(Radio Iowa) – Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is in Iowa, meeting with fellow Republicans, talking about tariffs and government spending — and admitting his views on those topics do not align with President Trump’s. “We have before us a ‘big beautiful bill,’ Paul said. “….But what if there’s so much in it that we stuff stuff in it that’s not good for the country. I think that’s where we are…I think the spending cuts are wimpy and anemic.”

Paul favors raising the retirement age for Social Security and Medicare and he says deeper cuts are needed in Medicaid, too, since those three programs account for two-thirds of federal spending.  “I don’t want to kick people off of Medicaid. I want to get them better insurance. I want to get them jobs with insurance. That’s what we should talk about,” Paul said, “but if we don’t do anything, there’s just too many people on the wagon. We can’t have everybody getting something for free.”

Paul says the big bill that’s cleared the House — at President Trump’s urging — fails to reign in federal spending and reduce the national debt.  “I think the debt is still the number one issue of our time and the biggest problem we have,” Paul said. “I think it’s the greatest threat to our national security. Destruction of the dollar could destroy our country and make us weak enough that we would actually crumble from within.” Paul made his comments last (Wednesday) night in West Des Moines at a Polk County Republican Party fundraiser.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul speaking at Polk County GOP fundraiser on May 28, 2025. (RI photo)

“Some of you may have heard I’m not a big fan of the tariffs. Does that mean President Trump and I don’t get along? Well, he sends me text messages in all caps telling me why I’m wrong about tariffs,” Paul said and the crowd laughed. Paul says trade is mutually beneficial and there’s no going back to a time when Americans make things like shoes. Later, Paul took questions from the crowd and two people cited some of Trump’s arguments in favor of tariffs.

“A country run just on tariffs that’s the size of the 19th century with no income tax — sign me up,” Paul said. “…I get a lot of criticism, look at my Twitter feed now, I’ve got a lot of people who love Donald Trump and aren’t so sure about me anymore — and they’re like: ‘You know he’s going to get rid of the income tax,’ and I was like: ‘I’m hopeful, but I haven’t seen any proposal to get rid of the income tax.'”

Senator Paul will be in Cedar Rapids tonight (Thursday), speaking at a fundraiser for the Iowa Republican Party. He is one of a few prominent Republicans making trips to Iowa, where the Caucuses have been the lead off event in presidential campaigns for decades. Rand Paul ran for president in 2016, finished fifth in that year’s Iowa Caucus and dropped out of the race as Texan Ted Cruz and Trump emerged from Iowa as the leading candidates that year.

Hormel Foods Corporation, a Tucker, Ga. establishment, is recalling approximately 256,185 pounds of canned beef stew product that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically wood, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The canned beef stew item was produced on February 4, 2025. The following product is subject to recall [view labels]:

• 20-oz. metal cans containing “Dinty Moore BEEF STEW” with “BEST BY FEB 2028” and lot code “T02045” printed on the can. The lot code may have an additional number at the end.

The product subject to recall bears establishment number “EST 199G” printed on the can. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide.

The problem was discovered after the establishment notified FSIS that they had received three consumer complaints reporting pieces of wood in the beef stew product.

There have been no confirmed reports of injury due to consumption of this product. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ pantries. Consumers who have purchased this product are urged not to consume it. This product should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Nishna Valley Family YMCA Aquatics Director Chelsea Rush told the City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, Wednesday afternoon, that the Sunnyside Pool is expected to open this weekend, despite the less than warm water.

The Sunnyside Pool in Atlantic will open at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 31st, and will be open from 11-a.m. until 6-p.m. Monday through Saturday thereafter, and from 1-until 6-p.m. on Sunday.

The staff is building a smash park, thanks to a generous donation from the Atlantic Carriers.

A pass or daily admission to the Sunnyside Pool at 1000 Sunnyside Lane is $5-dollars, with children age 5 and under admitted for free. The pool will close early for Swim Meets on June 18th and 25th, as well as July 7th. The pool features concessions, a diving board, lap lanes, zero entrance, baby pool, lounge areas, and a toddler play area.

The new Atlantic Splash Pad is free to the public. It’s open daily from 10-a.m. until 7-p.m., and has spray features, a dump bucket, concessions during pool hours, seating and shade.

For those wanting to use the pool at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA in Atlantic, membership or daily admission is: $10 for adults; youth ages 5-18 $7; and children ages 1-to 4, $4.

