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2 dead & 4 injured in a Mills County crash Friday afternoon

News

June 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) – A collision Friday afternoon west of Glenwood left two people dead and four others injured. The collision happened at around 4:20-p.m. at Highway 34 and 195th Street. The Iowa State Patrol reports a School Bus carrying the Council Bluffs/St. Albert Softball team and driven by 63-year-old Jeanette Marie Henderson, of Council Bluffs, was traveling east on Highway 34, when for reasons unknown, a 2024 VW SUV driven by 62-year-old Ralph Edward Schultz, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, entered the road from the stop sign on 195th Street.

The SUV was struck by the 2025 Thomas School Bus, resulting in fatal injuries to Ralph Schultz and his passenger, 66-year-old Perla Manalastas Schutz, also from Ewa Beach, HI. Henderson, and three juvenile females on the bus were injured. Henderson and two of the juveniles were transported by EMS ambulance to Jenny Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs. The other juvenile was transported by their parent to CHI Mercy in Council Bluffs. The Iowa State Patrol said there were 24 people on the bus.

Those on the bus suffered what the Patrol said were suspected minor injuries. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Patrol at the scene. Friday night’s softball games between St. Albert and Fremont-Mills were canceled because of the accident.

Gov. Reynolds signs list of bills into law

News

June 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES— Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Friday (Today) signed the following bills into law:
HF 189: A bill for an act relating to the eligibility of students enrolled in nonpublic schools to compete in extracurricular interscholastic athletic contests or competitions provided by public schools, and including effective date provisions.
HF 395: A bill for an act relating to approved courses of instruction for school bus drivers, and including effective date provisions.
HF 706: A bill for an act relating to open meetings and open records, providing penalties, and making penalties applicable.
HF 711: A bill for an act relating to the practice of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences, including establishment training programs, schools of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences, and course of study.
HF 767: A bill for an act concerning private sector employee drug testing.
HF 787: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to the calculation of the teacher salary supplement district cost per pupil, teacher preparation requirements, out-of-state placement of certain specified students requiring special education, the duties of the Department of Education, and minimum teacher salaries, and including effective date provisions.
HF 870: A bill for an act relating to students who attend a course in religious instruction that is provided by a private organization, including by modifying provisions related to compulsory education and chronic absenteeism.
HF 876: A bill for an act providing for the disclosure of lead service lines in real estate disclosures and including effective date provisions.
HF 890: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to community college and Department of Education reporting requirements, the National Board Certification Pilot Project, employees of the Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired Program or the Iowa School for the Deaf, and the employment contracts between community colleges and community college instructors, and including effective date provisions.
HF 969, a bill that expands the definition of cancer for the Peace Officers’ Retirement System and 411 Retirement System to include all types of cancer.
“The selflessness of our first responders is inspiring and deserves our deepest gratitude. This means thanking them for their service, but it also means ensuring they receive the care they need,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Today, gaps in coverage threaten to force some of our first responders to choose between getting the treatment they need and providing for their families. This bill will change that by expanding the definition of cancer for the Peace Officers’ and 411 Retirement Systems to cover all forms of the disease. I’m grateful to our legislators and key stakeholders for getting this much-needed reform across the finish line.”
HF 975: A bill for an act relating to matters under the purview of the Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Finance Authority including the strategic infrastructure program, Brownfield, Grayfield, and redevelopment tax credits, community attraction and tourism, Vision Iowa, sports tourism marketing, the historic preservation tax credit, homelessness, the Title Guaranty Board, arts and culture, and the Iowa Reinvestment Act and including applicability and retroactive applicability provisions.
HF 976: A bill for an act relating to the administration of the tax by the Department of Revenue by modifying provisions related to personal income, property, sales and use, motor fuel, and inheritance taxes, changing tax expenditure reviews, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.
HF 979: A bill for an act relating to vehicles operating with a permit for excessive size or weight, and providing fees.
HF 1038: A bill for an act relating to the Opioid Settlement Fund, making appropriations and disbursements, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.
Gov. Reynolds released the following statement after signing HF 1038:
“The opioid crisis continues to impact Iowa families,” Gov. Reynolds said. “I’m thankful the legislature reached an opioid settlement fund agreement this session to immediately distribute $29 million to providers and appropriate ongoing available funds to support early intervention, prevention, treatment, and recovery.”
SF 146: A bill for an act relating to the use or creation of bots to purchase event tickets on the internet, and providing civil penalties.
SF 175: A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curricula provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades five through twelve.
SF 253: A bill for an act creating a lifetime fur harvester license for disabled veterans.
SF 288: A bill for an act relating to students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth who attend state institutions of higher education governed by the Board of Regents and community colleges.
SF 588: A bill for an act concerning local government notice requirements on certain actions.
SF 593: A bill for an act providing for the preparation and filing of a district parcel record that identifies all parcels contained within a drainage or levee district that is part of a county.
SF 612: A bill for an act relating to state and local taxation and regulations by changing certain tax credits, cigarette and tobacco-related regulations, and certain city budget certification deadlines, providing for penalties, and including retroactive applicability and effective date provisions.
SF 615: A bill for an act relating to work requirements for the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, public assistance programs, an Information Technology Fund, the Public Assistance Modernization Fund, and the Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities Program, and including effective date provisions.
Gov. Reynolds released the following statement after signing SF 615:
“It is a priority of mine to ensure our government programs reflect a culture of work,” Gov. Reynolds said. “If you are an able-bodied adult who can work, you should work. We need to return Medicaid back to its intended purpose—to provide coverage to the people who truly need it.”
SF 632: A bill for an act providing for programs and regulations related to agriculture, including crop production, animal health, and agricultural processing, providing for powers and duties for the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, providing fees, and providing penalties.
SF 641: A bill for an act relating to matters under the purview of the Department of Health and Human Services, including administrative services organizations, child foster care, child and dependent adult abuse, internal audit and examination information, and the Region Incentive Fund in the Mental Health and Disability Services Regional Service Fund, health maintenance organization’s premium tax, and making appropriations and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.
SF 657: A bill for an act related to state taxation and finance and other related matters, by creating, modifying, and elimination tax credits and tax incentive programs, providing for penalties, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.

