DES MOINES, IA – Today (Tuesday) Governor Kim Reynolds announced new measures to address the State of Iowa’s severe workforce shortage. Effective June 12, 2021, the State of Iowa will end its participation in federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs. Iowa will continue to provide regular state unemployment insurance benefits to those eligible under the applicable state code.

“Federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs initially provided displaced Iowans with crucial assistance when the pandemic began,” said Gov. Reynolds. “But now that our businesses and schools have reopened, these payments are discouraging people from returning to work. Our unemployment rate is at 3.7 percent, vaccines are available to anyone who wants one, and we have more jobs available than unemployed people.”

The week ending June 12, 2021 will be the last week that the following federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs are available in Iowa:

• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
• Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC)

Additionally, effective June 13, 2021, Iowa will no longer waive employer charges for COVID-related unemployment insurance claims.

“Regular unemployment benefits will remain available, as they did before the pandemic, but it’s time for everyone who can to get back to work,” Gov. Reynolds continued. “This country needs to look to the future, and Iowa intends to lead the way.”

In addition to the information included in a memorandum to Governor Reynolds, Iowa Workforce Development will provide further details in conjunction with this announcement.

The 8:05-a.m. newscast with Ric Hanson.

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The Griswold School Board held a special session Monday evening, to hold separate interviews with three candidates for the Middle School/High School Principal’s position. Superintendent Dave Henrichs said the candidates they’ve interviewed to-date, are all well qualified for the job.

He says making a choice won’t be easy to make.

He said the Board hopes to announce a decision on who they’ve selected, during their regular monthly meeting next Monday, May 17^th. The May 17^th meeting will be held in the High School Conference Room, beginning at 5:30-p.m. Henrichs says once a Principal is in place, they can concentrate more on preparing for the next school year.

The 7:05-a.m. newscast with Ric Hanson.

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A public hearing will be held 6-p.m. Wednesday (May 12th) in Atlantic, with regard to an Amended Certified 2020-21 Budget. The hearing takes place as part of the regular Atlantic School Board meeting the begins at 5-p.m., in the High School Media Center. The session and hearing will stream live on You Tube. School officials report the amendment is with regard to the “Total Support Services,” category for the 2020-21 certified budget, from $5,755,722, to $6-million. The district had unexpected expenditures in the aforementioned category, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. School officials say by increasing the number in that area of the budget, they will ensure that the amount spent does not exceed the Certified amount.

During the Board’s regular meeting, they will hear a special presentation, with regard to the Disney Trip, and act on contracts and/or letters of assignment for:

• Katie Hedegaard, Middle School English Language Arts
• Angela Behrens, Lori Namanny, and Melissa Balch – Summer Lunch Program
• and Mikalya Schuler, Kindergarten.

They will also act on approving the resignations of…

• Jim Mullenix, Bus route driver.
• Susannah O’Dette and Ashley Updike, Special Education Paraeducators.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board will act on approving:

• The 2019-20 Audit report.
• The 2020-21 Amended Certified Budget.
• 2021 Graduating Seniors
• A 2021-22 Superintendent Contract.
• 2021-22 Substitute Employee Pay Rates.
• Milk and bread bids.
• An AEA Purchasing Agreement
• 2021-22 Club/Activity Sponsors contracts.
• and, a Memorandum of Understanding with regard to the iJAG (Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates) Program.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials have approved a 135-thousand dollar settlement to a former state employee who alleged she was sexually harassed by her boss at the Woodward State Resource Center, the state-run facility for residents with intellectual disabilities. The State Appeal Board approved the settlement yesterday (Monday), but State Auditor Rob Sand, a member of the board, voted no. He says the former supervisor who committed the harassment should be held accountable, not Iowa taxpayers.

“We need to be making efforts to change the way we handle these because if we do that, we can prevent sexual harassment and protect taxpayers,” Sand says. “I’m not going to support the status quo.” In 2019, Sand also opposed having the State of Iowa use more than four-million dollars in taxpayers’ money to settle two sexual harassment lawsuits brought against the former director of the Iowa Finance Authority. The governor already had fired Dave Jamison over the allegations.