YMCA pool hours are as follows: Mon-through Thursday, 5:30-a.m. until 7-p.m.; Friday, 5:30-a.m. until 5:30-p.m.; Saturday from 9-a.m. until 4:30-p.m., and Sunday’s from 1-until 4:30-p.m. Water slide hours are 12-p.m. until 6-p.m. Monday & Wednesday, 10:30-a.m. until 2:30-p.m. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, Friday from 9:30-a.m. until 12:30-p.m., Saturday from 10-until 2, and Sunday, from 1-until 4.

Recreational swimming hours vary, based on scheduled activities. Be sure and call ahead or visit during slide hours for a guaranteed rec swim.

(Clear Lake, Iowa) – A pair of motorcycles collided this (Wednesday) morning in northern Iowa’s Cerro Gordo County, resulting in one person being hurt. The accident happened at around 9:05-a.m.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2019 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by 80-year-old David Lee Landsteiner, of Fairmont, MN, was eastbound in the outside lane on Highway 18 near 20th Street in Clear Lake. A 2010 Harley Davidson, operated by 81-year-old Gerald Albert Bohlsen, also of Fairmont, was following the first motorcycle, when Landsteiner began to stop for a red traffic light.

When Bohlsen failed to notice Landsteiner was stopping, he swerved to the right, but struck the first cycle on the passenger side fender. A passenger on the first motorcycle, 79-year-old Bonnie Landsteiner, of Fairmont, MN, was not thrown from the cycle, but she was injured.

Both operators were tossed from their machines and came to rest in the middle of the intersection.

(Radio Iowa) – An official with an eastern Iowa food bank says demand is again rising as families seek help making ends meet, especially with tariffs forcing large companies like Walmart to raise prices. Ryan Bobst, director of the North Liberty Community Pantry, tells KCRG-TV they’ve seen a consistent, growing need since the pandemic, with demand growing even more rapidly amid the Trump administration’s fluctuating tariff policies. “About half of the families we serve are already skipping meals or reducing their food intake because of the current state of the economy,” Bobst says.

His team has already served 54,000 more pounds of food than this time last year, and they’ve seen more than 150 new families. “Families have come and signed up for services every day that we’re open. They did not envision themselves accessing a pantry just a couple weeks ago,” Bobst says. “That is the really difficult part. Families are really turning to food pantries as their last resort, that they have exhausted their savings.”

Radio Iowa photo

As the need increases, pantries are asking for more donations — and more volunteers. The North Liberty agency is asking for nonperishable food items like rice and pasta, as well as eggs and meat.

This summer, pantries will partner with Johnson County Public Health to run a food insecurity assessment as they work to gauge the need.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that’s meant to address Iowa’s shortage of doctors and other health care workers. It uses federal money to expand medical residency programs at Iowa’s 14 teaching hospitals and create new residency slots in some specialties. “Doctors often decide to practice where they do their residency, but today Iowa ranks 40th in the number of residency slots for medical students, which means many of our graduates from Iowa medical schools don’t get a chance to continue their education and training here,” Reynolds said, “and that’s about to change.” An additional 115 residency slots will be created each year.

“Just three to four years from now, the amount of time that it takes for a typical residency rotation, we could have up to 460 more physicians being trained right here in Iowa,” Reynolds said, “with some ready to enter the workforce.” The plan also merges the five state programs that help medical professionals repay their college loans and makes eight million dollars available. That’s nearly double the amount being spent on the programs this year. Reynolds says the priority will be loan repayment assistance to medical staff in high demand specialties, like psychiatry.

“These strategic investments will not only strengthen Iowa’s health care system, I believe they’ll make Iowa the place where physicians want to learn, where they want to train and where they want to practice,” Reynolds said. The legislation also provides three MILLION dollars to support training programs for health care workers seeking a new credential. State officials this (Wednesday) afternoon announced 14 programs already have been selected, where 399 people will be enrolled.

The group will be studying to be registered or licensed nurses, certified nursing assistants and certified medical assistants. Reynolds signed another bill into law today (Wednesday) that increases the potential penalties for those convicted of assaulting administrative staff, volunteers or medical students in the hospital. Under current law, there are enhanced penalties for assaults in hospitals, but only if the person attacked a doctor, nurse or a hospital employee who provides patient care.

