(Radio Iowa) – Democratic Congresswoman Cindy Axne is sponsoring legislation that would exempt some unemployment benefits from income taxes.

The bill would waive federal income taxes on the first 10-thousand-two-hundred dollars of unemployment benefits someone received in 2020. Axne says a lot of people covered by unemployment insurance often don’t realize they have to pay taxes if they receive benefits.

In addition to traditional unemployment benefits managed by states, the federal government created two other unemployment programs during the pandemic and the bill covers all three forms of unemployment. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is sponsoring a similar bill in the Senate. Axne says she hopes the proposal is added to the pandemic relief package that President Biden is negotiating on with congress.

Axne says it that route doesn’t work, the bill should get a hearing soon in the House Ways and Means Committee. The 10-thousand-two-hundred dollars cited in Axne’s bill is equal to the extra six-hundred dollars congress provided in weekly unemployment benefits last year — during a 17-week period.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — A snowy section of Interstate 80 was closed Thursday afternoon in central Iowa after a massive crash involving roughly 40 vehicles. Iowa authorities closed the eastbound lanes of the interstate west of Newton after the chain-reaction crash happened shortly before noon. The Iowa State Patrol said two troopers were in the middle of assisting with several multi-car crashes in the area when the larger pileup happened. Iowa Transportation Department spokeswoman Andrea Henry said several serious injuries have been reported in the crash but no deaths. Officials are urging drivers to stay off the roads across most of eastern Iowa because they were mostly covered with snow Thursday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa continues to have the third-worst coronavirus vaccination rate per capita in the nation as the state reached a milestone Thursday of more than 5,000 people killed by the virus. Gov. Kim Reynolds says she is working on improving vaccination efforts. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Iowa has 6,315 people per 100,000 given the first vaccine dose. That is worse than all other states except Idaho and Missouri. Public health officials reported 58 additional deaths on Thursday, increasing the state total to 5,033 since the beginning of the pandemic nearly a year ago.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Attorney General’s Office says the state will receive nearly $4.7 million over five years as part of a multistate settlement with a firm that worked with opioid manufacturers to promote addictive painkillers. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said Thursday that the settlement will be used to address problems caused by opioids, including paying for substance abuse treatment services for Iowans. Iowa is part of a coalition of 53 attorneys general who collectively won $573 million in a settlement with McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s largest consulting firms. The settlement will be split among 47 states, five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has announced its new special agent in charge of its Omaha Division that covers all of five Upper Plains states. The agency named Justin King as the division head overseeing the division’s 11 offices, according to a news release sent Thursday. King began his new duties on Monday, replacing Richard Salter Jr., who retired from the DEA in January. King’s territory includes Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and a handful of counties in western parts of Wisconsin and Illinois. King is a 19-year veteran of the agency and comes to the Omaha Division after serving three years as assistant special agent in charge of the Little Rock District Office.

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (AP) — A teen wanted in connection with the fatal shooting at a mall in eastern Wisconsin has been arrested in Iowa. The Grand Chute Police Department announced U.S. Marshals arrested 17-year-old Dezman Ellis on Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa. Ellis’ arrest comes days after authorities say he fatally shot 19-year-old Jovanni Frausto of Neenah and wounded another person inside the Fox River Mall outside Appleton. Outagamie County prosecutors say the shooting Sunday came after the two began arguing over a girl who was with Ellis. The shooting forced crowds of people to shelter in place inside the mall. Outagamie County prosecutors filed charges of first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree recklessly endangering safety against Ellis on Tuesday.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says the impeachment of former president Donald Trump won’t do anything to unify the country and there is still a question about whether a private citizen can be impeached.  Ernst says if there truly is a case against Trump, he can be held accountable in the courts, and it is up to the Senate to follow the U-S Constitution. Ernst says President Joe Biden spoke about unity in his inaugural address — but hasn’t followed through.

“His actions have been totally opposite of that with so many of the executive orders that he has signed already. They are very, very, left-leaning liberal policies that will continue to divide the nation,” Ernst says, “you know he’s done that without engaging members of Congress.” She says she wants to work with Democrats to get things done, but their leadership isn’t doing that.

“The actions in the Senate of (Majority Leader) Chuck Schumer not agreeing upon the filibuster. Not agreeing that’s an important part of our institution and wanting to do away with minority rights in the Senate — which Republicans have upheld — even against President Trump, we upheld the minority rights in the Senate,” according to Ernst. “And Chuck Schumer is being very divisive.” Ernst says some Democrats are trying to work across the aisle to get things done.

“I mean, there’s a number of us who continue to work together to move forward on solutions. And right now, I just don’t see that guidance coming from the administration so far,” Ernst says. Senators were sworn in today (Tuesday) to serve as jurors in the impeachment trial. The trial will start on February 8th. Ernst made her comments during her weekly teleconference with reporters.

ELK HORN – Officials with the Danish Windmill announced Thursday, that the organization has received an Iowa Arts & Culture Recovery Program Grant from the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. The Iowa Arts & Culture Recovery Program Grant funds support recovery of expenses, such as payroll, utilities and PPE as well as goods and services that were needed to transition and ensure a safe reopening.

The Danish Windmill, Elk Horn, Iowa

The Windmill’s manager, Lisa Steen Riggs stated, “We are so grateful for receiving $15,600 from the Iowa Arts & Culture Recovery Program Grant. As a small non-profit cultural heritage museum in rural Iowa the value of receiving these public funds cannot be understated. We managed through the challenges and although visitor attendance was down almost forty percent from the previous year, we still were able to welcome almost 30,000 visitors originating from all fifty states and twenty-one different countries.”

Funding for Iowa Arts & Culture Recovery Program Grant is made possible by Governor Kim Reynolds allocating $7 million of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs for the purpose of providing economic relief to Iowa’s arts and culture industry. The funding is administered by the Iowa Arts Council, on behalf of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, through the Iowa Arts & Culture Emergency Relief Fund.

To learn more about the Danish Windmill and how you can support the organization and about the projects, visit danishwindmill.com or contact the Danish Windmill at 712.764.7472.