The U-S secretary of agriculture and U-S Ambassador Terry Branstad, the former Iowa governor, will meet in Beijing Friday for a ceremony “to formally mark the return of U.S. beef to the Chinese market.” According to the U-S-D-A, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue will arrive in China with a shipment of beef from the Greater Omaha Packing Company. The beef is from cattle that were raised in Nebraska.

Perdue and Branstad plan to cut into a piece of prime rib at the ceremony in Beijing.Thirteen years ago China forbid shipments of U.S. beef after a case of Mad Cow disease was confirmed in Washington state. Secretary Perdue says there’s no doubt in his mind that “when the Chinese people taste our high-quality U.S beef, they’ll want more of it.”

The U-S-D-A’s Export Verification Program so far has confirmed processing facilities in Nebraska and Kansas are now eligible to ship U-S beef to China. According to the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, the requirements to export beef to China are “more stringent” than for other countries. Iowa ranks seventh among U-S states in beef production. China imported two-and-a-half Billion dollars worth of beef last year, none of it from the United States.

On Friday at noon, Perdue and Branstad will host the event promoting U.S. beef at the huge new InterContinental hotel in Beijing. On Saturday, Perdue will be in a Shanghai supermarket for a “cooking demonstration” to promote U-S beef.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office say a Nebraska man was arrested at around 12:30-a.m. today (Tuesday), following a traffic stop near the intersection of Highways 92 and 59. 22-year old Tyler Joseph Schliechardt, of Omaha, was pulled over for speeding 69 in a 55 zone. The Deputy observed Schliechardt showed signs of impairment. A search of his vehicle resulted in the recovery of 6.6-grams of marijuana. Schliechardt was taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance, with an OWI/1st offense charge, pending.

And, a man from Underwood was arrested Monday evening for OWI/2nd offense, after a Pott. County Deputy on patrol in the area of 230th Street and Juniper Road, stopped to assist a motorist. 60-year old Roger Hough was subsequently taken into custody and brought to the Pott. County Jail.

Sheriff’s officials said also, 26-year old Michael Lee Chase, of Council Bluffs, turned himself-in to the Sheriff’s Department, Monday. Chase was wanted on a warrant out of Pott. County based on new evidence with regard to a Parole Violation.

Iowa’s U-S Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley are releasing noncommittal statements about the Senate’s version of the health care bill. Neither have expressed whether they’re leaning toward voting for or against the proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Grassley says he’s getting many hundreds of email, calls and letters from Iowans about the legislation. “I’m still continuing to study this 144-page draft bill over the next few days and I hope we make a decision this week,” Grassley says, “but if we don’t, then I’m going to have another couple weeks to study the 144-page bill.”

Grassley, a Republican, says there were many promises made with the A-C-A that simply were not kept and changes need to be made. “We were promised 25% reductions in premiums in 2009 and they’ve gone up over 100%,” Grassley says. “We were promised if you like your doctor, you can keep it. A lot of people have had to change doctors. If you like your insurance, you can keep it. A lot of people have changed it.”

While many Iowans are pleading with their senators to leave the A-C-A intact, Grassley says action is needed to correct problems that were created by the earlier health care plan. “Currently, if nothing is passed, 72,000 Iowans on Obamacare will face hardship keeping their insurance this fall,” Grassley says. “You know, 94 or 95 counties only have one, Medica. If it stays in Iowa, they’re going to have increases in premiums of 43-and-a-half percent.”

While Grassley hasn’t said how he’d vote on the Senate version of the bill, he is convinced the A-C-A needs to be repealed and replaced, he’s just not sure yet if this is the best way to do it. Grassley says, “Even if Hillary Clinton had been elected president, the Democrats are admitting now there would be a lot of changes having to be made to Obamacare.”

Five Republican senators have already said they will vote against the bill. If all Democrats vote no, which is expected, there won’t be enough support to pass it. The U-S House has already passed its own version of the health care bill.

