(Radio Iowa) – The governor will soon decide whether to establish a new committee to help navigate the re-alignment of high school athletic conferences. Senator Sandy Salmon of Janesville says state education officials believe they lack the authority under current law to help Waverly-Shell Rock and Decorah find new conferences.

Salmon says it’s been tough for Decorah and Waverly-Shell Rock to schedule games because other schools are obligated to play schools within their athletic conference.

The bill directs the Iowa High School Athletic Union and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union to establish a conference realignment committee. Nine superintendents and nine athletic directors would serve on the panel, evaluate a school’s request to join a new conference and issue a decision. Schools could appeal that decision to the director of the Iowa Department of Education.

The bill cleared the Iowa House unanimously on March 13th. It passed the Senate today by a 47-to-one vote. Adrian Dickey of Packwood was the only senator to vote against the bill.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – March 25, 2025 – If you drive on Interstate 29 in Woodbury and Monona Counties you need to be aware of upcoming utility work that may slow down your trip, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 3 Office.

On Wednesday, March 26, and Thursday, March 27, weather permitting, there will be rolling closures of up to 20 minutes at a time in both directions of I-29 in Woodbury and Monona Counties. These closures are necessary so crews can restore permanent power lines across I-29 that blew down during the blizzard on March 19.

You should expect the rolling road closures in the following locations on I-29:

• Mile marker 138 near Sargent Bluff in Woodbury County on Wednesday, March 26 at 11:30 a.m.
• Mile markers 105 and 106 in Monona County on Thursday, March 27 starting around 9:30 a.m.

Portable message signs along the roadway will give you advanced warning of the road closures. The Iowa State Patrol will be providing traffic control in the work zones.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Council Bluffs woman and man were sentenced on March 20, 2025 to federal prison for their roles in conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Heather Lee Vore, 34, and Nicholas Carl Thomas, 42, facilitated the distribution of methamphetamine in Council Bluffs, Omaha, and elsewhere. Vore sent money to a drug source of supply in Mexico, and recruited others, including Thomas, to communicate with the Mexican source of supply and send money to Mexico for meth.

On January 16, 2025, Vore received a ten-year prison sentence, followed by a five-year term of supervised release. On March 20, 2025, Thomas received a twelve-year sentence, followed by a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department.

( Greenfield, Iowa) – County Auditor Mandy Berg and Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate are alerting voters they may be receiving important mailers in the coming weeks as part of annual voter registration list maintenance and ongoing audit processes. Voters in Adair County may receive notices from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office as part of the National Change of Address (NCOA) process as well as ‘No Activity” notices. Both mailers are expected to reach affected Iowa voters in late March or early April. As part of the annual NCOA process, voters who have filed a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service will receive notices to update their voter registration. Iowa’s election officials encourage voters to respond to these mail cards quickly, confirm their correct address, and return them to the county auditor’s office.

This mailing establishes compliance with the National Voter Registration Act, which requires periodic contact with voters to confirm the most accurate information is on file. A separate mailer regarding voter activity may also be sent to voters in Adair County. Registered Iowa voters who did not participate in the 2024 General Election have been transferred to an “inactive” status and will receive a notice in the mail to confirm their current residential address. Voters can reactivate their activity status by simply responding to this notice—voters who do not respond will remain in “inactive” status.

Registered voters who are “inactive” can also return to “active” status by requesting an absentee ballot, voting in an election, submitting a new registration, or updating their voter registration. This procedure is part of the Secretary of State’s ongoing voter registration list audits and maintenance processes and is required under a state law passed in 2021.

“Ongoing voter registration list audits and maintenance processes are critical to keeping Iowa voter rolls clean and accurate,” said Secretary Pate. “While we encourage Iowans to keep their voter registrations up-to-date, Iowa’s Same-Day Voter Registration safeguard ensures Iowans can register and vote on Election Day—ensuring every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot.”

Voters who have any questions regarding their voter registration status should contact the Adair County Auditor’s office at (641) 743-2546. Iowa voters can check or update their voter registration status at any time at VoterReady.Iowa.Gov.

[Elk Horn, IA] – (In an update to our previous story posted this morning, Exira-EHK shared Superintendent Trevor Miller issued a press release:)

“After extensive research, community input, and careful deliberation, the Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton CSD Board of Education has officially approved a transition to a four-day student instructional week, effective at the start of the 2025-2026 school year. The decision was made during the most recent board meeting on 3/24/25, where the action item was approved with a 6-1 vote.

“The change is designed to strengthen teacher retention and recruitment efforts, addressing instructional vacancies while maintaining high-quality education for students. In recent years, schools across the state have faced challenges in hiring and retaining qualified educators. The new schedule aims to provide a more supportive work environment while continuing to prioritize student learning.

“The decision followed an extensive research process, including multiple community-wide surveys and town hall style meetings. The survey results demonstrated strong support for the transition, with 85% of staff, parents, and community members in favor of the change. We deeply value the input of our community, and this decision reflects a collaborative effort to ensure our students receive the best possible education,” said Superintendent Trevor Miller. “Our goal is to maintain an environment where educators feel supported, and students continue to thrive.”

