(Radio Iowa) – A public hearing starts at 9:30 today (Thursday) in the state capitol and, by the time it ends late this (Thursday) morning, Iowans will have had about three hours to testify to lawmakers about a bill to remove gender identity from the state’s Civil Rights Act. Chuck Hurley of The Family Leader — who has testified for the bill twice this week — objects to having state Medicaid funds pay for hormone treatment and gender reassignment surgery.

“As a taxpayer, I’m outraged by having to pay for that junk medicine,” Hurley said. “As a neighbor, I’m saddened by the tragedy of forever cutting off any hope of those Iowans having biological children.” Max Mowitz is executive director of One Iowa, an advocacy organization for L-G-B-T-Q Iowans. “I’m a transgender Iowan. I love this state and I love the people here,” Mowitz said. “We deserve better than this. We deserve legislators that focus their attention on resources, housing, agriculture, cancer rates and not birth certificates.”

Evelyn Nikkel of PELLA PAC has told lawmakers having gender identity in the Civil Rights Code is wrong. “Giving protected rights to hypothetical terms used by delusional people for something that is physically non-existent…gender identity is magically elevated to a protected class with preferential treatment and unfair privileges,” Nikkel said. Berry Stevens, a 14 year old student from central Iowa, says the bill is dehumanizing. “I deserve your protection, not your harassment,” Stevens said. “Even entertaining this bill you’re hurting me and others similar to myself…I’ve been called wrong, confused, sick, indoctrinated and, just last week, a contagion because of my gender identity.”

The public hearing is scheduled to end at 11 a.m. Two people were arrested at the Capitol on Monday as several hundred people gathered to protest the bill. The viewing galleries in the House and Senate are likely to be full today (Thursday) during debate of the legislation.

(Radio Iowa) – Construction will start in a few weeks on an Agricultural Learning Center on the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Webster City, only the second facility of its kind in the state. Gene Gourley, a fifth-generation farmer from Webster City, says the plans for this ag education center have long been in the works. Gourley says donations for the center are continuing to come in and the work will begin this spring — as soon as it’s warm enough — and it should be complete by July 1st for the fair.

Webster City F-F-A advisor Kurt Veldhuizen says the state-of-the-art facility will let students see an actual representation of true industry and animal science. The first classes at the center are scheduled for late August. This is the second such center in Iowa. Muscatine is the home to the first.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says he’s encouraged by the announcement of a plan by the U-S Ag Secretary to address Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Naig says it is a five-pronged plan. “To say, what more can we do? And how can we try to get ahead of this? Of course, that’s important for producers, but also for consumers,” he says. “Obviously, we see the price of eggs and after three years of high path affecting production, now’s the time to look at some different strategies.” He says the plan has some new things and some that have been already in use. “Some additional focus on biosecurity, some more support for farmers, more compensation for some of their losses, and also now a bringing a focus to potentially bring vaccine into the picture,” Naig says. Naig says the biosecurity would help keep the disease from getting into facilities.

“U-S-D-A has had a pilot that was developed to allow for some biosecurity audits on farms. It was being piloted, and some folks in Iowa were making use of that. And I think what you saw was them saying, the pilot has worked, let’s make that nationwide, and so to provide biosecurity audits to commercial poultry producers,” he says. “And then actually, U-S-D-A has indicated they will pay some cost share on improvements to facilities that may, in fact, help to improve that biosecurity.” Naig says the use of vaccines has some issues that would have to be worked through. “Different sectors of the industry view it differently, but certainly for egg producers, vaccine makes all kinds of sense. There’s still research and development that’s needed. There’s strategies that need to be developed, trade negotiations that need to occur. So it’s not a silver bullet, and it’s not an easy answer,” Naig says.

Naig says the bird flu has taken a large toll on Iowa poultry producers. “There is some compensation paid to producers, but it’s nothing like the losses that they’re experiencing. And so that is challenging. Of course then consumers are seeing the impact as well in terms of reduced availability while demand is high. And so that’s crunching as consumers as well,” he says. He says the impact producers goes well beyond the monetary impact. “It’s quite a stressful event to go through. It’s emotionally draining. It’s very challenging. These folks, they get up every day and care for animals, to have to see them sick and disposed of is very troubling. So our hearts go out to them,” Naig says.

