DES MOINES, Iowa (Iowa News Service/Mike Moen) – Landlords of larger apartment complexes in Iowa would have to disclose monthly utility costs to potential renters, in a bill now in the state Legislature. The proposal has already cleared the Iowa Senate with bipartisan support and is now up for consideration in the House. It would require owners of buildings with at least 12 units to provide a monthly estimate for all utilities before a lease is finalized. Republican Sen. Zach Nunn of Polk County supports the measure. He says renters are often focused on just how much the rent will cost, and are sometimes caught off guard when utility bills arrive.

“A lot of individuals might find themselves paying rent that is either affordable, or right at their cap,” says Nunn, “only later to discover – once they’re locked into a lease – that there’s a very expensive utility bill associated with it because the property is not well maintained.” Nunn says if a prospective renter knows if the utilities are costly, they might seek better options. But the bill is opposed by several groups, including the Iowa Landlord Association, which says it would place too much of a burden on landlords when renters can get that information from the utility companies.

Nunn counters that landlords can get the information just as easily. He adds that providing it could also be beneficial to building owners, because it give them ‘points’ for transparency. “Truth and transparency in a monthly cost for a renter is actually good for good landlords,” says Nunn. “And it’s good for the energy efficiency of the state. ” The Iowa Environmental Council is throwing its support behind the bill, saying it would convince more landlords to make upgrades that would reduce the carbon footprints of their properties.

(Radio Iowa) — A celebration kicks off today (Friday) to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote. Doris Kelley is the chair of the celebration committee. “We’ve been working on the 19th Amendment Centennial Commemoration since 2017. There’s a number of organizations involved in this endeavor — as a matter of fact, there are 17 different organizations — and then you add the league (of women voters) to it and the 11 chapters, we come up to 28 different organizations involved,” Kelley says.

Kelley says they took some time to come up with the theme. “Hard won, not done. That is the theme for the 19th Amendment Centennial Commemoration statewide,” she says. Kelley says the “hard won” part is the 70 years it took fighting to get the vote. And the “not done” part is the work to continue gaining equality for women in a number of areas. “Women do not make the same salary — there’s a lot of issues — and it appears that in many instances, women are taking a step back,” Kelley says. “So, definitely we’re not done. There is more work that has to be done.”

The opening event is this (Friday) morning in Ames. “That will take place at the Iowa State University Memorial Union and it will start at 11:30. It’s free to the public and we’ll start, believe it or not, the Iowa P-B-S premiere of “Carrie Chapman Catt Warrior For Women” documentary, and then we will have different activities throughout the day,” Kelley says. You can go to the celebration website to find out more about the events: ( https://19th-amendment-centennial.org/events)

WATERLOO, Iowa (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier) — A man accused of robbing and killing a marijuana peddler in Waterloo is waiting to hear what jurors say. The trial of 18-year-old Quintarius Brown began last week. He’s charged with robbery and first-degree murder for the slaying of Cedric “Skee” Craft on Dec. 11, 2017. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that a prosecutor said Brown and others had gone to Craft’s home and pretended to be interested in buying marijuana, and then Brown shot Craft in the face. Defense attorney Matthew Hoffey attacked the credibility of the state’s witnesses and told jurors there were inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case.

Officials with the Creston Police Department today (Friday) said 48-year old Terry Allen McKinney, of Creston, was arrested Thursday afternoon at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. McKinney was taken into custody for Violation of a No Contact Order. He was subsequently released on a Promise to Appear in Court.

And, a woman residing in the 200 block of W. Montgomery Street, in Creston, reported to Police on Thursday, that sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, someone broke into her car and took several items. They include: a red and black twist computer; white and pink clothes with a duffle bag, and a Black and Decker tool box. The loss was estimated at $2,250.

SPENCER, Iowa (AP) — Firefighters battling flames at a house fire in northwest Iowa have found a body. The blaze was reported a little after 8 a.m. Thursday in Spencer. Firefighters report that flames were visible when they arrived. They found the body inside the house. The person’s name hasn’t been released. An autopsy was ordered. The fire cause is being investigated.