(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the charges against a Decatur County man who rammed the sheriff’s patrol vehicle with a tractor. Gerry Greenland was convicted of attempted murder and assault on a peace officer after ramming the Sheriff’s S-U-V with hay bale tines on the front of a tractor. The sheriff was responding to a fight involving Greenland and family members at a farm near Grand River in May of 2019. His S-U-V was damaged, but the sheriff escaped injury.

Greenland’s appeal said the S-U-V was unmarked, and there was no evidence he was attempting to kill the sheriff. He also called for the two charges to be merged. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled the Sheriff’s S-U-V had flashing lights, Greenland had adjusted the height of the bale tines and shifted gears when the tractor slowed.

The Supreme Court says the separate actions of Greenland were enough to justify the two separate charges.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says now that Brooke Rollins has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the nation’s Secretary of Agriculture, developing a new Farm Bill can begin in earnest.

“Working with her and using the power of the secretary of agriculture to push congress to get a five-year Farm Bill. We should have done that in ’23, didn’t get done; didn’t get done in ’24,” Grassley said during a conference call with Iowa reporters. “Now the Republicans have taken over…I think the five-year Farm Bill ought to be our number one priority working with Ms. Rollins.”

Rollins is now responsible for one of the largest agencies in the federal government, with a workforce of nearly 100,000 and a budget of over $200 billion. Some of that funding has been frozen by the Trump Administration, including $10 million for Iowa farmers who did conservation work on agland that was financed, in part, by USDA programs. Grassley said the Trump Administration is reviewing”all programs and expenditures” in the federal government — and it’s too early to say that $10 million is on the chopping block.

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (official photo)

“I don’t think in the case of the conservation programs…that a review would prove that they’re not a worthwhile program,” Grassley said.

The $10 million is for Iowa farmers participating in USDA programs aimed at reducing runoff and improving water quality and soil health. Another $86 million for U.S. farmers under the Biden Administration’s climate smart initiative has been frozen as well.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Corrections today (Friday) said Richard Elmer Steil, convicted of Burglary 1st Degree and Assault on Peace Officers in Polk County, failed to report back to the Fort Des Moines Bldg. 68 as required yesterday (Thursday). Steil is a 46-year-old, 6’3″ White male. He was admitted to the work release facility on Oct. 21, 2024.

Persons with information on Steil’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Richard Steil

OXFORD, Iowa — Phill, a beloved water buffalo who led central Iowa authorities on a days-long hunt last year, has died. The Iowa Farm Sanctuary, where Phill lived since he was captured last summer, posted on Facebook Thursday afternoon that the water buffalo was on his way to the Iowa State University Large Animal Hospital after showing some concerning signs. They followed up with a post Friday morning that he died, and the doctors told the farm owners there was nothing more they could do for him.

Phill the water buffalo (Iowa Farm Sanctuary Facebook photo)

Phill had a shotgun slug in his abdomen after being shot by an officer last summer, but had tested negative for lead in his blood, the sanctuary said. He and the other water buffaloes at the sanctuary had recently been treated for parasites.

(Radio Iowa) – A hearing has been scheduled for March 3rd on opening a sealed search warrant involving a potential suspect in the disappearance of Mason City news anchor Jodi Huisentruit. Private investigator Steve Ridge says he’s retained Mason City attorneys Nellie O’Mara and Jesse Marzen, who filed a motion late last month arguing that the warrant regarding G-P-S data for two vehicles connected to John Vansice should be opened since Vansice died in December and any ongoing investigation into his involvement in the matter has now ceased.

Jodi Huisentruit (file photo)

Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen is resisting the motion, saying the investigation is ongoing and the motion to unseal makes no sense and could hinder the investigation. Mason City police chief Jeff Brinkley has previously said the warrant did not result in any useful information.

(Radio Iowa) –  The University of Iowa could lose 33-point-four MILLION dollars in federal funding for research if budget cuts proposed for the National Institutes of Health go into effect. Representative Adam Zabner, a Democrat from Iowa City, says it’s a concerning situation because the cuts could put ongoing research in jeopardy and end patient participation in clinical trials.  “The University of Iowa has a proud tradition of doing life saving research,” Zabner says, “both basic research to understand the world better, but also research on really important diseases impacting Iowans — Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis, cancer.” Last year, the N-I-H provided nearly 191 million dollars’ worth of grants to the University of Iowa.

“It’s a huge driver for the economy of our community,” Zabner says. “I mean, we have many, many businesses that have come out of University of Iowa research and then, of course, we have the folks in our community who are actually doing that research and all of those people consume at local businesses.” Iowa State University could lose about three MILLION dollars in National Institutes of Health funding if the cuts take effect. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the cuts ordered by the Trump Administration.

The administration’s proposal would let no more than 15 percent of a grant cover indirect costs for things like laboratory construction and maintenance as well as administrative costs. The University of Iowa had been reimbursed for 28 percent of those indirect costs. The National Institutes of Health website indicates the agency awarded a nearly half a million dollar grant to the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research in Davenport last year.

