The Creston (IA) Police Department reports 34-year-old Amanda Lea Thompson, of Creston, was arrested Monday night at her residence. Thompson was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. She was transported to the Union County Jail and then onto the Adams County Jail. She was being held without bond pending an appearance before the magistrate.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – There’s some good news with regard to COVID-19 data in Iowa. Officials with Iowa Department of Public Health, Monday, said on the COVID-19 dashboard, the numbers continue their retreat from the last several weeks. In fact, every key metric has improved in the last week. IDPH reports 8,370 positive virus tests in the last seven days, down from 10,032 on Friday. The state’s 14-day positivity rate has dropped from 13.9% to 12.4%.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has fallen precipitously, down from 587 on Friday to 463, the lowest total in 2022. Of those hospitalized with COVID-19, 53,7% are unvaccinated, while 67.4% of those listed in intensive care with the virus are unvaccinated. Of those hospitalized with COVID-19, 47% had a primary diagnosis, while 53% were hospitalized for another reason, but tested positive. The number of long-term care facilities reporting an outbreak in Iowa dropped from 114 to 106.

There have been 4,886,063 vaccine doses administered in Iowa, with 71.5% of those 18 and older fully vaccinated and 76.2% of those 12 and older with at least one dose. The Iowa Department of Public Health is no longer providing three weekly updates on the COVID-19 dashboard. The state will instead offer weekly data updates.

(UPDATE 2/16/22) – A 14-year-old girl last seen in Iowa has been found. The FBI says Addison Windbigler was found safe and unharmed in Minneapolis.

Original story follows….

OMAHA, Neb. — The Federal Bureau of Investigations is asking for help to find a missing 14-year-old girl last seen in Iowa. The FBI Omaha Office said 14-year-old Addison Windbigler traveled with a family member to Keokuk, Iowa on Dec. 13. Windbigler, who is from Nauvoo, Illinois, was left in the custody of a family friend, the FBI said. She was last seen in Keokuk on Dec. 14. She is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, 125 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair.

“The FBI is investigating every lead and using all the resources available to us to find Addison,” FBI officials said in a news release. “Agents believe there are people in the Keokuk community who can provide information that will assist in finding Addison.” Anyone with information is asked to call FBI Omaha at 402-493-8688.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Valentine’s Day wasn’t so sweet for three people who were arrested on drug charges Monday, in Red Oak. According to the Red Oak P-D, 26-year-old Jeffrey Steven Whitt, of Villisca, and 23-year-old Colby John Nicholas Rasmussen, of Red Oak, were arrested at around 5:10-p.m., following the execution of a search warrant at 1804 E. Summit Street, Apt. 28.

Rasmussen

Rasmussen was taken into custody on Felony charges that include: Possession of Cocaine; Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana (nearly 36 grams), and a Drug Tax Stamp Violation. He was additionally charged with Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs, a serious misdemeanor. Rasmussen was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. Whitt faces a charge of Gathering where marijuana is used, a serious misdemeanor. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

Whitt

And, 24-year-old Jacob Lee Reafling, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 7:15-p.m. Monday, in the 100 block of E. Oak Street, in Red Oak. He was taken into custody on a Mills County warrant for Possession of a controlled substance/marijuana-1st offense. He was transported to the Mills County Jail and held on a $2,500 bond.

Reafling

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the legislature have agreed on a two-and-a-half percent increase in state spending that’s divided among public school districts on a per pupil basis. Governor Reynolds recommended the same amount and it’s expected she’ll approve the bill soon. Democrats like Senator Jackie Smith of Sioux City say it’s far short of what’s needed. “That lack of state support leaves teachers dealing with large classes, fewer classroom resources and chronic underpay,” Smith says. “…The Republican school funding bill means Iowa public schools will fall farther behind. It means schools can’t hire and retain enough teachers.”

Senator Amy Sinclair of Allerton, the Republican chair of the Senate Education Committee, says the average salary for Iowa educators is 61-thousand dollars. “The facts are Iowa’s teacher, individually, makes roughly the same amount of a household income of the children that are being educated by them,” Sinclair says. “That’s not chronic underpayment. That’s not a lack of love. We are valuing our educators.”

Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat from Windsor Heights, says the increase won’t come close to meeting the rising costs of utilities and transportation or addressing the competition for teachers. “This inadequate number means losing teachers to other states and other industries, making our teacher shortage even worse,” Trone Garriott says. “…Let’s not do the least we can do. Let’s do better.”

Sinclair says hundreds of millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief can help schools cover short-term inflationary costs and this two-and-a-half percent bump in general state support on top of that is a promise that can be kept. “Nothing we’re doing here is a cut to education,” Sinclair said, “and the only districts that will see less money this year than last year is districts that have fewer students this year than last year.”

House Republicans approved this spending level last week and Senate Republicans voted for it yesterday (Monday). Another House G-O-P proposal would send schools an additional 19 million dollars to deal with staff shortages, but Senate Republicans have not voted on that plan.

(Radio Iowa) – Several speakers at a public hearing made pleas for additions to the tax plan House Republicans have proposed, while others blasted the bill’s central theme of dramatically reducing the personal income tax rate. J.D. Davis of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry praised elements of the House plan, but made the pitch for adding a corporate tax cut. “We just hope that all categories of businesses are considered in your final product,” Davis said.

