There’s a wide disparity in gasoline prices across Iowa right now, and depending on where you fill your tank, it may cost 50-cents more a gallon. Even the experts are flummoxed by what’s happening. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says they closely monitor gas prices daily, and he sees no explanation for the sudden jump to over three-dollars a gallon in parts of the state.

Gas prices in northeast Iowa are significantly higher than in southwest Iowa, and Ortner says it’s baffling.

He says there’s no clear reason why prices should be so far elevated in one section of the state.

The average price for a gallon of gas in Allamakee County in far northeast Iowa is $3.11, while in southwest Iowa’s Fremont County, the price is only $2.66. The statewide average is $2.91, well below the national average of $3.06.

(Radio Iowa) – The Bridgestone tire plant in Des Moines is offering severance packages to about 130 employees, after laying off more than a hundred people last June. The factory makes tires for farm machinery. Local Steelworkers Union president Keenan Bell says the slow down at John Deere factories affects Bridgestone. Fewer tractors being made means less demand for tires, and Bell says sales forecasts predict the market will continue to slump.

Bell says many major ag businesses are tied to one another, so when John Deere experiences difficulties, Bridgestone has to make cuts, too.

Bell says 102 employees are currently interested in taking the severance package. They are eligible for a 35-thousand dollar buyout. If there aren’t enough people taking the buyout, the company will begin to look at other options, like furloughs or layoffs.

(Radio Iowa) – The Mills County Board of Supervisors and the county’s Board of Health have dismissed seven staffers in the Mills County Public Health Department. Both boards cite mismanagement and a lack of transparency — and the county’s potential legal liability for the misuse of grant money. The county’s public health administrator and a former administrator who had been working as a consultant have been fired. Five other staff members were laid off. Two home health aides and a public health nurse are being retained. Mills County Supervisor Jack Sayers serves on the county’s board of health.

Mills County Supervisor Richard Crouch says county officials have been wrestling with the situation for months.

According to a written statement, Mills County Supervisors determined they are legally prohibited from directing county tax dollars to the agency due to ongoing investigations into the Mills County Board of Health’s misuse of funds and lack of transparency. The now-fired public health administrator for Mills County has said she did everything she could to mitigate problems with how grant money had been improperly distributed and there are no current concerns about how grant money is being spent.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports a Nebraska man was arrested today (Friday), on a couple of charges. 24-year-old Caleb Martinez, of Bellevue, NE, was arrested for OWI/1st offense and Possession of a Controlled Substance. He posted a $2,000 bond, and was released from custody.

Des Moines, Iowa – The Iowa Insurance Division has joined a $17 million settlement with Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. (Edward Jones) resulting from an investigation into the broker-dealer’s supervision of customers paying front-load commissions for Class A mutual fund shares in light of later moving brokerage assets into fee-based investment advisory accounts.

The four-year investigation looked into Edward Jones’s supervision of customers moving from brokerage to advisory accounts in light of the 2016 U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Fiduciary Rule that would make investment advice to retirement accounts subject to a fiduciary standard of care.

The investigation found that Edward Jones charged front-load commissions for investments in Class A mutual fund shares in situations where the customer sold or moved the mutual fund shares sooner than originally anticipated. The investigation found gaps in Edward Jones’s supervisory procedures in this respect.

As part of the settlement, Edward Jones will pay each of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico an administrative fine of approximately $320,000. In evaluating the supervisory failures and determining the appropriate resolution, the states considered certain facts such as the positive performance of the investment advisory accounts as compared to the brokerage accounts.

“In partnership with NASAA and other state securities regulators, we will continue to protect Iowa investors and ensure that companies operating in Iowa follow our securities laws,” said Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen. “The Iowa Insurance Division appreciates the ongoing cooperation of Edward Jones throughout this investigation and settlement process. Firms that offer both brokerage and investment advisory services should be mindful that customers are receiving the services the customer wants at an appropriate price.”

This is a correction to our recently posted IA SUPCO story where we inadvertently posted the Appeals Court decision, NOT the Supreme Court. KJAN regrets the error and has updated the story as follows:

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court (IASUPCO) today (Friday), issued a decision in the case of Alison Elaine Dorsey, who, on November 14, 2024 appealed her conviction in her second-degree murder and child endangerment causing death, case. In it’s opinion, the IASUPCO  said “Dorsey’s conviction is reversed, and the case is remanded for a new trial. Decision of Court of Appeals Affirmed in Part and Vacated in Part; District Court Judgment Reversed and Case Remanded.”  https://www.iowacourts.gov/courtcases/21043/embed/SupremeCourtOpinion

Dorsey was convicted of 2nd Degree Murder in Pottawattamie County District Court in June, 2023. Her conviction was related to the death of a child who was under her care in Massena home. Dorsey’s attorney’s had sought further review of the court of appeals decision that affirmed her convictions for second-degree murder and child endangerment causing death. They argued that the change of venue from Cass County to Pottawattamie County was improper, substantial evidence did not support the verdict, evidence of the victim’s rib injury was improperly admitted, she was unfairly deprived of her right to call additional character witnesses regarding certain traits, and the court erred in denying her motion for a new trial.

