( Adair & Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Separate Public hearings will be held Monday evening (March 24, 2025) in Adair and Guthrie Center, for patrons of the Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center Community School Districts. Both meetings are with regard to the Proposed 2025-26 Property Tax rate in the districts.

The meeting in Guthrie Center will be held at 6-p.m. in the AC/GC High School Media Center. The meeting in Adair is at 7-p.m., in the AC/GC Junior High Media Center.

During each meeting, the public may present their comments to the respective school district’s Board of Education. No action will be taken during the informational sessions.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak arrested a man on assault and drug charges early this (Sunday) morning. Authorities say 62-year-old David Lawrence Howe, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 3:20-a.m. in the 400 block of E. Corning Street. Howe was charged with Assault – a Simple Misdemeanor. He was also charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Deliver – Methamphetamine. Howe was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $10,000 bond.

(DES MOINES, IA) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board, Friday, approved awards for companies established in Ankeny and Cedar Rapids, which will assist in the creation of 16 jobs and result in $72.7 million in new capital investment for the state. The board also approved assistance for startups in Ames, Coralville and Fairfield. In addition, a project in West Branch received a Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grant and an event in Polk County received a Sports Tourism Marketing grant. IEDA recently approved assistance from Iowa’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Innovation Fund for a startup in Clive.

Mrs. Clark’s Foods to expand in Ankeny
Mrs. Clark’s Foods manufactures liquid food products including juices, salad dressing, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce, distributing them nationally and internationally. The company plans to construct a 90-000-square-foot building and purchase new equipment to accommodate an additional line. The project represents a $25.7 million capital investment and is expected to create 12 jobs, of which one is incented at a qualifying wage of $35.71 per hour. The board awarded the company tax benefits through the High Quality Jobs (HQJ) program.

Ingredion to construct new facility in Cedar Rapids
Ingredion is an ingredients solution company that makes sweeteners, starches, nutrition ingredients and biomaterials used in everyday products from foods and beverages to paper and pharmaceuticals. The company plans to construct a new 9,000-square-foot facility with electrical upgrades and additional equipment for a corn starch dryer, storage and bulk loading process that will serve to meet the growing demand for plant-based products. The project represents a $47 million capital investment and was awarded tax benefits through the HQJ program. It is expected to create four jobs incented at a qualifying wage of $32.64 per hour.

Awards made to three startups
Ames-based Janas Materials, Inc. develops sustainable technology for the coating industry that improves the appearance and application of wood stains. Their product in development is an additive for water-based stains made by coating manufacturers to achieve the same quality color consistency as oil-based stains, but as a more environmentally friendly alternative. The company was awarded a $100,000 Demonstration Fund loan for product refinement, key personnel and equipment.

Poultry Patrol, Inc., based in Coralville, created a poultry tending robot to stimulate bird movement in turkey barns and alert farmers of spills, health and maintenance. The robot’s support in the animal husbandry process keeps the turkeys healthier and saves farmers time and money. The company was awarded a $50,000 Proof of Commercial Relevance (POCR) loan for key personnel and proof of concept work.

Fairfield’s Better Natural, LLC developed technology to integrate roof sheathing, roof cover and solar energy in one single layer. This technology allows them to lower manufacturing and installation costs and create more visually appealing solar energy systems that look like roofing tiles. The company was awarded a $50,000 POCR loan for key personnel and equipment.

Award recommendations for these funds are made by the Technology Commercialization Committee to the IEDA Board for approval.

CAT grant awarded to presidential library and museum
The Hoover Presidential Foundation was awarded $400,000 to redesign the 60-year-old Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum and expand it to allow for new exhibitions that emphasize the Hoovers’ contributions. With Iowa being one of only ten states to host a presidential library and museum and one of two located within a national park, the modernized museum will have a national impact. The total project cost is nearly $13.7 million.

The CAT program provides financial assistance to communities for the construction of recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa. Award recommendations for these funds are made by the CAT Review Committee to the IEDA Board for approval.

