(Radio Iowa) – A Waterloo man is a millionaire after winning the second-largest Powerball prize of the year, so far. Anton Garrett bought five plays on one ticket for Saturday evening’s Powerball drawing and ended up winning over two million dollars. Garrett corrected picked the first five numbers but missed the Powerball, which made his ticket worth one million dollars. However, Garrett purchased the Power Play, which doubled his winnings. Garrett also had a second winning ticket that was worth 21 dollars.

The Tyson Foods forklift operator says he picked his own numbers, which were a combination of several of his most different important dates. Garrett bought his winning ticket last week at a Waterloo convenience store and claimed his prize Monday at the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.

The winning numbers for Saturday’s Powerball drawing were 12-17-20-21-26 and Powerball 8. The Power Play number was 3. Since no one matched all six numbers, the jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing climbs to an estimate 168-million dollars.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa City leaders will meet today (Tuesday) at 3 P-M to consider restructuring the city’s police department and one councilmember is calling for a serious discussion about -abolishing- the police department. In an opinion piece published in The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Councilmember Laura Bergus wrote that policing relies on a system of force and violence, which she says cannot be undone. “I just want to start the conversation, as I said in the piece, about imagining a future where public safety isn’t provided by armed police,” Bergus says. “I believe that modern policing isn’t a sustainable model.”

A different policing system can replace the current one, she says, built on addressing basic human needs and diverting calls for service to other unarmed professionals. The opinion piece has already drawn backlash from the right and the left, but Bergus hopes a good faith, big-picture discussion is possible. “I guess I just hope that anyone who sees and hears this conversation approaches it with an open mind and an open heart and a consideration for what’s possible in our community in the future,” she says.

In the article, Bergus says, “Nearly every level of police violence is enshrined in the law. If an officer oversteps, accountability is rare.”

(reporting by Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

DES MOINES, IA – Today (Tuesday) Governor Kim Reynolds announced new measures to address the State of Iowa’s severe workforce shortage. Effective June 12, 2021, the State of Iowa will end its participation in federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs. Iowa will continue to provide regular state unemployment insurance benefits to those eligible under the applicable state code.

“Federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs initially provided displaced Iowans with crucial assistance when the pandemic began,” said Gov. Reynolds. “But now that our businesses and schools have reopened, these payments are discouraging people from returning to work. Our unemployment rate is at 3.7 percent, vaccines are available to anyone who wants one, and we have more jobs available than unemployed people.”

The week ending June 12, 2021 will be the last week that the following federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs are available in Iowa:

• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
• Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC)

Additionally, effective June 13, 2021, Iowa will no longer waive employer charges for COVID-related unemployment insurance claims.

“Regular unemployment benefits will remain available, as they did before the pandemic, but it’s time for everyone who can to get back to work,” Gov. Reynolds continued. “This country needs to look to the future, and Iowa intends to lead the way.”

In addition to the information included in a memorandum to Governor Reynolds, Iowa Workforce Development will provide further details in conjunction with this announcement.

The 8:05-a.m. newscast with Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The Griswold School Board held a special session Monday evening, to hold separate interviews with three candidates for the Middle School/High School Principal’s position. Superintendent Dave Henrichs said the candidates they’ve interviewed to-date, are all well qualified for the job.

He says making a choice won’t be easy to make.

He said the Board hopes to announce a decision on who they’ve selected, during their regular monthly meeting next Monday, May 17^th. The May 17^th meeting will be held in the High School Conference Room, beginning at 5:30-p.m. Henrichs says once a Principal is in place, they can concentrate more on preparing for the next school year.

The 7:05-a.m. newscast with Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

A public hearing will be held 6-p.m. Wednesday (May 12th) in Atlantic, with regard to an Amended Certified 2020-21 Budget. The hearing takes place as part of the regular Atlantic School Board meeting the begins at 5-p.m., in the High School Media Center. The session and hearing will stream live on You Tube. School officials report the amendment is with regard to the “Total Support Services,” category for the 2020-21 certified budget, from $5,755,722, to $6-million. The district had unexpected expenditures in the aforementioned category, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. School officials say by increasing the number in that area of the budget, they will ensure that the amount spent does not exceed the Certified amount.