Naig says Ag Secretary Brook Rollins has pledged 500 million dollars to support on-farm biosecurity assessments and cost-share funding, which will help farmers make necessary infrastructure improvements. The plan also commits 400 million dollars to update indemnity tables to ensure farmers are receiving fair market rates for birds that have to be destroyed.

(Des Moines, IA) – Through the Safe Haven Law, a baby girl, born February 8, and a baby girl, born February 12, are now in the care and custody of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and will be placed with foster families until permanent placement is determined. This brings the overall total to 76 infants since the law went into effect more than two decades ago.

Iowa’s Safe Haven Act is an option for parents in crisis who determine they cannot care for an infant up to 90 days old. Designated safe havens are locations like hospitals and police and fire stations. Iowa HHS then works to place infants in an approved foster home while awaiting permanent adoption.

If you are interested in becoming a foster parent or adopting a child, visit https://iowafosterandadoption.org/ to learn more about becoming an approved foster or adoptive family. For more information on Iowa’s Safe Haven, visit https://hhs.iowa.gov/programs/CPS/safe-haven.

(Radio Iowa) -A bill to remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act cleared a Senate committee this (Wednesday) afternoon and the panel’s chairman expects the full Senate to begin debating the bill tomorrow (Thursday) morning. Democrats oppose the bill. Senator Janet Petersen of Des Moines was in the legislature in 2007 when lawmakers voted to establish civil rights protections for transgender Iowans.

“Do we want to be a state that advances civil rights or do we want to be known as a state that yanks them away?…This is a move in the wrong direction,” Petersen said. Republican Senator Jason Schultz of Schleswig says the bill is necessary to block lawsuits seeking to overturn recent laws that prohibit biological males from playing in girls sports or being in school restrooms designated for girls only.

“We find ourselves in the peculiar position of being the only state in the country in which we have the words ‘gender identity’ in the Civil Rights code and also protections for women, children and taxpayers,” Schultz said. “They are at odds.” Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner says there will be an endless stream of lawsuits based on the removal of civil rights protections for transgender Iowans. “We are opening up our state to huge amounts of taxpayer money spent to defend the indefensible,” Weiner said.

Senator Schultz responded to what he described as “rhetorical excess” from Democrats. “It is insulting to the people of Iowa, the most unrealistic cartoon and caricature of reality that you could imagine,” Schultz said.

The bill is on a fast track at the statehouse and, if the Senate AND House approve it tomorrow (Thursday), it could be signed into law by Governor Reynolds before the end of the week.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency reports shortly before 11:30-a.m., today (Wednesday), staff with the Red Oak Early Childhood Center (ROECC) detected an unknown leak coming from the ceiling in a daycare classroom in the northwest portion of the building. Facility maintenance as well as technicians for the facilities HVAC system were contacted and responded.

Children from the affected room and area were relocated within the building as a precaution. Once confirmed, it was determined that a substantial Freon leak was ongoing within the classroom. With direction from emergency responders, poison control, ROECC/ROCSD (Red Oak Community School District) staff, the decision was made to proceed with partial building evacuations for the affected areas and the determination to close the Center for the day was made at that point.

Air quality was monitored within the structure and the affected area was sealed off until further inspection and isolation of the leak could be made.

A determination on whether or not the center will remain closed on Thursday, February 27th will come from the Red Oak Community School District & Red Oak Early Childhood Center after a full inspection of the system and overall operation is completed.

(Radio Iowa) – Companies that provide telecommunication and wireless services are asking legislators to update Iowa law to ensure those who sabotage infrastructure like cell phone towers or buried cables can be charged with a felony.

Doug Struyk, a lobbyist for The Wireless Association — the trade group that represents the companies that provide cell phone service, spoke at a House subcommittee meeting this morning.