Sports Tourism grant awarded to national event
Polk County was awarded $50,000 for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts Fight Night at Wells Fargo Arena. The promotion for this event will be heavily targeted to an audience within a three-to-four-mile radius of Des Moines through digital advertising. The total project cost is $100,000.

The Sports Tourism program provides financial assistance for projects that market or promote professional, collegiate or amateur level sporting events in Iowa. Award recommendations for these funds are made by the Sports Tourism Review Committee to the IEDA Board for approval.

SSBCI funding awarded to Clive startup this month
MOD Advisor, Inc., headquartered in Clive, automates the process of performing workers’ compensation experience mod analysis for insurance brokers and carriers. This software helps businesses make an instant decision on claims with a more efficient and simplified real-time analysis between policyholder, broker and carrier. The company was awarded a $250,000 Innovation Acceleration Launch Fund loan for proof of concept work, product refinement, key personnel and market planning and entry activities.

Award recommendations for the SSBCI Innovation Fund assistance are made by the SSBCI Review Committee to the IEDA director for approval. The committee met on March 11, 2025, to review eligible applications.

(Griswold, Iowa) – A Public Hearing with regard to the Proposed FY 26 Property Tax Levy for the Griswold Community School District (As compared to the final FY25 levy), will take place Monday during the District’s Budget Hearing, which begins at 5:30-p.m. The meeting takes place in the Conference Room at the High School, in Griswold. Following the hearing, the Board will:

• Consider and act on approving an Employee Transfer, Work-Based Learning Program and the new hire of a Coordinator.
• Discuss and act on the Girl’s Wrestling Program, and Possible Formation of an Ad Hoc Committee.
• Consider and act on approving a Middle School Boy’s Basketball Coach
• Consider and approve a Participation Agreement for FY26 Local Government Risk Pool.
• Consider and approve Mowing Bids
• and, Consider and approve Driver’s Education fees.

The Board will also consider entering into closed sessions (as allowed by the Code of Iowa) for personnel matters, including the annual performance review of the Board Secretary.  An exempt session will follow their regular business, for the purpose of discussing strategy in matters relating to negotiating sessions as allowed under the Code of Iowa.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop at the intersection of Highway 34 and Ironwood Avenue in Red Oak, at around 2:30-a.m. today (Saturday), resulted in an arrest. According to Red Oak Police, 29-year-old Cade Kenrick Confer, of Red Oak, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense – an Aggravated Misdemeanor. Confer was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.

(Washington, D-C/Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation have introduced legislation they say will help lower drug costs. U.S. Congress for the most part had not met this past week, with most of the attention on national politics focusing on President Donald Trump’s moves to close the U.S. Department of Education and militarize a part of the U.S.-Mexico border. Still, Iowa’s federal legislators introduced several measures this week, including proposals dealing with the cost of pharmaceuticals.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks reintroduced the Delinking Revenue from Unfair Gouging (DRUG) Act Tuesday, a bill focused on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the third-party businesses that negotiate prescription drug prices between drug manufacturers, health insurance companies and pharmacies. The Iowa representative also introduced the measure in 2024.

Miller-Meeks’ proposal would require PBMs to charge a flat fee for their service in negotiating prices on a certain drug instead of charging using a percentage of the drug price. The current practice of charging based on a percentage of the drug’s costs incentivizes PBMs to promote the use of higher-cost medicines, according to a news release from Miller-Meeks’ office, which “takes money away from patients.”

Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation proposed legislation aiming to address high prescription drug prices. (Photo illustration by Clark Kauffman/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

In the Senate, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley co-introduced a bill that would attempt to stop pharmaceutical manufacturers from attempting to shut out competitors by “product hopping.”

“Product hopping” refers to practices by some pharmaceutical companies to coercively move patients using a branded drug that has an expiring patent to a new patented drug in an effort to stop patients from moving to a generic version of the original product. According to a news release from Grassley, some manufacturers use tactics like destroying the inventory of their old product, raising its price or stating it is unsafe in attempts to discourage people from using the drug.

