IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge says she’ll try to rule next week on whether to block Gov. Kim Reynolds’ mandate for schools to return to in-person learning, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Judge Mary Chicchelly heard arguments in a lawsuit brought by the Iowa City school district and the Iowa State Education Association. She said that, barring “unforeseen circumstances,” she would issue a written ruling next week.

Lawyers for the Iowa City district and the teachers’ union asked her to impose a temporary injunction that would allow local school boards to decide when it’s safe to reopen classrooms to students and teachers. Many school districts begin classes on Tuesday in Iowa, where the virus is spreading faster than almost any other state.

(Radio Iowa) — Teaching is challenging enough without a pandemic shaking up how the classroom operates. As Iowa’s schools reopen, many districts are focused on keeping staff and students safe from COVID-19, but it’s taking a toll on teachers’ mental health. Jennifer Ulie-Wells is the executive director of “Please, Pass the Love,” a Des Moines-based non-profit that focuses on mental health in schools. She’s doing training for teachers across Iowa.

“They’re already feeling the stress and the burnout the way that they would at the end of a school year,” Ulie-Wells says. “So that’s not a recipe for success, and we know that that is probably not going to end well.” Jessie Todd, an instructional mentor at the Johnston Community School District, says she’s worried about teacher burnout. Todd normally works to support new, inexperienced teachers, but this summer she worked on the staff well-being support team.

She says she’s pushing teachers to use the district’s free counseling service. “We’re just making it really available, like, ‘Hey, it’s on the new teacher website and look, it’s in your building,’ and every instructional coach has the phone number, right on their door, just putting it there.” Still, getting teachers to seek emotional and mental support can be difficult as there’s often a stigma associated with getting help, according to Chris Wilson, the student well-being coordinator for the Johnston school district.

“One thing that I’ve really talked to a lot of people about, and then I think for myself personally, is feeling overwhelmed and stressed and anxious right now is your body’s normal, natural response to what’s going on,” Wilson says. “It doesn’t mean you have a mental health condition.” Some teachers report feeling overwhelmed as they navigate between preparing for socially distant in-person instruction and online classes. Mike Beranek, president of the Iowa State Education Association, says conflicts between state and local control of schools has been really hard on teachers.

“They are very concerned about the safety and health of their students as well as themselves,” Beranek says, “and seeing that their own local school board can’t make the decisions for their community is very concerning to them.” Last month, the I-S-E-A sued the state over its requirements for schools to go online. Sarah Valle, a choir teacher at the Davenport Community Schools, says her district had initially been looking at starting the school year mostly online, but state requirements mean Valle will have to return full-time to the classroom. Valle, who has taught for 13 years, worries about an outbreak and says this stress has made her not want to go back at all this year.

“If it were feasible for me to not teach this year, I would do it,” Valle says. “Not because I don’t love it, but I’m just that scared.” Valle says it’s not feasible for her to take a leave, so she says she’s relying on friends and family for emotional support as she heads back into school this month.

(reporting By Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

DES MOINES– Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a proclamation, as required by Iowa law, directing that the general election on November 3, 2020, include the question whether to call a constitutional convention to propose amendments to the Iowa Constitution.

Iowa’s constitution requires that every ten years, the people of Iowa vote in the general election whether to call a constitutional convention. If a majority approves of calling a constitutional convention, the next General Assembly would be required to enact a process for electing delegates to the convention and for submitting any constitutional amendments proposed by the convention for ratification by the people of Iowa.

The full text of the proclamation is available here.

DES MOINES – United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has approved Gov. Reynolds request for a Secretarial disaster declaration for Benton, Boone, Cedar, Clinton, Dallas, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story, and Tama Counties.

In accordance with the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, 24 additional counties were designated contiguous natural disaster counties, including: Adair, Audubon, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Butler, Carroll, Cass, Delaware, Dubuque, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Iowa, Jackson, Keokuk, Louisa, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Muscatine, Warren, Washington, Webster, and Wright.

Gov. Reynolds said “This designation by Secretary Perdue extends a low-interest lifeline to farmers affected by this devastating storm in the 42 counties considered primary and contiguous natural disaster areas.”

A Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in primary counties and those counties contiguous to such primary counties eligible to be considered for certain assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA), including FSA emergency loans. Farmers in eligible counties have 8 months from the date of a disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.

Governor Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg joined U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Perdue, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig for an aerial tour of crop and structural damage caused by the recent derecho storm and ongoing drought. The flight was part of a tour hosted by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship featuring conservation and innovation in Iowa agriculture.

A Pottawattamie County man was arrested at the Pott. County Jail, Wednesday afternoon, on warrants for  sexual abuse and other charges out of Adair County. Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports 49-year old Charles Harold Lamb, of Council Bluffs (and formerly of Fontanelle), faces charges that include: Domestic Abuse Assault/1st Degree: Sexual Abuse of a 12-year old/2nd offense; Lascivious Acts with a Child; and Indecent Contact with a Child. His cash-only bond in the Adair Jail was set at $150,300.

