(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Auditor’s Office is issuing an important reminder for residents applying for U.S. passports. Auditor Kathy Somers says “Many people may not be aware that the official passport application form is free, and that some unofficial websites may charge unnecessary fees. When applying for a passport, use the U.S. Department of State’s website, www.travel.state.gov, or visit a passport acceptance facility. Be cautious of third-party sites that charge for forms, as they are not official sources.”

The Cass County Auditor’s Office serves as a passport acceptance facility, and the forms are available there at no cost. While there is a fee to apply for the passport itself, the forms are free.

If you need assistance, please call the Cass County Auditor’s Office at 712-243-4570 or contact any other passport acceptance agency.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), through a partnership with Alliant Energy, is offering a mixture of hardwoods, low-growing ornamental and evergreen tree species for $25 each. Alliant Energy customers can purchase up to two trees to be picked up at the following locations:

• Tuesday, April 22, 4-6 p.m., Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery (2321 Siewers Spring Rd, Decorah)
• Thursday, April 24, 4-6 p.m., USDA Service Center Parking lot (300 Chamber Drive, Anamosa)
• Tuesday, April 29, 4-6 p.m., 205 SE 2nd St, Greenfield
• Tuesday, May 6, 4-6 p.m., Calkins Nature Center (18335 135th St, Iowa Falls)
• Thursday, May 8, 4-6 p.m., Westbrook Park (520 Westbrook Drive, DeWitt)

Submit an order form, available online at  www.iowadnr.gov/trees, to reserve your trees.

AMES, IOWA – Rural leaders from across Iowa will convene at the Gateway Hotel & Conference Center in Ames on April 9th and 10th, for the annual Iowa Rural Summit, hosted by the Iowa Rural Development Council (IRDC). “Rural Rocks! Energizing Communities through Connections,” promises two dynamic days of inspiration, learning, and collaboration. This 9th Summit will feature sessions targeting issues facing small towns and rural areas, from outdoor recreation and regional partnerships, to the next generation of leadership and disaster preparedness. It will also celebrate individuals who have made a significant contribution to their rural community, highlight small-town best practices and success stories, and provide networking opportunities for rural leaders to come together.

As has been the case in past years, community teams of three can register together for a reduced rate. IRDC Board President Mark Reinig says “We believe there is strength in numbers when a 3-person team from a small town comes to the Rural Summit. They can divide and conquer by attending different break-out sessions, compare notes afterward, and act as a local subcommittee when they turn home. These teams have had big impacts in past years!”

This year’s “Rural Rocks!” theme also highlights the role of arts and culture in small towns, as that theme is incorporated into various elements of the Summit agenda. It will also be celebrated with live music performances by rural Iowans throughout the two days.

Registration information can be found at www.iowardc.org/summit.

(Anita, Iowa) – CAM Assistant School Business Official (SBO)/Board Secretary Stephanie Fluckey reports the CAM and Nodaway Valley Boards of Education have been working diligently to hire a new Superintendent of Schools. The person selected to replace current Superintendent Paul Croghan, will take over beginning July 1, 2025. The CAM School Board, Fluckey says, thanks the many community members who have taken the time to meet in person or submit their thoughts through the web platform. The Board will continue to gather input from stakeholders throughout the search process. At this point in the process, Fluckey says, the Board has identified the following characteristics that they seek in a new Superintendent of Schools:

Key Leadership Qualities

• Student-Centered Decision Maker: Prioritizes student success and well-being in every decision while maintaining fairness and inclusivity.
• Strong and Transparent Communicator: Provides clear, honest, and timely communication with all stakeholders to build trust and ensure alignment.
• Approachable and Visible: Actively engaged in schools and the community, attending events, visiting classrooms, and being accessible to students, staff, and families.
• Consensus-Builder: Unites divided communities, fostering collaboration and creating a shared vision for the district’s future.
• Financially Responsible Leader: Ensures fiscal responsibility while strategically planning for the district’s long-term financial and facility needs.

Experience and Expertise

• Board and Community Relations: Experienced in working with school boards, staff, and community members to build productive and cooperative relationships.
• School Finance and Budget Management: Skilled in maximizing funding, managing tight budgets, and ensuring long-term financial stability.
• Facilities Planning and Oversight: Understands long-term infrastructure needs and can navigate past facility challenges and bond issues.
• Staff Recruitment and Retention: Implements strategies to attract and retain high-quality educators in a competitive rural market.
  

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Personal Attributes

• Community-Driven: Fully integrates into the district, engaging with residents and understanding the values and needs of each community.
• Compassionate and Supportive: Fosters a culture of trust, respect, and collaboration among students, staff, and the community.
• Resilient and Adaptable: Handles challenges with composure, problem-solving skills, and a forward-thinking mindset.

Preferred Background

• Educational Leadership Experience: Prior experience as a superintendent or senior district administrator, ideally in a rural or multi-community setting.
• Commitment to Long-Term Stability: Stakeholders seek a leader who will invest in the district and provide consistent leadership for the future.

The position will be advertised through the Iowa Association of School Boards, the School Administrators of Iowa, IowaWORKS, the McPherson & Jacobson website, and professional associations throughout the United States. The deadline for submitting application materials is March 19, 2025. On March 24, 2025, the Board will meet to review the stakeholder input summary, review interview questions, and discuss the logistics of the interview process. On March 31, 2025, the Board will meet to review candidates and select final candidates to be interviewed. On April 7, 2025, the Board will interview the final candidates. As a part of that process, each finalist will interview with community members, students, staff, teachers, and administrators who will provide feedback that will be reviewed by the Board before making a final selection.

