(Radio Iowa) – Republicans and two Democrats in the Iowa Senate have voted to end the senate’s confirmation process for the governor’s appointments to more than two dozen state boards and commissions. Under current law, the governor’s nominees for nearly 140 boards, commissions and councils in state government must be confirmed by a two-thirds vote in the senate to serve. Republican Senator Roby Smith of Davenport says if 26 senators sign a petition, any of the nominees to the boards on this new list would be subject to the confirmation process. “If someone feels that someone’s not qualified or should not be confirmed…that sends them through the process to be reconsidered,” Smith says, “and then they have to get 34 votes.”

Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, says this gets rid of automatic checks and balances for important state boards. “We had somebody that was appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women not too long ago that was an absolute sexist pig,” Petersen says, “and we turned them down — all of us in here.” Members of the boards that oversee Iowa’s prison system and the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy are also among the groups that would no longer be automatically reviewed by senators and subject to a confirmation vote.

Senator Todd Taylor, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says this is the worst possible time to end confirmation for members of those boards. “We need more oversight, not less. We need more accountability, not less. We need more citizens’ involvement, not less,” Taylor said. “We need checks and balances. Everybody understands that.” Senator Smith says Democrats are exaggerating. “To say that the governor has full control if this bill is passed is not accurate,” Smith said.

Members of more than one-hundred other state oversight boards still would still have to get 34 “yes” votes in the senate in order to serve. There are currently 32 Republicans in the state senate. That gives Democrats in the minority the power to block confirmations supported by the G-O-P majority. That was the case last year with a person the governor had nominated for the Iowa Public Information Board. It’s one of the boards whose members would no longer be automatically reviewed by senators if the bill becomes law.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s two U-S senators are introducing new legislation they say will bring an immediate lowering of gasoline prices while boosting biofuel production. Senator Joni Ernst says President Biden’s announcement Tuesday to ban Russian oil imports didn’t take advantage of the domestic fuel option, but instead Biden lauded the use of electric vehicles, a policy Ernst calls “reckless.”

“Energy security is national security,” Ernst says. “Banning Russian oil was long overdue but it’s unacceptable that this administration remains beholden to the radical, deranged climate agenda of the far left and still refuses to support America’s homegrown energy, like Iowa biofuel.” Ernst, a Republican, says the Homefront Energy Independence Act has bipartisan support and would put the ban on Russian oil into law while combining several other efforts from previous bills. Ernst says, “It would make E-15 available year-round, establish an E-15 and biodiesel tax credit, direct EPA to finalize their E-15 labeling rule, and provide for biofuel infrastructure and compatibility with retailers.”

Ernst says gasoline prices are at record high levels, topping four dollars a gallon in many states, and she says the solution is simple: backing biofuels. “Iowa’s clean, American-made renewable fuels are ready and available to meet our nation’s needs right away,” Ernst says. “In fact, the current excess ethanol capacity domestically is nearly the same as the amount of Russian gas the U.S. had been importing, roughly 83-million barrels versus 87-million barrels.”

Senator Chuck Grassley quotes Triple-A in saying gasoline prices nationally are averaging four-dollars and 17 cents a gallon, surpassing all-time records set in July of 2008. Grassley, a Republican, disagrees with the administration “begging OPEC to send us more oil” while releasing billions of gallons from the strategic petroleum reserve. “While the price of oil continues to go up, President Biden is off talking about electric vehicles,” Grassley says, “which require, can you imagine, rare earth minerals that come from where? Russia and China.”

Grassley says domestic biofuels provide the quick and easy answer the country needs by immediately slashing prices at the pump. “It’s a clean energy solution that can immediately lower gas prices and bolster American energy independence,” Grassley says, “and will result in a cleaner environment than importing dirty oil from Venezuela.”