Dorsey’s first trial in Cass County ended in a hung jury. The second trial was moved to Pottawattamie County due to pre-trial publicity.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn says recent cyber attacks show communist China is ramping up its attempts to steal information and it’s time to act. Nunn is serving on the House Select Committee on China. “Communist China’s attempt to pilfer information, both intellectual property as well as American’s personal information — that stops today,” Nunn says. The Wall Street Journal has reported a recent Chinese hack targeted nine U.S. telecommunications companies and Nunn says Americans should be told more about the cyber attack on the U.S. Treasury. Nunn says the intelligence community had warned the agency it was a prime target for China. “It has bled out a lot of sensitive proprietary information, personal information and unique small business information that allows China now to compete on an unfair playing field not just against big businesses, but hometown entities and literaly target, recruit and, sadly in some cases, exploit Americans because they now have their individual information,” Nunn says.

Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, was an intelligence officer in the U-S Air Force and worked in the Obama White House for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Nunn says experts are still assessing the scope of China’s hack of the U-S Treasury Department. “They spoofed credentials that Treasury should have been keeping secure,” Nunn says. “…This gives them a competitive advantage against other marketplaces in the United States where currently China has over 40,000 shell companies operating on U.S. territories.” Nunn says the breach also means China’s intelligence agency may have obtained information about U.S. companies doing business in China that could lead to China seizing assets or making it more difficult for the American business to operate in mainland China.

Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn (R-Bondurant) (official photo)

Nunn is a member of the Financial Services Committee in the U.S. House as well. He says the panel will consider legislation to ease banking regulations. “There are a number of federal entities that have made it harder for a community lender to be successful and those costs are dumped directly on individuals, whether you’re buying your first car, your first home or you’re just trying to save long term,” Nunn says. “I think this is a great thing we’re going to be able to do, making it easier for everyday Americans to keep more of their hard earned money and reinvent is directly in their community business.”

Nunn is starting his second term in the U.S. House and he will again serve in the House Agriculture Committee.

(Radio Iowa) – Fifty years ago today (Friday), a massive snowstorm brought chaos to wide sections of Iowa. Called the “Storm of the Century,” the blizzard claimed 58 lives in the Midwest, including 15 people Iowa. Ed Porter was a photographer for the Sioux City Journal in 1975. He’s 90-years-old now and recalls flying overhead to photograph snow drifts up to 20 feet tall that were shaped by 16 inches of snowfall and powerful winds. “It was just pure white, except you’d see a bump in the road where the car was stuck, the train with the plow on the front of it, being totally bogged in,” Porter says, “the cattle and all the other things that were going on.”

Porter says the wicked storm was one of the highlights of his long career, which also included coverage of the crash-landing of Flight 232 and several presidents including Truman, Carter, and Reagan.  “We were so cold coming back that we could hardly move,” he says. “They had to cut me out of the seat belt ‘cause I was just about froze stiff.”

1975 Blizzard (Image from Acrossthefflow.wordpress.com.)

Governor Robert Ray declared 40 counties in northwest and western Iowa disaster areas. An estimated 100-thousand head of livestock died, and thousands of people were stranded in their cars.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today (Friday) announced that it has awarded more than $15.3 million in Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding to three rail projects in Iowa. This funding is part of a $1.1 billion total investment to improve and study more than 1,000 highway rail crossings nationwide, and it is the largest single investment in grade crossing safety in FRA’s history. Combined with previous rail investments announced under the Biden-Harris Administration, FRA has now invested a historic $48.5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding in more than 445 rail projects across the country and Amtrak.

The Rail grants for communities in 41 states that will build railroad overpasses and underpasses, fund safety upgrades that will save lives, and make improvements that will result in safer communities for pedestrians and motorists as well as rail workers and riders. The construction of new overpasses and underpasses, in particular, will eliminate the risk of collisions between trains and roadway users and prevent blocked crossings—which delays drivers and emergency responders alike—greatly enhancing safety, mobility, and connectivity for local communities nationwide.

