(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne says more needs to be done to help Missouri River flooding victims — beyond what’s included in the recently-approved federal disaster aid package. “We were able, of course, to get the disaster package through. However, it’s going to take a little bit of time for that money to get out to the communities, so people are struggling, figuring out where they’re going to live, how they’re going to go after the funding that they need. There are still discrepancies with that.”

Axne was in Sidney this week to met with flood victims from Fremont and Mills Counties. Axne says there’s a lack of communication among the agencies responding to the disaster. “Unfortunately, at the local level what we try to do is pick up those pieces and develop some type of cohesiveness for folks who have been affected by the disaster,” she says, “because it’s really difficult for them to figure out where they need to go to get the funding they need.”

Axne along with the governor and Iowa’s two U.S. Senators are pressuring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to change its Missouri River management practices — so flood control is the top priority.  “They’re working off of old processes where they don’t notify people of imminent danger as early as they could,” Axne says. “We need to revise their mapping. They’re working off mapping that’s from the ’90s and so they’re not looking at the environmental issues of today that are different.”

Officials in two southwest Iowa counties this week asked state officials to start the paperwork for federal buy-outs of flood-damaged homes that would be demolished. Mills County officials have identified up to 150 properties, primarily in rural areas, for potential clearing after federal buy-outs. Between 50 and 60 properties in Fremont County — mostly in Hamburg — were identified as potential candidates for a federal buy-out.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

AMES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa State University graduate student accused of sexually assaulting a woman in April at his apartment has pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. The Des Moines Register reports that 33-year-old Jona Paulus entered the plea Monday. In exchange, the court agreed to sentence Paulus to 90 days in jail with credit for time served. Paulus also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Lottery says a group of 34 workers at Collins Aerospace, which designs and makes aircraft components, won a $1 million top prize in a special lottery promotion to give away an unclaimed Powerball prize. A winning $1 million Powerball ticket was bought in Nevada last year, but never claimed before expiring in April. Under state law, the money from unclaimed lottery prizes goes into prize pools for future games and promotions.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A state board has ruled the Iowa Board of Regents didn’t negotiate in good faith with unions from two public universities because it delayed negotiations until passage of a law limiting public employee bargaining rights. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports the Public Employment Relations Board ruled last week that the regents deliberately delayed holding meetings with the Campaign to Organize Graduate Students at the University of Iowa and United Faculty at the University of Northern Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says “a lot of factors” went into her decision to seek the resignation of the Iowa Department of Human Services director. Jerry Foxhoven resigned Monday without an explanation. A day later, Reynolds would only say she wanted to go in a new direction with the agency. On Wednesday, Reynolds noted she’s reshaping her management team as a new fiscal year begins. Asked why she wanted a change at DHS, Reynolds said, “There are a lot of factors that went into that decision.”

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, paid tribute to the Atlantic High School Girls Golf team.

Members of the Atlantic HS Girls Golf Team and their coaches (Assistant) Marty, and (Head Coach) Kathy Hobson.

In other business, the Council discussed at length, but took no action on changing the way by which Parks and Rec Board members are chosen, from elected-to-appointed. City Administrator John Lund apologized for not having discussed the matter with Interim Parks Director Bryant Rasmussen first.

He said it was just an idea he and City Attorney David Wiederstein discussed, it was more of a suggestion, not a recommendation. He said also he (Lund) discussed the matter with City Clerk Barb Barrick and Mayor Dave Jones. He agreed the whole issue “Would have been probably been less dramatic if I had just talked to the [Parks] Board and Bryant, on Monday [during their meeting June 17th).”

When the Parks Board found out about the proposal, they were upset that no one had spoken with them first. They Board had decided earlier this year to move from 6-year terms to 4-year terms, and the Personnel and Finance Committee endorsed in February. Barb Barrick said when she and Dave Wiederstein discussed the matter, they thought it was the Parks Board’s hopes that they could change the two, six-year terms elected four years ago, to four-year terms. But Wiederstein said that wasn’t possible, because if the change went into effect, now, in four years, four of the five Board seats would be up for election.

