WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy as well as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee issued the following statement in regard to President Trump’s threat to place a new tariff on Mexico:

“It’s clear that we need to address the unprecedented flow of illegal immigrants coming across our border day in and day out; and it’s imperative that Mexico step up and do its part to stop the stream of these migrants. That being said, the livelihoods of Iowa farmers and producers are at stake. The USMCA would provide much-needed certainty to our agriculture community, at a time when they need it. If the president goes through with this, I’m afraid progress to get this trade agreement across the finish line will be stifled. While I support the need for comprehensive border security and a permanent fix to illegal immigration, this isn’t the right path forward. I’m asking the president to reconsider, and for Democrats to work with us to find a solution to the humanitarian crisis at our southern border.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The National Weather Service has confirmed seven tornadoes hit Iowa as storms raked the state earlier this week. The Des Moines Register reports that all the twisters that hit Wednesday were weak, with winds under 95 mph. The weather service confirmed an EF-1 tornado in Poweshiek County that injured a man and damaged a farmstead near Barnes City. The other six confirmed tornadoes, all classified as EF-0, made brief touchdowns in Hardin County near Owasa, Eldora and north of Iowa Falls, and Sac, Pocahontas and Humboldt counties. No injuries and minimal damage was reported from those twisters.

National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Cogil in Des Moines says the weakest confirmed Iowa tornado from Wednesday had wind speeds that topped out at 70 mph.

(Radio Iowa) — An environmental group has bought an 830-acre property in western Iowa’s Loess (Luss) Hills for two-and-a-half million dollars with plans preserve its native prairie. The Nature Conservancy in Iowa has been talking with a landowner for decades about acquiring his property in Plymouth County to preserve the landscape. The Conservancy’s Graham McGaffin says they were aware of some competing interests to convert the property to smaller parcels or use some of the Loess Hills dirt for construction needs.

“The high quality prairie that’s here, we knew that would be a true loss if either of those outcomes occurred,” McGaffin says. The land links two other protected properties for a combined almost three-thousand acres in the northern Loess Hills.”It buffers two protected properties by the Iowa D-N-R so it’s kind of a puzzle piece in there,” McGaffin says.

He says the land will be great for migrating birds and other wildlife. “You know, it’s amazing to find a piece of ground not only that’s this large but has this amount of high quality native loess hills prairie,” according to McGaffin. They’ll eventually transfer the property — named the Hummel tract — to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to manage. The public will be able to hunt and hike there.

(Thanks Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) — A woman who many consider to be a presidential candidate of the future will be the keynote speaker at Senator Joni Ernst’s fundraiser next month. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for the past two years. Ernst and Haley recorded a brief video about the 5th annual Roast and Ride fundraiser for Ernst’s 2020 campaign.

File photo: Sen. Joni Ernst on the 2016 “Roast and Ride.” (photo from Radio Iowa)

“I’m so excited to be supporting Joni and can’t wait to see all the Harley riders and go see everybody in Iowa,” Haley said. “We’re going to have a blast.”

Haley left her role as U.N. Ambassador at the end of 2018. She has a book coming out in November. It’s titled “With All Due Respect: Defending America with Grit and Grace.” Haley, the daughter of immigrants from India, is the first woman and first minority to be elected South Carolina’s governor. She endorsed Marco Rubio before the 2016 South Carolina Primary.

After Rubio exited the race, Haley backed Ted Cruz. Haley tamped down speculation she might challenge Trump in 2020 and has endorsed Trump’s bid for a second term.

(Radio Iowa) — Temporary barriers in Hamburg that have been keeping floodwater at bay have been extended. An earthen berm was built along the western side of Hamburg after March flooding swamped the city and three feet of dirt was added to the top of the berm this week. Fremont County Emergency Management coordinator Mike Crecelius says Hesco barriers in the center of Hamburg have been fortified as well.

“Where the city had installed the first set of Hesco bags, the Corps has gone in there and reinstalled a double set of Hesco bags,” Crecelius says, “so that if the water does get into town, hopefully the Hesco bags hold up and it’ll only get that far.”

After making some progress in recovery efforts, previously flooded areas in southwest Iowa are being flooded again due to recent heavy rains. Travel in the area is dicey. Many roads that were cleared and reopened are closed again due to this new round of flooding. Crecelius says sight-seers are another concern.

“With the Hesco bags set up down there, we don’t need a bunch of traffic going through there and possibly damaging or destroying that barrier that the Corps of Engineers has set up for the city,” Crecelius says. A new weather pattern would be welcome, according to Crecelius.

