music lineup is headlined by Fort Dodge native Evan Pratt. There will also be face painting, raffles and a silent auction for prizes. An adults-only after party with a drag show will be at River Hops Brewing, 1014 Central Ave. from 7 to 10 p.m. Fort Dodge Pride will be on Central Ave. between 10th and 12th streets.Â
Woodbury County halts data centers for a year
WOODBURY COUNTY — County supervisors voted unanimously for a one-year moratorium on data centers Tuesday (Radio Iowa). The vote comes after weeks of discussion following the town of Salix’s annexing 900 acres of farmland in April without consulting county officials (KTIV). Developer MidAmerican Energy put forward plans for a data center on that land. The moratorium will stop any new data center proposals, but the supervisors said they don’t know of any proposals for unincorporated parts of the county.
