DES MOINES — Iowa 3^rd District Republican Representative Zach Nunn, Monday, introduced bipartisan legislation to require coordination between federal agencies and private companies to prevent ransomware attacks. The Public and Private Sector Ransomware Response Coordination Act, co-led by U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), will establish private-public partnerships to avert and recover from the rapid increase in ransomware attacks on U.S. financial institutions.

Nunn said when he worked on the White House’s National Security Council, he “Witnessed the fundamental need to prioritize cybersecurity. Bad actors continue to attack the United States’ critical infrastructure costing companies not only time and money but also leaving a bad taste in the mouth of consumers. “n order to address the evolving threat landscape, we must ensure critical infrastructure has the tools necessary to combat ransomware attacks and stay ahead of emerging threats.”

The United States has experienced a rapid increase in ransomware attacks because of the large financial payout and the relatively low risk and cost for the attacker. On average, a ransomware attack costs a company more than $5 million. From 2023 to 2024, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence noted that the frequency of global ransomware attacks increased by 67%. In 2023 alone, ransomware payments surpassed $1 billion. Preventing ransomware attacks requires a proactive, multi-layered approach to cybersecurity that combines technology, processes, and employee awareness.

Rep. Gottheimer said the “bipartisan legislation will bring government and industry experts together to develop a game plan that can reduce these attacks.”

In January of 2024, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) again emphasized the risks associated with evolving ransomware threats intended to disrupt critical infrastructure. CISA and the FBI urged public and private entities to implement cybersecurity defenses, conduct regular system backups, and enhance incident response plans.

The Public and Private Sector Ransomware Response Coordination Act will bolster national cybersecurity by improving threat detection, information sharing, response, and threat suppression of ransomware incidents. The bill will require the Secretary of the Treasury to submit a plan to Congress to improve U.S. response to ransomware attacks on financial institutions, including:

• Better coordination between the federal government and the private sector when responding to these attacks

• Faster response time to large-scale attacks

• Additional policy proposals to bolster public-private partnerships to combat ransomware

(Radio Iowa) – After a 12-year run as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack will be the next C-E-O of the World Food Prize Foundation. Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s tenure as leader of the Des Moines-based organization is set to end January 31st. Vilsack will take over on March 1st. Vilsack has said his interest in the agriculture sector was rooted in his work as a Mount Pleasant lawyer representing farmers during the Farm Crisis. “As a mayor, as a state senator, as a governor and as secretary I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in, to encourage and support programs that will advance opportunities for farmers, ranchers and producers,” Vilsack says, “because I remember the pain of the Farm Crisis of the ’80s.”

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack (photo from Ag Secretary’s office)

Vilsack turned 74 in December and, during an interview with Radio Iowa last month, Vilsack indicated he did not intend to retire. “My hope is I get a chance to figure out ways in which I can continue to make a contribution. I don’t think I’m ready for retirement and I don’t think I’d be very good at it,” Vilsack said. “…I hope that I’m able to continue focusing on ways in which I can showcase the work of American agriculture, that I can showcase opportunities to expand rural economies and the farm economy to give small and mid-sized producers a chance. I also have been working extraordinarily hard on nutrition and food security issues both domestically and globally.”

The World Food Prize Foundation announced Vilsack’s hiring early this (Tuesday) morning.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Fire Department report crews responded to a spreading grass fire Monday afternoon. The fire on 197^th Street near Tamage Hill, was reported at around 3:10-p.m. The CFD says because the flames were spreading, they called for mutual aid from the Afton and Murray Volunteer Fire Departments. Despite their efforts, the fire moved into a salvage yard, engulfing vehicles and threatening nearby structures.

Fire officials said on social media, “Conditions continue to be dry and windy. The CFD has responded to several grass fires in the last week, so please use extreme caution with outdoor burning.” (Photos from the Creston Fire Dept. Facebook page)

They suggested also:

• Keep fires away from anything that can burn, like buildings, shrubs, and tents.
• Never leave a fire unattended, and closely supervise children and pets.
• Have a way to put out the fire, like a bucket of water, fire extinguisher, or shovel.
• Check for fire weather watches and Red Flag Warnings. Avoid starting fires in windy conditions.

(Radio Iowa) – Fort Dodge police charged a woman on Monday with intentionally setting an occupied house on fire. Thirty-four-year-old Megan S. Freeman of Fort Dodge was arrested and charged with arson in the 1st and 3rd degrees and harassment in the first degree. Firefighters were called to a residence on North 12th Street Sunday afternoon where flames were coming from the second floor of the building. The residence was occupied with no injuries reported.

Upon further investigation into the cause of the fire, it appeared to be suspicious in nature. Authorities determined that the Sunday fire was set intentionally. Freeman is being held in the Webster County Jail on a $29,000 cash bond.

(Radio Iowa) – A new University of Iowa study aims to better understand the experience a woman has between when she’s diagnosed with breast cancer and when she starts treatment. Loreen Herwaldt, a U-I professor of internal medicine, says there’s almost no research on this period, and many times, it’s not a straightforward process from diagnosis to treatment.  Herwaldt says, “Oftentimes there are detours that, ‘Oh, you need an additional test,’ or ‘We’ve just discovered this,’ and that can be very anxiety-inducing.”

Herwaldt says the goal of the study is to help improve patients’ experience during the stressful time. Herwaldt says her pilot study found patients reported a lot of worry and confusion during the period between being diagnosed and surgery.

