AMES, Iowa – Jan. 9, 2024 – The Iowa Transportation Commission, Tuesday, approved more than $53 million in funding for 145 new public transit vehicles and four new public transit facilities. Six of the vehicles will be used to increase the number of vehicles available for public transit service, and 139 vehicles will replace older models past their useful life.

Funds will be used to support construction of two vehicle storage and operations facilities for Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Authority, one vehicle storage facility for River Bend Transit, and one operations and vehicle storage facility for Southern Iowa Trolley.

These funds are available through various federal formula and discretionary grant programs.

Projects were approved for 25 different public transit systems. Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023 Transit Program [Modified van or light duty Mid-sized bus] (Vehicle replacement) funding was approved by the Commission for five vehicles in Region 12 based in Carroll, three vehicles for Region 13, based in Atlantic, and four vehicles in Region 14 based in Creston.

Bus replacement grants were provided for the same three regions to purchase mini-vans and light duty buses. And, Bus & Bus Facilities Discretionary grants were awarded to the Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) – based in Atlantic, and the Southern Iowa Trolley – based in Creston.

Details are available HERE.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are working to keep their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight might be considering any of several new “break-through” drugs, but they’re not for everyone, despite what some celebrities may tout in tabloids. Rebecca Cripe, a registered dietician and nutritionist with Gundersen Health System, says the drugs are under the category of what are called G-L-P-1 medications, which it’s a type of hormone in the intestinal tract that tells us when we’re full.  “They’re originally used either at lower dosage or, Ozempic for instance, is used for people who have type 2 diabetes to help with blood sugar regulation, insulin resistance, but it also helps with appetite,” Cripe says. “It will lower your hunger and provide better fullness or what we call satiety. At higher dosages, some of these medications also help with weight loss.”

Cripe says these drugs are not a “silver bullet” and aren’t for someone who just wants to drop ten pounds. She says the medications are a helpful tool for specific patients, but those patients will also still need to change their lifestyles — eating less, eating better and exercising. “They’re made for people who have diabetes, so they have to have usually something specifically, like Ozempic, type 2 diabetes,” Cripe says. “Also, what insurance will cover is going to be for somebody who has type 2 diabetes, or some could have insulin resistance or pre-diabetes to qualify for it.” While the drugs may be empowering for some patients, Cripe says they’re not a “cure” for obesity. Also, to maintain the healthier weight, she says the meds may need to be taken for life, plus, there are side effects. Iowa’s obesity rate has risen significantly in recent years, with 37-percent of Iowa adults being rated as obese in a 2023 report.

“Obesity is multi-factorial, so it affects not only the person themselves, but their ability to interact with social components, their work environment, quality of life,” Cripe says. “It’s taxing from a healthcare standpoint as well, because usually if somebody does have obesity, they tend to have other what we call co-morbidities, other health issues.”

Gundersen properties include clinics in Fayette, Decorah, Waukon, Lansing, Postville and Calmar, and a hospital in West Union.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is calling for another reduction in Iowa’s personal income tax and a 50 percent increase in the salary for first-time teachers. Reynolds delivered the annual “Condition of the State” address last (Tuesday) night and outlined her priorities for legislators. The governor proposes a 50-thousand dollar starting salary for Iowa’s rookie teachers.

“We want younger Iowans to see the teaching profession as something to aspire to. It’s one of the highest callings one can have,” Reynolds said. “so let’s make sure that teacher pay sends that message.” The governor says state law should require a minimum salary of 62-thousand dollars for teachers with at least a dozen years of experience. “These investments will put Iowa in the top five states for starting pay and help recruit more of the best and brightest to join the teaching profession,” she said. Reynolds is proposing two tax cuts. Businesses would pay half as much per employee into the state fund that finances unemployment benefits.

“Instead of paying money into the government these businesses can create more jobs, increase salaries or reinvest into their communities,” Reynolds said. And Reynolds proposes deeper cuts in the state’s personal income tax — a retroactive cut to January 1st of this year and lowering the rate to three-and-a-half percent in 2025.

View from the House balcony of Governor Reynolds delivering the 2024 Condition of the State Address. (RI photo)

“You know it wouldn’t be a Condition of the State address without me talking about your money or, as the government calls it, taxes,” Reynolds said near the end of her speech. “…Let’s not hestitate. Let’s stick to the approach we established in 2018 and allow Iowans to keep more of their money.” The governor is proposing a major overhaul of the nine Area Education Agencies.

