Sen. Tom Harkin announced that $48.5 million has been awarded to Council Bluffs, Des Moines and the state under the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnership, Emergency Shelter Grant and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS programs. “Housing is one of our most basic human needs,” Harkin said in a news release. “This funding helps to ensure that need is met for Iowa families with modest incomes so they can obtain quality housing and pursue economic opportunities. At the same time, these investments should give a needed boost to economic development efforts in the state.”

The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded three Iowa cities a combined $983,000 in Brownfields Program funding to clean up abandoned properties and address community blight. The funding will allow Coralville ($383,000), Ottumwa ($200,000) and Waterloo ($400,000) to clean up brownfields properties, which are sites where expansion, redevelopment or reuse might be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. Learn more by clicking here.

Meredith Corp. will announce results for its fiscal 2010 third quarter, which ended March 31, on April 28 before the open of U.S. markets. The company will hold a conference call to discuss the results at 10 a.m. To listen, go to the investor relations section at www.meredith.com.

Bankers Trust Co. won the prestigious Spirit of Central Iowa Award at today’s United Way of Central Iowa Live United recognition event. United Way annually awards the honor to the single company or organization that builds a stronger community through United Way’s strategies of Give, Advocate and Volunteer.

The Iowa State University Foundation has been named one of the 2010 “Best Nonprofit Organizations to Work For” by the NonProfit Times, one of the leading business publications for nonprofit management. The ISU Foundation was ranked 20th among the 50 nonprofit organizations selected for the honor. It was the only higher education foundation listed.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership has canceled the Exporter Roundtable that had been scheduled for Wednesday, April 21. For more information, contact Steve Ferguson at (515) 286-4374.