(Radio Iowa) – This is the week Iowans will find out if the first plan for redrawing the boundaries for congressional and legislative districts will become law for the next decade. The legislature is scheduled to meet Tuesday to vote on Plan 1.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver says Republican senators first will meet privately to review the maps.

“We’re going to talk through what we want to do as a team and then we’ll go from there,” Whitver says. “A number of our members have expressed concerns with the map. Other members have seen positive aspects of the map, but until we get together Tuesday, we won’t have a final decision.”

House Speaker Pat Grassley has said House Republicans have been reviewing the maps, but he’s also giving no indication of how Republicans view the new district boundaries. The 40 Democrats in the House are led by House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst. She announced before the new maps were released that she’d vote for the redistricting plan.

“A map that’s drawn using Iowa ‘gold standard’ redistricting process is a fair map and that’s one that’s good for Iowa,” Konfrst says. “It’s the most important thing — not to consider politics, but to consider fairness when we’re making this really important, once-a-decade decision.”

Konfrst made her comments this weekend on the “Iowa Press” program on Iowa P-B-S. If the legislature approved the new boundaries for all 150 legislative districts and the four congressional districts, those maps will be in effect for the 2022 election. If the legislature rejects those maps this week, the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency has 35 days to deliver a second redistricting plan to legislators.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s two major parties have announced the 2022 Iowa Caucuses will be held on Monday, February 7th.

2022 is a so-called “midterm” election, so there will be no presidential preference voting among Iowa Republicans or Democrats at these caucuses. The two parties do coordinate on the date and Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn says the parties don’t agree on much, but we do agree on the importance of holding the Iowa Caucuses on the same day. Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann says he looks forward to working with Wilburn to ensure this type of cooperation occurs for the 2024 presidential caucuses.

In August, Kaufmann was appointed to the Republican National Committee group that will make recommendations for the presidential nominating process in 2024. On Sunday, former Iowa Democratic Party chairman Scott Brennan was appointed to the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws group. That is where Democrats will debate the future of the Iowa Caucuses and other dates on the presidential nominating calendar.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, are expected to act on approving the appointment of an Auditor’s Assistant, to fill a vacancy. The Board is also expected to discuss and take possible action on the closing of 570th Street at the Interstate 80 underpass as part of a plan by the Iowa Department of Transportation, to turn I-80 into six lanes (3 each direction), which would necessitate the closure of roads under certain overpasses that have a low volume of traffic. The DOT has previously stated that it costs anywhere from two-to three-million dollars to replace a bridge that would not be necessary if the road is closed and the earth built-up to support traffic instead of a bridge.

Landowners in the area have voiced their opposition to the plan, citing the need to get to their crops and/or animals living on either side of the bridge on their land. In other business, the Cass County Supervisors will discuss further, ISICS (Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System), cost and funding. Last week, Cass County Public Safety Communications Supervisor Mike Kennon and Sheriff Darby McLaren reported to the Board that several entities have voiced support for going with ISICS. Additional communication antennae and related equipment will be needed. Both men requested the Board begin the process to secure essential purpose bonds. A Public Hearing on a proposal to fund the project was set for Oct. 12th.

The Supervisors will also continue discussion with regard to the Willow Heights building and grounds the county owns, and possible uses for American Rescue Plan funding.  Their meeting takes place 9-a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5th, in the Supervisor’s Board Room inside the Cass County Courthouse.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council has a few interesting items on their docket for Wednesday evening. The meeting at City Hall begins at 5:30-p.m.  First up, is discussion with regard to a 2022 4th of July fireworks display. During their last meeting, the consensus of the Council was to pursue a Class B fireworks show using Viking Pyrotechnics, Inc., out of Shannon City, Iowa. They reached that decision based on knowledge at the time, that Viking was the only Class B provider in the region. Since then, City Administrator John Lund was informed local provider, “Wild Wayne’s,” is pursuing a Class B show. Wild Wayne’s owner or representative, and, Dan Vargason, with Iowa Fireworks Company, are expected to address the Council during Wednesday’s meeting.

