(Radio Iowa) – Senate Democrats have refused to confirm the four Iowans Republican Governor Kim Reynolds selected to serve on the commission that nominates people to openings on the Iowa Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat from Des Moines who’s an attorney, says according to state law, political affiliation isn’t to be considered, but all of the governor’s nominees to the commission have been either Republicans and independents.

“This is the new level of partisan politics in our state,” Boulton says. “Controlling two legislative chambers and the governor’s office is not enough. Republicans now are insisting on controlling the judicial branch and Senate Democrats cannot stand for that.” Reynolds says she nominates highly qualified commissioners who share her judicial philosophy and she says it’s shameful for Senate Democrats to play these political games. It takes the “yes” votes of 34 senators to confirm the governor’s nominees to the commission.

Senator Brad Zaun of Urbandale is one of thirty-TWO Republicans and Zaun says he’s looking forward to the day when Democrats don’t have the power to make these decisions. “And I look forward to our side being in the super majority because what’s being done with these great Iowans is disgusting,” Zaun said. A super majority would be 34 senators — enough to confirm ALL of the governor’s picks for position in state government.

The 17 member Judicial Nominating Commission has already begun the process of selecting a replacement for Justice Brent Appel (like “apple”) who will retire this summer. Every other justice on the court was nominating by Governor Reynolds or Republican Governor Terry Branstad. It appears state law allows the four people Reynolds had nominating for the commission to serve for two months. That means they’d complete the process of sending Reynolds a slate of three candidates for Appel’s seat on the Iowa Supreme Court before rotating off the nominating commission.

(Radio Iowa) – An off-duty Cherokee police officer has been charged with a serious misdemeanor following a hit and run accident that injured a six-year-old girl last Friday. The Iowa State Patrol says 52-year-old Michael McGee of Cherokee was driving a pickup truck on North Roosevelt Street in Cherokee, when he allegedly struck a six year old female in the crosswalk.

The patrol says McGee fled the scene and failed to return after the vehicle and driver had been identified. The girl was taken to Cherokee Regional Medical Center with injuries, including a concussion. Mcgee is charged with leaving the scene of an injury accident.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Sorensen studios spokesperson Maria Sorensen says the 24th Annual Freedom Rock® painting will be completed in time for Memorial Day. In honor of Memorial Day, Ray Sorensen repaints this 12-foot tall, approximately 60–90-ton boulder to pay tribute to our military men and women. He began painting the original Freedom Rock® the second week of May and plans to be finished by Memorial Day 2022.

**view the timelapse of the front side here: https://www.facebook.com/TheFreedomRock/videos/514203873730117

“This year’s front road-facing side is an illustration depicting a flag-draped coffin, lifted by a member of every branch of the military, and a soldier handing us (America) a folded flag, symbolizing that we are receiving the responsibility of upholding America for all those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. It is accompanied by a partial quote from President Reagan “…stand in silence and remember those who were loved and who, in return, loved their countrymen enough to die from them.”

2022_FreedomRock

On the south side of The Freedom Rock® is a depiction of the USS Ranger aircraft carrier with a Tomcat taking off. The Ranger was known as the “Top Gun of the Pacific” since some of the first Top Gun movie was filmed aboard that carrier. Next to that on the east side, is in honor of the 35th Anniversary of the attack on the USS Stark. Continuing around to the
Northeast is Medal of Honor recipient John Baker and an illustration of a Tunnel Rat and their patch (Baker was a Tunnel Rat).

Above this is the Huey helicopter that contains the ashes of over 125 Vietnam Veterans in the paint. Beside that is David Elsbernd who was killed in Vietnam and a recipient of the Purple Heart. He was vetoed off the North Dakota Freedom
Rock® but thought he deserved to be recognized, as do all who are on the wall in DC. Of course, the American flag meets the POW/MIA flag on top.”

Sorensen is not commissioned for his work on the original Freedom Rock® in Menlo, Iowa but works as an independent mural artist having completed the Iowa Freedom Rock® Tour last September. Sorensen is working on the 50 State Freedom Rock Tour. “I always say I have three goals with ‘The Freedom Rock® Tour’ and that is to honor America’s Veterans, promote tourism and provide for my family.”

Sorensen’s oldest two children, Independence and Michael, enjoy helping him in the early stages of many Freedom Rocks® including the original, filling in sketched areas at his discretion. 100th Iowa Freedom Rock® looks to be completed this year in front of Adventureland. The auction for the 100th raised money for the T.A.P.S. Foundation and the Puppy Jake Foundation.

