(Radio Iowa) -Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate have narrowed their differences as they negotiate state spending for the budgeting year that begins July 1st.  Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and Senate Republicans have agreed on a nine-point-four BILLION dollar spending plan. House Republicans propose spending about 36 million dollars more. House G-O-P leaders say their plan is carefully crafted to maintain some previous commitments, including more state funds to raise pay for para educators and increased funding for community colleges.

The Senate’s Republican leader says their plan — which has the backing of Governor Reynolds — is a conservative budget that ensures the long-term sustainability of recent state income tax cuts.

Senate Republicans are debating over a dozen policy bills later this (Monday) afternoon and then plan to debate bills later this week that spell out state spending for state agencies and the state court system. The House has no debate scheduled today (Monday).

(Radio Iowa) – A report finds only about one third of rural Iowa hospitals now deliver babies, with three hospitals closing their maternity wards in recent years, and two more considered at risk. Harold Miller, president and CEO of the nonprofit Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, says rural hospitals often lose money running expensive OB units with few births.

“What’s been happening increasingly is that small rural hospitals are losing money overall,” Miller says, “so they don’t have any profits to be able to subsidize labor and delivery services.” Miller says a major driving factor is commercial insurance reimbursement rates.

“The private commercial insurance plans are not paying enough for labor and delivery services in rural hospitals, and they’re not paying enough for other kinds of services in the hospitals,” he says, “which is what’s causing the hospitals to have overall losses.”

The report says Iowans who have to go to an alternative hospital to give birth have a median travel time of 32 minutes.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer has filed the paperwork to start raising money for a race for state auditor. In December, Governor Kim Reynolds selected Cournoyer to be lieutenant governor after Adam Gregg left resigned to take a private sector job. Earlier this month, Reynolds announced she would not seek reelection.

Cournoyer now is laying the groundwork for her own 2026 campaign for state auditor. Cournoyer, who is 54, served six years in the Iowa Senate and got her start in politics by winning a seat on the Pleasant Valley School Board.

Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer (official photo)

Cournoyer has organized a “Cournoyer for Iowa” committee and filed paperwork Friday with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, so she can begin fundraising. Current State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, has said he’ll be on the ballot in 2026 and it’s a possibility he’ll be running for governor.

OMAHA, Neb. — KETV in Omaha is reporting the man accused of hitting and killing an Iowa woman in an Omaha crash will go to trial.  As previously report, Eswin Mejia allegedly caused the crash that killed Sarah Root near 33rd and L streets in Omaha, back in 2016. Authorities believe Mejia was driving drunk and street racing when he rear ended Root’s car at a stoplight. Mejia, who was in the country illegally, was not put on an immigration hold. He posted $5,000 of his bond and vanished.

Last month, he was charged with motor vehicle homicide and failure to appear. He was held on a $100 million bond. Prosecutors said his blood alcohol level was 0.179, and at the time of impact, he was driving 71 mph to Root’s 3 mph. She was coming to a stop near 33rd and L streets. Prosecutors said the impact was so forceful, it sent the vehicle Root was in flying 306-feet.

Mejia faces up to 20 years in prison for motor vehicle homicide and two years in prison for flight to avoid arrest.

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Northern Iowa is ready for the second phase of renovation to the UNI-Dome (U-nee-dome) in Cedar Falls. U-N-I vice president Michael Hager says the focus of this phase includes the first upgrade to the restrooms since the facility was built in 1976. “If you’ve been to either the high school football playoffs, or the Fleetwood Mac concert, the Rolling Stones, or Luke Bryan, pick your music genre, women will frequently complain that there are grossly insufficient restrooms. We’re responding to that,” he says. He says they are putting in 54-hundred square feet of restrooms on the northwest and southwest corners of the Dome.

“We’re adding 44 facilities for women, 18 more for men, three single-use restrooms for families, those sorts of things, and then a lactation room as well, which is common for renovations,” he says. Other areas near the new restrooms are also getting an update. “There are a couple of terraces, affectionately known by some as the ‘party decks,’ but they’re they’re made for group and corporate outings, alumni events to come back,” Hager says. There are some other things like signage and possible sound updates in the eight-point-four million dollar second phase. Work on the first phase is underway with seating being replaced inside the Dome.

The Board of Regents gave approval last week for construction on this phase. Hager says they need to complete the fundraising for the project before construction starts.

WEST DES MOINES, IA – The U-S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that due to fuel supply shortages, the agency will issue emergency waivers to permit the nationwide sale of E15 for the 2025 summer driving season. Even though Iowa and seven other Midwest states received approval to allow year-round sales of E15 on a permanent basis, a nationwide waiver provides additional E15 access to consumers outside of the eight Midwest states.

Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw said “While Iowa consumers and retailers already have E15 certainty, we still want consumers all across the nation to have the ability to save 15 to 20 cents per gallon at the pump. And during a time of tight fuel supplies, it would be ridiculous to tell retailers to bag their E15 pumps. Today is good news for Iowa farmers as well when you consider that 96.5 percent of ethanol produced at Iowa plants is utilized outside of the state.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued the following statement in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s emergency approval of the summer sale of E-15: “President Trump is committed to lowering energy prices by unleashing American energy production, and it all starts with U.S. farmers. This move to allow the summer sale of E-15 will provide immediate relief to consumers, provide more choices at the pump, and drive demand for corn grown, processed, and used right here in America. Our nation’s great corn growers are critical to helping the U.S. achieve energy independence which is essential to national security.”