Culvert replacement project will close 180th Trail in Guthie County next week

News

June 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie County Roads Department reports Gus Construction will be closing 180th Trail to replace two culverts, beginning at 8-a.m. on Monday, June 9th. The road will be closed for a couple months (weather permitting), to allow for the project to be completed.

Jim Carlin, 2022 GOP challenger to Grassley, to run against Ernst

News

June 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A western Iowa Republican who ran against U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley in 2022 has formed a campaign to against U.S. Senator Joni Ernst in 2026.

Jim Carlin, an attorney from Sergeant Bluff who’s a former state legislator, finished with 26% support from Republicans in his race against Grassley. Carlin will kick off his campaign against Ernst with a rally in Cedar Rapids next Thursday.

Carlin’s campaign website says he’s running because “Iowans deserve a Senator who will tell them the truth, work to improve their lives and put their interests first.” Carlin, an Army veteran, served one term in the Iowa House of Representatives and was elected to two terms in the Iowa Senate. He holds a degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts and earned his law degree from Marquette University. Carlin’s law practice, located in Sioux City, specializes in personal injury law.

Jim Carlin, a Republican from Sergeant Bluff, is running against U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (Carlin campaign photo)

Joshua Smith of Indianola, who ran as a Libertarian for a state senate seat last year, also has said he intends to run against Ernst in the next year’s Republican Primary election. J.D. Scholten of Sioux City and Nathan Sage of Indianola have launched campaigns for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2026 nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Goldstar Museum holding weekend Vietnam living history event

News

June 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Goldstar Military Museum is hosting its fourth annual Vietnam living history event this weekend at Camp Dodge in Johnston. Museum curator Mike Vogt says they will have re-enactors wearing the uniforms worn during the war.

Vogt says it’s designed to be a learning experience for everyone.

A tank outside the Goldstar Museum. (RI photo)

Vogt says thousands of Iowans were a part of the war.

Vogt says they will have someone to talk about how the reserve forces were called up to go to Vietnam.

Vogt says there will also be people there who can give the Vietnamese view of the war.

