(Radio Iowa) – If you need a new shirt, a pair of pants or some sneakers, this is the time to go shopping. What’s known as the State of Iowa’s Sales Tax Holiday is underway today (Friday) and tomorrow. John Fuller, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Revenue, says the rules are fairly straightforward.  “Generally, if they buy any item of clothing or any footwear that’s less than $100 per item, that will not have state sales tax,” Fuller says. “If they have specific items that they’re looking for, they can go to tax.iowa.gov, and there’s a list of what’s taxable and what’s not.”

Iowa shoppers are about to enter their second decade of these sales tax holidays.  “It started about 19 or 20 years ago through a legislative action,” Fuller says. “The lawmakers decided that this would be a good thing for Iowans.” Iowans who prefer to do their browsing for new duds on the computer instead of in the store are also in for a discount. “Online purchases have the same rules,” Fuller says, “so as long as you select your item and pay for it during that time period, there should be no state sales tax on that.”

The tax free weekend is in place from 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Saturday.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Finance Authority says more people could now be eligible to receive assistance through their COVID-19 Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention program. Spokesperson Ashley Jared says those who were ineligible because they received the 600 dollars federal unemployment benefit are now eligible for the program.

“So if you have received that benefit in the past, you are now welcome to apply,” she says. “And even if you applied in the past and were denied because of that benefit, you are more than welcome to reapply to
see if you are eligible for rent or mortgage assistance.” She says the program will help those who are having trouble paying their rent during the pandemic. “We have rent assistance You can get up to 32-hundred dollars up to four months for rental assistance. And that is paid directly to your landlord. They have to log in and verify your rental amount at the apartment or home that you are renting,” according to Jared.

And there is help if you own your home. “If you have a mortgage and you are struggling to make your payment due to a COVID loss of income — we can also assist with that — with up to three thousand dollars. Again up to four months to that mortgage servicer directly,” Jared says. She says your eligibility is based on your income. Jared says it is based on 80 percent of the area median income, and that varies by county and household size. “In Polk County for instance, it is roughly 57-thousand for a household of two,” she says.

The federal unemployment assistance expired at the end of July and the attempts in Congress to bring it back have so far stalled. “If something passes we would have to re-examine at that point — but right now we are just really glad we are able to open up eligibility to those who have received that assistance in the past,” Jared says. Jared encourages anyone who may need help to check and see if they are eligible at iowahousingrecovery.com.

“About 11-hundred have received assistance so far. A large majority of that being renters,” Jared says. “We anticipate the home ownership side will come a little later on, hopefully not though. Hopefully, people are keeping up on their mortgage payments.” The money for the program comes from an allocation made by the governor form the Federal Cares Act.

(Radio Iowa) – The Johnson County Board of Supervisors has voted to mandate the use of face coverings in public spaces, while the governor continues to say city and county officials lack the authority to enforce mask mandates. Johnson County’s new policy says face coverings are required in all indoor public settings and outdoors, too, if social distancing isn’t possible. Supervisor Royceann Porter compares it to seat belt laws: initially controversial, but lifesaving.

“It wasn’t something that people wanted, but once you started doing it, it was effective,” Porter said. “So I just want to say that I’m doing this to save lives.” Johnson County Supervisors say their mandate will go into effect once it’s published in the local paper, which is expected to happen on Monday. Governor Reynolds isn’t threatening retaliation, but she says a one-size-fits-all mandate from a city or county government is not the right move.

“Let’s just be clear, though, too…We encourage Iowans to wear a mask when they’re interacting with others and they’re unable to social distance,” Reynolds says. “…Within that, you know businesses have the opportunity to require masks in their establishment, schools can choose to require masks for their students and teachers and governments can choose to require masks in their buildings.” Linn County Supervisors are urging Reynolds to let local governments enforce mask orders.

(A-P) A federal judge in Iowa has dismissed a lawsuit California Rep. Devin Nunes filed against a major media organization that alleged he was defamed in a magazine story about his family’s Iowa dairy farm. Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, filed the $77.5 million lawsuit in September 2019 in federal court in Iowa against Esquire publisher Hearst Magazines and former reporter Ryan Lizza.

It alleges a Sept. 30, 2018, story about the farm has caused “injury to his good name and professional reputation.” Judge C.J. Williams says Nunes failed to prove that Lizza’s article contained false and defamatory statements about him.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

UNDATED (AP) — A federal judge in Iowa has dismissed a lawsuit California Rep. Devin Nunes filed against a major media organization that alleged he was defamed in a magazine story about his family’s Iowa dairy farm. Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, filed the $77.5 million lawsuit in September 2019 in federal court in Iowa against Esquire publisher Hearst Magazines and former reporter Ryan Lizza. It alleges a Sept. 30, 2018, story about the farm has caused “injury to his good name and professional reputation.” Judge C.J. Williams says Nunes failed to prove that Lizza’s article contained false and defamatory statements about him.

