Saturday, June 15th, has been designated as Iowa’s Statewide Day of Action for Democrats. All 99 counties have events planned to rally support for the 2020 Iowa Caucuses.  Shelby County and Audubon County Democrats are hosting the Day of Action in the Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton.

A potluck pork sandwich luncheon and rally starts at 11:00 on the patio of Lugger’s Tavern in Kimballton. It will be the first of several events planned between now and the 2020 Caucuses where voters can learn more about the caucus process. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend the rally rain or shine.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s court system has blocked public access to online records detailing Gov. Kim Reynolds’ 2000 arrest for drunk driving, saying they inadvertently exposed her sensitive personal information.

The records contained the governor’s Social Security number, driver’s license number and other sensitive information that should not have been made public under court rules.

After an inquiry from The Associated Press last week, the court system removed public access to the files. Iowa Judicial Branch spokesman Steve Davis said that the Warren County clerk of court’s office in Indianola received a request for the paper files last September. After retrieving them from storage, the worker scanned them into the online system.

Under rules intended to protect personal privacy, the files should have been placed at a security level that allowed only court personnel to access them. Instead, the records were inadvertently made accessible to thousands of lawyers and members of the public who use the system.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — A central Iowa prison program aims to alleviate a lack of affordable housing while teaching inmates construction skills they can use when they’re released. The Des Moines Register reports that Newton Correction Facility inmates enrolled in the Iowa Prison Industries program are currently building an office and a classroom. But they will eventually build entire homes that can be moved to rural communities to address the decline in affordable housing. Inmates can also pursue apprenticeships for jobs in demand in the state.

The acting warden of the low-and-medium security prison describes the program as a “win-win.” Those who qualify for affordable housing purchase can buy homes for about $125,000. The inmates gain marketable skills for when they leave prison. Families earning below $73,100 annually would qualify to purchase a home.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports two arrests. On June 6th, 19-year old Mark Thomas Bregar, of Stuart, was arrested by Stuart Police for OWI/1st offense. He was taken into custody following a traffic stop on a vehicle with no license plates. When the Officer initiated the traffic stop, Bregar slammed on his brakes and slid into a ditch, where his vehicle became stuck. The officer detected the odor of alcohol on Bregar. A preliminary breath test resulted in an intoxication level in excess of .08.  Bregar was transported to the Adair County Jail and an additional test produced a blood alcohol content of .112%.  Bregar was cited and released from custody about a little more than an hour after he was arrested.

And, 27-year old Jennifer Renee Avey, of Oakland, was arrested Thursday morning in Adair County, on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Violation of Probation. She was being held without bond until appearing before a magistrate, and then released on her Own Recognizance.

The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton School District’s Board of Education will meet 6-p.m. Tuesday in the Conference Room at the Elk Horn Building, as part of their regular monthly session. Among the items on their agenda, is discussion and likely action on an invitation the district has received, to be included in the Western Iowa Conference (WIC), for athletic activities. The deadline to notify the conference of the District’s decision is June 28th.

In other business, the Exira/EHK Board will act on approving: Driver’s Ed contracts; Milk, Bread and Fuel bids; a vehicle purchase, and personnel matters.

(Radio Iowa) — The 19 Democrats who spoke Sunday in Cedar Rapids at a party fundraiser focused on some common issues. Most promised to take steps to protect abortion rights and address climate change. But NONE mentioned impeaching President Trump. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker warned that the 2020 race cannot be a referendum on Trump. “Democrats, we can’t let this election be about what we are against,” Booker said. “It must be an election about what we are for, who we are for.”  Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper urged Democrats to be pragmatic. “Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of America, but defeating him is far from guaranteed,” Hickenlooper said. “The most effective attack the Republicans can level against us Is one of socialism.”

Hickenlooper was booed by California Democrats when he made a similar comment there, but the 15-hundred Iowa Democrats who listened to HIckenlooper and 18 other presidential candidates yesterday (Sunday) did not boo any of them. The latest Des Moines Register C-N-N “Iowa Poll” found 79 percent of Democrats saying the candidates they’re considering “must” support abortion rights. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand stressed the issue during her speech Sunday. “Right wing politicians and a whole lot of men are making decisions about our reproductive freedom,” Gillibrand said. “Now is not the time to be polite. Now is not the time for small steps. Now is the time to fight like hell!”

Former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke emphasized that point, too. “That every woman makes her own decisions about her own body and has access to the care that allows that to be possible,” O’Rourke said. Former Vice President Joe Biden recently said “circumstances have changes” and he reversed his long-standing support of a federal policy that forbids federal tax dollars from paying for abortion.

Biden was not among the speakers at the Iowa Democratic Party’s event in Cedar Rapids. Biden attended his granddaughter’s high school graduation Sunday, but will be campaigning in Iowa tomorrow and Wednesday. President Trump will be in Iowa, too, touring a western Iowa ethanol plant Tuesday afternoon, then speaking at an Iowa G-O-P fundraiser tomorrow (Tuesday) night.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports one arrest and one accident took place, Saturday. 23-year old Hannah Mae Hendricks, of Des Moines, was arrested following a traffic stop at around 3:50-p.m.  She was taken into custody on a Polk County warrant for OWI/1st offense, and possession of a controlled substance. Hendricks was being held in the Adams County Jail until being transferred to Polk County.

And, a man from Clive escaped injury early Saturday afternoon, after the 2008 Pontiac G6 he was driving, experienced a steering issue as he was trying to turn north at the intersection of 120th and REA Road. The car, driven by 29-year old Ian Alexander McLeod, hit a power pole owned by Greenfield REC. The vehicle sustained $3,500 damage, while damage to the pole was estimated at $1,500. No citations were issued.