Vogt says they’re going to have a howitzer firing during the morning and in the afternoon, and a veteran from the U-S Marine Corps who served with an artillery unit will talk about their missions. The event is free and is 9:00 a-m to 5:00 p-m on Saturday, and Sunday from 9:00 a-m to 1:00 p-m.

BOIL ADVISORY no longer in effect for Panama (IA); RWRWA systems is now completely out of a Boil Advisory

News

June 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Avoca, Iowa) – Officials with the Regional Water Rural Water Association (RWRWA) today (Friday) announced that the Boil Advisory, which went into effect on May 14, 2025, has been lifted effective immediately for the town of Panama. This strictly applies to the residents within the city limits of Panama. Regional Water was notified by the certified operator of Panama that they had completed their two sets of bacteria samples, and all samples came back negative for bacteria. As such, the boil advisory is no longer in effect for this town.
The Boil Advisory is no longer in effect for communities served by Regional Water’s Avoca Treatment Plant System.

Glenwood Police report, 6/6/25

News

June 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) –  The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest on Friday (June 6), of 18-year-old Cameron Germar, of Glenwood. Germar was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. He was subsequently released on his Own Recognizance.

Whooping cough cases are on the rise

News

June 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services warns that cases of whooping cough are on the rise. Over the past three months health officials in Iowa’s largest county have confirmed 19 cases of pertussis — the scientific name for whooping cough. Addie Olson is a spokesperson for the Polk County Health Department. “I wouldn’t say we’re raising alarms at this point, but we certainly think that folks should be aware that pertussis is present in the community,” she said, “and also there are steps that you can take to prevent it, like ensuring you’re up to date on the pertussis vaccine.”

Whooping cough or pertussis symptoms start out like the common cold, but can develop into fits of coughing — as many as 15 coughs a minute — followed by a whooping sound as the patient inhales. “Pertussis outbreaks tend to occur every three to five years,” Olson says, “and the current trend aligns pretty well with this pattern.”

Whooping cough is most dangerous for infants. In the past six months, two babies in Louisiana and a five-year-old in the state of Washington have died from whooping cough. Federal health officials say twice as many cases of whooping cough have been reported so far this year in the United States.

Swimming not recommended at 5 Iowa State park beaches due to E-coli levels

News

June 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has issued “swimming not recommended” advisories for five beaches at state parks after testing this week. It’s the third consecutive week that Black Hawk Beach near Lake View is on the list and second for Pine Lake South Beach near Eldora.

New this week are Lake Manawa Beach near Council Bluffs, Nine Eagles Beach near Davis City and Prairie Rose Beach near Harlan.

All five had tests that exceeded the standard for E. coli. This can indicate that other more harmful bacteria or viruses could be present in the water. The Iowa DNR’s latest beach monitoring reports can be found here.

GOP leader says state may be sued if Governor Reynolds signs pipeline bill

News

June 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair says the state is likely to be sued if Governor Kim Reynolds approves a bill that would establish new state regulations for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline.

“That’s a bill that’s just going to facilitate activists and there were so many problems with that and ultimately it will cost the state of Iowa money both in economic impact as well as potential lawsuits and I think we have to say those words out loud,” Sinclair said during taping of “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS. “…That’s what’s going to get us into legal trouble for liability issues related to the U.S. Constitution and Article I Section 10 — the contracts clause. With what we did in the ultimate bill that passed, we are violating the U.S. Constitution and that causes me great concern.”

Last year, the Iowa Utilities Commission awarded Summit a permit to build and operate a pipeline to capture carbon from ethanol plants and ship it to underground storage in North Dakota. However, Summit must get a similar permit in South Dakota before construction can begin in Iowa. The bill has provisions that not only apply to Summit’s project, but to other hazardous liquid pipelines and energy infrastructure, like transmission lines. Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton, said she has no idea what the governor will choose to do with the bill.

Senate President Amy Sinclair (R-Allerton) on the “Iowa Press” set on June 5, 2025.. (Iowa PBS photo)

“I have not spoken to the governor at all,” Sinclair said. “I believe in a separation of powers and a separation of duties and that is her job to determine whether or not that bill makes sense for Iowans.”

The bill easily cleared the House with bipartisan support in March. Sinclair is among the 22 Republican senators who voted against it last month, while a coalition of 27 Republicans and Democrats in the Senate voted to send the bill to the governor.