(Radio Iowa) – The A-C-L-U of Iowa has filed a third lawsuit seeking to strike down the state’s denial of Medicaid coverage for transition-related surgery for transgender Iowans. The group’s legal director, Rita Bettis Austen, says this lawsuit makes the same argument against the denial. She says they believe it is both unconstitutional and a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The A-C-L-U won the first case in 2018, and then Iowa Legislature passed a bill that allows organizations using public insurance dollars to opt-out of covering transgender surgery.

A second lawsuit was filed after that bill became law — but was dismissed before being heard. “In this most recent case the Iowa Supreme Court ruled on procedural grounds that we first have to seek and be denied coverage,” Austen says. She says Aiden Vasquez sought coverage and has been denied, and they are now taking the state to court again. “This law brings significant harm to our clients and others who rely on Medicaid who desperately need this surgery. And it is important to realize that this policy has no basis in medicine or science,” according to Bettis. ”

Gender dysphoria in some cases puts people at risk of death by suicide — and significant distress.” Vasquez made a statement about the lawsuit during a zoom call with reporters. “I desperately need this surgery. Having to jump through so many hoops just to try to get coverage for this surgery has been mentally and emotionally very draining and difficult. It is hard to know that the state has gone out of its way to discriminate against me and block my medical care just because I am transgender,” Vasquez says.

Mika Covington, who also is transgender, was a part of the original lawsuit. Austen says Covington’s latest request for coverage is still in process and she says Covington would join the lawsuit if the request is denied by the state.

SHENANDOAH — Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) applauded the announcement of $22,549,000 in new federal investments to improve water and sewer infrastructure in three cities within Iowa’s Third Congressional District.

The investments were part of nearly a half a billion dollars in funds for rural water, energy, and biofuel infrastructure announced today by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development.

“Access to safe and sanitary water infrastructure and clean drinking water should be universal in our great nation, but that requires investments that will keep our communities healthy,” said Rep. Axne. “I’m pleased to see more than $22 million in Rural Development funds coming back to southwest Iowa today to help our rural communities implement the upgrades and maintenance needed to provide for their communities.”

The three projects within Iowa’s Third Congressional District are:

• Anita: A $1,880,000 loan and $401,000 in grant funding to improve the municipal sewer system by building a Submerged Attached Growth Reactor treatment system and an ultraviolet disinfection treatment system. These improvements will extend power from Anita Municipal Utilities to the lagoon system and upgrade the lift station.
• Shenandoah: A $17,743,000 loan and $2,000,000 in grant funding to expand and upgrade the city’s wastewater facility and infrastructure. Funds will be used to install a four-million-gallon equalization basin, an ultraviolet disinfection station and a flood-risk-protection berm.
• Sidney: A $525,000 grant to complete infrastructure improvements to the city’s water system, including a new plant and transmission main, a water storage tower and new water meters.

The full list of projects announced today can be found here.

The Harlan Police Department is asking for your help in identifying a man and a woman who allegedly tried to break into the bill changer at local laundromat, and in the process caused quite a bit of damage. The couple drove away in a blue Pontiac Grand Prix 4 door with out of state plates. Any help would greatly appreciated. Thank You!!!

As the result of an investigation by the Council Bluffs Police Department and Homeland Security, a man from Omaha convicted on child porn offenses, was sentenced Wednesday to serve nearly 12 1/2 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Acting U-S Attorney Jan Sharp, with the District of Nebraska, said 33-year old Nicholas Andrew Travis received his sentence Wednesday, following his conviction for Receipt of Child Pornography. After his release, Travis will be required to serve a 5-year term of supervised release, and is required to register as a sex offender. He was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment.

On Jan. 24, 2020, special agents and task force officers with Homeland Security executed a search warrant at Travis’ apartment at the Open Door Mission, in Omaha. They seized his cell phone, which Travis admitted he used to download child porn from the internet, while at his apartment in Omaha. A forensic examination of the phone revealed 3,127 images and videos depicting children, specifically girls between the ages of three and  10, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The case was brought to the court as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice.

Page County Sheriff’s Deputies, Tuesday, arrested 39-year-old Andrew Jackson Paez. He was taken into custody on a Page County Warrant for Violation of Probation on his sentencing Charge of Arson in the 2nd degree.

Andrew Jackson Paez

Paez was arrested at the Atchison County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office. His cash or surety bond was set at $5,000.

(Radio Iowa) – This year’s Special Olympics Iowa Summer Games have been cancelled due to COVID-19 but spokeswoman Karen Whitman says they -do- plan to hold a Virtual Summer Games instead. “What that will entail is a month-long sports competition during the month of May,” Whitman says, “and then at the end of the month, we will be having healthy athlete screening experiences, a virtual series that will hold some other activities, and then we will also have our Opening Ceremonies on May 26th.”