Accidents at grade crossings are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States, with more than 2,000 incidents and 200 fatalities occurring at grade crossings each year. Furthermore, blockages resulting from slow moving or stalled trains at crossings cost time and resources for American families and may cut off access roads and delay first responders from reaching emergencies. Over the last twelve months, FRA received more than 26,000 complaints of blocked crossings through the agency’s Public Blocked Crossing Incident Reporter.

Projects funded by the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024 Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program include:

Clay County Crossing #385705E Elimination (Up to $3,280,000); Clay County

The proposed project was selected for Final Design and Construction and includes activities to remove a Canadian Pacific Kansas City at-grade crossing and construct a high-level grade separation in Clay County, Iowa. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety, as the project will remove an unsafe railroad crossing and improve the movement of freight and emergency services. Clay County and Canadian Pacific Kansas City will contribute the 31.45 percent non-Federal match. This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for projects in Rural Areas.

Broadway Avenue Phase 2 Crossing Elimination and Safety Improvements Project  (Up to $11,522,095); Polk County

The proposed project was selected for Construction and includes activities to grade separate a crossing and improve two additional at-grade rail crossings in Polk County, Iowa. The project will build a roadway underpass at the intersection of a dual Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) track and Broadway Avenue and install new signals, gates, and raised medians at the other two nearby crossings. This project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety and improving mobility, as the project will reduce incidents, reduce congestion, improve freight and commuter movement, provide multimodal transportation options, and increase roadway safety. Polk County will contribute the 26.1 percent non-Federal match.

Merrill Grade Crossings Study (Up to $540,000); Iowa Department of Transportation

The proposed project was selected for Project Planning and includes activities to evaluate highway-rail grade crossing safety and a potential highway-rail grade separation in Merrill, Iowa. The project will conduct a planning and feasibility analysis to identify ways to improve highway safety and traffic flows in the Merrill area and mitigate a physical barrier posed by the rail corridor in the community. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety, as the project will eliminate the risk of future highway-rail grade crossing incidents. Iowa DOT and BNSF will contribute the 20 percent non-Federal match. This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for Planning projects and the statutory set-aside for projects in Rural Areas.

The full list of FY 2023-2024 Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program selections can be found here. More information about the grant program is available here.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Democratic legislative leaders said Thursday they will work during the upcoming session to “hold Republicans accountable” for policies that run counter to most Iowans’ wishes. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, said “We are ready and willing to work with Republican lawmakers to pass good policy, but we will also hold Republican lawmakers accountable when their efforts are geared towards special interests and the very wealthy instead of focusing on hardworking Iowans.”  The 2025 legislative session will convene Monday with a supermajority of Republicans holding power in both the House and Senate, as well as a Republican governor. That leaves Democrats with too few votes to pass legislation without GOP assistance.

That doesn’t mean Democrats won’t be relevant to the debate, House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said. “We represent a huge number of people, and so our job is to be here representing our constituents, and they deserve to have a voice at the Capitol, just like those who are represented by Republicans,” Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said. “And so we continue to hold Republicans accountable for legislation that does not match what voters are asking us for. We will continue to introduce legislation. We will have conversations and negotiations.” The two Democratic leaders spoke Thursday at a forum sponsored by the Iowa Capitol Press Association, a group of journalists who cover the Statehouse. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican legislative leaders were also invited, association President Erin Murphy said. The governor declined the invitation. The Republican leaders did not respond to it, he said.

Iowa Democratic legislative leaders Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, left, and Sen. Janice Weiner speak to reporters at the Iowa Capitol Press Association forum on Jan. 9, 2025 at the Statehouse. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Among the issues Democrats hope to influence is the Republican priority of cutting property taxes.  “We are willing to talk with our Republican colleagues and work with them on this, but it really has to work for both everyday people — the Iowans who pay the taxes –and it has to work for the communities and the counties,” Weiner said. She added she has spoken with Republican colleagues about revisiting a provision in the last major property tax overhaul and creating an exemption to property tax limits for voter-approved levies. Konfrst said she hoped representatives of cities and counties that will be affected by tax changes can be at the table to discuss the proposals. “The needs of Ackley are not the needs of Ankeny, so sometimes I worry about these one-size-fits-all solutions,” she said.

Both Konfrst and Weiner said they expect bipartisan support for some Republican proposals. Konfrst said legislation restricting drivers to using only hands-free devices behind the wheel is a “no brainer” and that Democrats would help pass a bill if it is brought to the floor. Weiner cited legislation addressing the use of opioid settlement funds, which failed to reach the governor’s desk at the end of the 2024 session. “I hope it will be a priority for everyone this early this session. It should not be a partisan issue,” Weiner said.