The third annual “Iowa Rural Development Summit will convene today in Grinnell. Participants will discuss issues like a lack of housing, access to broadband and how to attract retail businesses to rural areas. Sandy Ehrig  is chair of the Iowa Rural Development Council, the group sponsoring the event.

The one-and-a-half day summit will examine success stories, like the city of Humbolt’s new day care center. The Summit will culminate with the announcement of 100-thousand-dollar “community catalyst” grants from the state to communities that plan to restore or demolish commercial buildings.