(Radio Iowa) – Senator Chuck Grassley was the only Republican in the Iowa delegation who voted in favor of the one-point-two trillion dollar infrastructure bill which President Biden signed into law Monday, and Grassley stands by his vote. He calls the massive measure “an investment in Iowa’s future.” Grassley was invited to the White House bill signing ceremony and skipped it, but he says it wasn’t for political reasons.”We got notice either late Friday or Saturday, I don’t think it was as late as Sunday, that I was invited and we already had my schedule for Monday set up,” Grassley says. “I had meetings with Iowans and I don’t like to cancel meetings with Iowans, particularly for what would be considered a photo op.”

Under the measure, as much as five billion dollars will be coming to Iowa for infrastructure projects, everything from roads to public transportation to airports. “Without a doubt, the policy is good for Iowa,” Grassley says. “Just think of the 23% of the bridges in Iowa that are structurally deficient. That’s the worst of the 50 states. Making sure we have safe bridges, we get over $300-million just for that project.” Back in August, Grassley called the infrastructure bill a “significant investment in Iowa’s roads, bridges, waterways, energy and internet.” He says the measure was passed with bipartisan support and will not hurt his reelection chances as it “paves the way…for economic opportunity in the Hawkeye State.”

“We’ve got highways that are 40 years old that need to be torn up and laid down again, we get a little over $4-billion for that,” Grassley says. “Think of the fact that a large share of rural Iowa, maybe even some places in cities in Iowa, don’t have good internet service and so there’s money for broadband.”  Speaking of reelection, if Grassley wins another term next year, he’d become the longest-serving current member of the U-S Senate since Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy has announced he won’t seek re-election. Grassley was asked if that’s something he considered in deciding to run again. “No, not at all,” Grassley says. “Serving Iowans is all I thought about.”

Grassley is 88 and is in his seventh term in the Senate.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday (Today), reported numerous arrests took place over the past week, including four people who were arrested on separate warrants:

• 51-year-old Richard Dean Weaver, of Creston, was arrested Saturday at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear (FTA). Bond was set at $10,000.
• 36-year-old Hsa Ger Htoo, of Omaha, was arrested last Thursday at the Douglas County, NE. Jail, on a Mills County warrant for FTA. His bond was set at $5,000.
• 25-year-old Cheyenne Rose Lopez was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail on Nov. 10th, for Violation of Probation. Her bond was set at $2,000.
• and, 28-year-old James Edward James Miller, of Omaha, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for OWI/1st offense, with bond set at $1,000.

Two people were arrested Sunday afternoon on drug charges in Mills County: 39-year-old Michelle Lee Szymarek, of Omaha, was arrested for Gathering Where Controlled Substances are used, Possession of a Controlled Substance and a Controlled Substance Violation. Bond was set at $11,000. And, 35-year-old Eugene Matthew Hansen, of Bellevue, NE., was arrested on two counts PCS, Gathering and a Drug Tax Stamp violation. His bond was set at $20,000.

Other arrests include:

• On Nov. 14th, 44-year-old Shane Michael Searl, of Clarinda, for Driving While Barred. Bond set at $2,000.
• On Nov. 15th, 32-year-old Tyler Eldon Buckner, of Emerson, for Theft in the 2nd Degree. Bond set at $5,000, and 30-year-old Andrew Emmerson Adkins, of Bellevue, NE, for Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree. Bond was set at $1,000.
• On Nov. 16th, 32-year-old Tyler Eldon Buckner, of Emerson, was arrestedat the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, for Ongoing Criminal Conduct, with bond set at $25,000.

And, of the three accidents reported in Mills County over the past few days, only one resulted in persons being injured. Authorities say 20-year-old Michael Hernandez, of Omaha, was traveling west on Lambert Avenue at around 4:24-a.m., Saturday, when the right front tire blew out on his 2003 Chevy. When Hernandez over-corrected, the vehicle entered the north ditch and rolled over. Hernandez was ejected from the vehicle and flown by LifeNet helicopter to the UNMC in Omaha, for treatment of serious injuries.

WATERLOO, Iowa (KCRG) — One person is dead after being shot early this (Tuesday) morning by a Waterloo Police officer.  Authorities say the 42-year-old man was shot after he refused to exit his vehicle and instead rammed a patrol car with his vehicle. Police said a reckless driver attempted to hit an officer’s patrol car in the area of Colorado and Arizona at around 3:23 a.m. Police sad the officer chased the suspect vehicle for several minutes. Additional officers arrived to help stop the suspect.

Police then said they gave verbal orders for the suspect to exit the vehicle, but the driver accelerated, running into an occupied patrol vehicle head-on. That’s when police say an officer shot the suspect. The suspect -whose name was not immediately released – died from his wounds. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident. The officer who shot the suspect has been placed on critical incident leave pending completion of the investigation, and as a standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.

More area, and State News from Ric Hanson.

