DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Longtime Rep. Steve King has been ousted in Iowa’s Republican primary after being ostracized by party leaders for comments about white nationalism. State Sen. Randy Feenstra won the five-way race Tuesday after he argued the nine-term conservative Republican had cost the district a voice in Congress by losing his committee assignments over comments in a 2018 New York Times story that seemed to defend white nationalism.

Randy Feenstra

King has a long record of incendiary comments about immigrants and white supremacy. Feenstra becomes the heavy favorite to win in the district, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by roughly 60,000. He faces Democrat J.D. Schoulten, who lost by 2 percentage points to King in 2018.

(Radio Iowa) — Theresa Greenfield of West Des Moines has captured the Democratic Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate and will challenge Republican Senator Joni Ernst’s bid for a second term.”There’s no doubt this will be a tough fight, but that’s never stopped me before,” Greenfield says. “and it’s going to take all of us working together to build a strong grassroots team.” Greenfield addressed supporters with a Facebook live speech, promising to be a “new voice” as the country grapples with consequential challenges. “This moment in Iowa and our country calls for new leadership,” Greenfield said, “leadership with compassion and integrity and grit that has defined Iowans for generations.”

Theresa Greenfield

Ernst released a video message to her supporters last (Tuesday) night.  “We are going to drive on to the General Election,” Ernst said. “We are going to turn Iowa red, no doubt about it.”Ernst did not mention her opponent’s name. Greenfield used much of her primary victory speech to offer her critique of Ernst’s voting record, starting with Ernst’s opposition to the Affordable Care Act. “When it comes to our farmers, Senator Ernst voted for a fossil fuel lobbyist to run the EPA who prompted issues 85 RFS waivers,” Greenfield said. “I’ll fight to get our markets back and to protect our ethanol industry.”

Greenfield’s closest challenger was Michael Franken of Sioux City, a retired Navy Admiral who’s a native of Sioux County. He issued a statement congratulating Greenfield on her victory, pledging his support and hinting he might run for office again. “I stand before you now humbled, but with enduring faith in this great state, this great country and the value and the necessity of public service,” Franken said. “I relish what the next chapter brings.” Franken says running for office convinced him the time has come for public financing of campaigns. “And if we can’t do that as a nation, then I will go on record and say that we should have term limits,” Franken says.

Kimberly Graham, an attorney from Indianola, placed third in her first run for elected office. During an online conversation last (Tuesday) night, some of Graham’s supporters urged her to run for governor. “I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of people wanting that job and I don’t know,” Graham says. “People say this, but I truly don’t know what’s happening after tonight.” Eddie Mauro, a Des Moines businessman, finished in fourth place.

A traffic stop at around 9:30-p.m. Tuesday in Red Oak, resulted in two arrests. Red Oak Police say the driver, 49-year old David Anthony Daugherty, of Sidney, was arrested for driving while suspended with 11 withdrawals. A passenger, 40-year old Shawn Michael Wilburn of Shenandoah, was arrested on a Page County warrant for violation of probation on a drug charge.

Both men were taken to the Montgomery County Jail pending further court proceedings.

Officials with Pottawattamie County Public Health (PCPH), Tuesday, reported two new COVID-19 cases, both of whom are residents of Council Bluffs. One of the individuals is between 18-40 years of age, the other is 41-60. They were tested between May 29th & 30th. So far, 34,434 Pott. County residents have been tested for COVID-19, and a total of 309 have tested positive.

An additional eight people have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 169, as of Tuesday. Officials said six people were hospitalized with the virus, and 119 are self-isolating. Based on contact investigations, PCPH says a total of 88 Pott. County cases are the result of community spread.

On June 2nd, Tyson Foods issued a media release detailing facility-wide testing for COVID-19 at the Council Bluffs facility. PCPH says it is working with the IDPH and Tyson Foods to confirm the Tyson Foods employees that tested positive and live in Pott. County, are already accounted for in the current PCPH numbers.

In addition, officials say the Pottawattamie County COVID-19 hotlines will cease operations effective at Noon today (June 3rd). Residents with general COVID-19 related questions can call 2-1-1 for assistance.

(Radio Iowa) — The 2020 Iowa legislature reconvenes today (Wednesday) after an 11 week suspension due to COVID-19 concerns. Jack Whitver of Ankeny is the Senate’s Republican Leader. “Certainly these are unprecedented times and there is no playbook for it,” Whitver says. “The whole world has changed in the last several months and our people are adapting very well, I think.”

The primary activity for lawmakers will be reworking next year’s state budget plan to account for the predicted pandemic-related slump of 360 MILLION dollars in state tax revenue. Whitver says G-O-P legislators are also discussing the idea of granting new liability protection against COVID-related lawsuits. “Many people are hesitant to open whether it’s their school, their church, their college, their salon and so that’s one of the priorities coming back,” Whitver says.

Senators are scheduled to debate more than a dozen OTHER policy proposals this afternoon and Whitver says a bill that would change the state’s medical marijuana program is on the list. “I hope to just send down the bill the governor has already agreed to, the House has already sent us,” Whitver says.

