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(Radio Iowa) – Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Benjamin Corell has alerted several units that they are likely to be called to active duty this year. It includes a mission in support of NATO — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — as fears rise about a Russian invasion of Ukraine. “We anticipate we will deploy members of the 209th Medical Company from Iowa City and members of the 1133rd Transportation Company from Mason City to support Operation Atlantic Resolve in Poland,” Corell says. “Atlantic Resolve is part of the Deterrence Initiative focused in Eastern Europe. This enables the U.S. to provide deterrence to adversaries while supporting our NATO partners.”

In 2010, Corell was the commander of Iowa National Guard soldiers deployed to Afghanistan. He says this summer’s withdrawal was very difficult to watch. “I take solace knowing that I, along with those that served beside me, did everything in our ability each day that we served there to achieve an outcome different than what exists today,” Corell says. Corell delivered the annual “Condition of the Guard” address to legislators yesterday (Thursday) and that was his only direct reference to the war in Afghanistan.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Corell

Last year, more than 16-hundred Iowa Guard soldiers and over 200 Iowa Airmen were deployed to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “We have a new generation of heroes in our midst. The men and women who returned home after serving in the Global War on Terrorism are carrying freedom’s torch in the same proud tradition as veterans of previous conflicts,” Corell says.

As Radio Iowa reported yesterday (Thursday), about 80 percent of Iowa Army and Air National Guard members are fully vaccinated, but Corell says the Secretary of Defense’s order that all soldiers and airmen get Covid-19 shots is creating dilemmas within the ranks as unvaccinated members retire or await Pentagon decisions on religious and medical exemptions.

(Radio Iowa) – The Racing and Gaming Commission heard reports Thursday on two recently completed market surveys that detailed the impact of a new casino in Cedar Rapids. The survey by Spectrum Gaming says it appears that Cedar Rapids is well served by casinos in Waterloo and Riverside and a Cedar Rapids casino could significantly impact those two properties. The study by the Innovation Group shows existing casinos would lose 30 percent of their revenue from a new Cedar Rapids casino. Innovation spokesman Thom Litt says looking across the country it has been rare to see anything more than a 30 percent impact.

That impact would be 61 million dollars on the Waterloo and Riverside casinos — but the survey says overall revenue in Iowa is estimated to increase by 51 million dollars with the addition of a Cedar Rapids casino to the market. Newly-elected Cedar Rapids Mayor, Tiffany O’Donnell says that is positive. “I’m very encouraged. They’re two different studies and I consider the Innovation Group study to be the one that I am going to lean on the most — knowing that it is proven to be, this a group that’s proven to be within one or two points in past studies like this,” according to O’Donnell.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell (2022)

Cedar Rapids was denied a casino license in 2014 and 2017 and O’Donnell believes that is going to change with the latest studies. “The effects will be minimal, and certainly the effects on existing casinos less than they’ve ever been before. If not a casino in Cedar Rapids now, I’m not sure when it would be,” she says.

Elite Casino Resorts which owns the Riverside Casino, issued a statement saying the new studies confirm that a Cedar Rapids casino would get a majority of its revenue from existing casinos — and the Cedar Rapids market is well served by the Riverside and Waterloo casinos.

The Creston Police Department reports the arrest early Thursday afternoon, of 31-year-old Devon Taylor Keller. The Creston man was taken into custody at the Union County Courthouse on a Union County warrant for Violation of Probation, related to a No Contact/Protective Order. Keller was being held without bond at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, pending an appearance before the Judge.

The latest area/State News from Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – The owner of an iconic downtown grocery store in southwest Iowa says he -will- rebuild after fire gutted Mulholland’s Grocery in Malvern just over a month ago. Firefighters from more than two dozen communities battled the blaze December 10th. Though an investigation into the fire’s cause is still underway, Tom Mulholland says the store will return, though it may take a year. “The insurance investigators and state fire marshal are waiting for some more information,” said Mulholland. “It’s extremely frustrating for myself and then the neighbors who have to wait through this.”