Afterward, the Council is likely to act on awarding the 2022 4th of July Fireworks Display Contract, because any further delay could result in options for the show disappearing, leaving the City in the position of having one choice, or none at all. On a side note, Wild Willy’s owner Mark O’Brien has informed John Lund that AHS Senior class parents have requested O’Brien’s company to shoot fireworks after each touchdown by the Atlantic Trojans, during their Homecoming football game against Knoxville this Friday night. City ordinance allows for the display, provided the display operator has the proper valid insurance papers on-file.

The Council will also hear a request from Brad and Sara Strouth, who live at 1609 E. 22nd Street. The couple has eight laying hens on their 2.35-acres of land just south of East Ridge Park, farmland to the south and west of their property. Some is zoned residential, other parts are zoned for farming. There is a residential property to the west. Police Chief Dave Erickson has received some complaints regarding the presence of the chickens. Administrator Lund says if the Strouth’s are granted exemptions to the ban on poultry, it may open the gate to other forms of poultry, including ducks.

He will suggest to the Council, that a formal moratorium on any other applications of that nature, be placed on hold and a more “well-planned and coordinated policy” is developed. “No timetable should be offered,” he said, on “when such a policy would be allowed.” The ordinance already forbids chickens within City Limits (aside from Ag property). The Council may choose to grant the exemption, but no motion to deny is required, since the ordinance is already in place.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on approving a 28-E agreement with Cass County, for the W. 6th Street bridge project (#289), that the Board of Supervisors have already approved the agreement. Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken has indicated the project, which is estimated to cost $204,000, may be eligible for federal resources to help cover the cost. And, the Council will act on an Order to close certain streets on Friday, Oct. 8th, between 2:15-p.m. and 3:30-p.m., for the Homecoming Parade.

The parade line’s-up and begins at 10th and Linn. From there it proceeds west to Chestnut Street, then north to 3rd Street. The participants will then proceed east to Walnut, and south to 6th Street before the event concludes.

(Creston, Iowa) – No injuries were reported following a collision Saturday morning, in Creston, but a man from Shenandoah received three citations. Creston Police say a 2018 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 43-year-old Bruce Allen Tracy, of Murray, was stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Lincoln and Townline Streets, when his vehicle was hit from behind by a 2007 Saturn Aura XE. The driver of the car, 31-year old Anthony Robert Darling, of Shenandoah, told Police he was having issues with his brakes, and could not stop.

Darling was cited for Failure to Maintain Control, Driving while license denied, suspended, cancelled or revoked, and Failure to provide proof of accident insurance. Both vehicles sustained an estimated $6,000 damage, each.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – An attempted traffic stop Saturday night in Montgomery County, resulted in a pursuit and arrest of a man from Clarinda. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were performing routine patrol on Highway 48 southbound at around 9-p.m., when a motorcycle approached them northbound. Deputies activated their in-car radar, and observed the motorcycle was traveling at 102 miles per hour. The Deputy activated their red light and siren, and made a U-turn to catch up with the cycle.

As they got behind the machine, they observed it had an Iowa license plate which came back to a gray, 2013 Harley Davidson. The cycle took off at a high rate of speed, leading deputies on a pursuit through Red Oak to Highway 71, where the motorcycle crashed. At that time, the operator, Jason Patrick Fahey, of Clarinda, was arrested and charged with Eluding. His bond was set at $2,000.

(Radio Iowa) – The top Democrat in the Iowa House says the State of Iowa wouldn’t have had a more than $1 billion surplus at the end of the last fiscal year in June, if it weren’t for federal pandemic relief. House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst is among the Democrats citing Biden’s signature on bills that did things like increase the federal child tax credit and extend Medicaid coverage to at least 75,000 more low-income Iowans. “Iowa’s economy is strong, in many ways, because of the work that President Biden has done to help Americans get out of the pandemic and help Iowa’s economy recover,” Konfrst says.

Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has said with a budget surplus of more than $1.24 billion, lawmakers should cut income taxes — with the long-term goal of completely eliminating the state income tax. Konfrst says Democrats will lobby for targeted tax relief.

“Certainly if there are tax cuts, they need to be going to working families,” she says. “We need to make sure that tax cuts aren’t, again, going to wealthy families or to corporations or special interests and I also need to acknowledge the fact that our schools have been underfunded for a long time. Iowa’s mental health system needs more funding and health care and prescription drug costs still hurt Iowa family budgets, so whatever we can do to alleviate that I think is a really good use of that money.”

Jennifer Konfrst

And Konfrst says some state agency budgets have been trimmed too far. “It takes a long time to get services from state agencies because they’ve been cut so much,” she says. As an example, Konfrst cites the Department of Human Services which does things like manage food stamps and Medicaid and investigate allegations of child abuse.

“This is not a criticism of the department. This is just that they’re understaffed and underworked,” Konfrst says. “We’ve seen this with Iowa Workforce Development. We’ve had people with unemployment challenges that they’ve not been able to get a call back. I had a constituent who didn’t receive his unemployment check during the pandemic for three months and that was not because somebody wasn’t doing their job, it’s just because there aren’t enough people to do the job.”

Konfrst made her comments during taping of the “Iowa Press” program which aired Friday night on Iowa PBS.

(Radio Iowa) – A federal judge is ordering a southern Iowa dog breeder to immediately have a veterinarian conduct a “head to tail” evaluation of every dog on the property after federal inspectors say they found dogs in danger of starvation and death.

Daniel Gingerich, who operates the Maple Hill kennel near Seymour, has been a USDA licensed dog breeder since 2019. Federal inspectors report dogs were being fed moldy, contaminated food and did not have access to water.

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order, requiring Gingerich to immediately stop breeding, euthanizing or disposing of any dogs. Gingerich is being accused of evading federal oversight by hiding dogs from USDA inspectors. He’s also accused of committing at least 100 violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

The judge who issued the temporary order said the dogs were being subjected to “shockingly inadequate” care. No criminal charges have been filed against Gingerich. Radio Iowa has been unable to reach Gingerich for comment.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture also has a state inspection record on file.

(Radio Iowa) – September ended with scattered showers across the state — but State Climatologist Justin Glisan says the preliminary numbers show those showers were scarce much of the month. “What we’re looking at is about one-point-six-five inches right now — and that’s a little over one-point-eight inches below average. So, a pretty dry month,” Glisan says. He says it won’t be in the top ten for dryness — but will make that next tier.

“This will be one of the top 20 driest Septembers on record. If we look at central and north-central Iowa, we has some coop stations that have had really dry September — top ten,” he says. The drought monitor for this week shows only about 24 percent of the state is without some sort of dry conditions.

Glisan says the dryness came with some heat as well. “Statewide average temperature was about 67 degrees, and that’s about three degrees above average,” according to Glisan. “So, if we look at the historical rankings going back 149 years — it looks like a top 30th warmest September on the record books.”

Glisan says the indicators are pointing toward the warmth continuing in October — with the possibility of a break in the dry weather. “We are seeing a slight trend in the short-term outlooks to near normal or a slightly elevated shot at wetter conditions in northern Iowa getting out into the first half of October,” he says. “But we are definitely if you are looking at the six to ten, eight to 14 in the final October outlook — a very strong signal for warmer than average temperatures.”

The precipitation potential will be good news for those areas that saw a deficit in September.

(Wiota, Iowa) – Firefighters from Wiota and Anita were dispatched to a garage/shed fire at around 11:04-p.m., Saturday. The incident involved a structure in the 200 block of Pioneer, which is on the city’s northeast side. Atlantic Fire was requested for an extra tanker truck and manpower.

Additional details are currently not available.