“While some of our AEAs are doing great work, others are underperforming,” she said. Iowa spends more than the national average to educate students with disabilities, but their test scores are below average.  “No system, however long-standing, is above reform,” Reynolds said. She proposes ending training and other education services from the A-E-As and making special education their only focus. School districts would no longer have to forward special education funding to the A-E-As and could choose to hire their own staff, contract with a private firm or pay the A-E-A for special ed services.

“We’re not reducing special education funding by one dime,” Reynolds said. “We are simply giving control of the funding to those who work directly with your child on a daily basis and taking special education off autopilot.”

The governor covered a number of other topics in last (Tuesday) night’s speech. Reynolds is asking lawmakers to tighten rules that forbid foreign ownership of more than 320 acres of farmland, to force disclosure if foreign interests are part of companies that own farmland. She’s also renewed her request that lawmakers extend Medicaid coverage for new moms for a full year. The limit for post-pregnancy check-ups is currently 60 days for women who qualify for government-paid insurance.

(Radio Iowa) G-O-P leaders in the legislature say cutting taxes is a goal they share with Governor Reynolds, but it’s unclear if the tax plan she outlined in her annual address to lawmakers will sail through the House and Senate. House Speaker Pat Grassley says his first impression is the governor has made reasonable recommendations, but he says House Republicans will examine the full impact over the next two years.

“I like the agenda she laid out when it comes to tax policy,” Grassley says, “and we look forward to fully engaging as we see what those out years look like.” Last year, Senate Republicans proposed a bill to eliminate the state income tax by the end of this decade, but Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver says the governor’s plan for a three-and-a-half percent flat income tax rate by 2025 may be an interim step.

“The goal is to get to zero in the state of Iowa,” Whitver says. “Whether we get here in year one (or) year 10, we don’t know, but taking another step forward is certainly progress that we appreciate.” House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst  says about half a million Iowans do not owe any income taxes to the state — and the proposed cuts don’t help them. “We didn’t hear anything tonight about affordable housing, about child care, about utilities,” Konfrst said. “Costs are more about income taxes.”

House Speaker Pat Grassley says there’s interest in both parties in the governor’s plan to raise teacher salaries. “The governor’s been very clear over the last several months that was going to be something she wanted to look at as we came into the legislative session,” Grassley says. “I think you’re going to see a lot of interest in wanting to do something when it comes to getting us into those higher levels.” Konfrst says Democrats have for years supported raising teacher salaries, but they need more details.

“We have a lot of questions, of course,” Konfrst says. “We want to know about the paraprofessionals and other professionals in the school, some of whom are earning less than $10 an hour.” Whitver says Senate Republicans are interested in setting a higher minimum salary for beginning teachers and they’ll see how the governor’s proposal fits in the overall state budget. Reynolds says her teacher pay plan has a 96 million dollar price tag.

MARSHALLTOWN – The Iowa Dept. of Corrections reports Justin Richard Stauffer, who was convicted of Burglary 1st Degree and Interference with Official Acts in Cerro Gordo County, failed to report back to the Marshalltown Residential Center as required yesterday (Monday).

Justin Richard Stauffer

Stauffer is a 37-year-old Hispanic male, height 6’1″, and weighs 221 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on November 28, 2023.

Persons with information on Stauffer’s whereabouts should contact local police.

The following is a Press Release from the Fort Dodge (IA) Police Department:

(Radio Iowa) – Following the deadly shootings at Perry High School, U-S Senator Chuck Grassley is renewing an appeal to his colleagues to pass a bill which he says would help to make schools nationwide safer. Grassley says his “heart goes out” to everyone who’s been impacted by last week’s gun violence.  “I’m joining Iowans across the state grieving such devastating loss of life,” Grassley says. “I also wish principal Dan Marburger a full recovery. He heroically put his life on the line to protect staff and students.”

Grassley says he introduced legislation following the Valentine’s Day shootings in 2018 at a high school in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead, another 17 injured. “The EAGLES Act would expand the Secret Service’s threat assessment program to schools,” Grassley says. “For decades, this framework has enabled the Secret Service to recognize signs that individuals may be at risk of harming themselves and others.”

The bill is named after the Parkland school mascot. Grassley says accurate behavioral threat assessments and early interventions are key to maintaining a safe environment in schools. He adds, the Secret Service is uniquely equipped to help evaluate such threats, and the bill would enable them to share their tools and expertise with schools across the country.

“Schools threat assessment training could help address the mental health issues impacting people nationwide,” Grassley says. “It would improve preparedness and strengthen intervention capabilities. Intervention is so important.”