“Your cell phone is also providing you with cable television; when you watch YouTube TV, it’s your ISP; you’re getting to the internet on that and you’re making phone calls on it. So, is that a wireless service? Is that a broadband provider? Is that an internet service? It’s all three,” Struyk said, “so what we’re doing here holistically, representatives, is expanding that definition to clarify what’s included within broadband and telecommunications.”

Due to a court ruling, the definition of telecommunication services has been changed at the federal level and a bill to make the same adjustments in Iowa law has cleared a House subcommittee. A lobbyist for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities said a felony charge for tampering with critical infrastructure is an important deterrent.

.”We have seen an increase in vandalism incidents to this infrastructure, which results in everything from just an internet outage to 911 lines being off line for a while,” said Clara Wulfsen, a lobbyist for the Iowa Cable and Telecommunications Association, “so it’s really important that they are protected.”

At a summit in Texas last year, representatives of the telecom industry said there were an average of 44 incidents of cell phone tower vandalism every day in the U.S.. It’s driven by the rising price for copper, as thieves are climbing cell phone towers to steal cables that contain copper. Three years ago, thieves caught stealing from a series of small cell towers in the Denver area caused $800,000 in damage.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s been on a weather roller-coaster lately, with wind chills of 40-below zero last week, followed by highs in the 60s this week. Despite the current warming trend, the experts say most Iowans should keep their kayaks and canoes in the shed for now. Todd Robertson, the river programs outreach coordinator for the Iowa D-N-R, says paddlers ought to wait for steady warmth to allow water temperatures to rise, and that could be mid-May — or longer.

“The problem is, we haven’t had enough of these warm, consistent days to heat up the water. This is going to take several weeks,” Robertson says. “So between now and then, it’s not that people can’t go paddling, it’s that you have to know your skill level. You have to be fully prepared for immersion. You have to wear the right gear. You have to know how to read a river.” That also means never paddling alone. He says water temperatures in most areas of Iowa are in the low to mid 40s right now.

“When the temperature of the water is 60 degrees or below, you are automatically at risk for hypothermia if you become wet,” Robertson says. “That’s a ways off before that water reaches a safe level. That’s why if I go out and paddle, I’m at least bare minimum wearing my full-body wet-suit or better yet, a dry suit, because I need that extra protection to buy me time to get out of the water.” Air temperatures have been all over the map lately, but large bodies of water take time to warm up, so it may be a month or two before it’s safe for lesser experienced paddlers to load up their boats.

“We may have this roller-coaster for a while,” Robertson says. “I would say, especially if you’re not experienced out on the water, just wait a little while. We’ve got plenty of time. It’s great weather to go ride your bike and then you can go paddle later, but we got to let that water heat up.” Cold water shock and hypothermia can set in quickly, Robertson says, if you fall into the water at current temperatures.

Whatever the weather, he recommends paddlers always wear a life jacket, let a friend or loved one know where you’re going and when you’ll be back, and bring a dry bag with extra clothing to change into should you get wet.

DES MOINES, Iowa – On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, the final defendant in a multi-Indictment, 17-defendant gang investigation involving the Only My Brothers (OMB) street gang was sentenced to federal prison. All 17 defendants had previously pled guilty or been found guilty following a jury trial. The defendants were charged with various crimes in federal court, including RICO conspiracy, fentanyl distribution, possessing machineguns, straw purchasing firearms, firearms trafficking, and illegally possessing firearms.

According to public court documents and evidence presented in court, the charged defendants were members and associates of a criminal organization or Enterprise known as “Only My Brothers” or “OMB.” OMB originated in early- to mid-2021. Prior to that, some members and associates of OMB referred to themselves as various other names, including C-Block, 600, East Side Crips, Crips, and Gangster Disciples. From at least 2021, and continuing until their arrests, OMB’s members and associates engaged in a plethora of criminal activity in an attempt to earn and maintain respect in the neighborhood. This included attempted murders, including at least 30 gang-related shootings, the distribution of over 22 kilograms of fentanyl, as well as a number of convenience store armed robberies in the Des Moines metro.

