Republicans in the Iowa Senate have approved $46 million in new funding for K-12 education for the upcoming budget year. The GOP-controlled chamber voted 29-21 Wednesday night for the measure. It must now bounce back to the Republican-controlled House, which voted 57-40 Wednesday morning for $32 million in new funding. Lawmakers will need to agree on a total before it can reach Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk.

The Senate approved an extra $14 million for various transportation expenses and to close some inequity in cost-per-pupil spending across school districts. The $32 million that both chambers appear to agree on is a 1 percent increase to Iowa’s $3.2 billion K-12 education budget.

Officials in the Des Moines school district, the state’s largest, say it will lead to more than $11 million in cuts. In more rural school districts, superintendents warned financial obligations like putting new money toward employee retirement plans will eat up a lot of the new appropriations.

Republicans say public education is a priority at the Capitol amid budget constraints.

Another Republican candidate has thrown his hat into the ring to run for the Cass County Board of Supervisors in District 3. Atlantic At-Large City Councilman Dana Halder announced his intentions to run for the seat being vacated by current District 3 Supervisor Mark Wedemeyer, who has decided not to run for re-election during the June 5th Primary. He’ll face a challenge from fellow Republican John P. Hartkopf for the seat.

Halder spoke with the media following Wednesday night’s City Council meeting. He said he’d considered running for the Board of Supervisors as an option, in the past. “I’m to the point where I’m ready to kind of step back in my current job, and I felt like this would be a good fit for me.”

Dana Halder (City of Atlantic photo)

Halder has worked for the past 24-years as the Meat Department Manager at Fareway, in Atlantic. He’s been with the company for 38-years. He’s also served on the City Council for more than eight-years. That experience he says, has left him “With a good feeling for what’s going on, and I think there’s a lot of great things that the County’s doing [but], obviously, there’s always room for improvement.” He added that if Wedemeyer had decided to run for re-election, he wouldn’t be running for the Board of Supervisors, but that now is a good time for him to step in and make some changes to the face of that Board, and to his own life, such as cutting back on the number of hours he works at the grocery store, which sometimes amounts to 65-to 70-hours per week.

He explained some of the things he’d like to see includes more communication between the County and the Cities, and knowing what the expectations are of each entity. “I think a person can do the job if he’s willing to do the research and cover the situations that come about.”

Halder also thinks that in the time he’s been on the City Council, he’s done a good job, and that “We’ve done a lot of things to increase the look of Atlantic, and I just want to continue on that path.” Halder has served on the Chamber Board of Directors, he’s a member of the Knights of Columbus, a member of the Lions Club and has served on their Board over the years.

Republicans in the Iowa House have voted to increase general state support of Iowa’s public schools by 67-dollars per student. Republican Representative Cecil Dolecheck,  of Mount Ayr says given state budget constraints, that one-percent boost is a commitment legislators can keep “no matter what.”

“We want to continue to maintain our priority to Iowa schools and Iowa students,” Dolecheck says. “…One percent is the most we can do.” Democrats say schools are struggling to make ends meet and need at least a three percent boost in general state taxpayer support. Representative Jo Oldson is a Democrat from Des Moines.

“We’re going to short-change our kids in the K-12 system,” Oldsen says, “the very kids we’re going to rely on to be our workforce in the future.” Other Democrats complained the state would have more to spend on schools if big businesses like Apple and Google hadn’t been handed big state tax breaks. Democratic Representative Todd Prichard of Charles City says it’s time to set new priorities.

“We are adding to the decay of rural Iowa by not making the proper investments into our public education system,” Prichard says. Representative Walt Rogers, a Republican from Cedar Falls, says Republicans in recent years have either voted to forward the same amount or approved an increase in state support for K-through-12 public schools.

“In an economy that has been stagnant in the past eight years, we have done a pretty good job of taking care of education,” Rogers says. Senate Republicans are planning to endorse the one percent general state funding boost for schools this (Wednesday) evening. That would send the proposal to Governor Kim Reynolds. Reynolds signaled Monday she’d approve the plan.

(Radio Iowa)

BLOOMFIELD, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified human remains found in a burned-out car in southeast Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Safety said Wednesday the remains found Saturday were of 63-year-old Sharon Kay Moritz, of Northwood.

A farmer found the burned-out car in Davis County, southeast of the small community of Pulaski. Deputies responded and found the human remains inside. The car was a 2006 white Chevrolet Impala that was registered to Moritz.

Investigators say Moritz has family in the Davis County area. Results of an autopsy by the Office of the State Medical Examiner will be completed in four to six week.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Arthritis isn’t always from the wear and tear of getting older — younger adults too often get it after suffering knee or ankle injuries. New research suggests it might one day be possible to stave off that painful legacy.

University of Iowa scientists used pigs to mimic what happens with a broken ankle. They found joint injuries make the energy factories inside cartilage cells go haywire — and that injecting certain drugs right after the injury blocked the damage and preserved the animals’ cartilage.