Mulholland says reconstruction won’t be able to get underway until the investigation is complete.”We can’t set any type of a timeframe,” he said. “Of course, with construction issues being the way they are thanks to COVID, I’m sure that’s going to delay things also, but that’s why we wanted to try to hit the ground running and get some ideas running, and talk to people to get ideas into the works.” Mulholland says he’s not ready to retire and reopening the store is what’s best for the community. “Malvern needs some sort of grocery store here,” Mulholland says. “People have really realized how much it depended upon over the past few weeks, and I’ve heard so many comments. It’s going to secure the future of our community, and allow for the continued growth that Malvern has seen over the past many years.”

Mulholland adds he’s amazed by the support coming from within and far beyond the community. “I worked in Omaha for over 20 years before I bought the store,” he said. “I heard from so many customers there. I’ve heard from people from all over the country that have been customers, or came from Malvern, you know, just have some ties to my business or my community in some way. We’ve received donations from all over.”

Malvern Bank and the Malvern Area Betterment Association still have an official donation account for those affected by the fire. Donations can be dropped off at Malvern Bank, with reference to the Go Fund Malvern account, or through the Go_Fund_Malvern account on Venmo.

Police in Red Oak report a woman was arrested at around 4:15-p.m. Thursday, for Interference with Official Acts. 50-year-old Sally Mae Petersen was taken into custody at the intersection of Oak and Broadway Streets. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is proposing a way to trigger CORPORATE income tax cuts. The governor did not mention cutting taxes for corporations during her Condition of the State address earlier this week, but her plan is included in a budget report submitted to lawmakers. If Iowa corporations pay more than 700 million dollars in state income taxes this year, Reynolds proposes lowering the top corporate income tax rate next year.

Democrats like House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst says it’s a break for only the most profitable corporations. “That would not help small businesses across the state,” Konfrst says, “but would, once again, be giving tax breaks to her biggest donors and big corporations in the state instead of focusing on middle income Iowans who need tax cuts the most.”

In December, a key Senate Republican working on tax policy said before lawmakers would lower the corporate income tax rate, corporations would have to sign off on reduced or eliminated tax CREDITS that — in some cases — erase a corporation’s entire state tax bill. And House Speaker Pat Grassley has said House Republicans are focused on personal income tax cuts this year.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says the Supreme Court’s ruling that blocks federal Covid vaccine requirements in large businesses is a major victory for Iowans and their personal freedoms. During an interview with Radio Iowa BEFORE the ruling was announced, Reynolds called the vaccine mandate arbitrary. “We’re going to continue to encourage people to get vaccinated. I’m not in favor of a mandate,” Reynolds says. “…It doesn’t stop people from getting it, especially the new variant or transmitting it. You know, that’s been demonstrated.”

Reynolds says it was ridiculous for the Biden Administration to try to make businesses be the enforcer to get workers vaccinated or tested once a week. President Biden says if you’re UN-vaccinated, you are 17 times more likely to get hospitalized if you get Covid — and it’s now up to individual employers to make their workplaces safe as possible during the pandemic. It’s unclear what’s next in the Iowa legislature where a group of House Republicans had been crafting a bill to ban vaccine mandates in Iowa businesses.

Reynolds says policymakers have to be really careful not to penalize businesses that are requiring all employees to be vaccinated. “It’s a balance,” Reynolds says. “These are individual, private companies and so we have to make sure that we’re not overstepping in the same manner that we’re criticizing, you know, the federal government for doing — for overstepping.” The Supreme Court has allowed a separate federal vaccination requirement for health care workers to remain in force. Reynolds calls that a disappointment.

The Iowa Hospital Association’s president and C-E-O says vaccines are an important tool to combat Covid-19, but the vaccine mandate has the potential to create additional staffing issues in health care settings.