Triple-A-Iowa shows gasoline prices are averaging $3.89 a gallon statewide, which is still shy of the Iowa record average of $4.02 set in July of 2008. In the past week, gas prices in Iowa have risen 46-cents a gallon on average, and they’ve risen 60-cents in the past month. A year ago, gas was averaging $2.76 in Iowa, a dollar-13 below the current price.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), acknowledged receipt of a letter from a rural resident with regard to noise from wind turbines. Board Chair Matt Wedemeyer….

The Board also acknowledged the receipt of three MMP’s (Manure Management Plan) updates, and the Adair County storm disaster declaration. In other business, Adair County Auditor Mandy Berg requested the Board approve an agreement with Neapolitan Labs out of Des Moines, for website development.

In other business, the Adair County Supervisors set March 30th at 9:15-a.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on a proposition to issue not more than $5.5-million dollars in General Obligation Urban Renewal Bonds. The Board also approved Board Chair Wedemeyer’s signing of various contracts and performance bonds.

(Anita, Iowa) – Members of the CAM School Board met during a work session Monday evening, in Anita. No action was taken, but the Board did discuss matters pertaining to enrollment and the possible consolidation of grades. Shared CAM/Nodaway Valley School District Superintendent Paul Croghan explained the Board talked about General Fund expenditure savings.

Croghan says they knew after the enrollment count on October that they would be down 27 students, so they began to look at class sizes, including Kindergarten.

The Board talked about other scenarios and things they could do and the process in steps and reductions to align the budget with student enrollment.

Croghan said “We have three buildings and when you have 15 students, that’s [grade consolidation discussions] are all part of the process.”

(Harlan, Iowa) -Officials with the Harlan Police Department report the arrest on March 3rd, of 19-year-old Keagan Shawn Bates, from Harlan. Bates was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault.

Breeding Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) disappeared from Iowa in the 1950s because of wide spread use of the pesticide DDT. Peregrine falcons historically nested on cliff ledges, but have also adapted to nest on human-made structures like tall buildings and bridges.

Two eggs sit in the shallow “scrape” that serve as nests for Peregrine Falcons

After DDT was banned in the U.S. in 1972, the Iowa DNR began a Peregrine Falcon restoration program in 1989 with 23 birds released in Cedar Rapids followed by another 19 released in Des Moines in 1991. Between 1989 and 2003, a total of 169 birds were released in Iowa feeding into a regional restoration effort that saw 875 birds released across the Midwest. In 1999, the first pair of birds nested on their historic nesting grounds along the Mississippi River bluffs. Most of Iowa’s current Peregrine Falcon nests occur in the eastern half of the state in three main environments: Urban, Mississippi River bluff faces and energy plant towers.

Each year, monitoring of nest sites is accomplished by a network of volunteer and professional surveyors. The Raptor Resource Project monitors and bands birds at a number of Peregrine nest sites in the Northeastern corner of the state. Several of the nest sites are on power plants which have restricted access so we rely on employees who not only monitor the nest sites but are often wonderful stewards for the birds. Surveyors collect data on the nest’s activity and whether the pair are successful in producing fledglings.

There were 20 known nest sites in 2021 which had recently been active or were suspected active. One new nesting site was established and three sites along the Mississippi River that were inactive in 2020 were active in 2021. Reports were received on 17 of the 20 sites (Table 1). Sixteen of the 17 monitored nests were active, one inactive. Of the 16 active nests, 5 failed to produce young and 11 were successful. A minimum total of 28 young were fledged from the 11 successful nests. An average of 1.75 young were produced at each nest with a known outcome.

Comparing 2021 data to recent years indicates that 2021 was a good year for breeding Peregrines, with more active/recently active nest sites than in 2020 and the second highest percent of successful active nests (69%) since 2016 (Figure 2). A minimum of 28 Peregrine Falcons fledged in Iowa in 2021, the second highest number since 2016. Overall, Iowa’s nesting population of Peregrine Falcons appears to be stable, with birds generally returning to historic nesting sites each year, but this recovering population continues to warrant annual monitoring.

