(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says President Trump’s nominee for a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court will be a role model for women and their daughters. “I’m so thankful that now other women will see that we have had one extraordinary female Supreme Court Justice in Ruth Bader Ginsburg being followed by another truly extraordinary female in Amy Coney Barrett,” Ernst said yesterday.

Ernst joined six other Republican Senators — all women — at a news conference in Washington, D.C. yesterday (Wednesday) to talk about Barrett. Ernst has previously focused her public remarks on the Senate’s confirmation process. Tuesday, Ernst’s comments suggested Barrett’s advancement to the Supreme Court justice was imminent.

“This is what a mom can do. I tell my daughter that all the time,” Ernst said. “…A mom can be a combat veteran…A mom can serve in the United States Senate and, most certainly, a mom can be a supreme court justice.” Barrett, who is currently a federal judge, is the mother of seven children. Ernst has described Ginsburg as a trailblazer for working moms.

“She broke so many barriers that women through all ages have faced whether it was her faith, whether it was that she was a working mother,” Ernst said, “and going on to serve on the Supreme Court.” Senator Ernst’s daughter, Libby, is a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:25 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Des Moines school board approved a plan to return to in-classroom learning, but it included metrics for allowable coronavirus infection rates that the district doesn’t currently meet. That makes it unclear if students will actually return to school as planned. The board voted 6-1 on Wednesday night to gradually implement a hybrid learning plan, starting with prekindergarten on Oct. 12. Students can choose to remain in all remote learning or opt for 50% instruction in classrooms. Despite approving a plan to return to classrooms, the board set several metrics for coronavirus infection rates as well as student and staff absences. If school were to begin immediately, the district would not be in compliance with at least one of those standards.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Iowa in the past day topped 1,000 with 18 more deaths. In the 24 hours since 10 a.m. Tuesday, the state reported 1,048 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 88,555. The 18 additional deaths reported Wednesday brought the total to 1,324. The state also reported that an increase in people being treated at hospitals for the virus has continued, with the 390 people now hospitalized. A White House coronavirus task force report dated Sunday found that Iowa last week had the nation’s sixth-highest rate of coronavirus infections per 100,000 people. The task force again recommended the state institute a statewide mask requirement. Gov. Kim Reynolds has said such a requirement is unnecessary.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified the man and woman who were killed after gunfire broke out this weekend inside a private club in Waterloo, Iowa. The Waterloo Police Department said in a news release Wednesday that they are 22-year-old Da’Curious (Dacarious) T. Burkett of Waterloo and 28-year-old Takeya M. Hogan-Camp of West Des Moines, Iowa. Police say at least two individuals began shooting at each other at about 3:15 a.m. Saturday. Six other people were also were treated for gunshot wounds and four were hurt by broken glass or other debris while fleeing.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Calls to defund police departments have not had widespread success across the U.S. While a handful of left-leaning cities have proposed structural reforms, most cuts to law enforcement agencies have been modest so far. Those cuts are being driven as much by shrinking government revenue related to the coronavirus pandemic as from the calls to rethink public safety. Defunding police became a rallying cry for activists after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and has become a topic in the presidential race. But the boldest proposals have mostly been pushed aside for now in favor of more incremental changes.

(Des Moines, IA) – Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) officials have used the state’s safe haven procedure for the 45th time since the law went into effect. A baby girl, born Sept. 13, was released to the custody of DHS. Specific details are withheld in order to protect the identity of the parents and the children. Through Iowa’s Safe Haven law, parents, or their authorized representative, can leave infants age 30 days or younger at a hospital or health care facility without fear of prosecution for abandonment.

Janee Harvey, DHS Division Administrator of Adult, Children and Family Services, says “The purpose of this law is to protect the lives of newborns who are in danger of abandonment. We want to ensure Iowans know that Safe Haven is an available option if they cannot care for their newborn safely. We recognize that these decisions are often made in the midst of crisis and the protocols are built accordingly.”

Safe Haven prioritizes the health and physical safety of the infant(s), as well as the anonymity of the parent or authorized individual who relinquishes custody of the child.

The Safe Haven law was approved in the wake of a high-profile case in 2001 involving a teen mother in eastern Iowa who killed her home-delivered newborn. Infants who are safe haven babies are placed with currently-approved foster or adoptive families. All states have Safe Haven laws, although provisions differ.

If you are interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent, please visit
www.iowafosterandadoption.org.

For more information on the Safe Haven procedure: http://dhs.iowa.gov/safe-haven.

DES MOINES, IA – Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03), Wednesday, announced $14,491,169 in new federal grants to cover repair and reconstruction expenses of federal roads and highways that were damaged in 2019 floods across Iowa. The new grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will cover repair costs for damage along major routes like I-29, I-680, and US-34 – as well as federal roads maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Axne says “After last year’s flooding, many of Iowa’s road and highways were damaged – adding additional strain onto our already aging infrastructure. These grants will help restore these roadways and allow traffic to resume at a pre-disaster level and help us keep Iowa on track to a full recovery.”

The grants were awarded as follows:

• $13,978,130 for project sites across Iowa managed by the Iowa Department of Transportation
• $513,039 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for projects along the Missouri River

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified the man and woman who were killed after gunfire broke out this weekend inside a private club in Waterloo, Iowa. The Waterloo Police Department said in a news release Wednesday that they are 22-year-old Da’Curious (Dacarious) T. Burkett of Waterloo and 28-year-old Takeya M. Hogan-Camp of West Des Moines, Iowa.

Police say at least two individuals began shooting at each other at about 3:15 a.m. Saturday. Six other people were also were treated for gunshot wounds and four were hurt by broken glass or other debris while fleeing.

(Radio Iowa) – Federal pandemic relief money has helped keep the state budget in the black. By early September, the State of Iowa had used two-point-eight BILLION dollars in federal money to cover expenses related to the pandemic. About 40 percent of it was spent on unemployment benefits. The official state budgeting year ended June 30th, but there’s a two-month accrual period to settle accounts. That period was even more critical this year as due to the pandemic, Governor Reynolds gave Iowans until July to pay income taxes originally due in April.

According to a news release from the governor’s office, the state has 770 MILLION in cash reserves and 305-and-a-half MILLION dollars was left unspent from the state’s overall budget plan for the last fiscal year.

(Radio Iowa) – With 34 days until the election and last (Tuesday) night’s presidential debate fresh on our minds, Iowans are being warned to be on the lookout for scammers pretending to be pollsters, campaign volunteers, fundraisers — and even candidates. Bao Vang, at the Better Business Bureau, says the crooks can be convincing.

“If you have been a victim, it’s so unfortunate,” Vang says, “Please let us know if you suspect this is happening in your community, head to our website, it’s bbb.org/scamtracker.” The site allows users to zoom in on the state of Iowa and various towns, showing where scams are being reported and what types. Nationwide, there are reports of 215-thousand scams, with dozens of them in Iowa.

“With all of our eyes and ears tuned into the 2020 presidential election, there is no doubt scammers are, too,” she says. “They’re opportunists and they follow the headlines so they’re using fake political fundraising calls to trick us into donating to a favorite candidate.” Vang says common political fraud involves polling calls with fake prize offers, fraudulent fundraising calls and people impersonating candidates asking for contributions.

She recommends donating directly to a campaign’s office — and never give your credit card or personal information out over the phone.