During the Board’s regular meeting, they will hear a special presentation, with regard to the Disney Trip, and act on contracts and/or letters of assignment for:

• Katie Hedegaard, Middle School English Language Arts
• Angela Behrens, Lori Namanny, and Melissa Balch – Summer Lunch Program
• and Mikalya Schuler, Kindergarten.

They will also act on approving the resignations of…

• Jim Mullenix, Bus route driver.
• Susannah O’Dette and Ashley Updike, Special Education Paraeducators.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board will act on approving:

• The 2019-20 Audit report.
• The 2020-21 Amended Certified Budget.
• 2021 Graduating Seniors
• A 2021-22 Superintendent Contract.
• 2021-22 Substitute Employee Pay Rates.
• Milk and bread bids.
• An AEA Purchasing Agreement
• 2021-22 Club/Activity Sponsors contracts.
• and, a Memorandum of Understanding with regard to the iJAG (Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates) Program.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials have approved a 135-thousand dollar settlement to a former state employee who alleged she was sexually harassed by her boss at the Woodward State Resource Center, the state-run facility for residents with intellectual disabilities. The State Appeal Board approved the settlement yesterday (Monday), but State Auditor Rob Sand, a member of the board, voted no. He says the former supervisor who committed the harassment should be held accountable, not Iowa taxpayers.

“We need to be making efforts to change the way we handle these because if we do that, we can prevent sexual harassment and protect taxpayers,” Sand says. “I’m not going to support the status quo.” In 2019, Sand also opposed having the State of Iowa use more than four-million dollars in taxpayers’ money to settle two sexual harassment lawsuits brought against the former director of the Iowa Finance Authority. The governor already had fired Dave Jamison over the allegations.

“The current process for settling these I just think is inadequate. We have got to make sure that taxpayers aren’t paying for people’s sins,” Sand says. “We need to hold people personally accoutable when they do this kind of thing. That’s the only way we’re going to discourage the action. It’s the only way we’re going to prevent future acts of sexual harassment.” The state’s solicitor general argued settling Jamison’s case was in the best interest of the state because it avoided what could have been a costly trial and also respected Jamison’s victims.

In this latest case, Maria Hernandez filed a lawsuit accusing Joel Taylor, her supervisor at the Woodward Resource Center, of retaliating against her after she accused him of sexual harassment and discrimination. The state admits no wrongdoing in settling the case and is paying Hernandez more than 80-thousand dollars. Her attorneys will be paid 55-thousand.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Reynolds signed 17 bills into law on Monday. This year’s March 1st deadline has been waived for student open enrollment applications for transfers out the Des Moines, Davenport, Waterloo, West Liberty and Postville School Districts. A new state law that took effect yesterday gets rid of the voluntary diversity plans in those five districts that prevented some transfer requests.

The governor has also signed legislative giving parents authority to certify they’ve taught their child how to drive, meaning the teenager is qualified to take the tests to get a driver’s license. After the pandemic led to cancelled fundraisers and reduced ticket sales for high school events, another bill the governor signed into law will let school boards shift general education money to cover deficits in the budgets for sports, music, drama and other extracurricular programs.

The governor also approved a new law that lets delivery services like Uber Eats and Door Dash deliver beer, wine and liquor from restaurants, grocery stores and other retailers.

(Radio Iowa) – It has been too cool and dry for mosquitoes to get very active so far this year — but you may have noticed another insect flying around. I-S-U entomologist, Donald Stewart, says wasps have been active. “Most of these are paper wasps with an elongated, about an in long, brownish color. It’s the wasp that makes a nest up under the eaves of your house. It looks like a little upside down umbrella hanging there,” Lewis says. He says the wasps right now are looking for a place to live.

“Those nests are started by a single queen,” Lewis explains,”and they are quite active on the warm days of spring as they look for a sheltered location where they can build that nest.” But Lewis says they shouldn’t be very aggressive. “They aren’t interested in stinging, they’re interested in finding a place to make a nest — build a little nest, catch a little food, lay a few eggs,” according to Lewis. “Later in the summer when the population increases, then the wasps will be a little bit more aggressive, but right now they are not quite as threatening as people expect.”

Lewis says they shouldn’t pose much of a concern.