(Radio Iowa) – Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are using this week’s hearings to suggest Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett doesn’t care about access to health care. “Democrats are painting the judge as heartless and on a mission to scrap the health care law,” Grassley says. “Frankly, that’s absurd.” Grassley made his comments this (Tuesday) morning during his half-hour turn in the committee to ask Barrett questions. “Have you committed to the president or anyone else that you will vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act if confirmed to the court?” Grassley asked and Barrett responded: ‘Absolutely not. I was never asked and, if had have been, that would have been a short conversation.”

Grassley urged Barrett to consider legislative history when ruling on cases, but Barrett says legislative history cannot substitute for the actual text of a law. “That’s a matter of interpretive philosophy,” Barrett said. Grassley replied: “My position has always been that legislative history can be instructive to the intent of the statute, so judges should not completely disregard it.”

Grassley says congress can be more careful about drafting laws, but when there’s a dispute about the law, judges should pay attention to how congress drafted, debated and passed the law. Early this (Tuesday) morning during a conference call with Iowa reporters, Grassley accused Democrats of trying to stoke real fear that confirming Barrett to the Supreme Court will lead to the demise of the Affordable Care Act. “There’s no evidence ot suggest anything of the kind,” Grassley said. “In fact, legal scholars have expressed doubt that the court would strike down ObamaCare, with or without Barrett.”

The Republican-led Senate is heading toward confirming Barrett to the Supreme Court by the end of October. The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an appeal related to the Affordable Care Act on November 10th.

(Radio Iowa) – Construction is underway in Mason City on what will be the world’s largest freestanding grain bin. Sukup Manufacturing of Sheffield has designed the bin, with a peak height of 155 feet and a capacity of 2.2 million bushels, for the Golden Grain Energy ethanol production plant.

Sukup rendering of the grain world’s largest grain bin.

The new bin would beat the two, 2-million bushel Sukup bins built in Atlantic for the Elite Octane LLC Ethanol plant, which went into operation in July, 2018. The two Sukup corn storage bins in Atlantic are each 156 feet in diameter and 150-feet tall. They hold 2,000,000 bushels each, for a total corn storage capacity of 4,000,000 bushels. They are capable of encasing a Boeing 757 jet.

Sukup president and CEO Steve Sukup says the 165-foot diameter bin in Sheffield will be large enough to hold a Boeing 767 jet.

Golden Grain C-E-O Chad Kuhlers says the bigger grain bin will increase the company’s total storage capacity from about 1.275 million bushels to almost 3.5 million bushels.

Kuhlers says the increased storage capacity can help with production around holidays and other times when corn can’t be delivered. He notes Christmas and New Year’s are both on Fridays this year, and a lot of people don’t want to deliver corn that week in between the two holidays.

Construction on the bin is scheduled to be completed in May or June of next year.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors met in-person and electronically Tuesday morning. The Board continued discussion with regard to the proposed closing of a County roadway at 570^th Street (The I-80 underpass). County Engineer Trent Wolken said he’ll be in a meeting this Friday along with others affiliated with the Iowa County Engineers Association Executive Board.

The State has offered an incentive to Cass County in the amount of about $1.5-million dollars to close the road.

The Board, Tuesday (today) passed a Resolution to accept completion of, and make payment for, a paving project at Cold Springs State Park. The Resolution states the funds ($113,751.10) will come 50% from the Conservation Special Resource Enhancement Fund and 50% from the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) fund.

The Board heard a quarterly report from Cass County Conservation Director Micah Lee, and a regular report from Engineer Trent Wolken, who said the Secondary Roads Department is trying to get ready for Winter. He also gave an update on current projects.

He said also they hope to accomplish surfacing and repatching on Glendale Road before Winter hits, and Speed limit signs on 620^th and Lansing, and Jasper, were installed Oct. 6^th, along with the stop sign at Lansing and 525^th Street.

The Board also heard from CADCO’s Jennifer McEntaffer, with regard to two-minute video being created to highlight the County and City of Atlantic, in hopes of drawing more young professionals and businesses. Similar information was presented during last Wednesday’s City Council meeting, in Atlantic.