The district will provide additional details in the coming months regarding scheduling, academic adjustments, and support services for families. More information will be available through district communications.

Exira-EHK Administrative Team
Middle/High

(Ringgold County, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has canceled the upcoming Prairie Chicken Day due to the decline in the local population to the point where staff have only observed sporadic use by a few male prairie chickens of the main Kellerton Lek.

Prairie Chicken

The effort to return the prairie chicken to Ringgold County, Iowa, and Harrison County, Missouri, had begun in 1987, when wild birds captured primarily in Kansas and Nebraska, with a few coming from South Dakota, were released in the area. Ringgold and Decatur counties had been identified as offering the best habitat to support prairie chickens in Iowa.

The last significant translocation effort was in 2017. Since then, the population has shown a steady decline with a few years of stability, but no significant increases to indicate a growing population have been recorded.

(Radio Iowa) – The recent snow and rain could help Iowa improve drought conditions was we move out of March and into April. The Iowa D-N-R’s Jessica McIntyre says she sees changes when looking back at the Drought Monitor for the start of March. “Especially in central Iowa, where there was what was considered D-1 or moderate drought, has now been downgraded to D-zero, which is abnormally dry, so that’s an improvement. And there’s also another section in eastern Iowa that also had that similar trend,” she says. Several areas of the state with drought got snow and rain last week. McIntyre says there will be some help as the snow melts with warmer temperatures.

“Not sure how much impact it will have immediately, just because we’re still kind of in that transition time when the ground is still somewhat frozen,” she says. McIntire says things are looking okay as we head into what are normally wetter spring months. “We get normal or above normal precipitation over the next couple of months, yeah, I think we’ll be in pretty good shape, especially when we compare ourselves to a year or two years ago. We are sitting pretty good right now,” McIntire says.

McIntire says the driest months of the year are behind us and there should be improvement as we move toward spring planting.

(Elk Horn, Iowa) – Another Iowa School District has approved transitioning from a traditional five-day school week to four days, effective with the start of the 2025-26 school year. Exira-EHK shared Superintendent Trevor Miller said the Board’s 6-to-1 vote to go ahead with the change, followed discussion that was held during the Exira-EHK School Board meeting Monday evening (March 24th). The concept of a four-day school week for the district was first floated before the board and public back in Sept/Oct. 2024, and included additional meetings and district patron surveys.

The 25-26 School Year will start August 25th.

Miller says they will be working on ways to provide daycare opportunities for those needing it on Mondays.

According to the latest data, 18 public school districts now primarily use four-day school weeks. In southwest Iowa that includes the East Union and Sidney Community School Districts. More than 1,600 school districts in 24 U.S. states are operating a four-day school week. The Stanton Community School District is also exploring the possibility of a 4-day school week for the 2025-26 school year. The Stanton School Board will hold an informational parent meeting in the Stanton Gym on Wednesday, March 26th, at 6:00 pm.

In other business, the Exira-EHK School Board approved Non-Certified, Principal, SBO/HR and Superintendent raises, as well as one-year extension of Superintendent Miller’s contract. They also approved numerous personnel matters (resignations, hires and transfers), including some coaching positions.

The Board also passed a resolution to continue participation in the Instructional Support Program (ISL).

(Radio Iowa) – A “Freedom to Garden Act” has passed the Iowa Senate unanimously.  “This bill addresses a growing concern — literally growing our own food.” That’s Senator Cherielynn Westrich of Ottumwa, the bill’s floor manager. The bill would forbid state and local governments from regulating vegetable gardens on property the gardener owns or rents. “In other states, heavy handed regulators have used local zoning ordinances to explicitly ban home vegetable gardens or to put up unreasoable rules governing what homeowners may grow and where they can plant their food,” she said, “with heavy fines levied for violating these mandates”

The bill says Iowans have a right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume food they grow in their own garden — and home gardeners would have a right to sell what they grow. “In my view, this is a basic human right,” Westrich said. “Wisconsin has similar legislation and has added protections into their constitution as well and legislation has sprouted up in states like Florida and Illinois and others.”

There are some exceptions to the bill. It would still be illegal to grow marijuana. A section of the bill would give Iowans who object to a neighbor’s garden a chance to go to court and get a judge to declare the garden a public nuisance. According to the National Gardening Association’s 2024 survey, over 43 percent of Americans grew some fruits or vegetables to eat at home.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A public hearing was held this (Tuesday) morning in Atlantic, with regard to the proposed Property Tax Levy in Cass County. Auditor Kathy Somers explained the tax rate, as proposed, and which property owners should have received by now.

The rate is lower, she said because of some reductions approved by the Board of Supervisors.

There were only two comments made by the public during the meeting, including from a former resident of the County, and another who said in general, taxes are “way out of hand,” as described in information from Iowans for Tax Relief.

The Board took no action on the proposed levy at this time.