For a list of the Tour and, please visit www.thefreedomrock.com. Sorensen plans to be at The Freedom Rock® over Memorial Day weekend, including Memorial Day to meet with visitors. Calendars as well as other merchandise are also available to help offset costs for the project.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – When the 2021-2022 school year ends, it will also bring an end to the federally funded free lunch program for all students. The federal government funded a program that allowed all students access to free meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Congress recently declined to continue funding this program. Officials with the Atlantic Community School District say this means all families will need to carry a positive balance in their children’s school meal accounts when school begins next fall.

It is likely to see a circulation within different news outlets that certain districts, most recently the Des Moines Public
School District, is still offering free lunch to all students. This is in conjunction with a grant awarded to them from the
USDA. This grant allows low-income districts to apply for and be awarded funds that allow for the continuation of
school lunch for all students. 

This grant is available to all districts in Iowa, but a certain threshold of free and reduced lunch participants must be
met in order to qualify as a low income district. ACSD highly encourages all families to fill out an application for free
and reduced lunch and take advantage of those benefits. In doing so, there is potential for our overall need to meet
the threshold that would then qualify all or many for free school lunch.

Officials say “We recognize the change in the federal government’s decision to fund a free lunch program will be difficult for many families. ACSD encourages the following options as you prepare for the 2022 – 2023 school year:
1. Complete an application for Free and Reduced Meals NOW. This can be completed in the JMC Parent Portal. If
you have any questions or need assistance completing this application, please contact Natalie Ritter,
nritter@atlanticiaschools.org or 712.243.5369
2. Begin offsetting your school lunch money needs by depositing money into your students lunch account now.
Money can be deposited any time throughout the year, including over the summer. This will start to build a
reserve of funds that can be used at the start of the 2022 – 2023 school year. Information on meal prices for
the 2022-2023 school year will be available in the near future. If you have questions about adding money to
your student’s account or if you need assistance accessing the Parent Portal, please reach out to your building
Secretaries.

FOR MORE INFORMATION REACH OUT TO ACSD FOOD AND NUTRITION DIRECTOR, NATALIE RITTER:
NRITTER@ATLANTICIASCHOOLS.ORG

(Radio Iowa) – Republican legislators have sent the governor a budget plan for the Iowa’s justice system and it includes a seven million dollar spending increase for the state’s prisons. Democrats like Representative Todd Prichard of Charles City say the murders of two Anamosa prison employees by two inmates attempting an escape last year should have prompted a higher amount, to address on-going staff shortages.”You’re playing with people’s lives, the lives of our correctional officers, the lives of inmates — who are people, too — and the lives of Iowans,” Prichard says.

Republican Representative Gary Worthan of Storm Lake says lawmakers immediately provided the prison system 20 million dollars last year, “They couldn’t hire enough people to use up that $20 million. That’s the nature of the labor market at this point in time,” Worthan says. “This budget will support staff, it will support adding staff. While maybe it’s not optimal, it probably represents as many people as the Department of Corrections can hire and train at this point in time.”

The director of the Department of Corrections recently hired a recruiting director and plans to set up a booth at the State Fair as a way to spread the word in person about job openings. At the end of April, there were more than 200 job openings for correctional officers.

(Iowa DNR News) – Water levels in oxbow lakes adjacent to the Missouri River are lower than normal going into the summer due to consecutive years of abnormally dry conditions in western Iowa and historic low flows in the Missouri River this past winter. Access to these lakes may be compromised.

Carter Lake (Pottawattamie County), a popular recreational boating lake in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area, is three feet below crest. Lake Manawa is in better condition because it can divert water from nearby Mosquito Creek. Its water level has been down between one and two feet all spring. Affected lakes include Blue Lake (Monona County), DeSoto Bend (Harrison County), Snyder Bend (Woodbury County), Browns Lake (Woodbury County), and a host of smaller borrow lakes along the Interstate 29 corridor.

“These oxbow lakes have a hydrologic connection with the Missouri River,” explains Bryan Hayes, Iowa DNR fisheries biologist. “There is a lag time between when river levels are restored and water levels in these oxbow lakes. Trying to predict when water levels will return to normal is difficult.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors tentatively approved $50,000 from the County’s ARPA (Government provided Covid Recovery) funds, for the Anita Child Care Center. Gabrielle Wahlert, Board member for the Center had requested $60,000 for safety and other improvements, security features, along with basic office supplies, etc.

The center is currently located within the Anita Elementary School.