The shootings last Thursday at Perry High left an 11-year-old dead and seven other people wounded. Authorities say the 17-year-old gunman took his own life.

(Radio Iowa) – A panel of lawmakers who oversee state agency regulations has conducted its initial review of how the Iowa Board of Medicine intends to enforce Iowa’s six-week abortion ban. The law, passed in July, has not gone into effect due to a court challenge, but the board has drafted guidelines for when doctors may perform an abortion in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality or to save the life of the mother. Representative Rick Olson, a Democrat from Des Moines who’s a member of the panel, says the exception in cases of rape requires it to be prosecutable –and that word isn’t defined.  “I practiced law for a long time and I do some criminal defense work,” Olson said. “What cases aren’t capable of being prosecuted? I would think all cases are capable of being prosecuted.”

Senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the proposed rules do not use the same kind of legal terminology used in other types of medical cases, for example in workers compensation and malpractice claims. “When we’re looking at the standard for whether a fetal abnormality meets the exception and the judgment of the physician, in most areas of law here in Iowa and elsewhere we talk about whether something is in a reasonable degree of medical certainty,” Boulton says. “That’s not a standard that appears here. We see words like ‘consistent with standard practice’ and ‘reasonable medical judgment.'”

Republicans on the legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee did not comment. While there was an opportunity for members of the public to comment during the meeting, no one stepped forward to speak. The Board of Medicine is scheduled to meet Friday to review objections to the rules that were aired during a public hearing held last week.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy say it’s concerning that America’s top military official was hospitalized, but neither the White House nor congress were notified. “The idea that the secretary of defense is in intensive care and the president doesn’t know about it and the administration doesn’t know about,” Haley said during an interview on KSCJ. “You are putting every man and woman in the military at risk.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is 70, had an elective surgical procedure in late December, but after experiencing severe pain, he was hospitalized New Year’s Day. The president and other top foreign policy officials learned about it three days later. Haley said the deputy defense secretary who was notified she was on call was on vacation “and it’s everything that’s wrong with this administration.”

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley campaigning in Iowa in 2023. (RI file photo)

Ramaswamy said secrecy is “the new norm” in government. “I’m sorry to say that this is actually not just a Democrat issue, but a Republican issue as well,” Ramaswamy said during an interview on KSCJ. Ramaswamy made four campaign stops yesterday and posted a message on social media that his campaign vehicle got stuck in a ditch on the way back to Des Moines, but an Iowan had helped move it back on the roadway. Haley cancelled an appearance in Sioux City due to the weather.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann says the Republican Party’s Caucuses next Monday will start at 7 p.m. — whatever weather Iowa is experiencing at that time. “It’s going to go on, no matter what,” Kaufmann said. “…(I’m) putting the faith in people’s passion to get there.” There are more than 16-hundred precincts in Iowa and each is hosting a Caucus. The Republican Party has reserved countless meeting sites around the state for next Monday night and it would be a scramble to rebook or final alternative sites for a different night. “Hundreds and hundreds of hours just to get to this place,” Kaufmann says.

The forecast for next Monday night indicates temperatures will be below zero. Kaufmann says subzero temperatures aren’t likely to dampen turnout as much as an ice storm would. “I don’t think cold keeps people away — and I’m talking about a major, major ice storm that would almost load up transportation workers and it sounds like right now it’s going to be fine — so tentatively fine,” Kaufmann says. “I think it’s kind of cool that some of the national reporters like from Florida get a little below zero weather. I think it builds character.” The Iowa Republican Party’s Caucuses in 2016 set a turn-out record, when about 186-thousand Iowans participated.

Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, speaks with reporters in Des Moines after a party fundraiser on Jan. 8, 2024. (RI photo)

Kaufmann says he’ll get a sense at Iowa G-O-P headquarters next Monday — during the day — whether that record will be broken. “If we start getting a bunch of calls of ‘I’ve never Caucuses before’ and ‘How do I go about doing this?’ ‘Where do I go?’ And just nerves: ‘Am I going to fit in?’ The amount of people who call who are Democrats or independents asking…how to re-register as Republicans — those kind of calls, just the volume (of them),” Kaufmann says. “In 2016, we couldn’t even handle the volume starting at nine in the morning.” Kaufmann says he expects turn-out for the 2024 Iowa Caucuses to be “robust,” if not a record due to the precinct-level organizing he’s seeing from two leading campaigns. — which he’s declining to name.