Charles Lamb booking photo (Courtesy Adair County Sheriff’s Office)

According to the formal complaint, on July 29th, a man called the Adair County Sheriff’s Office and alleged Charles and Julie Lamb were sexually abusing their children. In the days that followed, two women called the Sheriff’s Office to report they were allegedly sexually abused in the past by Charles and Julie Lamb. They also reported that the 11-year old sister who was still living with the Lambs, was being sexually abused by the couple.

After Child Protective Services was called-in, Adair County Deputies responded to the Lamb residence in Fontanelle on July 30th. After CPS spoke with both females who had called the Sheriff’s Office, all of the children were removed from the home. The children were later interviews at Project Harmony, in Omaha. During the interview, the two female juveniles made comments indicating Charles Lamb had sexually abused them. The alleged abuse of at least one of the girls was observed by a juvenile male in Dec., 2008.  The juvenile also stated Charles Lamb had touched a female juvenile in a residence located in Greenfield.

The Domestic Abuse Assault charge against Charles Lamb was the result of an incident that took place on August 10th, where by he allegedly showed-up at his residence in Fontanelle at 2-a.m. and was told to leave, due to the ongoing investigation. He returned at 10:30-a.m. that same day and allegedly shoved his wife Julie into a farm pond. It wasn’t until Julie’s dog – which was trying to help her – turned on Charles, causing him to retreat into his vehicle. Julie Lamb told authorities she was in fear for her life, and believes that her husband would have killed her, had her dog not been there to protect her.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon reports a ban on open burning will be in place for Cass County beginning today (Thursday), at 5:00 p.m. The ban prohibits open and controlled burning in Cass County, Iowa; including all incorporated city limits within the county. Kennon says the current drought conditions in combination with unharvested crops present an increased risk for the potential of rapid fire spread. Controlled fires can quickly become uncontrollable.

During these dry conditions, citizens are reminded to not throw out cigarettes from moving vehicles and to discontinue burning yard waste, piled tree debris, grass/agricultural ground and set-asides or other items during the ban. Small recreational patio or camp fires are permitted only if they are conducted in a fire place of brick, metal or heavy one-inch wire mesh. Any camp fire not in an outdoor fire place is prohibited.

Violation of a burn ban can subject a person to citation or arrest for reckless use of fire or disobeying a burn ban. The ban — which was approved by the State Fire Marshal – will remain in place until environmental conditions improve. Any questions regarding this burn ban should be directed to your local Fire Chief.

(Radio Iowa) — A group of Grinnell College alumni has started a petition drive urging administrators to get rid of the school’s nickname for its athletic teams. Grinnell College doesn’t have a mascot, but its athletes are called “Pioneers.” John Aerni-Flessner is a 2001 graduate who was part of Grinnell’s track and field and cross country teams. “As an alumni of the college and a member of the (Grinnell College) athletic Hall of Fame, I got thinking about the name ‘Pioneers’ and realized that this was problematic because of the celebration of westward expansion and the dispossession of Native Americans that took place alongside that,” Aerni-Flessner says. “So I decided to call up a few friends and organize a petition.”

About 750 people have signed the petition since it was posted online a month ago. In addition to alumni, current Grinnell students and faculty have signed onto the petition. “It just came about through the conversations that people have been having around this country,” Aerni-Flessner says, “especially around the protests.” Paragraphs in the petition note Grinnell College has branded itself as a pioneering institution that was at the forefront of abolition and other social justice movements, but it argues the Pioneer nickname can easily be read as demeaning and a celebration of past historical wrongs.

Aerni-Flessner says the petitioners are not suggesting an alternative to Pioneers, but he suggests Grinnell College administrators could launch a democratic process on campus to come up with a new nickname. “That’s something for the college to weigh in on. I don’t live in Grinnell and am not directly connected with the college at the moment and most of the alumni are not as well,” Aerni-Flessner says. “The college can convene a committee, you know, do what they want with that. We’re happy to support those efforts, but we don’t have a proposal for a substitute name.”

Aerni-Flessner co-authored a book about the history of the Midwest Athletic Conference when he was a Grinnell student.

(Radio Iowa) – A Shenandoah woman facing two murder charges has taken a plea deal and avoided going to trial. Online court records indicate 45-year-old April Montello-Roberts was facing two first-degree murder charges, plus burglary, robbery, and attempted murder charges in connection to a crime spree last August in Council Bluffs that left two men dead. The plea agreement will see Montello-Roberts sentenced to 50 years in prison with at least 30 years served. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber says this was going to be very first jury trial since the COVID pandemic shutdown. “We had to rent a ballroom at the Mid-America Center to do jury selection. The plan was to bring in 150 prospective jurors and try to get a jury picked in this case. That was really where we were in that process of trying to just figure out the logistics,” Wilbur says.