More research is needed to test if such an approach might work in people. For now, doctors say the best advice is to guard an old injury against more wear and tear by strengthening the muscles that support that joint.

The Iowa research was published Wednesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some school superintendents in Iowa say a K-12 education spending plan moving through the Legislature will not keep up with rising annual costs for their districts and will lead to budget cuts.

Lawmakers in the Republican-controlled chambers scheduled floor votes Wednesday to approve $32 million in new funding. That’s a 1 percent increase to Iowa’s $3.2 billion K-12 education budget, the largest expenditure in a roughly $7.2 billion state budget.

Officials in the Des Moines school district, the state’s largest, say it will lead to more than $11 million in cuts. In more rural school districts, superintendents warned financial obligations like putting new money toward employee retirement plans will eat up a lot of the new appropriations.

Republicans say public education is a priority at the Capitol amid budget constraints.

Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, was just named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. CCMH CEO Brett Altman said “This is the second year in a row that we have received this recognition, and it is a tribute to the outstanding work our employees do every day to create a superior experience for our patients.

Altman said also, “We are very proud of this accomplishment, which achieves one of our overarching goals for 2018.” Cass County Memorial Hospital scored in the top 100 of Critical Access Hospitals on iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®. The INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural provider performance and its results are the basis for many of rural healthcare’s most prominent awards, advocacy efforts and legislative initiatives.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a traffic stop Tuesday afternoon resulted in a pursuit. A Deputy had attempted to stop a Porsche Cayenne at around 1:35 p.m., for having no front license plate. When the vehicle failed to yield, a pursuit ensued for about eight-miles. The driver, 26-year-old Dylan Hoffman, of Council Bluffs, eventually crashed the expensive SUV into a marked Pott. County Sheriff’s cruiser near Macedonia, at 370^th and Pioneer Trail and was placed into custody. Hoffman was charged with Eluding, Driving While License Under Suspension, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of a Controlled Substance – Methamphetamine, and OWI 1^st Offense. He also had two outstanding warrants for Probation Violation out of Council Bluffs. Deputies seized a baggy of meth, and a glass pipe with a white residue inside.

The Sheriff’s Office reports also, 41-year old Brandy Michelle Portrey, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 4-p.m. Tuesday, on a warrant for Contempt of Court/Failure to Appear. She was located at the Pott. County Courthouse and transported to the Pottawattamie County Jail. Also arrested at the Courthouse was 37-year old Melson Antonio Arevalo, of Council Bluffs. He was arrested on a warrant for Domestic Assault/1st offense.

And, 42-year old David Lee Frazier, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 11:15-p.m. Tuesday, on a warrant for Compulsory Education Violation/1st Offense. The man was taken into custody after he returned to the scene of a scene of a property damage accident that resulted in $1,500 damage to his vehicle, which slid off the road at Big Lake Park. Frazier was also cited for Failure to Maintain Control. Authorities say alcohol was a factor in the accident, but because he tested within the legal limit, no charge was filed.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Procter & Gamble has announced it will cut 500 jobs over nearly two years at an Iowa City plant as it shifts production to a new factory in West Virginia. The Press-Citizen reports that the Iowa City plant’s production of shampoos, conditioners and body washes will be transferred to the new plant at Tabler Station, West Virginia, by late 2020. Production of mouthwashes and toothbrushes will remain in Iowa City.

The company says about 700 workers will remain in Iowa City, where P&G operates three facilities. The company said in a news release that it is also closing its plant in Kansas City, Kansas — which produces dishwashing detergents and related chemicals — as part of the production change.

(*Clarification)

Cass County Landfill Director Brandi Mericle today (Wednesday) spoke about the issues concerning long-term financing the facility is working to resolve. In speaking with KJAN’s Jim Field during our “Heartbeat Today” program, Mericle said the tipping fees are insufficient to meet their needs if they are to remain a viable. She said they’re about to construct a slightly less than one-acre cell with a liner to protect the groundwater, for about $400,000. That doesn’t take into account the regulations and rules coming down the road from the DNR and EPA.

All of the communities in Cass County and the unincorporated areas are part of a 28-E cost sharing agreement to support the landfill as necessary. *The Landfill’s Board set the fee at $12 per person per year. The City of Atlantic will assess 38-cents per thousand dollars of valuation to pay its share. Not all cities in the County are using property taxes.

The tipping fees themselves will remain unchanged at $10 minimum depending on the size of the pickup load, or $100 per ton. She said that they “Are always evaluating our operations to make the landfill as efficient as possible and keep it viable for the future.”

Atlantic City Administrator John Lund said last week, people should notice the change on the property tax bill in January, 2019. Mayor Jones said the City of Atlantic will contribute about $85,000, rural county $42,000. Atlantic will receive its first bill and the end of the 1st Quarter, which is in Sept., 2018.

(Listen to the full interview with Brandi Mericle on our podcasts page found under Heartbeat Today, at kjan.com)