The Iowa Office of Energy Independence is accepting applications for $34 million in federal stimulus funds that are to be used to make the state more energy-efficient. The funding breaks down this way: $17 million for public-sector energy efficiency and renewable-energy improvements; $7 million in low-interest loans to the private sector, including agriculture and manufacturing; $5 million in low-interest loans to nonprofit organizations; $2 million to implement technology that is commercially available but not widely used in Iowa; $1 million for training; and $2 million toward the costs of projects that do not fit in the other categories. For more information about the agency’s State Energy Program applications, go to www.energy.iowa.gov or www.iowagrants.gov.

Sen. Chuck Grassley announced today that the Federal Highway Administration has awarded two grants totaling nearly $3.4 million to Iowa through its emergency relief program. The grants will help restore essential traffic systems, minimize the extent of damage and protect the remaining facilities to restore highways affected by last year’s storms to their pre-disaster condition. Counties that will receive funding include Dallas, Polk, Story and Warren. Flooding forced the closure of 464 miles of Iowa’s primary transportation system and 303 bridges and culverts.

Graduate students in Drake University’s College of Business and Public Administration will now go through a Leadership Essentials workshop conducted by Dardis Communications Inc. at no additional charge. The 15-hour workshop will cover such topics as how to distinguish oneself as a leader through a professional presence, organize thoughts quickly and present them persuasively, control nervousness and think under pressure, captivate audiences with a professional delivery style and handle Q&A sessions with ease. For more information, go to www.cbpa.drake.edu.

The West Des Moines Plan and Zoning Commission will review the land use and streets map for the area west of Interstate 35, north of the Raccoon River, south of Interstate 80 and extending to the planning area’s western boundary at its meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow at City Hall. Click here to find a copy of the map.

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index fell to 88.4 in June, down from 89.1 in May. It’s down 21.6 percentage points from June 2008. “Compared to the beginning of the year, the decline in the Employment Trends Index has significantly moderated, and we therefore expect job growth to resume around the end of the year,” said Gad Levanon, senior economist at The Conference Board, in a release. “However, over the last month, leading indicators of employment were mostly disappointing, suggesting the Employment Trends Index is still seeking a bottom.” The indicators that declined in June were the percentage of respondents who said they found jobs “hard to get,” the number of employees in temporary positions, industrial production, real manufacturing and trade sales, and job openings.

During President Barack Obama’s visit to Russia this week, Deere & Co. said that it is prepared to significantly expand its farm, forestry and construction operations in Russia. Deere President and Chief Operating Officer Samuel Allen is representing the company at the Russia – USA Business Forum being held in conjunction with summit meetings between Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The company will complete expansion of its agricultural equipment manufacturing operations in Russia by early 2010 and said it might invest to expand further during the next five to seven years. Deere currently employs nearly 2,000 people in Russia and has had a presence in that country for nearly 130 years.