UNDATED (AP) — An Iowa appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a law passed last year that does not require Medicaid to pay for sex reassignment surgeries for transgender residents. The Iowa Court of Appeals posted its ruling Wednesday. It agreed with a lower court finding that the legal challenge was speculative because the two transgender residents who sued hadn’t yet been denied Medicaid coverage for surgeries. The lawsuit claimed the law violated the inalienable rights to liberty, safety and happiness and equal protection sections of the Iowa Constitution. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa says it’s reviewing the ruling.

MONDAMIN, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say a highway construction worker has been killed by a speeding tire that came loose from a pickup truck. The Des Moines Register reports that the incident happened Wednesday afternoon, while 51-year-old Homero Carrillo was with a crew working on a bridge on Interstate 29 in Harrison County near Mondamin. The Iowa State Patrol said Carrillo was working in a closed lane when a northbound pickup on I-29 lost a tire. The speeding tire bounded north through a median and hit Carrillo. Investigators say he died at the scene. Officials did not report any injury to the 56-year-old pickup driver from Edwardsville, Kansas.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Police have arrested the husband of a Fort Dodge woman who was shot to death Wednesday afternoon. Police say the shooting happened around 2 p.m. Wednesday, when officers were called to a Fort Dodge home for reports of a shooting. Arriving officers found 38-year-old Maggie Hurdel with a gunshot wound. She died at the scene. Police said her husband, 43-year-old Justin Hurdel, had fled the home in a vehicle after the shooting. The vehicle was later found abandoned. Police said Justin Hurdel was found around 7 a.m. Thursday hiding in a shed. He was taken to a hospital for injuries police say he sustained before his arrest. He has been charged in a warrant with first-degree murder.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says the source of Covid-19 outbreaks will be considered as state officials review school district requests to temporarily shift to remote learning. The guidelines released last week indicate at least 10 percent of students must be absent in a district – AND a rolling, 14-day average of Covid-19 tests must show at least 15 percent of residents in the county or counties in which the district is located must be ill. Seven counties now meet or exceed that 15 percent threshold. Reynolds says Webster County — with a current 22 percent positivity rate — shows why it’s unlikely the state would approve an online-only option for districts in that county.

“They have, as you are very well aware of, an outbreak at the state prison there,” Reynolds said, “and that is in a completely contained environment.” The governor says confirmed outbreaks at businesses or institutions like a state prison are a key metric that may suggest closing a school for 14 days is not the right decision. “The community context will be so important for schools to consider,” she says. And the three school districts in Webster County — Fort Dodge, Prairie Valley and Southeast Webster — should be planning to begin classes in-person this month, according to the governor.

“I think that they should make every effort to get those kids back to school,” Reynolds says. “…We have kids that are practicing football right now…and they’re figuring out a way to do it safely and responsibly.” Reynolds indicated teachers and school staff should be allowed to work if they have been around someone who tested positive for the virus, but are not showing symptoms. “I think it’s the guidelines that we’ve followed all along for essential workforce determined by the federal guidelines,” Reynolds says, “and our teachers absolutely fall into essential workforce.”

Dr. Caitlin Pedati, the state medical director, says if there are teacher shortages, teachers may volunteer to work even if they’ve been potentially exposed to Covid. “We can do things to safely allow some of those critical workers to return to roles,” Pedati says, “but it includes things like monitoring of symptoms and temperature twice a day, using a face mask.”

However, students with or without symptoms will be asked to quarantine for 14 days if they’ve been around someone who tests positive for Covid.

(Radio Iowa) – President Donald Trump’s idea of giving his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination for president from the White House has drawn some criticism. Republican Senator Joni Ernst was asked about it today (Thursday) on her conference call with reporters.

Another reporter asked Ernst again after her first answer.

Ernst was also asked about when another federal coronavirus relief package may get done. She says Democrats don’t want to negotiate — and cited the extension of the federal unemployment as an example.

Ernst says nothing can happen if Democrats don’t want to discuss the issue.

Ernst is from Red Oak and is running for her second term in the U-S Senate.

Two people were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday, in Cass County. Sheriff’s officials say 41-year old Ryan James Cook, of Adair, was arrested on a charge of Driving While Revoked. Cook was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.

And, 32-year old Joseph Paul Hinton, of Griswold, was arrested Tuesday on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Hinton was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $5,000 bond.

An Iowa appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a law passed last year that does not require Medicaid to pay for sex reassignment surgeries for transgender residents. The Iowa Court of Appeals posted its ruling Wednesday. It agreed with a lower court finding that the legal challenge was speculative because the two transgender residents who sued hadn’t yet been denied Medicaid coverage for surgeries.

The lawsuit claimed the law violated the inalienable rights to liberty, safety and happiness and equal protection sections of the Iowa Constitution. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa says it’s reviewing the ruling.