“Sometimes they didn’t understand why they were having specific appointments or tests,” she says, “for example, one woman said, ‘I had no idea why I was seeing a plastic surgeon.'” According to the Iowa Cancer Registry, about three-thousand Iowans were diagnosed with new cases of breast cancer last year.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Monday evening, arrested 61-year-old Robert Wade Abraham, of Red Oak, for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting). Abraham was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa – An Illinois man was sentenced last Friday, January 17th in US District Court, to 35 years in federal prison for enticement and attempted enticement of a 14-year-old female from southeast Iowa, and for committing an offense while a registered sex offender.

According to public court documents, in 2020, 40-year-old Anthony Alan Anderson, while serving in the United States Air Force, was convicted via general court martial of two counts of attempting to commit a lewd act with a person he believed to be a child who had not attained the age of 16 years old. As a result of that conviction, Anderson was required to register as a sex offender in his state of residence. Anderson moved to Illinois in 2022.

From May to November 2023, Anderson, from his residence in Illinois, used text messaging and social-media applications to communicate with the 14-year-old from Ottumwa, Iowa. During their communications, Anderson convinced the child to produce and send him child pornography. In September 2023, Anderson traveled from his home in Illinois to Ottumwa, where he picked the child up from her residence and took her to a hotel. There, he and the child engaged in sex acts. Anderson also captured child sexual abuse material of the child while in the hotel.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Anderson will be required to serve a ten‑year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The case was investigated by the Ottumwa Police Department with assistance from the Illinois State Police.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill eligible for debate in the House Education Committee would loosen restrictions on homeschooling and raises the state tuition and textbook tax credit. Jeremy Voss is a lobbyist for Homeschool Iowa. “House File 88 has been crafted to affirm and strengthen the vital role of parents in fulfilling their Biblical mandate to go and make disciples,” Voss said. “This calling begins in the home with home education as its cornerstone.”

Under current law, children in a homeschool setting may be taught by someone who is not a relative, but that person must be a licensed teacher. The bill repeals that requirement and gets rid of the current limit that no more than four children may be homeschooled by a non-relative. Margaret Buckton is a lobbyist for the Urban Education Network and the Rural School Advocates of Iowa.

“Our primary concerns about allowing an unlimited number of unrelated children in a homeschool environment and being able to charge tuition, I think there’s a point where it’s no longer a homeschool,” Buckton said, “and it becomes a third category of unregulated or less regulated private school.” The bill also repeals requirements that parents provide records showing that children being taught at home or in a charter school have certain vaccinations and have had their blood tested for unsafe lead levels. Chaney Yeast, a lobbyist from Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, says that’s worrisome.

“We know that there’s lead in our homes in rural Iowa and urban areas of Iowa, we know young children who are putting things in their mouth are often exposed to high levels of lead that can impact their long term ability to learn and be healthy,” Yeast said. Lauren Gideon of Indianola is a homeschool mom of seven who represents Classical Conversations, a company that sells homeschooling materials. She says the bill opens up a conversation about parental rights.

“Who do children belong to and who has their best interest in mind?” she said. “…Who is the primary responsibility/caregiver for children? Who owns the direction and the upbringing of children?” The bill also says Iowa colleges and universities must treat the diploma or certificate a homeschooling parent issues for their child the same as a high school diploma when making enrollment decisions.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill creating a moratorium on new casinos — and scuttle proposed casino in Cedar Rapids — has cleared a House Committee. There was a statehouse hearing on the proposal yesterday (Monday). Iowa’s casino industry is urging lawmakers to pass the bill before the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission votes on the license for the Cedar Rapids casino on February 6th. Frank Chiodo, a lobbyist for the Riverside Casino, says no other casino would take a harder financial hit if Cedar Crossing is built.

“We have 23 casinos in the state of Iowa. The longest drive you have to a casino is 45 minute, maybe a little longer. That’s enough. I mean, do we really want more?” Mary Earnhart is president of the Iowa Gaming Association, which represents the 19 state-licensed casinos. “Simply stated, a moratorium on casino licenses will prevent job losses and business closures,” Earnhart said. There are four Native American casinos operating in the state as well.

Sara Allen, a lobbyist for the Meskwaki Nation, says the tribe’s casino near Tama stands to lose big if a new casino opens just 55 miles away. “We did a study on our own and it suggests that 14.5% of our revenue would go away with the opening of a Cedar Rapids casino,” she said. Backers of the proposed Cedar Crossing casino pleaded with lawmakers to let the Racing and Gaming Commission decide next week whether the project can go forward. Ann Poe is the mayor pro tem for Cedar Rapids.

“Our community continues to fight back from flooding and the derecho, so I cannot understate how important the economic impact from this casino would be on continuing to help us, and the state, in that recovery,” she said. The developer says nearly 700 people will be employed at the casino when it opens. Trade unions point to the estimated one-thousand construction jobs for the 275-MILLION dollar project. Felicia Hilton is with the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.

“Our biggest concern is people leaving the state, trying to maintain people in the state, trying to keep young people in the state and actually having places for people to actually be employed,” she said. Todd Bergan of the Linn County Gaming Association says he doubts the studies showing a casino in his community would have a big impact on nearby casinos.

“Grand Falls Casino in Lyon County, when they applied for a license, it was projected that 27% of the revenue would come from existing Iowa casinos,” he said. “A year after it opened, Sioux City’s casino grew by 2%, with no loss of revenue.” The House Ways and Means Committee approved the moratorium early Monday evening. The bill is eligible for debate in the Iowa House on Thursday. It’s unclear whether the Senate would take up the legislation next week.