(Radio Iowa) – There was a two-fer at the Capitol to celebrate Tuesday’s palindrome date. Representative Dustin Hite of New Sharon presented this closing argument on a piece of legislation.

The bill about procedures in criminal courts was not controversial and passed unanimously — but not before Representative John Wills of Spirit Lake put in his two cents worth.

That’s Representative Rick Olson of Des Moines. His two bits were that it was a simple bill and Hite had described it accurately. Yesterday’s date was a palindrome worldwide, for counties that list the month first and for those that put the date first in the numeric sequence.

The last universal palindrome date was more than a decade ago, on the 11th of November — or 11-11-11.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today (Wednesday) in a case that could lead the court to overturn a 2018 ruling on abortion. Last year, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds signed a law that requires a 24-hour waiting period for abortions, but the law never went into effect due to a legal challenge. That challenged cited a 2018 ruling from the Iowa Supreme Court. The court ruled back then that Iowa women had a fundamental right to an abortion under the STATE constitution.

The make-up of the court has changed significantly since 2018, though. A majority of the justices have been appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds and her attorneys will argue today that the state’s highest court should overturn its previous ruling.

The U.S. Supreme Court will issue a ruling on abortion restrictions this summer. If the nation’s highest court upholds that Mississippi law, Roe v Wade — the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide — could be overturned. It means the legal fights over abortion would then be waged in state courts.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Police in Council Bluffs report four men and a woman were arrested Tuesday for their alleged role in a home invasion. Authorities say at around 12:23 pm., officers responded to a reported home invasion in the area of 118 South 7th street, in Council Bluffs. Officers were informed that four men broke into an apartment belonging to woman, and assaulted a man who was in the home. They then allegedly stole property from inside the residence.

Jess Willard Pfarr

Gage L. Rose

Kendrick G. Arredondo-Beltran

Frank T. Stewart, Jr.

Officers were told that the four males fled the area in a white 4-door Pontiac sedan driven by a female. The vehicle and its occupants were located in the 2400 block of 9th Avenue and detained without incident. All occupants of the vehicle were transported to Criminal Investigations to speak to detectives and later all were charged and booked into corrections on Robbery 2nd and Burglary 2nd charges.

The suspects were identified as:

• 20-year-old Kendrick G. Arredondo-Beltran, of Bellevue, NE.
• 29-year-old Jess Willard Pfarr, of Council Bluffs
• 20-year-old Gage L. Rose, of Council Bluffs
• 30-year-old Frank T. Stewart, Jr., of Council Bluffs
• and the owner of the white Pontiac, Valerie M. Claar, of Council Bluffs. (Photo not available)

The male victim was treated at the scene and released with minor injuries from the assault. No other citizens were injured during the home invasion. Anyone with any information that was in the area at the time of the incident is encouraged to contact this Division at 712-328-4728 or they may call Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.

(Radio Iowa) – A southeast Iowa school board has approved a shift to a four-day school week, starting in August. Joel Pedersen is the superintendent of the Cardinal Community School District, which is based in Eldon. “I’m certainly excited,” Pedersen says. “I’m also understanding of some of the concerns that are still there and we need to work through those.” The school board vote was unanimous, with one board member absent.

Pedersen says while he understands some families are apprehensive about the adjusted schedule, school staff were surveyed and 95 percent support the move to a four-day week. “We want to be there,” Pedersen says. “We don’t want it to be something that derails some of the positives of the four-day school week because we think we haven’t even tapped all the opportunities.” Pedersen believes the new schedule will help with teacher retention.

“Different generations value different things,” Pedersen says. “You look at some of the younger teachers. They talk a lot about time and time being more important than necessarily money.” Cardinal will be the fourth school district in Iowa to have a four-day school week when the 2022-23 school year begins. WACO, Mormon Trail, and Moulten-Udell are the other three. Pedersen predicts the shortened week will be more widespread in the future.

“I think you’ll see this move across Iowa,” Pedersen says. “I think you’re going to see lots and lots of schools across Iowa do this.” Before the pandemic, 662 U.S. school districts were on four-days-a-week schedules and that number has increased, particularly in rural areas of the country.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has unanimously voted to deregulate businesses that offer what’s advertised as a less painful way to shape eyebrows. It’s called threading. A piece of cotton thread is wound through the eyebrow and then pulled to remove individual hairs. In Iowa, a person has to get a state license to do that.

“Under current law, threading is a practice of cosmetology that requires 2100 hours before licensure or esthetics that requires 600 hours before licensure, ” Senator Chris Cournoyer, a Republican from LeClaire said. “Even under these requirements, threading is not a practice with specific coursework or training. This bill deregulates threading and allows the free market to regulate the performance of this service.”

A West Des Moines business called the Perfect Brow Bar sued the state of Iowa in January over the licensing requirements. Eyebrow threading dates back thousands of years was part of the pre-marriage rituals for women in some cultures. Threading businesses have been popping up in shopping malls and it’s being offered in salons and spas as an alternative to waxing and tweezing eyebrows.