Anna Gray is with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. She urged inclusion of the sales tax maneuver Republicans in the SENATE have proposed that would finally put money into the Iowa Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Fund. “As you weigh various tax policies and ideas for making Iowa a competitive state for economic growth and workforce development, we encourage you to consider the trust fund and its potential and include it in your final tax bill,” Gray said.

A lobbyist for the Iowa Bankers Association asked House Republicans to include a tax cut for banks that’s in the Senate G-O-P tax plan. Raymond Phillips of Norwalk argued for a completely different approach. Phillips said his largest expense is the property tax on his home. “Decreasing the income taxes to 0% for everyone will only help the rich and provide nothing for the senior citizens and the middle class,” he said.

Anne Discher, of Common Good, Iowa told lawmakers Iowa’s tax system is already upside down, with low and moderate income Iowans paying more in state and local taxes than Iowans at the top of the income ladder do. “This bill will make Iowa’s already unfair tax system even more unfair,” Discher said.

The hearing ended after 22 minutes when the tenth and final person signed up to speak was done.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would limit participation in Iowa girls sports to athletes who have female marked on their birth certificate has cleared the House Education Committee. Representative Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Orange City, says similar legislation has passed in other states. “The State of Iowa has a very strong interest to step up and defend girls sports and ensure that they have a level playing field,” Wheeler says, “and we’re not going to destroy their opportunity to compete at varsity sports, to get scholarships and to get the fame that they deserve.”

Representative Mary Mascher, a Democrat from Iowa City, says the legislature’s job is to protect transgender girls and make sure they’re treated fairly. “This bill creates a barrier for a small, small group of children who are already marginalized by society,” Mascher says. “…No child should face state-sanctioned bullying.”

Mascher and six other Democrats on the committee voted against the bill. All 14 Republicans present voted for it and the bill is now eligible for debate in the full House. Governor Reynolds called on the Republican-led legislature to take action on this issue last April. The executive director of Iowa Safe Schools says studies have shown no conclusive link between sex assigned at birth and sporting outcomes and the bill will put educators, school districts, and students in an impossible situation.

Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh, Monday, reminds area residents QPR training program in suicide
prevention is being offered in Anita, Tuesday night. “Question. Persuade. Refer.” (QPR) is a program delivered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach that teaches three simple steps to help save a life from suicide. QPR will be held Tuesday at the Anita Community Center (805 Main Street), from 6:00-7:30 PM. Cass County ISU Extension will be providing free pizza to attendees of the Anita event. The event is being hosted in partnership with Anita Public Library and Anita Healthy and Wellness Center.

Participants of in-person QPR sessions are encouraged to wear a face covering indoors, particularly if space is limited, crowds are large, or spaces are poorly ventilated.

Farmers and people from rural areas are at higher risk of death by suicide. Sue Riggs, a retired teacher from Atlantic married to a farmer, attended QPR training in Atlantic on February 14. Riggs commented, “The QPR program was really informative. I now know how important it is to ask someone if they are considering suicide and where to refer them for help.”

All QPR sessions in Cass County are being offered at no cost, thanks to a grant from the USDA-NIFA 2020-70028-32728 that provides this training for free for rural communities with large populations of farmers and agricultural related business. All adults in Cass County and surrounding areas are invited to attend a QPR program, especially those who work in agricultural areas, health care, mental health, government, schools, libraries, or anyone who has an interest in learning more about mental health and suicide prevention.

The next Question. Persuade. Refer. suicide prevention training in Cass County is in Griswold on Feb. 21st, from, 5:30 – 7:00 PM, at the Griswold Public Library (505 Main St., Griswold), and is being hosted in partnership with Griswold Public Library

Although not required, registration is appreciated. To register for a QPR session in Cass County visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/ or call Cass County ISU Extension at 712-243-1132.

(Radio Iowa) – House Republicans are working on a bill that proposes a new process to confirm applicants for food assistance or government health care coverage are Iowans who qualify for the benefits. Doug Struyk is a lobbyist for companies that provide this type of screening in other states and he says it’s beyond traditional questions, like “did you live in this zip code?” or “what’s your mother’s maiden name?”

“Fraudsters have become very good at accessing that type of information,” he says, “and what we found…during the pandemic was a group of very savvy tech folks who were able to crack through systems that relied exclusively on that type of screening mechanism.” The bill would require the Iowa Department of Human Services to perform more frequent financial cross-checks to confirm a person enrolled in government health care or food assistance programs remains eligible.

Andrea Dencklau is with Iowa ACEs 360, a group that does research into adverse childhood experiences. She says adults who qualify for Medicaid and children who qualify for the state-paid insurance through the Healthy and Well Kids program could lose coverage if they’re unable to come up with the monthly co-payments. “Not only will their health outcomes suffer, we will all bear the price,” she says. “Without health insurance, these individuals are more likely to delay necessary care and end up requiring more expensive treatment, which will fall on all providers as uncompensated care.”

Republican Representative Ann Meyer of Fort Dodge voted to advance the bill out of a House subcommittee. “We are providing the safety net that Iowans need, but we also want to protect the taxpayer dollar,” Meyer says. Senate Republicans have been working on similar proposals for the past few years, but none has advanced through the House.