In future years, the DNR will continue to monitor Peregrine Falcon nest sites with the partnership of volunteers and others who care about falcons in Iowa. Falcon nest sites can be very challenging to monitor because of their location and the territoriality of the birds so any data received is much appreciated. Monitors are needed at nest sites in the Quad Cities and Burlington. Please contact the DNR’s Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring Program coordinator if you’d like to help, vwmp@dnr.iowa.gov.

(Creston, Iowa) –  A distracted driver ended-up in an accident Tuesday morning, in Union County. The Sheriff’s Department reports a 2004 Chevy Impala driven 18-year-old Caleb Matthew Pearson, of Corning, and a 2015 Ford F-350 pickup pulling a trailer, were both traveling east on Highway 34 at around 8:25-a.m. The pickup was driven by 48-year-old Grant Lee Plowman, of Creston.

When the pickup/trailer signaled to turn and stopped for oncoming traffic, the trailer was struck from behind by the Chevy. Neither driver was injured. Damages amounted to $10,500. Pearson told deputies he was on his cell phone and had it sitting on his lap. When he looked down at the phone, and then looked up, he suddenly noticed the stopped pickup and trailer in front of him, but it was too late to avoid the collision.

The airbags on the Impala deployed during the impact. Authorities cited Pearson for Failure to Stop in an assured clear distance, and use of electronic communication device.

(Radio Iowa) – A new poll finds Iowa’s “Bottle Bill” remains popular with 84 percent of those surveyed. Sixty-one percent said they want more cans and bottles added to the nickle deposit list and more places to return empties. Cleaner Iowa, a non-profit that supports the Bottle Bill, financed the survey. R.G. Schwarm is the group’s executive director. “It reinforces what we believed what consumers and Iowans want,” he says, “and that’s convenience redemption.”

The poll was conducted by Selzer and Company, the firm that does The Des Moines Register Iowa Poll. Ann Selzer says after respondents heard a list of arguments for and against the law, the number who supported expanding it grew to 70 percent. “There aren’t that many issues that get that kind of support,” Selzer said, “so I think this really tells the story right there.”

Mick Barry, president of MidAmerica Recycling in Des Moines, is a member of the national recycling coalition board of directors. “Iowans are ready to see the system updated to help increase the convenience and to cover additional one-time-use containers,” he says.

A five-cent deposit is charged on bottles and cans of beer, carbonated beverages, wine and liquor. The poll found a narrow majority would support raising the deposit fee to 10 cents. A solid majority said retailers that sell beverages should take the empties and pay back deposits. State legislators are considering making changes to the Bottle Bill.

AMES, Iowa – March 9, 2022 – The Iowa Transportation Commission will hold a public input meeting in Council Bluffs at the Mid-America Center, One Arena Way, on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, to hear about transportation matters from representatives of local government, interest groups, and individuals. Items that may be discussed at the meeting include the Iowa Transportation Improvement Program; transportation policies; and highway, aviation, rail, river, bicycle, pedestrian, and public transit issues.

A brief business meeting will begin at 8 a.m. immediately followed by the public input meeting. A detailed agenda will be posted on https://www.news.iowadot.gov/ prior to the meeting.

For more information concerning the meeting or to obtain a scheduled time on the agenda, contact the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Program Management Bureau, 800 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010, telephone 515-239-1288 or email shawn.majors@iowadot.us. Please include the general topic you wish to discuss. The statements, presentations, or suggestions should be 10 minutes or less.

On Monday, April 11, the commissioners will meet informally and tour transportation projects in southwest Iowa. No action will be taken on transportation-related matters during the tour.

The Creston Police Department reports 54-year-old James Leroy Jones, of Creston, was arrested at around 9:15-p.m. Tuesday, at his home. Jones faces charges of Domestic Abuse Assault and Violation of a No Contact Order. He was transported to the Union Co Jail and held without bond, until seen by the Magistrate.