DES MOINES, Iowa [WHO-TV] — An Iowa man went on a quest to find his favorite pork tenderloin in the state and now we know his top choice. JayJay Goodvin ate a tenderloin in all of Iowa’s 99 counties and documented his journey on his social media called “The Iowa Gallivant.” He revealed to WHO 13 News, Thursday, that his favorite tenderloin was located at The Landmark Bistro, a restaurant in Grundy Center, Iowa. Goodvin said the Landmark Bistro’s tenderloin was big, but not too big. He also praised it’s thickness, crunchy breading and seasoning.

Photo of some of the 99 tenderloins sampled by the Iowa Gallivant (from his Facebook page)

Goodvin also announced his next project called “99 Specials,” where he plans to travel around the state again and try a special in every single county. You can follow along on his journey on Facebook.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The weather forecast for Friday night through Saturday indicates a probability of accumulating snowfall. The Clarinda Police Department is reminding the citizens of Clarinda about the snow ordinance. The ordinance states no person shall park any motor vehicle or other apparatus upon any street of the city that will obstruct the removal of snow when there has been an accumulation of 2 inches or more of snow or ice. Any vehicle left parked on any street in violation of this ordinance may be impounded, and the registered owner of the vehicle will be subject to a $30.00 parking fine, and payment of all applicable towing and storage fees before the vehicle is released. The parking ban remains in effect until the snow ceases to fall and the streets have been plowed from curb to curb.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers (photo from the P-D’s Facebook page)

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says “Compliance with the snow ordinance with the snow earlier this week was poor!,” and urges residents to avoid fines and costs associated with disobeying the Snow Ordinance by simply following the rules.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Republicans on an Iowa Senate panel gave initial approval Thursday to legislation creating guidelines for public high school courses on the Bible. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, advocates supporting the bill said teaching the religious text would aid students’ understanding of literature and history from a secular perspective. But some critics said the measure would endorse Christian perspectives over other faiths in public schools.

Senate File 138 would direct the Iowa Board of Education to establish course standards for elective social studies classes on “Hebrew Scriptures or the Old or New Testament of the Bible.” These classes would be for grades 9 through 12 students, would not be mandatory for students to take and would require approval from the school district’s board of directors to be implemented. The legislation requires the state board and school districts remain in compliance with state and federal laws and guidelines around religious neutrality. These courses “shall not endorse, favor, promote, or disfavor, or be hostile toward, any particular religion, faith, or nonreligious perspective,” according to the legislation. Despite the language calling for religious neutrality in these classes, critics said the legislation is still promoting a Christian perspective by highlighting courses on the Bible in public high schools.

But Dr. Bill Jaynes, a professor of education at California State University, Long Beach, said he has conducted research showing “Bible literacy” has significant benefits for all K-12 students, saying the Bible is referenced in many works of literature and important context for historical events. He also said these courses were constitutional under the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Abington School District v. Schempp. Though the court decision found the mandatory inclusion of religious activity in public schools violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, Jaynes said the ruling also found religious content could be taught at public schools when “presented objectively as part of the secular curriculum of education.”

Melissa Peterson, with the Iowa State Education Association, which is opposed to the legislation “because it is unnecessary and duplicative,” said there are no current provisions in Iowa law that prohibit public schools from having courses on the Bible or other religions, noting that she personally took a Bible literature honors course when she was a student in the Iowa City Public School District. Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-Waukee, said as an ordained Lutheran minister, she believes the study of Christian scripture is important for her faith community, but that “the task of the community of faith is very different than the task of our public schools.” Trone Garriott said she does not support the legislation as this instruction is already allowed, but that as some advocates for the measure have called for “encouragement” for public schools to teach this material and that the measure “advocates for the Bible,” which is promoting Christianity over other religions in a public school setting.

Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, said the bill sets out guidelines to ensure there are no legal or constitutional issues with teaching courses on the Bible. She said she supports classes on the Bible in public schools because of the “enormous impact on America and Western civilization” the religious text has had.

The measure advanced 2-1 and is available for consideration by the Senate Education Committee.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — A woman from Cass County (IA) who was serving time for the death of a baby she cared for at her in-home day care in Massena, is now out of prison. As KJAN previously reported, the Iowa Supreme Court (IASUPCO) reversed the conviction of Alison Dorsey, last month.  Dorsey was released from prison Tuesday (Feb. 11, 2025), after posting a $250,000 cash bond. She was serving a 50-year prison sentence after a jury found her guilty of second-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death back in 2023. That was her second trial. The first ended with a hung jury.

Prosecutors say 11-week-old Luka Hodges died from severe brain hemorrhages caused by “shaken baby syndrome” in 2019. Dorsey’s attorneys argued she did not get a fair trial and the injuries occurred before the baby was dropped off at day care.

The Iowa Supreme Court granted her a third trial. A date has not been set.