(Radio Iowa) – A bill being considered in the Iowa legislature would give utility companies more authority to trim trees and other vegetation around power lines. Onnalea Kelley, a lobbyist for MidAmerican Energy, says it’s not just during bad weather that obstructions cause power outages. She has data for MidAmerica’s service area in Iowa.  “For the past 10 years, almost 10,000 tree-related interruptions totalling 72 million minutes of interruption time occurred,” Kelley says, “and this is onl when the winds were below 45 miles an hour, so it was not considered a wind incident.”

If there’s no easement granting access to a property, the bill would grant utilities 10 feet of clearance around power lines in cities and 30 feet around power lines outside of city limits. Kevin Condon, a lobbyist for the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, says in places where the R-E-Cs have no agreement about access, some non-resident landowners are refusing to let crews trim trees that endanger power lines.

“Ice storms are always a problem. Tornadoes are always a problem,” Condon says. “This last August we saw a derecho come through and really expose part of the issue here.” The union representing line crews backs the bill, too. Nick Laning is a lobbyist for the state chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. “When trees rub up onto the wiring and get into the insulation, you have a hazard for fires and electrocution for workers,” he says, “so it’s a worker safety issue as well.” Kevin Kuhle, a lobbyist for the Iowa Farm Bureau, says his group opposes the bill.

“This bill is not about the August derecho, which was devastating for farmers,” Kuhle says. “This bill is all about property rights.” Kuhle says a landowner has the right to determine what happens on his or her land and blanket easements will not provide appropriate compensation for landowners. The bill has cleared subcommittee hearings and is eligible for consideration in House and Senate committees.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Police say a man shot in an apparent domestic disturbance at a Davenport home over the weekend has died. The Quad-City Times reports that the shooting happened just before noon on Saturday. Officers called to the scene on Fillmore Street found 33-year-old Nicholas Brown, of Davenport, suffering from a gunshot wound. Brown was rushed to a Davenport hospital with critical injuries.

Police say he died at the hospital on Monday. Police have not released other details of the shooting, including whether police have a suspect or have made any arrests in the case.

(Des Moines, IA) Today (Monday), the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) there are confirmed three cases of the COVID-19 variant, SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7. in Iowa. The virus variant is often referred to as the U.K. variant because it was first detected in the United Kingdom. Based on epidemiologic and modeling data, researchers believe that the B.1.1.7 strain can be spread more easily than the original strain of SARS-CoV-2. Current COVID-19 vaccines are considered to be effective against the variant strain.

Two of the three B.1.1.7 cases were detected in Johnson County, an adult (18 to 40) and a middle aged adult (41 to 60) and an adult individual in Bremer County. IDPH and local public health have already initiated contact with these cases to understand their exposures and initiate the health monitoring process. The process will include notifying anyone with whom these individuals have been in close contact. The individuals will be advised to isolate in accordance with IDPH and CDC guidance.

The positive cases were identified by the State Hygienic Lab (SHL). SHL has been participating in the CDC’s SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance Program by sending COVID-19 test samples to be sequenced for the B.1.1.7 variant since early December. SHL recently began doing their own internal sequencing to look specifically for the variant. Routine analysis of genetic sequence data assisted in identifying the new variant strain in Iowa.

“Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. Sometimes new variants emerge and disappear. Other times, new variants emerge and persist. Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented in the United States and globally during this pandemic. Public health will continue to work with our partners at SHL to monitor these trends and it is very important that we all keep practicing good public health protective measures,” shared Dr. Caitlin Pedati, State Medical Director and Epidemiologist.

The emergence of new variants underscores that it remains critical for Iowans to continue the mitigation efforts that we know work to slow the spread of COVID-19:

Wear a mask or face covering
Practice social distancing with those outside your household
Clean your hands frequently with soap and water
Stay home if you feel sick
Get tested if you are exposed to, or have symptoms of COVID-19
Consider getting a COVID-19 vaccine when it’s available to you
Updates to Iowa’s B.1.1.7 cases will be shared on the CDC’s website here. These case counts only represent the variant strains that are confirmed through genomic sequencing, and may not accurately reflect the true number of variant cases.

CAM School District Vote on Revenue Purpose Statement for Expenditure of State Sales Tax for School Infrastructure and Property Tax Relief: On March 2, 2021, CAM school patrons will have an opportunity to vote on a new Revenue Purpose Statement to direct the district’s spending of state penny sales tax revenues. This vote does not impact your sales taxes.

