Legislators are considering a bill that would force the state’s grocery stores to always have “conventional” eggs for sale. Republican Representative Lee Hein, of Monticello says the concern is stores may be pressured to only sell eggs that come from “cage free” operations.  “Which are $3 to $4 more expensive that the regular commodity egg that’s cheaper and more affordable,” Hein says.  Bill backers say it’s about ensuring consumer choice. Critics say it will require stores to sell a certain product. Hein admits to “struggling with” the idea of imposing a mandate. “But I also believe that we don’t need to bow down to the pressure of the animal rights groups, which are maybe growing, but are still a small segment of the population,” Hein says. “And I firmly believe that the regular Iowans wants a choice.”

The vast majority of the eggs laid in the U.S. each year come from “conventional” large-scale operations with thousands of hens. Some retailers, like Walmart, have committed to eventually buying eggs from hens that have a larger range of movement indoors — in so-called “cage free” operations. If this bill becomes STATE law, though, Walmart stores in Iowa would be required to keep selling eggs raised in large-scale conventional operations. The legislation has cleared initial review in both the House and Senate. It must pass a full committee by the end of next week to remain eligible for consideration in the 2018 Iowa legislature.

(Radio Iowa)

The Des Moines Register reports an investigation into the Dec. 12th, 2017 fatal Riverside School District school bus fire, has revealed new information in the case. In the report, investigators found mechanical repair records for the bus involved in the fire that killed a student and the bus driver, were changed a week after the fatal fire. Following an inspection which occurred six days before the fire, the bus was ordered to stop transporting students. An exit lock signal and outside warning light were both not working at the time of the inspection.

The school district reported the fixes were made on a handwritten note the same day as the inspection. The state requires all bus repairs to be reported with the state before it can start transportation again, but the school failed to do so. Those same fixes weren’t reported to the state until at least seven days after the accident.

Federal investigators and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating.

With above-normal snowpack in the mountains of Montana and Wyoming, the U-S Army Corps of Engineers is getting the Missouri River reservoir system ready for expected runoff this spring. Kevin Stamm, with the Corps’ water management office in Omaha, says they expect runoff to be higher than normal, but only slightly.”The 2018 calendar year runoff forecast is 26.4-million acre feet which is 104% of average,” Stamm says. “Above average runoff is forecast to continue in February.

In March and April, the plains snowpack in Montana is forecast to cause above-average runoff, however, drought conditions in the Dakotas will likely cause below-average runoff in the lower region.” Corps engineer Joel Knofczynski says they have already hit their flood storage goals. “On January 15th, the reservoir system storage reached 56.1-million acre feet which is at the base of the annual flood control zone,” Knofczynski says. “This means that all of the stored 2017 flood waters have been evacuated from the system.”

The Corps says releases from Gavins Point Dam, the lowest on the system, will stay at about 18-thousand cubic feet per second for the rest of winter, but can be adjusted as needed.

(Radio Iowa)

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors say a central Iowa man charged in the death of his 2-month-old daughter killed the baby by placing pillows on her face. The Des Moines Register reports that 29-year-old Calvin Curtis White, of Nevada, has been charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death after his daughter was found not breathing Jan. 29 and later died. Police also say they found a recorded message on White’s phone in which he said he killed the infant by placing pillows on her face to keep from hearing her cry.

Police say White was the sole caregiver of his daughter at the time of her death. White remains in the Story County Jail on a $1 million bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Workers are set to move back into the newly-renovated Des Moines City Hall by the end of the month. The Des Moines Register reports that city clerk’s office will be the first to reopen at City Hall on Feb. 26. Other offices will return each week until the transition is completed on April 2.

City Hall has been closed since June 2016 as the 108-year-old building underwent a $5.5 million renovation to replace outdated heating and cooling systems and add fire sprinklers. A city spokeswoman says the Des Moines City Council will hold its first meeting in the historic council chambers on April 9 since moving out.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, approved a Resolution authorizing bids for 2018 Street and Alley improvements. Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm listed the projects that will be underway once the weather improves. They include: Chestnut St., from 18th to 22nd;14th St., from Olive to Highway 71; Plum St. from 7th to 14th, with a widening of Plum St. from 10th to 14th; an alley between 10th and 13th Streets, Birch & Cedar, and a turnaround south of Palm Street. The bid date was set for Tuesday, March 6th, with Council action on accepting the bid(s) during the Council’s meeting on March 7th.