Rollins said “At USDA we look forward to our continued partnership with EPA and are working diligently to increase our energy dominance in the U.S. and abroad by expanding market access for American biofuels on the world stage.”

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County say four-people were injured in a collision that occurred at around 2:45-p.m. Friday, near Panora. According to the sheriff’s report, a Ford SUV driven by 22-year-old Tessa Kay Steimel, of Churdan, was northbound on Highway 4 and had stopped at the posted intersection where the Highway comes together at an odd angle with Highway 141. When the SUV proceeded onto Highway 141, Steimel took evasive action to avoid being struck by a Chevy SUV that was driven by 71-year-old Danny Ray Richardson, of Coon Rapids, and which was traversing a curve, coming at the Ford from the southeast.

Steimel’s evasive action brought her vehicle into the southbound lane, where it hit the Chevy SUV. After the impact, the Ford spun in reverse and was pushed south of the point of impact before ending up in the middle of the road, facing westbound. Richardson’s SUV crossed over the northbound lane and ended-up in the east ditch, facing south.

Steimel, and her passenger, 21-year-old Justin Stream, of Churdan, complained of pain, and were transported by ambulance to the Greene and Dallas County hospitals, respectively. Danny Richardson was not wearing a seat belt, and struck his head on this vehicles’ windshield. He suffered head trauma and severe leg injuries. He was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Des Moines. His passenger, 71-year-old Susan Kaye Richardson, of Coon Rapids, complained of pain and was transported by ambulance to the same hospital in Des Moines.

The sheriff’s office says Tessa Steimel was cited for Failure to Yield to a vehicle on the right. Damage from the crash amounted to $30,000.

• Administration and Regulation – $73,461,809
• Agriculture and Natural Resources – $45,574,050
• Economic Development – $40,187,127
• Education – $1,026,386,031
• Health and Human Services – $2,468,992,645
• Justice System – $925,925,531
• Unassigned Standings – $4,836,758,719

(Radio Iowa) – Most spending decisions for the state budget year that begins July 1st have not been made by lawmakers. Republicans control the debate agenda and Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner says House and Senate Republicans haven’t agreed on the total level of spending yet.  “We are in some sort of disarray,” Weiner says. “It seems pretty clear that we’re going to be going into overtime at this point,” The Iowa Constitution does not require the legislature to end on a certain date. However, this Friday is the 110th day of the 2025 legislative session and lawmakers will not get payments to cover expenses for traveling from their homes to Des Moines after May 2nd.

Weiner says while Senate Republicans and Governor Reynolds have agreed on an overall level of spending, House Republicans have not revealed what their total spending target is. “Republicans have been in charge for over eight years,” Weiner says. “At this point it also bears repeating that both Governor Reynolds and the overall Senate Republicans’ budget target are deficit budgets, using one time reserve funds to cover ongoing expenses.” Republicans say making withdrawals from state reserves was part of the plan when they passed income tax cuts. Speaker Pat Grassley — the top Republican in the House — says Republicans are meeting in private to hammer out budget details.

“I think that the ball is still rolling when it comes to the budget negotiations…We’ve been having productive conversations,” Grassley says. Lawmakers have made one spending decision — on how much the state will spend on K-through-12 education in the next budget year. However, there was a two-month standoff between House and Senate Republicans before that decision was made in early April. Grassley says he’s hopeful overall budget negotiations don’t drag out much longer. “I am not going to make any predictions. I know we’re getting kind of getting to that point in session where we need to start finding some resolution on things,” Grassley says.

Key House members are at the Capitol today (Monday) for private meetings, but there will be no debate in the House. Senate leaders have released a list of 15 bills eligible for debate this (Monday) afternoon. The Senate is likely to take confirmation votes today (Monday) so two members of the board that governs the three state universities may continue serving on the Board of Regents.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests took place last week:

On April 20th, Deputies arrested 29-year-old Melissa Marie Vazquez, of Council Bluffs, in Adair, on an Adair County warrant for Contempt of Court/Violation of a No Contact or Protective Order. Vazquez was released on her Own Recognizance before being picked up by Polk County Sheriff’s Deputies on a warrant for Contempt of Court, and transported to Des Moines.

On April 21st, 40-year-old Sherrece Patricia Kilgore, of Bridgewater, was arrested at the Dallas County Jail on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation. She was being held without bond in the Adair County Jail until being released April 26th, for time served.

And, 45-year-old Shaun Michael Cleary, of Yorkville, IL, was arrested on Interstate 80 in Adair County, April 21st. Cleary was pulled-over for a window tint violation, and upon further investigation, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance (Marijuana), and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was convicted in Oct. 2005 on a felony check fraud charge in Florida, that resulted in his being barred from possession a weapon. He was placed under arrest without incident and released the next day on a $5,000 bond.