“A lot of nice warm days and a nice summer breeze would be nice right about now,” Crecelius says. “It would help some things dry out and might help evaporate a little bit of this water. Not a whole lot of it, but some of it would be evaporated for us.” Crecelius says more than 10-and-a-half inches of rain has fallen in the Hamburg area this month, making the flood situation even worse.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:57 a.m. CDT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to increase releases of water Saturday from the Gavin’s Point Dam into the Missouri River. Missouri River Basin Management Chief John Remus said Thursday that the Corps is increasing releases because of water on the ground and runoff into the Oahe and Fort Randall reservoirs in South Dakota. He said the releases would increase by 5,000 cubic feet per second, to 75,000 cfs.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Midwestern farmers are enduring a spring like no other. Most of the nation’s corn and soybeans are grown in the Midwest, and farmers in the region have for years struggled with low prices that got even worse due to a trade dispute between the U.S. and China. Amid those problems, farmers haven’t been able to plant because of seemingly endless storms. President Donald Trump promised $16 billion in aid but that led to confusion because details about the payments won’t be released until later.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — An ex-nurse at the Independence Mental Health Institute is blaming changes to collective bargaining rules for a decision to fire her after a patient severely beat her last fall. The Des Moines Register reports Tina Suckow was fired in March, days after her federally entitled medical leave expired. A patient beat Suckow with his fists last October, requiring surgeries and neurological treatments. Suckow and union leaders blame reduced staffing and more limited bargaining rights approved in 2017.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Officials in the eastern Iowa city of Davenport say the city is building a bigger flood barrier in the wake of a breach in April that sent floodwaters rushing into downtown streets. Davenport City Administrator Corri Spiegel tells the Quad-City Times that the city will build larger flood walls when there is a high probability the river cresting above 21 feet. Days after the last temporary barrier broke on April 30, the river hit a historic crest of 22.7 feet.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) officials have used the state’s safe haven procedures for the 35th time since the law went into effect. A boy was born May 17, 2019, at an Iowa hospital and the infant was released to the custody of DHS.

A court hearing to terminate parental rights is held within a month. Specific details are withheld in order to protect the identity of the parents and the child.

Through Iowa’s safe haven law, parents have the option to safely hand over custody of babies age 30 days or younger without fear of prosecution for abandonment. The parent, or their authorized representative, can leave the newborn at a hospital or health care facility, and can remain anonymous.

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.

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

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to increase releases of water Saturday from the Gavin’s Point Dam into the Missouri River.

Missouri River Basin Management Chief John Remus said Thursday the Corps is increasing releases because of water on the ground and runoff into the Oahe and Fort Randall reservoirs in South Dakota from recent rains.

He said the releases would increase by 5,000 cubic feet per second, to 75,000 cfs. The Corps also increased releases Wednesday.

Remus said the Corps is keeping its releases at the Garrison Dam in North Dakota at 15,000 cfs to offset other water flowing into the Oahe and Fort Randall reservoirs. He said the melting of mountain snow also has slowed.

The river has been high for months, and increased releases could lead to more flooding.

Des Moines, Iowa — Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division said today (Thursday), that Scott Leininger, of Spencer, was recently convicted of 2nd Degree Theft (a Class C Felony) in Clay County Iowa District Court, for filing multiple fraudulent insurance claims with his insurance carrier.

Scott Leininger

The claims sought reimbursement for damages which he alleged to have occurred to a motorized wheelchair, a biometric hand device and an elliptical rehabilitation machine. The conviction is Leininger’s second conviction this year resulting from his schemes to obtain money by defrauding his insurance carrier.

On May 28, 2019, Leininger was convicted of 2nd Degree Theft (a Class C Felony) in Clay County District Court for the theft of insurance proceeds from his insurer. He was sentenced to a five year suspended prison sentence and ordered to serve five years of probation.

On February 25, 2019, Leininger was convicted of Forgery (a Class D Felony) in Plymouth County Iowa District Court for his role in altering business invoice receipts for the same repairs to a wheelchair, biometric hand device, and the elliptical rehabilitation machine. The conviction also led to a five year suspended prison sentence and court ordered probation for a term of five years.

Both sentences will be served concurrently. Leininger’s restitution assessment is still pending in Clay County. An investigation revealed that in each fraudulent insurance claim, Leininger alleged that this equipment sustained extensive electrical damage as a result of power surges during lightning storms. To facilitate his fraud scheme, Leininger supplied the insurance carrier fabricated repair quotes and invoices for which he received insurance proceeds totaling $57,471.00 through his insurance policy.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-242-5304.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A former nurse at a state mental health center is blaming changes to collective bargaining rules for a decision to fire her after a patient severely beat her last fall.

The Des Moines Register reports Tina Suckow was fired from her job at the Independence Mental Health Institute in March, days after her federally entitled medical leave expired. Her request for time off without pay was denied.

A patient apparently experiencing a manic episode beat Suckow with his fists last October, causing her to lose consciousness and require surgeries and neurological treatments.

Suckow and union leaders blame reduced staffing and more limited bargaining rights approved in 2017 for a climate that leaves workers vulnerable. The bargaining changes limit negotiations to salary issues. State spokespeople declined to comment on Suckow’s situation.