“The current process for settling these I just think is inadequate. We have got to make sure that taxpayers aren’t paying for people’s sins,” Sand says. “We need to hold people personally accoutable when they do this kind of thing. That’s the only way we’re going to discourage the action. It’s the only way we’re going to prevent future acts of sexual harassment.” The state’s solicitor general argued settling Jamison’s case was in the best interest of the state because it avoided what could have been a costly trial and also respected Jamison’s victims.

In this latest case, Maria Hernandez filed a lawsuit accusing Joel Taylor, her supervisor at the Woodward Resource Center, of retaliating against her after she accused him of sexual harassment and discrimination. The state admits no wrongdoing in settling the case and is paying Hernandez more than 80-thousand dollars. Her attorneys will be paid 55-thousand.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Reynolds signed 17 bills into law on Monday. This year’s March 1st deadline has been waived for student open enrollment applications for transfers out the Des Moines, Davenport, Waterloo, West Liberty and Postville School Districts. A new state law that took effect yesterday gets rid of the voluntary diversity plans in those five districts that prevented some transfer requests.

The governor has also signed legislative giving parents authority to certify they’ve taught their child how to drive, meaning the teenager is qualified to take the tests to get a driver’s license. After the pandemic led to cancelled fundraisers and reduced ticket sales for high school events, another bill the governor signed into law will let school boards shift general education money to cover deficits in the budgets for sports, music, drama and other extracurricular programs.

The governor also approved a new law that lets delivery services like Uber Eats and Door Dash deliver beer, wine and liquor from restaurants, grocery stores and other retailers.

(Radio Iowa) – It has been too cool and dry for mosquitoes to get very active so far this year — but you may have noticed another insect flying around. I-S-U entomologist, Donald Stewart, says wasps have been active. “Most of these are paper wasps with an elongated, about an in long, brownish color. It’s the wasp that makes a nest up under the eaves of your house. It looks like a little upside down umbrella hanging there,” Lewis says. He says the wasps right now are looking for a place to live.

“Those nests are started by a single queen,” Lewis explains,”and they are quite active on the warm days of spring as they look for a sheltered location where they can build that nest.” But Lewis says they shouldn’t be very aggressive. “They aren’t interested in stinging, they’re interested in finding a place to make a nest — build a little nest, catch a little food, lay a few eggs,” according to Lewis. “Later in the summer when the population increases, then the wasps will be a little bit more aggressive, but right now they are not quite as threatening as people expect.”

Lewis says they shouldn’t pose much of a concern.

(Radio Iowa) – The four Iowans who serve in the U.S. House are backing a bill to expand and improve mental health services for veterans who live in rural areas. The bill has been named in honor of a veteran from Davenport. “Five years ago, retired Sergeant Brandon Ketchum took his life after he was unable to get the mental health support that he needed.”

Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines says Ketchum was a Marine who cleared 92 roadside bombs in seven months in Iraq. He ultimately did two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.  “But like so many of his fellow veterans, Sergeant Ketchum struggled with addiction, depression and PTSD related to his time in uniform and when he sought in-patient hospitalization in 2016 from an Iowa VA, the treatment rooms were all full and he was denied in-patient treatment,” Axne says. “Hours later, Sergeant Ketchum took his life.”

Sgt. Brandon Ketchum

Axne is lead sponsor of a bill that would require a Veterans Administration study of how to improve mental health services for veterans in rural areas. It also calls for spending one-point-two million dollars a year to expand the number of mental health professionals who serve veterans in rural America.  “We don’t have enough adequate mental health services across this country for our veterans,” Axne says. “An HHS study found that 50% of returning veterans who need mental health treatment will receive it. These mental health services are even harder to find in rural parts of our country like Iowa.”

Axne testified about the bill at a recent U.S. House Veterans Affairs subcommittee hearing. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa, a veteran who serves on the panel, says the government needs to do better by its veterans. Former Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack sought similiar changes shortly after Ketchum’s death.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday), said that on or about 9-p.m. on May 2nd, the Page County Sheriff’s Office along with the Shenandoah and Coin Volunteer Fire Departments responded to 1734 230th St in rural Coin, after a citizen called in that the residence had burned down. Upon the arrival of first responders, the structure had already been completely destroyed.

Agents from the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation responded and are assisting local agencies with the fire investigation. Remnants have been recovered and submitted to the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office for identification purposes.

The Fire investigation is ongoing and no other details are being released at this time. Citizens are encouraged to contact the Page County Sheriff’s Office with any information they may have about the fire at 712-542-5193.