(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is joining a group of House Republicans who’re questioning why some key federal agencies do not have all employees working in-person. The group says federal employees had early access to Covid vaccines and there’s been time to reconfigure work spaces to accommodate social distancing.  “All of our government agencies need to be operating at full capacity,” Hinson says, “and they’re not.”

Hinson has signed onto a letter asking President Biden for a list of which federal agencies are fully staffed and in person — and which agencies have more than half the staff working remotely. Hinson points to staffing at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis which has the documents veterans need to secure their benefits and the medals they’ve earned. “It’s currently operating at about only 25% of its normal capacity,” according to Hinson, “and since the majority of the records are in the physical, in-person format, the limited in-person staff has been unable to manage the volume of incoming requests and, as a result of that, thousands upon thousands of records requests are unanswered and that leaves veterans, of course, without the critical assistance they’ve earned to support themselves and their families.”

Hinson says the number one complaint from her constituents, though, is about the Internal Revenue Service and getting I-R-S staff on the phone to answer questions. “They do need to be more efficient with the resources that we have given them and, much like many of these other agencies, they are not operating at full capacity right now,” Hinson says. The I-R-S reports it received 119 million calls last year — a 70 percent increase from a typical tax filing season. The total I-R-S budget, when adjusted for inflation, is 20 percent lower than it was 12 years ago and staffing has fallen to levels the agency had in the 1970s.  “I’m happy to listen to what needs there may be. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I obviously want to make sure that our constituent services are top notch,” Hinson says. “but at the same time I don’t want to super charge the IRS when they need to be efficient with the resources that they have.”

This past September, ten OTHER House Republicans called for a congressional investigation of in-person staffing levels at federal agencies during the pandemic.

(Radio Iowa) – A Senate committee may soon debate the concept of leaving the county name off the bottom of SOME Iowa license plates. Iowa is one of five states that have county names listed on the standard state license plate. Brad Epperly, a lobbyist for the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association, says the proposal would create the OPTION for a generic plate that doesn’t list the county where the vehicle’s owner lives.

“We have a number of plates already, specialty plates that don’t have county names on them,” Epperly says. Iowa offers 63 “specialty” license plates and only three list county names at the bottom. The Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association is opposed to the bill. Susan Daeman is the association’s statehouse lobbyist. “The concern from law enforcement at the local level is that it is an investigational tool. A lot of times people won’t get or remember the number on a license plate in a situation, but they might remember the county,” Daeman says.

“…The other issue is these names on the plates are just highly popular with the people.” Daeman says a survey of county sheriffs in Iowa found 77 percent were opposed to the idea. Epperly says the proposal doesn’t remove county names from ALL Iowa license plates. “I realize that it could be useful on occasion, but I don’t think that those 45 states have a bunch of cold case files simply because they don’t have county names on plates,” Epperly says. “…We know what the fight is to remove county names…We just want a generic option.”

The Iowa D-O-T estimates it could save nearly a quarter of a million dollars over a 10 year period if ALL the standard-issue license plates were generic and county names were not imprinted on the bottom. The Automobile Dealers Association says a generic option could help with supply chain issues, as some counties don’t have an adequate supply of license plates stamped with the county name. The generic license plate concept has cleared a subcommittee and the bill is now eligible for debate in the Senate Transportation Committee.

(Radio Iowa) – Two Senate Republicans have called for felony charges against educators who provide books with passages they deem obscene, but Majority Leader Jack Whitver — the TOP Republican in the Senate — is expressing support for the governor’s plan for addressing parents’ concerns.

“Charging anyone with felonies for these types of things, I don’t think is a good idea,” Whitver says. “…There’s a lot of ideas on the table and so we’re going to look at those ideas like we do everything.” Governor Reynolds has proposed requiring lists of school books be posted online and requiring school officials to respond within 30 days to parents’ complaints about any book. Parents would have a final appeal heard by the State Board of Education. Whitver says that kind of transparency is a good step, to let parents address any concerns they may have.

“And then it comes down to school board elections as well…Ultimately, if none of that works, you need to give parents a choice on where their kids are going to school,” Whitver says. “Whether that’s going from one public school to another public school, like we did last year, or a public school to a charter school or maybe now public to private schools — that’s I think the best path forward for Iowa.”

Whitver made his comments this weekend during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S. Last year, the legislature voted to end diversity plans in five Iowa districts which allowed school administrators to deny student transfer requests. This year, Governor Reynolds has enlarged her plan to give parents state money to cover enrollment in a private school. Democrats say public tax dollars should be spent on public, not private schools.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meeting beginning at 9-a.m. on Monday, Jan. 31st. On their agenda is action on approving an application by the Griswold (rural) Dollar General Store for a Class-C Beer Permit, and discussion, along with possible action on:

• A Resolution for funding of economic development (using the Valley Business Park money)
• Possible use of funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA)
• Applications filed in response to openings on the Condemnation in Eminent Domain, and Cass County Zoning Commissions, as well as a Brighton Township Trustee.

The Supervisor’s meeting takes place in their Courthouse Boardroom, in Atlantic.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police report a woman from Webster County was arrested at around 9-p.m. Saturday, in the 2300 block of Eastern Avenue. Authorities say 51-year-old Carrie Ann Rosburg, of Ft. Dodge, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct – a simple misdemeanor. Rosberg was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, and held on a $300 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa ) — One person was arrested on a felony drug charge Saturday evening in Red Oak, following a traffic stop and investigation. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 64-year-old Kenneth Earl Huber, of Lenox, was arrested at around 6:40-p.m., for possession of a controlled substance/3rd or subsequent offense — a class D felony.