Gov. Reynolds, lower left, joins the crowd in applauding after she signs House File 972 into law. (RI photo)

“Unfortunately, violence has become more common in health care environments and it can affect any employee,” Reynolds said, “and to keep our communities healthy, we also protect the people who make it possible.” Reynolds signed the bills into law at Guthrie County Hospital in Guthrie Center. Chris Stipe is the hospital’s C-E-O. “Workforce shortages are one of our biggest challenges in rural health care and since the pandemic shortages have only grown more severe,” he said. “I think we can all agree if health care workers do not feel safe at work, it makes it even more difficult to recruit and retain talented health care workers to rural hospitals — really, to all our hospitals in Iowa.”

Iowa is among 40 states that have raised penalties for assaulting health care staff. An Iowa Hospital Association survey found hospitals in the state reported nearly 37-hundred incidents of what it classified as workplace violence in 2023. That included verbal threats as well as being kicked, punched and scratched. According to the American College of Surgeons, health care workers are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than employees in other industries.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Third District Congressman Zach Nunn wants to re-establish a program that expired in December to reimburse people when their federal food assistance funds are stolen. Nunn says Iowa is one of the states still using SNAP cards with magnetic strips that are vulnerable to theft compared to cards with chips.  “So, what our bill intends to do is until those states make that upgrade is make sure those that are defrauded get an immediate reimbursement,” Nunn says.

Nunn says states need to upgrade to the chip cards to protect people. )”It’s not the victim’s fault that the enforcement mechanism hasn’t caught up or that the protection from the states isn’t there yet,” he says. Nunn met with David Schroeder at his home in Des Moines to discuss the proposal. Schroeder is a 65-year-old army veteran who had his 64-dollars in monthly benefits was stolen and used in New Jersey.

“I’ve been getting the same thing every year for 20 years. Never had no problem whatsoever. Why now? Have no idea. Like I said before, I sure hope the person in New Jersey needs them more than I do,” Schroeder says.

Iowans made more than 11-hundred approved claims for stolen SNAP benefits in one fiscal year when the benefit was in place. Those claims added up to more than 640-thousand dollars.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Park and Recreation Advisory Commission received a sizeable donation this (Wednesday) evening, from the U-S Tennis Association – Missouri Valley CEO and Executive Director Mary Buschmann, from Prairie Village, KS. She presented the Commission with a ceremonial check for $33,500. City Councilman/Atlantic Tennis Coach Mike McDermott along with members of the Parks Advisory Board were on-hand for the event.

Those funds will be used to resurface and repaint the four tennis courts at Sunnyside Park, in Atlantic. It’s expected the project will be finished in-time for the girl’s’ tennis season this fall.

Left-to-right: Parks Commissioner Mary Strong; Board Secretary/Member Dolly Bergmann; Mike McDermott; Shirley Jensen; Mary Buschmann; Ali Pieken; Kevin Fergusson; (Back row): Atlantic Councilperson Emily Kennedy; Parks & Rec Director Jeff Christensen.

Before that, the courts will be active this spring when the boy’s team begins play.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department has issued a report on arrests that took place between May 22nd and the 27th.

05-22-25: Trevor Neuharth, 45, of Council Bluffs was arrested for OWI 1st, bond set at $1000 cash or surety (was released on his own recognizance).

05-24-25: Damitri Carlson, 24, of Glenwood was arrested on a Mills County Warrant for harassment, no bond set until seen by a magistrate judge; David Wettengel, 62, of Council Bluffs was arrested for Disorderly contact, bond set at $1000 cash or surety (was released on his own recognizance); Robin Frana, 52, of Glenwood was arrested for OWI 1st offense, bond set at $1000 cash or surety (posted bond); Lane Harris, 20, of Glenwood was arrested on a Fremont County Warrant, bond set at $2000 cash or surety (posted bond).

05-25-25: Jordan Johnson, 20, of Council Bluffs was arrested for driving under suspension, bond set at $300 cash or surety (paid fine and released); Michael Carver, 48, of Glenwood was arrested for driving while barred and interference with official acts, bond set at $2300 cash or surety (posted bond); Wyatt Dahlke, 21, of Omaha, NE was arrested for OWI 1st offense, bond set at $1000 cash or surety (posed bond).

05-26-25: Matthew Archer, 32, of Glenwood was arrested for OWI 2nd offense, bond set at $2000 cash or surety.

05-27-25: Mathew Lamkins, 19, of Tabor, IA was arrested for interference with official acts, bond set at $300 cash or
surety; Lucas Pickle, 25, of Glenwood was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and possession of Drug
paraphernalia, total bond set at $1300 cash or surety.