(Radio Iowa) — Abortion opponents rallied at the statehouse Thursday in support of new efforts to ban abortion in Iowa. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds announced this week she had determined there was no way to successfully appeal a district court ruling that nullified a ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The governor told the group she and other Republicans who were elected in November now aim to change the judges making the decisions. “We are appointing judges to the bench that will apply the law and adhere to the constitution of Iowa and the constitution of the United States,” Reynolds said, to cheers and a standing ovation.

Reynolds touted G-O-P plans to change who appoints half the members of a commission that nominates Iowa judges and justices for the Iowa Supreme Court. Republican Representative Sandy Salmon of Janesville — another speaker at the rally — amplified that message.  “It’s time for the legislature to take back its power from the court,” Salmon said, to applause.

Senators convened a hearing right after the rally on a proposal that would grant citizenship rights at the moment of conception. Another hearing was held in a HOUSE subcommittee on a plan to cut off federal funds for sex ed and pregnancy prevention programs at any organization that performs abortions or refers patients to abortion providers.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Congressman Steve King says he’ll run for re-election in 2020 — and he says the controversies surrounding him recently were amplified by cyber bullies. David Yepsen, moderator of I-P-T-V’s “Iowa Press” program, had this question for King when the show was taped Thursday. “Are you sorry for anything that you’ve said?” Yepsen asked. King responded: “I have nothing to apologize for, Dave. We know what the news media has done continually.”

Republican leaders in the U.S. House denounced King’s comments about white supremacy that were published in the New York Times and stripped King of his committee assignments this year. King says certain phrases have been “weaponized” by critics on Twitter, Facebook and other platforms. King says that’s why Republicans lost House seats in 2018 — and he nearly lost his own race. “A lot of this was nearly a perfect storm. Part of it was orchestrated. Some of it was just you would call it just good luck on their side,” King said. “By the time we got to January 10, however, I was warned they were going to try another move. They tried another move and that came out of The New York Times.”

King has asked supporters to pray that he be reinstated on committees. King also says he’d have no real influence on committees since Republicans lost the majority in congress. King has served in congress since January of 2003 and will be seeking a 10th term in 2020. State Senator Randy Feenstra of Hull and a couple of other Republicans in the fourth congressional district have announced they intend to challenge King in the G-O-P primary election next year. King suggests a vote against him is a vote against President Trump’s agenda.

“When you have somebody that represents the platform, that is afire for American and our Iowa values, somebody that has been able to inject a lot of these values into the presidential race and when I walk into the Oval Office today and I look around and I think: ‘My gosh, we got our Iowa values here, in this Oval Office, embodied within President Donald Trump,'” King said. “They’ll think about all of that and I think they’ll want to support the president and they’ll want to support me.”

Trump made an appearance in Iowa to help King raise money for his 2014 campaign, then Trump was among the G-O-P candidates who appeared at a Caucus kick-off event King hosted in January of 2015. King endorsed Trump’s rival Ted Cruz before the 2016 Iowa Caucuses. King’s appearance on Iowa Public Television will be broadcast Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

(Red Oak P.D. correction on where he was from) Red Oak Police report the arrest at around 10:15-p.m. Thursday, of a man on an assault charge. 39-year old Jared Lynn Hoffschneider, of Red Oak, was taken into custody for Domestic Assault/1st offense. HoffSchneider was being held in without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Rep. Steve King says he will seek re-election despite Republican House leadership’s move to strip him of his committee assignments after his racist statements about white supremacy. Asked Thursday about his future, King said “I am running in 2020.” King sparked an uproar and was stripped of his committee assignment after being quoted in a New York Times story saying, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization – how did that language become offensive?”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The state of Iowa is appealing a federal judge’s ruling last month that found unconstitutional a 2012 law that made it illegal to get a job at a livestock farm to conduct animal cruelty undercover investigations. The Des Moines Register reports that Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller filed a motion Wednesday to appeal the case to the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of rural bankers in parts of 10 Plains and Western states shows nearly two-thirds of banks in the region have raised farm loan collateral requirements on fears of weakening farm income. The Rural Mainstreet survey for February showed nearly one-third of banks report an increase in the farm loan rejection rate for the same reason.

URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — Is the “ugly produce” trend already reaching the end of its shelf life? Walmart and Whole Foods are among the grocers that tried selling discounted fruits and vegetables to help reduce food waste. But several of them have stopped selling the produce that isn’t quite the right size, shape or color. Still, startups offering home delivery hope people will be drawn by the goal of salvaging food that would otherwise go to waste.

A fire early this (Thursday) morning in Council Bluffs claimed the lives of several pets, but none of the residents were hurt. According to Alex Ford, Deputy Chief Fire Marshal, Council Bluffs Fire Department Units were dispatched to 1427 2nd Avenue at around 3:30-a.m.  Upon arrival, crews saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the two-story home. Six people in the home escaped without injury prior to firefighters’ arrival. The family was relocated to a motel. The blaze remains under investigation.

(12-p.m. News)

The Adair County Board of Supervisors will be looking for a new County Auditor. According to reports, Adair County Auditor Mindy Schaefer announced her resignation to the board of Supervisors on Wednesday. Schaefer is leaving the position she’s held for 11-years, to become the Union County Assessor. Since the County Auditor is an elected position, the Adair County Supervisors may fill the post by special election or by appointment.

The Board will meet with the county attorney before moving forward with a decision on which direction they wish to proceed to fill the position. Mindy Schaefer’s last day with Adair County will be March 29^th.

URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — Is the “ugly produce'” trend already reaching the end of its shelf life in supermarkets? Walmart and Whole Foods in recent years tried selling some blemished fruits and vegetables at a discount, produce they said might otherwise be trashed because it’s not quite the right size, shape or color. But the two chains and others quietly ended their tests, suggesting dented apples and undersized potatoes may not be all that appealing in stores where better looking fruits and vegetables are on display. “Customers didn’t accept it as much as we had hoped,” said Mona Golub of Price Chopper, a grocery chain in the Northeast that also discontinued its offering of ugly produce.

Still, some stores and home delivery startups haven’t given up on the idea of selling less-than-perfect produce to reduce food waste and say they’re doing well. At a Hy-Vee store in Iowa, a recent display of “Misfits” produce included packs of apples, lemons and oranges that were either too big or small, or otherwise substandard in appearance. A sign explained that “6 million pounds of fresh produce goes unused each year,” though the packages didn’t specify why the produce might have otherwise been thrown away. “I like the cost savings and it is good to help and not throw so much away,” said shopper Brian Tice, who bought a pack of small oranges.

Another shopper, Jamie Shae, said she didn’t realize there was anything special about the fruit “I happened to see the bags of lemons,” said Shae, who was in a rush and grabbed two bags. Shopper Joan Hitzel, who was browsing other produce nearby, said she thought the Misfits were a good idea given the tons of food that gets thrown away, but didn’t plan to buy any that day. The supplier of the Misfits produce to supermarkets, Robinson Fresh, said about 300 grocery locations still sell the fruits and vegetables, including the Hy-Vee stores. Kroger also said it still plans to introduce its “Pickuliar Picks” this spring.

But among other regional chains that have stopped carrying ugly produce are Meijer in the Midwest, Hannaford based in Maine and Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle, which cited “inconsistent customer interest” for pulling the plug on its “Produce with Personality.” Walmart no longer offers the damaged “I’m Perfect” apples it introduced in Florida in 2016. The efforts channeled growing interest in reducing food waste. Government agencies say the best way to reduce waste is to stop producing too much food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 31 percent of the 430 billion pounds of the nation’s food supply goes uneaten. That does not include the fruits and vegetables that get tossed at the farm level, before foods reach stores.

For fruits and vegetables that don’t meet supermarket standards, some may get processed for products like juices and some go to food banks. Startups delivering ugly produce say there’s so much they’re not taking from food banks. Shopper preferences may not be the only challenge for ugly produce in supermarkets. “Retailers really prize their produce sections,” said Imperfect Produce CEO Ben Simon, whose company had partnered with Whole Foods on a test at the chain. Grocers might worry that cheaper produce will cannibalize sales of regular produce, or give off a bad image, he said. Delivery startups say they’re seeing interest in their services. But they are up against shoppers who inspect the fruits and vegetables they buy and those who worry about all the packaging.

“I’ve been food shopping online, and I started thinking about all the boxes, all that cardboard,” said Nyasha Wilson, a New York City resident who carefully selects apples for ripeness at a farmer’s market.
The companies say they might at least change shoppers’ views on discarded produce. Evan Lutz, CEO of the startup Hungry Harvest, said most of it is just too small or slightly discolored. “The vast majority that would go to waste isn’t really that ugly,” he said.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A defense and aerospace manufacturer is seeking local and state aid to upgrade its Davenport facility. Cobham, which is based in England, wants to add 150 high-paying jobs to its Davenport facility. The Quad-City Times reports that Cobham’s Kevin McKeown told Davenport council members Wednesday that the $67 million upgrade would make room for as many as 1,300 employees and build up the company’s research and development operation.

Cobham is seeking a $400,000 grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority under a program that compensates businesses for creating high-paying jobs. Davenport economic development manager Susanne Knutsen says the city is considering a property tax break for Cobham. The state-required incentive is meant to match the state grant the company is seeking.

(Radio Iowa) — A U-S military report finds high levels of groundwater contamination at the Iowa Air National Guard Base in Sioux City. The chemicals are linked to firefighting foams and can increase the risk of some cancers and fertility issues. David Cwiertny leads the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination at the University of Iowa and reviewed the report. Cwiertny says, “Those levels at the high end of what was found are notable because it will make cleanup more challenging and it will make it more likely that there are levels that we might need to be concerned about further away from those points and potentially off the base.”

It’s feared toxic PFAS chemicals could be migrating offsite. At one hot spot, PFAS in the groundwater tested at more than 100 times the health advisory set by the E-P-A. Cwiertny says more questions need to be answered. “As the report concluded, more testing, more work needs to be done to try to characterize the full extent of which chemicals are there, at what levels,” he says, “and then where they might be encountering vital resources like wells that might be used for private water supplies.”

According to the report, the base does not use the groundwater for drinking, but the chemicals are likely drifting offsite. An Iowa National Guard spokesman says more testing is needed to determine potential impacts to the community. The final report is due out in April.

(Thanks to Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) — Canned meat that was recently sold at a Cedar Falls business is being recalled as a precaution. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced the voluntary recall of canned beef products from Steege’s Meat Market and Catering. The affected products were produced between January 2016 and January 2019 and are packaged in pint glass jars bearing a “Steege’s Canned Beef” retail label.

Company officials say a packaging issue could cause botulism, if the product is consumed. So far, no illnesses have been reported.