They discussed the better timing would be to change the terms when one of the positions comes open in 2021, to change it at THAT time to a four-year term, that way there would be a three-and-two-year split. The consensus of the Council was to leave the positions as they are now – elected, and then put the matter up for continued discussion and possible action prior to the 2021 elections. If the Council decides at that time to fill the seat(s) by appointment, it would be up to the Mayor to find persons interested and gender balance the positions. The Council has the final say over any proposed appointments.

DES MOINES–Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Wednesday) received word that additional damage caused by the severe weather and flooding that began March 12, 2019, will be eligible for federal disaster assistance.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted Iowa’s request to reopen  and extend the incident period for the Presidential Disaster Declaration that was granted for Iowa by President Trump on March 23. The incident period, which defines the period of time during which damage occurred is eligible for federal assistance, had previously been March 12-May 16. That incident period has now been extended to June 15.

Reynolds said “With this extension of the disaster’s incident period, assistance will be available for more Iowans and communities to help them recover from this spring’s destructive flooding and storms. The damage didn’t stop on May 16, and neither has the need for our citizens and towns that need so much help to rebuild and recover.”

Iowa requested the incident period be reopened and extended as the result of heavy rains that began May 17 that caused additional major flooding along the Missouri River, where the failed federal levee system afforded no level of flood protection, and also the Mississippi River. Iowa’s incident had been closed May 16 when projections from the National Weather Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pointed to slowly receding flood levels throughout the watersheds of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. However, additional heavy rains caused river levels to increase and flooding to progressively worsen.

Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD) Director Joyce Flinn said “FEMA doesn’t often reopen and extend an incident period for a Presidential Disaster Declaration. This speaks to the magnitude of this disaster and the enormous need that exists for continued assistance. I thank our FEMA partners for working with us on this extension.”

HSEMD will continue to work with impacted counties and FEMA to identify damage to infrastructure and determine eligibility for funding under the Public Assistance Program, and if the amount of damage to homes and businesses warrants assistance under the Individual Assistance Program.

Currently, 71 counties are eligible to apply for funding through the Public Assistance Program. The counties include (locally): Adair, Adams, Audubon, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Dallas, Fremont, Greene, Guthrie, Harrison, Madison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Sac, Shelby, and Union.

Residents and businesses in nine counties are currently eligible to apply for federal Individual Assistance: Fremont, Harrison, Louisa, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, Scott, Shelby, and Woodbury. For more information visit www.floods2019.iowa.gov.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — One lottery ticket buyer’s loss is the gain of group of Cedar Rapids workers. The Iowa Lottery says a group of 34 workers at Collins Aerospace, which designs and makes aircraft components, won the $1 million top prize in a lottery promotion to give away an unclaimed Powerball prize. A winning $1 million Powerball ticket was bought in Nevada last year, but never claimed before expiring in April.

Under state law, the money from unclaimed lottery prizes goes into prize pools for future games and promotions, so the lottery decided to hold a “Woo Hoo A Million For You” giveaway for the $1 million. Under the promotion, lottery players could enter any Powerball ticket bought in Iowa from May 29 through June 11. Players made a total of 165,265 entries.

The winning ticket held by the Cedar Rapids group was bought at an Anamosa convenience store.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa State University graduate student accused of sexually assaulting a woman in April at his apartment has pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse.

The Des Moines Register reports that 33-year-old Jona Paulus entered the plea Monday. In exchange, the court agreed to sentence Paulus to 90 days in jail with credit for time served. Paulus also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Police say Paulus held the victim down and sexually assaulted her on April 6. When the woman was able to get up, she began recording Paulus with her phone and can be heard telling him, “I told you no.” Police say he replied, “I know. I know.”

Paulus has also been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of an image of a minor in a sex act in a separate case.