Grassley, alongside Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, introduced the “Drug Competition Enhancement Act” Monday that would make product hopping” an antitrust violation. Companies engaging in this practice could face enforcement action from the Federal Trade Commission, including being brought to court.

The Iowa Republican said the bipartisan measure would help bring down drug prices by preventing companies from engaging in anti-competitive practices.

(Fontanelle, Iowa) – A Special Meeting of the CAM & Nodaway Valley Community School District Boards of Education is set to take place at 6-p.m. Monday, with regard to the search for a new Superintendent. The Board meeting at the Nodaway Valley Middle School Media Center, begins at 6-p.m. The session will be closed to the public, as the Board will be reviewing a list of Superintendent candidates.

Both Boards will hold another joint session on March 31st at the CAM Middle School Media Room in Massena, to narrow the list of candidates to three. Then, on Monday, April 7th, the three finalists will be interviewed by both Boards of Education.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report a man from Stanton was arrested Friday night on a Theft charge. 62-year-old Timothy Jay Slobodnik was arrested a little after 7-p.m. on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree – a Simple Misdemeanor. Slobodnik was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) are conducting an investigation into the deaths of two men whose bodies were discovered Friday afternoon in eastern Cass County.

According to Cass County Sheriff John Westering, authorities were notified about the incident at around 1:15 p.m.  When Deputies arrived on the scene, they found one man deceased outside of a residence and another dead inside of an outbuilding.

The Sheriff Westering said that while the cause of death’s was not immediately known and under investigation, there was no reason for concern. Additional information concerning the location of the incident and names of the deceased individuals was not immediately released.

(Radio Iowa) – The Honduran man charged with killing an Iowa woman in 2016 is back in the United States, where he will stand trial for Sarah Root’s death. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst was at the Omaha airport when Eswin Mejia arrived late this (Friday) afternoon.

“He will now face justice for taking the life of a young Iowan over nine years ago,” Ernst said. Twenty-one-year-old Sarah Root of Council Bluffs — who had just graduated from college hours earlier — was at a red light in Omaha when her vehicle was struck and she died at the scene. Meija, who was in the country illegally, was arrested and accused of drunk driving. He posted a five-thousand dollar bond, was released and disappeared.

On February 27th of this year, Honduras officials notified the Trump Administration they had Meija in custody and he was extradited to the U-S today (Friday). “Thankfully the Trump Administration never ever forgot Sarah Root’s story. Together we fought for justice to hold the illegal immigrant who took her life accountable,” Ernst said. “…Now Mejia will face the consequences of his actions.”

Ernst notified the Root family earlier this (Friday) afternoon that Meija was being flown to the U-S and she spoke with Sarah Root’s mother, Michelle. “I have never heard her sound this strong and this good. She was very, very excited to know that Mejia was going to be touching down here on U.S. soil,” Ernst said. “…This has been nine years in the making. She was just very elated…and so thankful that we never, ever gave up on finding Eswin Mejia.”

Eswin Mejia (US Dept. of Homeland Security photo)

Trump met with Root’s mother and her father, Scott Root, in mid-2016 and Trump talked about their daughter’s death on the campaign trail. The first bill Trump signed into law this year includes what’s called “Sarah’s Law.” It requires authorities to detain any illegal immigrant who is accused of murdering or seriously injuring someone in the U-S. Ernst and other members of Iowa’s congressional delegation had sponsored the legislation for the past eight years. “While it’s too late for Sarah, the Roots can rest knowing that Sarah’s killer will be held accountable and this administration is taking action to prevent this from happening to someone else’s daughter,” Ernst said. M

eija is being held in Omaha. U-S Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted photos of Meija’s flight on social media and wrote that President Trump is putting the safety of Americans first and will no longer allow murderers and criminal illegal aliens to be released into American communities.