A proposal to try to regulate and tax electronic cigarettes and other so-called “vaping” products sold ON-LINE to Iowans has emerged at the statehouse. Senator Charles Schneider, a Republican from West Des Moines, says those sales are happening now. “We want to make sure that sellers of vaping products are verifying that the purchasers of those products are at least 18,” Schneider says, “and they ought to be paying sales tax to the state.”

The proposal is included in a massive bill that deals with more than 50 OTHER subjects. Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, suggested this is a “secret plan,” inserted in the bill at the last minute to try to avoid scrutiny. (We’re) looking at pretty big policy idea about a really addictive substance that we think now it’s great to sell online in Iowa,” Bolkcom said, “so the process has been a joke.”

The Department of Revenue is still analyzing data to determine how much new sales tax revenue the proposal might generate.

(Radio Iowa)

Nominations are being accepted starting this (Tuesday) morning for the 2017 edition of Iowa’s best breaded pork tenderloin. Kelsey Sutter, spokeswoman for the Iowa Pork Producers Association, says competition is intense for the title and last year generated nearly two-thousand nominations. Sutter says, “We’re going to judge the top five with the most nominations in each of our eight districts, so a total of 40 restaurants across the state of Iowa.”

2016 Best Pork Tenderloin – Nick’s in Des Moines

This marks the 15th year for the contest and Sutter says they always get plenty of calls from the state’s restaurant owners who want to get into the running. “We always just tell restaurants to communicate with their customers to nominate you,” Sutter says. “We did design a poster that’s downloadable from our website for restaurants to print off and display at their establishments to encourage nominations from their customers.”

That website is Iowa-pork-dot-org. Nomination forms can also be found there. Sutter says they’ll spend the summer judging pork tenderloins across the state and begin narrowing down the field in September. “We’ll judge the top five with a panel of judges that consists of representatives from our association as well as culinary instructors at culinary institutes here in the state,” Sutter says. “Then, during October Pork Month is when we’ll announce the top five and the first- and second-place winners.”

The deadline for nominations is June 7th. Last year’s winner was Nick’s in Des Moines. Previous, area winners include: Larsen’s Pub, in Elk Horn (2007); Dairy Sweet, in Dunlap (2005), and Darrell’s Place, in Hamlin (2003).

(Radio Iowa)

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Officials with the Creston Police Department today (Wednesday), said a resident reported Tuesday evening that, sometime between 5-p.m. Monday and 5-p.m. Tuesday, someone entered the garage of the property he owns at 604 N Poplar, and stole miscellaneous tools. The loss was estimated at $100. No arrests have been reported.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A nonprofit corporation has signed an agreement with federal officials to raise $30 million for a new veterans outpatient clinic in Omaha. The corporation was created by Heritage Services, a nonprofit civic group that was instrumental in creating such projects as the Holland Performing Arts Center and TD Ameritrade Park. The agreement was announced Wednesday.

In December President Barack Obama signed a measure allowing a public-private partnership to build the clinic on the campus of Omaha’s Department of Veterans Medical Center. The $30 million from the local group will be added to $56 million already appropriated for the Nebraska/Western Iowa Health Care System clinic.

VA officials have said what will be called the Veterans Affairs Ambulatory Center will offer primary, specialty and ambulatory care and operate radiological and surgical facilities.

Police in Red Oak, Tuesday evening acting on a tip, located a man wanted on a warrant. 18-year old Michael Wade Hamilton, of Red Oak, was pulled over in the 700 block of N. Broadway, and taken into custody at around 6:30-p.m. on a Montgomery County warrant for Harassment in the 3rd Degree. Hamilton was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An attorney for a former University of Iowa athletic administrator described her as an outstanding employee on track to head a college program until she was unfairly demoted and later laid off for discriminatory reasons.

Attorney Thomas Newkirk gave former administrator Jane Meyer’s view of her firing Tuesday in during opening statements of the trial over her lawsuit against the school. The trial is expected to offer a glimpse into big-time college sports with testimony by athletic director Gary Barta, head football coach Kirk Ferentz and others.

If they agree with Meyer, jurors could award her damages for pay and emotional distress. Assistant attorney general George Carroll responded that Meyer was moved out of the athletics department because of her performance and not due to discrimination.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa legislators sent Gov. Terry Branstad a measure Tuesday that would ban most abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy and impose a 72-hour waiting period on women seeking the procedure. The move highlights the state’s conservative shift since the November election. The Republican-majority state Senate voted 30-20 along party lines for the legislation, after the GOP-led House approved it earlier this month. Branstad, a Republican, is expected to sign it.

WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a West Des Moines teenager has been charged with first-degree arson in a fire that destroyed an iconic covered bridge featured in the best-selling novel “The Bridges of Madison County.” Des Moines television station KCCI reports that the 17-year-old boy faces up to 25 years in prison if he’s convicted. The Associated Press generally doesn’t name juveniles charges with crimes.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa’s decision to eliminate and then reinstate scholarships for thousands of children of alumni will cost the university more than bad public relations. A judge ordered the school Monday to pay the legal costs of a student who filed a class-action lawsuit to challenge President Bruce Harreld’s decision to eliminate scholarships they’d been promised. The bill’s expected to amount to a couple hundred dollars.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An attorney for a former University of Iowa athletic administrator described her as an outstanding employee on track to head a college program until she was unfairly demoted and later fired for discriminatory reasons. Attorney Thomas Newkirk gave former administrator Jane Meyer’s view of her firing Tuesday in opening statements at her civil lawsuit against the school. Assistant attorney general George Carroll says Meyer was fired because of her performance and not due to discrimination.

(Story Update) A teenager is accused of setting one of the famed Madison County covered bridges on fire this weekend. Madison County Sheriff Jason Barnes announced the arrest at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. Seventeen-year-old Alexander Hoff of West Des Moines is charged with first-degree arson. Barnes refused to discuss motive or what led them to Hoff.

“It was a target. That’s all I can say. There was a reason for it…but that’s all I’m going to say about why he did it,” Barnes said. Police and firefighters were sent to the Cedar Bridge near Winterset around 6 a.m. Saturday. The same bridge was destroyed in an arson fire back in 2002 and was rebuilt. No arrest was made in that previous fire. Barnes would not say how Hoff allegedly started the fire this weekend, but he apparently left behind plenty of evidence.

“The bridge wasn’t a total loss. It didn’t collapse into the river like the last bridge did That proved huge in the investigation. It really did. That gave us the evidence that we didn’t have the first time, that we had the second time,” Barnes said. Hoff is a senior at an alternative high school in the West Des Moines School District. It’s possible more people could be arrested in the case.

“There is an ongoing investigation and additional charges against additional people (could be filed) depending on the investigation’s findings,” Barnes said. The Madison County Historic Preservation Commission estimates that rebuilding the Cedar Bridge will cost 576-thousand dollars ($576,000). It was one of the bridges featured in the famous book and movie “The Bridges of Madison County.”

(Radio Iowa)