(Radio Iowa) – Flu cases across Iowa are still rising and it’s prompting some hospitals to reinstate a policy from the pandemic era.  The medical director for UnityPoint’s emergency departments in Des Moines, Clint Hawthorne, says they’ve started requiring staff members to wear masks. Even if a patient doesn’t have respiratory symptoms, Hawthorne says the staff is wearing masks. Iowa hospitals reported more than ten-percent of emergency room visits were for the flu in recent days, which is significantly higher than at this time last year.

Officials says you should take care to wash your hands and stay home if you are sick. Dozens of Iowa schools are still reporting absence rates of at least ten percent due to illness.

(Radio Iowa) – Some payments from the federally-funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program known as LIHEAP have been delayed. Jean Logan of the Community Action Agency of Siouxland says
they been busy answering questions. “We have been getting a lot of calls. People are concerned because they know that they have qualified for assistance, but there has been a delay in those payments showing up on their Mid American account as a credit,” Logan. Logan says the delay comes from the state.

“Because the state has a new accounting software system, I think that’s caused some anxiety for people that have maybe been qualified for the program for many years,” she says, “and I just want to reassure people you are protected by the moratorium if you qualify for energy assistance. The amount that you are told will be credited to your account.” Logan says they recommend that people talk with the utility company if they are concerned. “If a person would call in and they’re behind on their bill, Mid American will say, we’ll give you 30 days to make an appointment to see whether or not you qualify. They’ve extended that to 60 days they know that we’re running behind. So they really are trying to do everything that they can to help us through this,” she says.

Logan says you can still apply for LIHEAP funding if you are not already signed up. “It’ll run through April 30th. We’re booking appointments to March 6th right now, so we’re behind a little bit. Our staff are working really diligently to try to get that caught up so that there’s not so much of a lag time,” Logan says. Logan says the average grant in her area is 300 to 400 dollars. anyone in the state can contact their area community action agency to sign up.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – A bill to outlaw minors from being present at drag shows could have wider implications for access to art and transgender rights, opponents of the legislation said Tuesday. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the legislation, House Study Bill 158, moved out of an Iowa House subcommittee, where lawmakers said they expect changes to the bill. Under the current proposal, any adult person who knowingly brings a minor to a drag performance at a business can be charged with a class D felony. The owner or manager of an establishment who knowingly allows minors to attend drag shows could also be charged with a class D felony, and businesses could be fined $10,000 under the bill.

Many speakers advocating against the bill were against this premise — with many drag performers speaking about their experiences in age-appropriate drag shows. Other speakers said the bill’s definition of a “drag show” is far greater in scope than shows at LGBTQ pride events or those like “drag brunch” events.

The bill defines a drag show as a performance where “the main aspect of the performance is a performer who exhibits a gender identity that is different than the performer’s gender assigned at birth through the use of clothing, makeup, accessories, or other gender signifiers.” It also opens the definition of a performance to include singing, dancing, as well as reading or other performances “before an audience for entertainment.”

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds hasn’t made an official announcement about a campaign in 2026, but she sounds like a candidate for reelection. “I’m running on my record. I’m going to run on what we’ve done for Iowans since we’ve been elected and I’m proud of that record,” Reynolds said. “We’ve gotten a lot done on a short timeline and I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do.” Reynolds, who was elected in 2010 as Governor Terry Branstad’s running mate, became governor in mid-2017 when Branstad resigned and she has been elected to two terms.

On Monday, Republican Brad Sherman, a Williamsburg pastor, announced he plans to run against Reynolds in a G-O-P Primary. During a news conference yesterday (Tuesday), Reynolds was asked about Sherman. “I’ll stand on my bold, conservative record of getting things done,” Reynolds said, “…most of which he probably voted for.”

Gov. Kim Reynolds signs bill creating Education Savings Accounts for private school expenses on Jan. 24, 2023. (official photo)

Sherman served in the Iowa House in 2023 and 2024. Sherman endorsed President Trump before the 2024 Iowa Caucuses, while Reynolds endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Reynolds says she has a good working relationship with Trump and while she’d love Trump’s endorsement in 2026, she will run on her own record as governor.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would require that schools show an ultrasound as well as a video about fetal development to students in 4th through 12th grades has passed the Iowa Senate. Senator Jeff Taylor, a Republican from Sioux Center, says the video will encourage respect for life, no matter how small. “Whether we are a zygote or then we become an embryo and then we become a fetus, it’s all the same person,” Taylor said. “These are just stages of development that have been given scientific names.”

Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner of Iowa City says the bill pushes a political agenda. “It refers to an unborn child. Your religion may teach that a fetus is a child. Mine does not,” Weiner said. “I would hope we could all agree that religion doesn’t belong in the science classroom.” All but one Democrat in the Senate voted against the bill. Senator Molly Donahue, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says the bill is based on an ideology and local schools should decide what’s appropriate to show in classrooms.

“Communities vary widely across our state in their perspectives and a one-size-fits-all programming does not fit the perspective of all families,” Donahue said. Republican Senator Kevin Alons of Salix says the bill addresses the fundamental question of when life begins. “It kind of boggles my mind to think that it’s somehow political to talk about fetal development from conception on,” Alons said.

Republicans in previous years have proposed similar bills that would have required that schools show a video — titled “Baby Olivia” — that was produced by a group that opposes abortion. This year’s version does not mention a specific video.