(Radio Iowa)

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says insubordination and gender bias led to the firing of a sergeant who was being investigated for social media postings deriding Islam.

Sgt. Dan Charleston was fired Friday. The investigation was launched after a graphic on Charleston’s Facebook page included what it said were “verses from the Quran that inspire terrorists.” The post included a comment from Charleston that read: “No reasoning with this evil ideology.” The posting has since been removed.

The Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Monday that “the recent social media postings made by Charleston about the Quran and Muslims were not a factor in any way with his separation from the sheriff’s office.”

Charleston has said he will appeal his firing but declined to comment further.

State Auditor Mary Mosiman says the governor and legislators are doing some good things with the state budget, but says there are some challenges ahead. Mosiman released her review of the budget, Monday. “Our budget is balanced, we are doing very well in adhering to sound budgeting principles — which is essential for government entities –the deviations that we have are minimal,”according to Mosiman. “We have practically eliminated using one-time revenue sources for ongoing expenditures. The multi-year accelerated financial commitments have expired. And we are doing a better job of using the best estimates available in the budget.”

State Auditor Mary Mosiman

Mosiman had praise for the handling of the drop in revenue when the state tax collections came in below the forecast revenue. “We did react timely when it became clear that our revenues were not coming in as expected. Again, the legislature and the governor’s office showed fiscal discipline did not exceed its resources,” Mosiman says.

The state had to use 131 million dollars in cash reserves to cover the shortfall in tax revenues. Mosiman says things won’t get any easier in trying to forecast state revenue. “Gaining a better understanding of Iowa’s changing revenue environment will be one of our greatest challenges and opportunities in this coming year,” Mosiman says. She said also that “We also need to have accountability and transparency in matters that impact our revenues — such as tax credits and abatements.”

Mosiman expanded on her view of the tax credits and abatements: “What I am specifically saying with any type of credit or abatement is, the expected return needs to be known, it needs to be evaluated, it needs to be available for the decision makers. At least since I’ve been the state auditor, the three tax credit reports that we issued, that was clear in our reports that return on investment was not clearly and accurately reported,” Mosiman says.

She says it is important for the decision makers to keep up on all the factors that can impact state tax revenues, including the impact of online sales. “Just like our past performance, just like the farm economy and things like that, they have to take into account the current demographics. How are people making their purchases? Are they purchasing goods and services which are taxed — or are they purchasing services which are not necessarily taxed,” Mosiman explains.

Mosiman says the state is challenged to strive for greater predictability on the revenue side in order to be able to impact and not react to the future.

(Radio Iowa)

Red Oak Police report one person was arrested Monday evening, following a traffic stop. 35-year old Brent Lee Wagaman, of Clarinda, was arrested at around 8:50-p.m., for Driving While Barred. Wagaman was brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on a $2,000 bond.

There are sections of the state that could use some rain, but overall, Iowa’s corn and soybean crops are faring well according to a weekly report from the USDA. Seventy-nine percent of the corn crop is rated in good to excellent condition, while 74 percent of soybeans are in that category, according to Monday’s report from the USDA’s Ag Statistics Services. It notes topsoil moisture levels continue to fall in southeast Iowa – with 78 percent of topsoil rated short to very short on moisture.

New Hampton, in northeast Iowa, recorded the most rain last week with 4.28 inches, while portions of west-central and southwest Iowa recorded no rain at all. Temperatures last week ranged from a high of 97 on Wednesday at Little Sioux to a low of 43 on Saturday morning in Chariton and Grinnell.

(Radio Iowa)

Investigators in northwest Iowa are trying to piece together exactly what happened after a Graettinger teenager was found in the street unresponsive Sunday. The teen, identified as Noah M. Flaherty, of Graettinger, was transported to the Palo Alto County Hospital while resuscitation efforts were administered. Those efforts were unsuccessful and Flaherty was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Initial reports received indicate Flaherty fell from the rear of a vehicle while it was in motion. The exact circumstances and cause of death is being investigated by the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office.

(Radio Iowa)