Huber was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $5,000 bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Every year the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce honors a strong, passionate community leader, with the Annual Distinguished Service Award. This year was no exception.

Here’s Chamber Director Bailey Smith…

(This year marks the 36^th time the highest award for services and contributions to the community of Atlantic was presented.)

(From left to right) – Brenda Swope; Kelsey Beschorner; Bailey Smith; and the 2021 Distinguished Service Award winner: Greg Schuler.

Smith said recipient of the award for 2021, is Greg Schuler, of Atlantic, was nominated by Brenda Swope, with Atlantic Elks Lodge #445, and who is retired from Cass Health. Swope submitted a three page form explaining why she nominated Greg Schuler, a native of Atlantic. In the letter which was read by Bailey Smith, Swope said Greg “Is a quiet leader (for over 30-years, and) has made positive contributions to our quality of life in the Atlantic Area through his involvement in a ‘plethora’ or volunteer activities.

His accolades didn’t stop there…

Greg Schuler holds his award plaque presented to him Friday morning (1/28/22)

While the official announcement was made Saturday, during the Chamber’s Annual Dinner. Schuler was actually surprised with the award late Friday morning, at the Chamber Office in the Rock Island Depot. And as always, Greg was modest in his being honored.

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual, business or organization who has made the community a better place to live. They have rendered special services for the benefit of the community and have demonstrated an active leadership role for the betterment of the community through their involvement in business, civic and social service organizations.

Last year, the Distinguished Service Award was given to Cass County Public Health for their unwavering leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Radio Iowa) – A group of national Democratic Party officials are discussing a plan that would dislodge Iowa’s Democratic Caucuses as the first event in the 2024 presidential nominating process. The Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee met Saturday. Panel member Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, says there’s “nothing written in stone” that says Iowa’s Caucuses and New Hampshire’s Primary should be first and she says no one who set up the current system in 1972 expected the two lead-off states to winnow the field of potential candidates. “The beginning is important, right? The early states are important,” she said. “…I think this will be a topic of rich discussion and we can start from scratch.”

Delaware Democrat Molly Magarik says the pages and pages of rules for how a caucus should be run aren’t welcoming to would-be voters. “Obviously there’s a lot of nostalgia and there’s a lot of: ‘This is how we do things,'” Magarik said. “…A caucus is incredibly intimidating to people.” Mo Elleithee, head of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics, experienced Iowa’s Caucuses as the traveling press secretary for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign. As a member of the D-N-C’s Rules panel, he’s urging the party to make sure the first set of early states hold primaries, represent the diversity of voices in the Democratic Party and will be battleground states in the General Election. “In my opinion and I’m sure we’re going to be talking about this more, three of the four current ‘early window’ states satisfy at least two of those criteria. One does not satisfy any of them,” he says, “at least in recent years.”

Iowa was considered a swing state in the first four presidential elections of this century, but not in 2016 or 2020. In a written statement, the Iowa Democratic Party’s chairman said Iowa plays an important role in the presidential nominating process and he will continue to fight for Iowa’s Democratic Caucuses to remain first. The chairman of the Iowa REPUBLICAN Party says he’s been assured by national party leaders that Iowa’s Caucuses will be the first event on the G-O-P’s 2024 presidential nominating calendar.

Davenport, Iowa – Authorities in Iowa says a former Fairfield man, 23-year-old Auston Jacobus Hummell, was sentenced January 26th to serve to 190 months (15.8-years) in prison, for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography. Following his prison term, Hummell was ordered to serve ten years of supervised release as well as pay $3,000 to each of his eleven victims – for a total of $33,000. He was also ordered to pay a $100 Special Assessment fee.

According to court documents, the investigation into Hummell’s activities began when the Mount Pleasant Police Department received a CyberTip from the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The CyberTip indicated files containing child pornography were uploaded from specific IP addresses and those IP addresses traced back to Hummell. After liaising with Kahoka Police Department in Kahoka, Missouri, a search warrant was issued for Hummell’s known residence and numerous electronic devices were seized. The devices contained over 120,000 images and videos containing child pornography. On June 21, 2021, Hummell pleaded guilty to the charge.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Kahoka Police Department, and the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case, which was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nation-wide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children.

Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said this past week, a 48-year-old Des Moines man known as “Solo,” was sentenced to slightly more than 34 years in prison on January 13th, on firearms charges. After a three-day trial, Kenny Eugene Smart was convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Smart was found in possession of that gun during the execution of metro-wide search warrants in November 2020. He had been prohibited from possessing firearms because of prior convictions for an Iowa felony drug crime and a federal felony gun crime, for which he spent more than 15 years in prison.

Smart had just been released from prison in June 2020 and was on federal supervised release when he was found with a gun in November 2020. Smart qualified under the United States Sentencing Guidelines as an Armed Career Criminal and, due to the crimes for which he was convicted, faced a mandatory 20-year sentence.

At sentencing, a victim testified that she had been raped by Smart. The government presented evidence that Smart raped another victim during the six months he had been out of prison. In imposing sentence, United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger characterized Smart’s gun possession as aggravating because he possessed guns to intimidate others and coerce at least one of his rape victims. She also considered Smart’s conduct after he was federally indicted, which included an attempt to have another person take responsibility for the gun and he threatened the family member of a trial witness.

Smart received a 360-month sentence for his gun crimes, to be served consecutively to a 54-month sentence for revocation of his federal supervised release.

His case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Des Moines Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Iowa Department Public Safety, and multiple other state and federal agencies