Sheriff’s officials in Union County report a man from Lorimor informed authorities on Oct. 9th, that sometime over the previous few days, someone cut a lock off of his garage door in Lorimor, and took a 5-HP red, 30-gallon belt drive air compressor. The loss was estimated at $50.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday (today), said 48-year old Eugene Bredberg, of Council Bluffs, was arrested early Monday morning on warrants out of Mills and Montgomery Counties. he faces charges that include two counts possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, No Valid Driver’s license; Warrant for Failure to Appear on a charge of Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree, and on a Montgomery County warrant for two counts of a Controlled Substance Violation. His total bond was set at $28,800.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines are investigating a shooting that injured three teenage boys, leaving one of them hospitalized. Police say the shooting happened after 12 a.m. Tuesday in a residential area several blocks south of Prospect Park. Police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek says one teen was hospitalized in critical but stable condition. He says the two other teens suffered injuries not believed to be life-threatening. Police have not released the victims’ names. Police have not announced any arrests, but say the shooting was not random.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors will conduct a regular meeting 9-a.m. Wednesday, in Greenfield. The meeting takes place in the courtroom at the courthouse, and electronically (via Dial-In 605-313-6157, Access Code 526272# ). During their session, the Board will hear from Adair County Treasurer Mandy Wallace, with regard to City of Orient abandoned properties, and Maranatha Full Gospel Tax Abatements.

In other business, Ryan Berven, with Group Benefit Partners, will discuss a Health Insurance Third Party Administrator, and the ICAP Accident Policy. Tiffany Johnson with Adair County Health System, will discuss a letter of support for a new ambulance grant application.

County Engineer Nick Kauffman will present for the Board Chair signature, an Iowa DOT funded agreement for an N-34 Richland Bridge Project, as well as a final voucher for a hot melt paving project.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The State of Iowa’s Coronavirus dashboard, Tuesday (today) indicated (as of 10-a.m.), there were 580 new cases of COVID-19 since 10-a.m. Monday, for a total of 100,632. There are three more positive case of the virus in Cass County, for a total of 238. Across the KJAN listening area, there are: 19 more positive cases in Pottawattamie County; nine more in Harrison County; five more in Montgomery County; 4 new cases in Guthrie and Shelby Counties. Other, smaller increases in positive COVID cases were noted in Adair, Audubon, Madison and Union Counties.

There have been 17 more deaths statewide since 10-a.m. Monday, for a total of 1,481. The IDPH says of the reported deaths, 995 were related to a pre-existing medical condition. There have been a total of 867,592 Iowans tested for COVID-19 to-date, with 765,384 total Negative results. There have been 2,859 results received since 10-a.m. Monday, with 2,522 of those Negative, and 334 Positive. Officials say 11.6% of persons tested had a positive test result.  Iowans who have recovered from the virus number 78,038. State data shows there are 16 counties reporting a positivity rate greater than 15% over the last 14 days. Public schools in eight area Counties…Taylor, Harrison, Fremont, Carroll, Page, Guthrie, Crawford and Montgomery, are among those counties eligible to apply for a waiver to provide 100% virtual learning. Sioux, Taylor, Harrison, Fremont, Lyon and Carroll counties report a positivity rate greater than 20%.

Hospitalizations are up from 449 on Monday to 463 today. The IDPH says: 114 patients with COVID-19 are in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (compared to 109 previously); 62 people with COVID symptoms were admitted to a hospital (compared to 53 Monday); and 44 patients are on a ventilator (compared to 39 Monday). Western/Southwest Iowa hospitals report 26 people hospitalized (2 more than Monday), 10 are in an ICU (2 more than yesterday), five were admitted to a hospital (compared to 1 Monday), and no one was on a ventilator.

There are four more Long-Term Care (LTC) facility outbreaks in Iowa, for a total of 58. There are 1,255 positive cases of COVID among patients and staff at those facilities, and there have been 747 deaths since the outbreak began. The IDPH reports 682 persons recovered from the virus at LTC’s.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases in each county, along with the 24-hour change in case numbers {+#}; the number of persons recovered, and the total number of [deaths] (if any), since the pandemic began,

• Cass, 238 cases {+3}; 196 recovered; 2 deaths
• Adair, 100 {+1}; 60; 1
• Adams, 55; 32; 0
• Audubon, 117 {+1}; 47; 1
• Guthrie, 341 {+4); 204; 13
• Harrison County, 463 {+9}; 195; 5
• Madison County, 313 {+3}; 205; 2
• Mills County, 292; 153; 1
• Montgomery, 139 {+5}; 105; 5
• Pottawattamie County, 2,673 {+19}; 2,001; 43
• Shelby County, 314 {+4}; 280; 1
• Union County,  190 {+1}; 126; 3