(Radio Iowa) – The company which owns the historic site of the Kentucky Derby has announced a deal to purchase the assets of the company which owns the Hard Rock Casino in Sioux City. Churchill Downs Incorporated (C-D-I) says it has entered an agreement to buy the assets of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment two-point-four-eight billion dollars. Iowa Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says his office was notified of the deal this (Tuesday) morning. He says they expect to be notified soon by Churchill Downs to start the process of obtaining a license to continue to operate the Hard Rock.

Under terms of the deal announced by C-D-I, they would sell the property associated with Hard Rock Sioux City to a third party and then lease it back to run the casino. If the company can’t reach an agreement on a lease — C-D-I would then buy the Hard Rock Casino itself. Ohorilko hasn’t had the chance to learn more yet beyond what the company announced. “At this point in time we are not really sure what the specific plans are and hope to have answers to some of those questions here in the next few days,” he says.

Ohorilko says there are other properties and states involved and has Churchill Downs has to get approvals from all of them — as well as going through all the background checks here in Iowa. “These gaming transactions typically take some time to get those approvals from each state. And there are other financial reasons why these transactions take time,” according to Ohorilko. “But we would expect that Churchill will be working with the Commission and the D-C-I to complete those backgrounds and have those backgrounds conducted.”

He says things could be completed by this summer or fall. Peninsula Pacific Entertainment was in at the start of the Hard Rock when the Sioux City casino was moved from a riverboat to the land. “It was under a 50-50 ownership arrangement — and it wasn’t until recently when Hard Rock purchased the remaining shares,” he says. “Prior to that Peninsula had owned properties in Dubuque and in Northwood, Iowa. They had sold those properties to Boyd gaming as part of a separate transaction.”

Peninsula is one group that is putting together a plan for a potential casino in Linn County. The company issued a release saying the sale of its assets will not impact their plans for trying to get a license for a Cedar Rapids casino.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s governor will deliver the Republican response to President Biden’s State of the Union address next Tuesday. G-O-P congressional leaders released a written statement from Governor Kim Reynolds. Reynolds said the Biden Administration is pursuing a far left agenda and she’ll focus on the alternatives she and other Republican governors are pursuing in their respective states. Delivering the televised response to the president’s address is a prized spot on the national political stage.

During the Obama Administration, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal were selected to give G-O-P responses before they launched their presidential bids in 2016. Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the U.S. Senate, says Republican governors are fighting and winning for families and the leadership Governor Reynolds has shown puts her right at the front of that pack.

Joni Ernst delivered the G-O-P response to President Obama’s State of the Union speech in 2015, right after Iowans elected her to the U.S. Senate in 2014.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Members of the Audubon School Board, Monday evening, received an opening proposal for negotiations from the Audubon Education Association, representing the Teacher’s Union. Superintendent Eric Trager says a special meeting will be held Monday morning to give the District’s proposal to the Teachers. He said they also approved an agreement for the administration of an early retirement HRA.

The Audubon School Board set March 21^st during their regular meeting as the date for a Public Hearing on the District Calendar. Mr. Trager said also, the Board approved some new hires.

Trager expressed his frustration in not being able to find teachers for certain positions, such as math.

He pointed to bills in the Iowa Legislature as one reason people are turned-off to the idea of becoming a teacher.

On the bright side, the legislature and governor approved a 2.5% increase in State Aid to Schools, which means an additional $215,000 in new money for the Audubon School District, thanks also to an increase in enrollment of about 20 students. Last year, the District went on a Budget Guarantee due to a decrease in enrollment.

(Griswold, Iowa) –  Members of the Griswold School Board, Monday evening, discussed and then approved an adjustment to the hourly rate of pay for substitute teachers. Superintendent Dave Henrichs.

Henrichs says a pay increase is necessary for a couple of reasons….

He said the Board is expected to approve a retention bonus for the district employees during their meeting next month. In other business, the Griswold School Board approved bids for FY 2023,2024 & 2025 Auditor. They’ll stick with their current Auditing firm, Schroer and Associates, which bid $8,500 per year. The current contract rate is $8,000. They also awarded a bid for technology services to the Griswold Cooperative Telephone Company, and there were two bidders for Chemical application.

Specifications for mowing bids will be sent out next month, with the bids due back in March, prior to being awarded. Henrichs said the Board approved also, the same Return-to-Learn plan they developed in August 2021, with no changes.

And finally, the Board accepted a bid for maintenance of the Middle School Gym floor.

They also looked at upgrades to the Baseball Field, with regard to resurfacing, taking the lip off the infield-outfield transition, and the installation of an underground irrigation system, but some issues with water pressure were discovered. The Board tabled action on the item and will discuss the matter during their meeting next month, when more information is available on what it will take to increase the water pressure.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – A Public Hearing will be held Wednesday morning in Greenfield, as part of the Adair County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, which begins at 9-a.m. The hearing, which begins at 9:15-a.m., is with regard to the Fiscal Year 2023 Maximum Property Tax Dollars, and will be followed by action on a Resolution to approve the FY23 Maximum Property Tax Dollars. The date will then be set for a Public Hearing on the FY23 Adair County Budget.

Other business includes an appointment to the Safety Committee, any Manure Management Plan (MMP) updates, and discussion/updates with regard to COVID-19 in Adair County. County Engineer Nick Kauffman will present his regular weekly report to the Board, toward the end of their meeting.

The Adair County Supervisors meeting takes place in their Boardroom at the Courthouse in Greenfield.