Iowa Politics Today: Drought-free Iowa, record breaking prescription drug disposal, new veterans home commandant

NEW VETERANS HOME COMMANDANT:

Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday named retired Col. Timon Oujiri, a Cedar Rapids native, as the new commandant at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown.

Oujiri's appointment comes after Gen. Jodi Tymeson began her employment May 1 as the director of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs.

Oujiri begins his new role as commandant on May 22.

Oujiri was commissioned in May 1980 from the ROTC program at Pittsburg State University in Kansas and began 31 years of active-duty service in Mannheim, Germany.

He held other posts before becoming one of the first two selected for Congressional Fellowships for the U.S. Army Reserve.

Oujiri retired in December 2004 from active service.

He was asked to return to active duty in January 2005 to join the Army staff in Washington, D.C., where he served as the senior board member at the Army Review Boards Agency. In that capacity, he sat on a number of determination boards for soldiers and veterans, including the Army Clemency & Parole Board.

UNUSED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS:

Last Saturday's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day was a record-breaker as Iowans safely disposed of 11,710 pounds of unneeded medicine at more than 100 collection sites in communities throughout the state, said Steve Lukan, director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy.

'Last weekend's one-day collection of nearly six tons of pills and other leftover medications is the tip of the iceberg and is a vivid reminder of a lot more work needed in several areas,” Lukan said in a statement.

The Take Back initiative aims to reduce the amount of prescription drugs available to cause harm or death through misuse, or by flushing and contaminating the water supply.

Overall, in the event's 13 years, Iowans have disposed of 44.8 tons of medicine.

For those who missed out on last weekend's special collections, permanent Iowa Take Back receptacles are available on a year-round basis at nearly 150 local law enforcement and pharmacy locations statewide, including the Cedar Rapids, Coralville and University Heights police departments and the Linn and Johnson County sheriff's offices.

To find other sites, go to https://odcp.iowa.gov/rxtakebacks.

DROUGHT-FREE IOWA:

For the first time in almost a year, none of Iowa is shown in any form of drought or dryness in the latest Water Summary Update.

Conditions in Iowa continue to improve, especially in the areas of southeast Iowa that had been dry over the winter.

Thanks to a wet and cool April, there are no drought designations in the state and shallow groundwater is now rated as normal to above normal across the state.

Streamflow is above normal across much of the state, according to a report prepared by state and federal officials.

The unseasonably cool and wet April weather, however, has delayed spring planting and fieldwork statewide.

The statewide average precipitation for April was 3.89 inches, or 0.38 inches above the 30-year normal.