History: Voters in all 99 counties approved this sales tax to upgrade school facilities without increasing property taxes. The SILO was originally intended to last ten years. In 2008, the Legislature changed the SILO local option into a state penny sales tax to benefit the students in all school districts. In the 2019 Session, the Legislature further extended the state penny. The state will continue to collect the penny on retail purchases through December 31, 2050 and will continue to send the proceeds to all Iowa school districts.

Recent Changes: As part of this change, the state now requires school districts to determine how they plan to spend the sales tax money for the tax extension and communicate those intentions to their patrons. The CAM school board has passed a resolution approving the new Revenue Purpose Statement, which states how the district must use the sales tax funds. The voters have a chance to weigh in on that revenue purpose statement at a special school election on March 2, 2021. The statement must follow Iowa law and can only use the funds for specific purposes described in law as school infrastructure and property tax relief. The law limits the uses to construction, reconstruction, demolition, repair, purchase of equipment, technology, buses, school safety equipment, and other infrastructure and property tax relief needs defined in the Iowa Code which voters will see stated on the Revenue Purpose Statement and ballot. The Iowa Secretary of State defines the ballot language for the revenue purpose statement and requires it to follow a standardized format.

Stakeholder input: Since the Revenue Purpose Statement will direct district expenses for a long time, through 2050, the statement preserves some flexibility for a future board to operate within the constraints of the law and consider additional projects or equipment purchases that otherwise would take property taxes to fund. In most cases, other school districts have language which lists all legal uses of the state penny revenue and preserves future flexibility similar to the revenue purpose statement that the CAM voters will consider on March 2, 2021. This is not the only opportunity for the public to weigh in, however, if this school board or any future school board wishes to bond using the sales tax revenues to pay ongoing obligations, or wishes to spend sales tax revenues on athletic facilities not attached to the school, the new law requires the district to conduct a public hearing prior to either of those actions. If the public delivers a petition with signatures equal to 30% of those voting in the last school election, then the school board must either rescind the plan or place that bond issue or athletic facility improvement on the ballot for all voters to weigh in.

SAVE Uses in CAM Community School District: During the duration of the local option sales tax, and the state penny sales tax for school infrastructure since 2008, the board has understood student needs for safe, technology-ready facilities designed for student learning. The district has used the funds to update HVAC controls, install new windows, provide one-to-one computers and technology needs, LED lighting, among other improvements. The district intends to gather public input later this spring on current facilities and possible major renovation resulting from these conversations.

For additional information on the change in law and the revenue purpose statement process, visit the district’s web site at camcougars.org or contact Paul Croghan, Superintendent, 712-762-3238 or pcroghan@cam.k12.ia.us.

The Text of the Revenue Purpose Statement as approved by the CAM School Board, which will be on the March 2, 2021 ballot, follows:

Summary:  To adopt a Revenue Purpose Statement specifying the use of revenues the CAM Community School District will receive from the State of Iowa Secure an Advanced Vision for Education Fund.

In the CAM Community School District, the following Revenue Purpose Statement which specifies the use of revenues the CAM Community School District will receive from the State of Iowa Secure an Advanced Vision for Education Fund shall be adopted.

To provide funds to acquire or install information technology infrastructure (including improving buildings or sites for the purpose of accessing broadband digital telecommunications) and school safety and security infrastructure.

To provide funds to build and furnish a new school building or buildings; to build and furnish addition(s) to school buildings in the District; to remodel, reconstruct, repair, expand, and improve the school buildings in the District; to purchase and improve grounds; for demolition work; to furnish and equip district facilities.

To provide funds for the purchase, lease or lease-purchase of buildings, equipment (including transportation and recreation equipment), or technology and to repair transportation equipment for transporting students as authorized by law, to implement energy conservation measures, sharing or rental of facilities including a joint infrastructure project for the purposes of offering classes under a district-to-community college as authorized in Iowa Code Section 423F.3(3)(c), procuring or acquisition of libraries, or opening roads to schoolhouses or buildings.

To provide funds to purchase land as part of start-up costs for new student construction program or if the sale of the previous student construction was insufficient to purchase land, and to purchase construction materials and supplies for a student-constructed building or shed intended to be retained by and used by the District.

To provide funds to make payments to a municipality or other entity as required under Iowa Code Section 403.19(2).

To provide funds for demolition, cleanup, and other costs if such costs are necessitated by, and incurred within two years of, a disaster.