It’s expected there will be about one-thousand participants from across the state participating in this year’s games, for events that usually draw four-to-five-thousand athletes to Ames each summer. Whitman says the virtual format isn’t as good as being in-person, but it will have to do. “Some of it will be done on Zoom,” she says. “We will be having all of those registration links come out at the beginning of May and then some of it will be based off of our Facebook page, which is Special Olympics Iowa.”

Whitman is hopeful for an in person format for the games returning in 2022. Learn more about this year’s events at: soiowa.org

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa legislature are scaling back the governor’s proposals to address Iowa’s housing shortage. House Republicans are proposing a 25-million dollar increase in state tax credits to companies that build low- and moderate income housing for renters and buyers. SENATE Republicans are proposing a lower, 15 million dollar increase in that workforce housing program.

Sen. Dan Dawson, (R), Council Bluffs

Senator Dan Dawson, a Republican from Council Bluffs, says the state should be getting millions to boost housing through already-approved federal pandemic relief as well as President Biden’s proposed infrastructure package. “We didn’t want to live in a vacuum and not realize that there’s a lot of other federal monies out there that will be coming down,” Dawson says.

Senator Bill Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, is supporting the plan, with reservations, as Dotzler says an immediate boost to the state’s workforce housing tax credit program is essential to attracting new businesses. “That’s one of the real limiting factors that we’re seeing with some of these new start-ups is one of the questions that they ask is: ‘Do you have affordable housing?'” Dotzler says.

Republican lawmakers say once rules are developed for how states may spend federal money on housing programs, the legislature will review the issue in 2022 and could dedicate more state money for housing.

(Des Moines) – The Iowa Department of Public Health Thursday, reported 531 new positive COVID-19 tests and six additional deaths. At 10 a.m., the health department reported 391,125 total positive tests and 5,899 total deaths since the start of the pandemic. One Iowa care facility continues reports a COVID-19 outbreak. There are 18 positive cases and seven recoveries among residents and staff within that facility. Iowa reports 2,305 long-term care facility deaths.

Iowa’s 7-day positivity rate is 4.3%, while the 14-day average was holding at 4.4%. The number of Iowans hospitalized statewide, increased from 219 to 235 in the last 24 hours. There are 56 patients in ICU,  52 were admitted to a hospital (compared to 38 the day before), and 24 patients on ventilators, four more than the previous day. RMCC Region 4 hospitals (those in western/southwest Iowa) show: There are 31 hospitalized with COVID (up from 22 the day before); 11 COVID patients are in an ICU; six people were admitted with symptoms of COVID, and there remain four COVID patients on a ventilator.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

Cass, 1,435 cases; {+4}; 54 deaths
Adair, 968; {+0}; 32
Adams, 342 {+1}; 4
Audubon, 513 {+0}; 9
Guthrie, 1,266 {+0}; 29
Harrison County, 1,904; {+8}; 73
Madison County, 1,692; {+6; 19
Mills County, 1,756; {+1}; 20
Montgomery, 1,093 {+1}; 37
Pottawattamie County, 11,899; {+24}; 162
Shelby County, 1,350 {+0}; 37
Union County, 1,315; {+1}; 32

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests: At around 9:10-a.m. Thursday (today), Deputies arrested 41-year-old David Daniel Wells, of Red Oak, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. And, at around 8:30-a.m. Wednesday, 26-year-old Seancody Lee Anderson, of Emerson, turned himself-in to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Anderson was wanted on a warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Interference with Official Acts. His cash bond was set $2,000. The cash bond for Wells was set at $10,000.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Libraries Association has been accepted as a local affiliate for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Atlantic Public Library Director Michelle Andersen says the Dollywood Foundation covers the overhead costs of the program, while local affiliates raise funds to pay for books sent to participants in their coverage area.

She says the books are always high quality and age appropriate, and there are some excellent titles.

Andersen said the Cass County Libraries Association had been looking for a county-wide project community members and others in the area would be willing to support. As an accepted affiliate of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, their job now is to raise money to send the books.

The Association is accepting donations to fund the start of the program. It only costs $25 to send one child a book every month, for a year. There’s an added incentive for you to donate, according to Andersen.

The Association is also reaching out to businesses and community organizations who are known for supporting local initiatives of this type, as well as literacy in education initiatives. Any size donation is appreciated, and/or you can sponsor a month, and be recognized on the mailing label.

You can make your donation at any Cass County Library. For more information, call Michelle Andersen at 243-5466, extension 3, or your local library. Additional information about the Imagination Library can be found at www.imaginationlibrary.com.