Whitver says Republican Senators will discuss the policy in private before taking a vote. The bill slightly increases the amount of T-H-C allowed in the cannabis products sold at state-licensed dispensaries in Iowa and Governor Reynolds has signalled she’ll approve it. She vetoed a more expansive bill last year. In March, cannabis dispensaries in Council Bluffs and Davenport closed abruptly. Industry advocates say Iowa’s T-H-C limits are too restrictive, making the business unprofitable.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Longtime Rep. Steve King has been ousted in Iowa’s Republican primary after being ostracized by party leaders for comments about white nationalism. State Sen. Randy Feenstra won the five-way race Tuesday after he argued the nine-term conservative Republican had cost the district a voice in Congress by losing his committee assignments over comments in a 2018 New York Times story that seemed to defend white nationalism. King has a long record of incendiary comments about immigrants and white supremacy. Feenstra becomes the heavy favorite to win in the district, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by roughly 60,000. He faces Democrat J.D. Schoulten, who lost by 2 percentage points to King in 2018.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Coronavirus tests have revealed that 224 employees of a Tyson beef and pork processing plant in Council Bluffs have the virus, company officials said Tuesday. The company said 103 workers stayed home the required quarantine time and have returned to work. The company has more than 1,400 employees at the plant. Tyson also says testing at its pork processing plant in Storm Lake indicated 591 positive cases out of 2,300 workers. Iowa surpassed 20,000 positive cases on Tuesday and with 21 additional deaths, 561 people have now died.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds declined to say whether there were circumstances under which she would seek President Donald Trump’s offer of military help to quell protests. Reynolds, a Republican and supporter of Trump, said at a news conference Tuesday that she relies on the advice of her public safety commissioner and other officials to ensure they have the ability to respond to protests. Reynolds said the soldiers haven’t been needed but could be quickly deployed. Reynolds declined to directly answer questions about Trump’s use of police to remove peaceful protesters Monday near the White House and his call for governors to take a similar approach in dealing with demonstrators.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Davenport say seven heavily armed men are linked to shootings that wounded a man outside a jewelry store and a police officer during unrest that rocked the city this week. Documents from the Scott County Attorney’s Office allege the local men were responsible for some of the violence that began late Sunday and prompted the county to impose a curfew. Police are still investigating the deaths of a 22-year-old woman who was shot while leaving a protest and of a man who was found near where the suspects exchanged gunfire with police.

Adair County results (24% voter turnout)

US (Republican) Representative District 3:

David Young     570*

Bill Schafer       207

US Senate (Democrat)

Theresa Greenfield 270*; Michael Franken, 107; Kimberly Graham, 49; Eddie J. Mauro, 41; Cal Woods, 4.

Adams County (26% voter turnout)

US (Republican) Representative District 3:

David Young     274*

Bill Schafer       206

US Senate (Democrat)

Theresa Greenfield 126*; Michael Franken, 59; Kimberly Graham, 26; Eddie J. Mauro, 17; Cal Woods, 3.

Audubon County

US Senate District 4 (Republican):

Steve King     280; Bret A. Richards    249; Randy Feenstra    228; Jeremy Taylor    41; Steven Reeder    20.

State Senate District 6 (Republican):

Health Hansen     492*; Craig Steven Williams     177

Cass County (22% turnout)

US (Republican) Representative District 3:

David Young     1,039*

Bill Schafer       392

US Senate (Democrat)

Theresa Greenfield 405*; Michael Franken, 102; Kimberly Graham, 78; Eddie J. Mauro, 60; Cal Woods, 8.

Guthrie County (22% turnout)

US (Republican) Representative District 3:

David Young     685*

Bill Schafer       315

US Senate (Democrat)

Theresa Greenfield 400*; Michael Franken, 193; Kimberly Graham, 53; Eddie J. Mauro, 71; Cal Woods, 12.

Montgomery County (32.5% turnout)

US Senate (Democratic Party)

Theresa Greenfield, 350; Michael Franken, 115; Kimberly Graham, 69; Eddie J. Mauro, 34; Cal Woods, 6.

State Representative – District 23 (Republican Party)

David A. Sieck, 932*; Charlotte Dunnettt, 221.

Shelby County (28% turnout)

US Senate District 4 (Republican):

Steve King     674; Bret A. Richards    475; Randy Feenstra    276; Jeremy Taylor    88; Steven Reeder    65.

US Senate – Democrat

Theresa Greenfield, 423; Kimberly Graham, 93; Michael Franken, 90; Eddie J. Mauro, 62; Cal Woods, 18.

Pottawattamie County (22% turnout)

US Representative District 3 – Republican

David Young     4,581*

Bill Schafer        2,441

US Senate – Democrat

Theresa Greenfield 3, 598*; Kimberly Graham 847; Michael Franken 564; Eddie J. Mauro 546; Cal Woods 83.