Montello-Roberts (File photo)

Wilber says he had been in communication with Montello-Roberts’ attorney and they were eventually able to settle on a deal. “We had offered her a deal months ago: 50 years with a minimum of 35 — they came back and said how about half that, 25 with a minimum of 17-and-a-half and we said no,” according to Wilber. “The judge brought up to us that we were about to bring 150 people in, probably at least one-third of whom are elderly, into this case. He asked if there was any room where we could get this settled where we don’t have to put those civilians at risk. We really started sitting down and talking in earnest.”

Montello-Roberts is accused of going on a crime spree last August with 28-year-old Troy Petersen of Essex and they were accused of killing two men in a series of robberies over several days. Their crime spree ended in a standoff with police where Petersen was shot to death. Wilber says the plea deal was based on the Montello-Roberts’ age at her earliest possible release date. “In that case where they’re really not disputing whether she was guilty or not, you’re sort of fighting over what amount of time should she serve,” Wilber explains. “We looked at a case where we figured that at 79, the chances that she got out of prison alive were probably not great. At 74, they’re probably still not great, honestly. But, she at least has some hope and I think that’s what — for her — inclined her to accept what we offered.”

Wilber says the families of the two men killed said they would accept the plea deal. “It’s a tough call always,” Wilber says. “I have to take into account what the particular defendant did, what the victims’ families want, criminal records that we’re looking at, what are we doing to the criminal justice system by taking a case to trial. We’ve got all of those factors that we have to look at.”

Online court records show the new charges include two counts of assault while participating in a felony, plus the original robbery, burglary, and attempted murder of a peace office charges. Police say Petersen was the person who fired the shots that killed the individuals, but that Montello-Roberts was a participant in the event. Montello-Roberts was scheduled to go to trial on September 14th — but will now be sentenced on September 8th.

(Radio Iowa) – The spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Public Health who was fired in July — during the coronavirus pandemic — is now suing the state and the governor. Polly Carver-Kimm, a former journalist, says she was forced out because she tried to provide information about COVID-19 to the media and thus, to the public. Tom Duff, the West Des Moines lawyer representing Carver-Kimm, says the suit has multiple sections. Duff says, “It alleges a violation of the state whistleblower law and alleges that the stripping or removing of Polly’s duties and the stifling of information by the Reynolds administration amounts to mismanagement, abuse of authority, and in the midst of an ongoing state pandemic, a danger to public health and safety.”

Carver-Kimm has also filed claims with the State Appeal Board against the State of Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds, and Reynolds’ communications director Pat Garrett. Those claims allege she was illegally terminated because of her persistent efforts to comply with Iowa’s Open Records law, that her firing violates public policy, and violates her free speech rights under the Iowa Constitution.  “During my nearly 13 years at the Iowa Department of Public Health, I never had a negative job review and I was never removed from a project,” Carver-Kimm says. “That all changed just days after the governor’s office became involved. From that point on, I was systematically cut out of the COVID-19 response, beginning with being removed from being able to respond to media requests.”

She says the only explanation she ever received was that she was “not a team player” and that her actions were causing friction with the governor’s staff. “At the time of my termination, I was told the department was restructuring,” Carver-Kimm says. “At the time of my firing, there were five people doing the job I used to do by myself. That’s not restructuring, that’s a systematic and deliberate effort to thwart open communication.” During a video news conference this (Thursday) morning, Carver-Kimm was asked by a reporter if she thought the public has all the information it needs regarding the pandemic. “I do believe very strongly in the Iowa Department of Public Health and that it has the public’s best interests,” Carver-Kimm says. “The governor’s office chose to use the information that it was presented in the way that would best serve the governor’s agenda and needs.”

Carver-Kimm is married to Radio Iowa sports director Todd Kimm. She was a long-time reporter and morning talk show host at a Des Moines radio station before she was hired at public health in 2007.

A semi pulling a trailer loaded with a wind turbine fan overturned Wednesday afternoon, in Union County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 65-year old Douglas Gary Goldetsky, of Atkins, AR., was driving a 2020 Kenworth. When he turned south onto Joshua Avenue, a steerman in a separate vehicle advised that for some reason, the steerman lost connection with the rear axle, and advised Goldetsky to stop. Before he could do so, however, the rear wheels went into the east ditch, which in-turn, pulled the trailer and tractor into the ditch. Once in the ditch, the entire unit tipped over. The accident happened at around 1-p.m.

The driver complained if pain, but did not require immediate treatment or transport to the hospital. The Kenworth sustained $15,000 damage. A property fence sustained about $500 damage during the incident.