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Police in Red Oak say no injuries were reported, but an Iowa DOT bridge guardrail/parapet sustained about $1,000 damage when it was struck by a semi tractor-trailer, at around 4:20-a.m. today (Tuesday). Officers located the property damage accident that had just taken place, on the Highway 34 bridge, west of Red Oak. Following an investigation, it was determined that a 1998 Peterbilt semi tractor-trailer operated by 59-year-old Sterling Ray Hirrill, of Walnut, was traveling west through the construction zone, when he got too close to the guardrail, and sideswiped it.

The semi, registered to Red Oak Carriers, LLC., sustained about $800 damage. Hirrill was cited by Police for Failure to Provide proof of financial liability (Accident insurance).

The Creston Police Department today (Monday), said a man from Creston reported Sunday afternoon, that his storage unit at Graphic Displays Self Storage, on E. Clark Street, had been broken into. Multiple items were taken. The loss was estimated at $300. And, Monday afternoon, a Creston woman reported to Police that someone unplugged and ripped off two of her security cameras, and threw them in the road. The loss was estimated at $170.

Local and area News at 7:07-a.m., from Ric Hanson.

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(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Elections Deputy Joshua Nelson reports that on Thursday, November 18th, the Adair County ASVP Board will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Adair County Courthouse (400 Public Sq, Greenfield, IA), to conduct the post-election audit of the voting system used in the November 2, 2021 City/School Election. The action was requested by the Iowa Secretary of State, and is required by Iowa Code, as a means of verifying vote integrity.

The audit is open to the public.

(Radio Iowa) – By a unanimous vote, the Mason City School Board Monday night approved beginning the process of retiring “Mohawks” as the district’s mascot and nickname. The issue of the school’s nickname is tied into logo and branding discussions that the school district has been having for the last year. The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe recently called for the district to end the use of the name and associated imagery. Board member Katie Koehler hopes the community can turn its passion on the issue into finding the best new name possible for the students.  “They are so much more than a label,” Koehler says. “They leave here and they represent us, not as a label, but as an amazing human soul that goes out and does the best they can for the community that raised them and the communities they encounter.”

Board member Peterson Jean-Pierre says it wasn’t hard to make a decision to move forward and find other things that can represent the community as a whole without offending anyone or anything. “No one is taking away your pride and your compassion,” Jean-Pierre says. “The change of a name does not take away the years that you spent as a Mohawk. We’re not asking you to take your jerseys, or your shirts, or your paraphernalia or whatnot that has that logo on it and saying trash it. Love it, you love it, we love it, but if someone is asking you to hear them, and understand them and respect them, it’s our duty to do that.”

Seven people, four for keeping Mohawks and three supporting the name change, spoke to the board prior to the vote. Jan Groff is a retired teacher and coach and graduate of Mason City High School. She says she never saw or read anything disrespectful about the Mohawk and that the name was held in high esteem, pride and respect.  “I’m afraid that the decision will be made in this current atmosphere of what I want to call hypersensitivity,” Groff says. “I would hate in a few years to look back and wonder what we were thinking, dropping or changing the Mohawk after nearly 100 years. That is five generations of Mohawks, and quite the legacy and tradition that we have at our high school here in Mason City.”

Cristy Tass says the Mohawk name has not been used in any disrespect by the school district.  “Mason City has promoted the Mohawk name with values that inspire respect and have used logo images that are not caricatures, but portraits that resemble historic paintings for 97 years,” Tass says. “Not now, nor in our history, have we ever portrayed a negative stereotype of the Mason City Mohawks. Quite the opposite. For 97 years, we have worn this logo with ultimate pride in our school.”

The board approved administrators to start the transition from the use of the Mohawk name and mascot, including Native American images, symbols and likenesses to a new mascot immediately and for the administration to present at the board’s January 17th meeting a timeline to complete the transition from the Mohawk name and a plan to adopt a new mascot before July 1st. The district will immediately stop using Mohawks to introduce athletic teams, and the name will be removed from electronic communications such as the district’s website and other documents that can easily be edited.

(State News) – Two separate accidents in eastern Iowa Monday, claimed the lives of two people. The Iowa State Patrol reports the first happened in Chickasaw County at around 9-a.m.  Officials say 70-year-old Steven Demaray, of New Hampton (IA) died, when his pickup left Highway 63 near 270th Street south of New Hampton. The vehicle entered the median, and struck a concrete overpass support pier. Demaray was transported to the hospital in New Hampton, where he died from his injuries. He was wearing a seat belt. The accident remains under investigation.

The second accident happened at around 10:45-p.m. Monday, in Johnson County. The Patrol says 59-year-old Jay A. Statser, of West Liberty, died when the SUV he was driving went out of control on Interstate 80 westbound, and entered the north ditch before hitting the bridge pillar for the Highway 1 overpass and coming to rest in the ditch. Statser died at the scene. That accident also remains under investigation.