CASS COUNTY – FINAL

Republican Ticket

Supervisor/District 4:

(Incumbent) Steve Baier (of Griswold) 236*

Travis Erickson (of Cumberland)          89

Supervisor/District 5:

Bernard Pettinger (of Anita)               182*

Linda Reineke (of Massena)                92

ADAIR COUNTY – FINAL

No contested races on either Republican or Democratic ballots

ADAMS COUNTY – FINAL

No contested races on either Republican or Democratic ballots

AUDUBON COUNTY – FINAL

Republican Ticket

Supervisor At-Large (elect 2)

Duane Deist     287

Todd M. Nelson (I)     448*

Rick Thompson (I)     418*

Louis J. Wanninger, Jr.     168

GUTHRIE COUNTY- FINAL

No contested races on either Republican or Democratic ballots

MONTGOMERY COUNTY (voter turnout 32.5%) – FINAL

Republican Ticket

Supervisor/District 3 (elect 1)

Bryant Amos (I)     196 (45.48%)

Randy Cooper       235 (54.52%)*

POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY – FINAL

Republican ticket

Supervisor At-Large (elect 2)

Donn Dierks    2,032

Adam Houser  2,614

Mitchell A. Kay 2,464

Brian Shea        2,635*

Tim Wichman  3,517*

County Sheriff

Rob Ambrose   2,588

Danielle Bentzinger   1,732

Andy Brown     3,415*

SHELBY COUNTY – FINAL

Republican ticket

Supervisor At-Large (elect 2)

Steve Kenkel     1,374

Charles Parkhurst  1,250

(For more results from across the State: https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/IA/103296/web.245375/#/summary)

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says discussions with the U-S Treasury Department have led to some changes to address issues with the debit cards sent out as federal relief money payments. Miller’s spokesman, Lynn Hicks, says there was little information sent out beforehand, and that raised questions about the cards. “People received these, they thought it might be a scam or it might be a solicitation. They had no idea that this was the stimulus money or the economic impact payment money,” Hicks says.

He says the process used to activate the cards added to the problem. “They were asked to call a number and provide their Social Security number and other personal information — which of course we always tell people don’t do that,” according to Hicks. “We are glad people were listening and had their radar up about his. Unfortunately, in this time they threw those away and they’ve had some difficulty getting the cards back.”

He says it will now be easier to call to get your card replaced through the phone system. He says you will be prompted and punch the number for a lost and stolen card and then you will be asked for the last six digits to your Social Security card. “That changed because they were originally asked to provide the number of the card, which they did not have.”

There was a seven-dollar and 50 cent fee to get a new card, but Hicks says that has now been waived. And he says the limit has been raised on how much you can withdrawal from the card. “People should be able to take the full amount out now instead of waiting and doing multiple withdrawals,” he says. “They should be able to transfer all the money to their bank account, if they chose to do so, and do so for free.”

Hick says representatives from the Nebraska attorney general’s office and the National Association of Attorneys General joined the Iowa office in asking for the changes that should improve the use of the cards.
“If they are having problems with their cards or they threw away their card — go to that number 800-240-8100. Now, keep in mind that a lot of people are probably calling, so there may be some delays here. People are still going to have to be patient,” Hicks says.

He says Treasury officials said they will work with MetaBank to update the EPIcard.com website to address these issues.

The Audubon School District, Tuesday evening, passed a Resolution directing the sale of approximately $9.11-million in General Obligation School and Refunding Bonds for the District’s HVAC system and other facility improvements. The 9.11-million includes $7.5-million for the voter approved Bond Referendum, plus $1.6-million in refunding 2013 series bonds.

Superintendent Eric Trager said when the District’s Financial Advisor Travis Squires from Piper/Sandler opened the bids and shared them with Trager and the Board Secretary Tuesday morning, Squires said the rates were “Historically low,” which Trager said made for “A good day.”

The reason he was happy, is because with five bidders, all were well below the estimated interest rate of 3.5% the District was expecting to pay, with the low bid from D.A. Davidson & Company from Denver, CO., coming in at 1.76%, which Squires said was virtually tied with the lowest bond rate they’ve seen in the State of Iowa. He said also, the last time bond rates were this low was in 2012, when they were at around 2.12-percent. After adjustments were made, the actual interest rate was 1.74-percent. The purchase price was $9, 326, 795.38.

The result was a savings on interest of $1.8-million. That means the anticipated 76-cent increase in the property tax asking will instead be reduced by about 35-cents. The District had originally said the $1.35 per 1,000 assessed valuation would be increased by 76-cents to $2.11/per thousand, but with the savings on interest, the actual increase amounts to about 30-to 35-cents/1,000. In addition, the District saves about $30,000 by redeeming the Outstanding General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2013.

The next steps includes a series of Resolution at the next Board meeting that finalize the transactions. After that, the District will be working with a construction manager to determine a cash flow, and if there are any investment options for the remaining bond proceeds that the district would like to pursue.

In other business, the Audubon School Board, Tuesday, approved a recommendation from Mr. Trager to place a duplex property in Washington State on a real estate listing, since efforts to sell the property privately, have not met expectations. The duplex, which was bequeathed to the district in the will of an Audubon graduate, is valued at $205,000.