Some of the shootings OMB has been held responsible for include a November 2021 shooting at a celebration of life party being held at a residence in Des Moines, Iowa; a second November 2021 shooting at a residence on Southeast 9th Street in Des Moines, during which over 20 shots were fired; a February 2022 shooting in and around Good Park in Des Moines; an April 2022 shooting at a rival gang member’s home in Des Moines, during which over 70 shots were fired; a July 2022 shooting at an apartment complex in Sixth Avenue in Des Moines, during which at least 40 shots were fired; an August 2022 shooting at a residence on 23rd Street in Des Moines; and an August 2022 shooting at an apartment complex on Southeast 22nd Street in Des Moines, during which over 36 shots were fired.

In order to obtain the firearms used to commit their criminal activity, OMB utilized a network of firearms straw purchasers, most of whom were drug customers or family members of the OMB members. This included Dawn Ellease Robinson, who purchased guns for her son, OMB member Santiz Langford. Langford then either personally used the guns himself to conduct OMB activity, or he trafficked the guns to other OMB members. One of those guns was later found in the possession of a victim in the January 2023 Starts Right Here double homicide in Des Moines. Deon Cooper, Langford’s sister, also straw purchased firearms for Langford, and Johnetta Strode, OMB member Deadrian Nelson’s mother, straw purchased firearms for Nelson.

The straw purchasers purchased guns for the OMB members, who then used those guns to commit violent acts against rival gang members and other victims. OMB members and associates were also prolific possessors of machinegun conversion devices (also known as automatic selector switches). These devices convert semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic firearms and are considered machineguns under federal law. During the investigation, law enforcement was able to identify over 90 guns involved in the OMB-involved shootings, with over 70 of the involved guns seized.

The defendants involved in this investigation include:

• Awot Tsegaye Baliho, 23, pled guilty to felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.
• Armani Eugene Gates, 21, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl, unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, two counts of conspiracy to traffic firearms, conspiracy to straw purchase firearms, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and was sentenced to 276 months’ imprisonment.
• Bakier Mohamd Esmaeil, 20, pled guilty to one count of being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment.
• Dontavius Rashaun Sharkey, 28, was found guilty by a jury of two counts of straw purchasing conspiracy, two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a machinegun, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and supervised release violations, and was sentenced to 384 months’ imprisonment.
• Deadrian Maurice Nelson, 20, pled guilty to two counts of being a felon and unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 121 months’ imprisonment.
• Johnetta Marie Strode, 37, pled guilty to straw purchasing conspiracy, and two counts of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 54 months’ imprisonment.
• Christopher Scott Eason, 43, pled guilty to false statement during purchase of a firearm, and was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.
• Raleigh John Potter, 30, pled guilty to false statement during purchase of a firearm and unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment.
• Deon Ellease Cooper, 28, pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, false statement during purchase of a firearm, straw purchasing conspiracy, and straw purchasing of a firearm, and was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.
• Dawn Ellease Robinson, 45, pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, straw purchasing conspiracy, straw purchasing of a firearm, and two counts of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.
• Avontae Lamar Tucker, 21, pled guilty in two federal cases to racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, two counts of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm and ammunition, two counts of interference with commerce through robbery, and two counts of brandishing and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He was sentenced to 444 months’ imprisonment.
• Santiz Cortez Langford, 21, pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, two counts of straw purchasing conspiracy, two counts of firearms trafficking, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, illegal possession of a machinegun, and two counts of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 295 months’ imprisonment.
• Semaj Johnson, 20, pled guilty under two separate cases to illegal possession of a machinegun, racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, firearms trafficking conspiracy, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and was sentenced to 211 months’ imprisonment.
• Majok Majok, 20, pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, firearms trafficking conspiracy, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and illegal possession of a machinegun, and was sentenced to 195 months’ imprisonment.
• Trent Douglas Brown Jr., 20, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and was sentenced to 90 months’ imprisonment.
• Dahaba Bahari Lula, 20, pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, and was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment.
• Derrick Dwayne Smith, 41, pled guilty to four counts of false statement during purchase of a firearm, and was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Herrera and Mallory Weiser prosecuted the case.

This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Des Moines Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE), Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center.