To provide funds to establish and maintain public recreation places and playgrounds; provide for supervision and instruction for recreational activities; or for community education purposes.

To provide funds for the payment of principal and interest or retirement of general obligation bonds issued for school infrastructure purposes, energy improvement loans, loan agreements authorized by Iowa Code Section 297.36, sales, service and use tax revenue bonds issued under Iowa Code Section 423E.5 or Iowa Code Section 423F.4.

To provide funds for property tax relief; and

To provide funds for other authorized expenditures and purposes as now or hereafter permitted by law and designated by the CAM Community School District.

It being understood that if this proposition should fail to be approved by the voters, such failure shall not be construed to terminate or restrict authority previously granted by the voters to expend receipts from the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education Fund.

If approved, this Revenue Purpose Statement shall remain in effect until replaced or amended by the CAM Community School District.

An accident investigation in Fremont County, Sunday, resulted in an arrest. Deputies discovered a vehicle in the ditch a little after 2-a.m., near the intersection of Highway 275 and 120th Street, near Tabor.

Jacob B. Brown

The driver, 29-year-old Jacob Benjamin Brown, of Thurman, was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated 3rd Offense, a Class D Felony. Brown was released after posting a $5,000 10% bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The chairman of a key House committee says he and other legislators have begun discussing new limits on the powers Iowa governors may exercise during emergencies. Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, says in California, for example, churches could not hold indoor services, but strip clubs got a court order in November to stay open.
“It really is not related to Governor Reynolds. Governor Reynolds is not always going to be the governor,” Holt says. “…We need to have a discussion as to how far we believe these emergency powers should be allowed to go.”

House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans are in total agreement that Governor Reynolds has done a tremendous job during the pandemic. “There wasn’t a playbook that we had to work with,” Grassley says. “The governor didn’t have a playbook to work with that you can look back to another situation.” Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver says there’s a time and a place to address general concerns about emergency powers for Iowa governors, but it’s not during the 2021 session. “In the middle of a pandemic is a really difficult to have that conversation and try to change executive powers,” Whitver says.

Whitver says the pandemic has been an extremely difficult time for everyone. “I’m not sure that anyone’s had a more difficult year than governors in this country and the decisions they have to make every day, sometimes with not nearly the information they need to make those decisions,” Whitver says. “…I commend Governor Reynolds on quick, decisive action, trying to balance the various interests.” Holt, who also commends Reynolds for the way she’s handled the pandemic, says it will take a while to ponder the profound questions that could be answered by lawmakers next year, before the next emergency happens.

“What right does government have to pick winners and losers and tell businesses that they have to close and that this one’s essential and this one is not when every job is essential when you’ve got to put food on the table and every business is essential when you’re put your life savings into it and your heart and soul into it for decades and maybe your parents and grandparents before you?” Holt asks. “So I think these discussions are absolutely essential.”Governor Kim Reynolds issued her first public health emergency proclamation last March. She ordered churches, schools and a variety of businesses to close at the start of the pandemic.

“Governor Reynolds, compared to many other governors, has taken very reasonable approaches,” Holt says. “…Nonetheless, there have been a lot of businesses and families profoundly impacted by government’s response to the coronavirus and it is no secret I have said on social media that I believe that government’s response to the coronavirus is now worse than the virus itself and I will stand by that.”

The governor’s current public health emergency proclamation calls for mask wearing in many public places. The proclamation will expire this Saturday, February 6th unless that governor extends or amends it, which she has done through the pandemic.

(Radio Iowa) – A building collapsed this weekend in Hinton, partially blocking traffic on Highway 75 for a time. No one was inside the 120-year-old brick and concrete building when its west wall collapsed at about 8:10 a-m Saturday. Owner Sara Smith says the building was used for storage of equipment, and her husband had noticed earlier that something didn’t seem right. “I’m thinking it had something to do with the roof. My husband was down here yesterday looking at it. Something just didn’t seem right so he wanted to get the insurance company down here to get it looked at,” Smith says. She says the trouble her husband noticed may’ve been the cause of the collapse.

“The beams have crisscrossed, they weren’t in alignment any more. We get a lot of truck traffic, so it vibrates the whole building every time they go by. I don’t know if that had something to do with it or not,” she says. The Le Mars Fire Department checked the building with its drone to see if there were any additional concerns with the integrity of the building. Smith estimated the damage to the building’s contents at “hundreds of thousands of dollars.” She wasn’t certain as to the value of the building itself.