The Director has been there for 14-years, the lead teacher has been at the facility for about 10-years, while another has served for about a year. The rest of the staff are part-time. The Supervisors were of the opinion office supplies and that sort of thing should be included under the Center’s operating expenses, just like any other business. The Board will take formal action on a Resolution for appropriating the funds during their next meeting.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon appeared on behalf of the Cass County Fire Association, which represents the eight fire departments in the county. He requested 15,000 per department ($120,000) from the County’s ARPA funds, for upgraded hand-held 700 megahertz radios, that will function with the ISIC’s system (Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System).

Kennon said a grant the Association received helped to pay for new mobile radios in the various pieces of apparatus. The grant did not cover the cost of paying for the radios.

The ARPA funds would be used for three radios in each of the eight fire departments in the County. The Board will formalize their approval of the funds during a Resolution in their next meeting on May 31st.

In other business, the Supervisors adopted a Resolution authorizing $65,000 for the Anita Fire Department from the ARPA funds. During their meeting last week, Anita Fire Chief Eric Steffensen requested the use of ARPA funds to purchase two new AED’s and a Stair Chair Pro totaling $65,000. Steffensen explained that fundraising is how the department raises funds for these types of items, yet the past 2 years those type of activities have not been held due to COVID.

They also adopted a Resolution allowing for the transfer of funds from one area to another on the budget. And, the Board, at the request of County Veteran’s Affairs Director Mitch Holmes, approved the re-appointment of Roger Barbero to the Veteran’s Affairs Commission.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday (today), reports 42-year-old Carolin Sue Mills,of Avoca, was arrested at around 1:25-a.m. today, on Highway 34. She was taken into custody under a Pottawattamie County warrant for three counts of Failure to Appear in court. Mills’ bond was set at $100,000. And, late Monday morning, 39-year-old Jeffrey Dale Hankins, of Malvern, was arrested at the Mills County Courthouse, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $10,000.

The Sheriff’s Office says also, officials with 10 Point Construction, of Denison, reported an incident of Theft in the 2nd Degree from their project location on Eastman Road in Mills County.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Community School District have announced the District will offer free breakfast and lunch during the summer, for students up to the age of 18. The free breakfast and lunch program will be held at the Schuler Elementary School, with breakfast served from 8-a.m. to 9-a.m., and lunch served from 11-a.m. until 12:30-p.m. The program takes place from June 1st through August 5th.

If you need more information, reach out to ACSD Food and Nutrition Director Natalie Ritter, at nritter@atlanticiaschools.org.

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Joni Ernst is the latest Iowa lawmaker who’s been permanently banned from entering Russia, but her Republican counterpart in the chamber is not on the list. Senator Chuck Grassley was asked in a conference call with Iowa reporters why he’s wasn’t singled out by Vladimir Putin, what some American legislators consider a badge of honor. “Maybe I’m not because I haven’t been so prominently displayed as people have,” Grassley says. “I think that’s very important to know that I’ve been tough on Putin, so maybe I should be on the list. I’ve said that either he’s sick or an egomaniac or both.” Grassley has condemned Russia’s continued assault on Ukraine as “inhumane” and he’s on record saying Putin is mirroring the actions of Stalin in the 1930s. “It seems to me that he’s violating the U.N. charter, killing innocent people,” Grassley says. “He’s already got Russian soldiers being prosecuted as war criminals and he could be prosecuted himself.”

In a news release on Monday, Ernst said: “I consider getting sanctioned by an autocratic, murderous thug a pretty clear sign that I’m doing something right.” During a speech on the Senate floor, Grassley urged his colleagues to support sending Ukraine any resources needed to stop what he called Putin’s mass murder. “I’ve spoken out the same way other senators have,” Grassley says. “I don’t care whether I’m on the list or not, because I’m not going to go to Russia anyway. I’ve been to Russia three times and every time it was a pleasure to go over there and interact with them, but I wouldn’t want to sit down with Putin now.”

In her news release, Ernst said: “Vladimir Putin’s lawless, unprovoked, and horrific war on Ukraine will be remembered by history as a despicable and unforgiving act. Putin can put my name at the top of his list.” In mid-April, all four members of Iowa’s Congressional delegation were sanctioned by Russia. Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson issued a release, saying: “This is badge of honor, but it is laughable that Putin thinks these sanctions will even slightly deter our efforts to defeat him and support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom. Putin is an autocratic thug and a war criminal. I’ll continue to do everything in my power to cut him and his cronies off at the knees and ensure Ukraine has the resources necessary to send Putin into retreat.”