The Council agreed to close specific streets on Sunday, August 5th, from 8-a.m. To 5-p.m., for the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church 125th Anniversary Celebration. Theresa Hohenberger, from Saints Peter and Paul, explained the event is the conclusion to a two-year campaign they’ve been running to renovate the church.They’re also tying the event in with the City of Atlantic’s year-long 150th Celebration. She said there will be bounces, beef producers grilling, picnic tables, etc. They’re hoping for 300-to 500 people to be in attendance.

As previously mentioned, the temporary street closures would be:

West 6th, between Locust and Poplar
West 5th, between Locust and Poplar
Locust, between 5th and 6th Streets
West 6th, between Locust & the alley between Locust & Cedar.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, agreed to subscribe to a computer program put out by a local firm, that will enhance the experience of persons visiting the City website. The program, “Journity,” is a product of 5Q in Atlantic. Company owner Chad Williams said the program is designed to customize the experience individuals visiting the City’s website have, by identifying their location. Williams says a trial run of the program on the City’s website indicates 61-percent of visitors leave the site within 10-seconds, “Probably,” he says, because they “Probably haven’t found what they were looking for.” Journity will help new visitors to a site become more engaged in the process of finding what they need and remembers their choices. The program also helps with marketing the City to potential new residents and businesses, by showing what is available and other factors.

The Council tabled an Engineering agreement with Snyder and Associates, Wednesday, with regard to the Beautification Project, and they approved an engineering agreement with Snyder’s for the AMU Connector Trail Project. The project involves the construction of an eight-foot wide concrete pedestrian trail from the existing end of trail at KJAN, south and east to connect the end of the paved trail currently under contract with Howery Construction, located at the southeast corner of the Little League baseball/softball complex.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Woodbury County officials have agreed to pay $75,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by a former county jail inmate who says jail staff failed to take immediate action after he suffered a stroke while in custody. The Sioux City Journal reports that James Merchant sued in 2016, nearly two years after suffering a stroke while in Woodbury County Jail. Merchant’s lawsuit says he reported weakness and numbness in his right side to jail staff in 2014, but was left in a nurse’s bay overnight before being evaluated and taken to a hospital.

Merchant was being held on theft and burglary charges at the time. The county’s attorney says Mercy Medical Services has also reached a settlement with Merchant, but that the terms of that agreement are confidential.

Officials with the City of Harlan say “If the current weather forecast holds of significant snow starting tonight into tomorrow, The City of Harlan is asking residents to move their vehicles to off-street parking. Please have cars off the city streets starting tonight through the entire snow event. This will assist crews in getting streets cleared as quickly and efficiently as possible. Your cooperation will help insure safe, passable streets in the interest of public safety and allow for fewer of your tax dollars to be spent on snow removal.”

After a couple of years of lowered property taxes in Atlantic, circumstances call for an increase for Fiscal Year 2019. City Administrator John Lund spoke of a .47-cent per thousand dollars taxable valuation (or, 2.87%) increase over FY 2018, when he presented the bound, one-inch thick Budget to the Atlantic City Council during their meeting, Wednesday night. He said Atlantic’s tax rate is still much lower than Denison, Harlan, Shenandoah and Red Oak, by comparison. The City ranked 11th among those of comparable size. Creston is lower, at $13.46/$1,000.

According to Lund, in 2015 Atlantic’s tax levy reached an all-time high of $18.00 per $1,000 taxable property valuation. The tax asking was lowered in each of the next two years (2016 $16.79, & 2017 $16.39). In 2018, the levy dropped to $16.39 per thousand. The 2019 proposed levy is $16.86/$1,000. The City’s FY2019 budget proposes an increase of $439,754 (or 3.06%) from the FY 2018 Budget, to $14,789,359.

Lund said he anticipates keeping the tax rate for FY2020 and 2021 unless taxable growth is really weak. He said also, Atlantic will see noticeable losses in collections based in-part on the legislature’s action on the mult-residential and residential property rollback declining, and the lack of a State backfill to offset the loss. Operating and labor costs are expected to increase over the next Fiscal Year and years to come.

An issue with the debt service also factored into the equation.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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