(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative is exactly what is needed and she says now that Republicans hold the White House and congress, they “should not squander the opportunity” to make the federal government smaller, more efficient and more accountable. “With a Republican trifecta and initiatives like DOGE, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity here in Washington, D.C. to restore American prosperity, save taxpayer dollars and take a sledgehammer to the administrative state,” Hinson said during a conference call with Iowa reporters.

Hinson said Musk and his team have already taken major steps to expose and cut government waste, but there’s much more to be done. “The administrative state needs to be reined in,” Hinson said, “and that is exactly what DOGE is working to do.” Hinson said “taxpayers voted for accountability and transparency” after Trump talked during the 2024 presidential campaign about having Musk do this kind of work. “I would just take a look at the people who are pushing back. They’re the people who want business as usual because it’s lucrative for them and benefits them,” Hinson said. “My only care and concern here is how does this benefit taxpayers and how does this protect our country?…I look forward to seeing what I can do as a member of the appropriations committee to help back that up.”

IA (R) Congresswoman Ashley Hinson

Hinson, a Republican from Marion, has served on the House Appropriations Committee since she was sworn in as a member of congress in 2021. Hinson authored an opinion piece that was published in today’s (Monday’s) Washington Times, suggesting the federal government should follow the downsizing effort Governor Kim Reynolds has led at the state level. Two years ago Reynolds proposed and signed legislation that cut the number of state agencies by nearly 60 percent. Last year, the governor’s realignment initiative eliminated or merged 80 state boards and commissions.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers is reminding citizens of the community about the City’s Snow Ordinance. Brothers says “The weather forecast for Tuesday night into Wednesday indicates a probability of accumulating snowfall. The Clarinda Police Department would like to remind 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.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, during their meeting last week, received a monthly report for the months of December 2024 and January 2025, from Cass County Community Services Director/Mental Health Advocate, Debbie Schuler. She mentioned they had six claims for General Relief totaling $3,500.

With regard to the rental payments her office assisted with, Schuler said…

Some of the rents paid were after SIRHA payments were made. SIRHA is the Southern Iowa Regional Housing Authority, which provides rent assistance or rent subsidies to low income individuals, families, elderly or disabled who meet program guidelines. Schuler said SIRHA -which is federal money – is currently not accepting any new vouchers for assistance because they are out of money.

Supervisor Wendy Richter said having people on a wait list is ‘not a bad thing,” at least at this point in time.

With regard to the Mental Health aspect of her Department, Debbie Schuler said she attended six meetings in December, with 49 individuals under a court order, and three new commitments. She attended three initial hearings. January was a very busy month for the General Relief Department, Schuler said, with 143 individuals presenting to the office for rent and utility assistance (water and sewer). There is currently a moratorium in effect for electricity and gas, which cannot be shut-off during the winter, but water and sewer is not included in that moratorium.

The Supervisors last week, also received a monthly report from Cass County Veteran’s Affairs Director Mitch Holmes, for the quarter ending December, 2024.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A steering committee tasked with coming up with a Comprehensive Plan for the City of Atlantic, has two meetings planned for this Wednesday, Feb. 12^th, to garner input and suggestions as to how the City should move forward the next five-years. Steering committee Jennifer Miller explained what the Comprehensive Plan entails.

Public input is crucial in establishing a Comprehensive Plan, Miller says. The meetings Feb. 12^th are the first stage in that process.

The meetings will be held from Noon until 1:30-p.m., and again from 6-until 7-p.m., to give citizens the chance to voice their opinion on the City’s future.

You can come and go as you please. The meetings take place in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall on 4^th Street, in Atlantic.

CRAWFORD COUNTY, Iowa (KTIV) – The mother, of the infant, who died in Crawford County plead not guilty last week to child endangerment. KTIV in Sioux City reports that on Tuesday, Feb. 4th, 22-year-old Sarah Lembke, of Charter Oak, pleaded not guilty to one count of child endangerment, according to court documents. Additionally, Lembke reportedly filed a demand for a speedy trial.

Lembke was charged with one count of child endangerment resulting in death, after she and the baby’s father, 23-year-old Chad Gibbs, were arrested in January. As reported, Gibbs reportedly fell down the stairs while holding the infant which caused the baby’s head to strike the frame of a door. He also reportedly dropped the baby to the ground from a height of three to four feet.

The baby’s father reportedly did not call for medical attention until the infant lost a pulse hours later. Then, medical professionals were called to the scene. According to court documents, Lembke was not observant enough to realize that there was something wrong with the infant. She admitted the baby was crying regularly for five hours and had a bruise on her face, however, she failed to have cautioned the baby’s father may have caused the injuries.

Records reveal Gibbs reportedly has a history of injuring Lembke’s children. Both Gibbs and Lembke were charged with one count of child endangerment.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports two people were arrested on separate charges early Saturday morning. A little before 3-a.m., 54-year-old Carl Walter Degonia, of Creston, was arrested for Public Intoxication. Degonia was taken to the Union County Jail where he later released after posting a $300 bond. And, at around 4:30-a.m., Saturday, 41-year-old John Emanuel Jupiter, of West Burlington, IA was arrested for Possession of a controlled substance/Marijuana- 1st offense. Jupiter later posted a $500 bond before being released from the Union County Jail

(Radio Iowa) – Northwest Iowa native Cooper DeJean — starting cornerback on the Philadelphia Eagles — intercepted a pass in last night’s Super Bowl and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. DeJean, who grew up in Odebolt, wore his high school letter jacket to the stadium. His interception came halfway through the second quarter. It was his first interception in the N-F-L — and it happened on his birthday. DeJean turned 22 on Sunday.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy has been updated to reflect increased access to data and new practices, including a precision ag-tool to optimize nitrogen application. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the nutrient reduction strategy was developed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University in 2013, as part of a larger, 12-state task force to address the growing size of the hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico by reducing nutrient levels in the Mississippi River Basin.

The strategy encourages farmers to participate in the nutrient reduction strategies, but does not mandate the conservation practices. IDALS announced the updated version of the strategy Thursday. According to the press release, the last update was completed in 2017. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus are the main contributors to the “dead zone” in what was formerly know as the Gulf of Mexico, and therefore are the nutrients the strategy seeks to reduce.

One of the 2025 updates includes a recommendation that corn farmers follow a three-year extended rotation to reduce nitrate‐N concentration in tile drainage by 42%, on average. According to the plan, that means following a four-year schedule of corn, soybean, alfalfa and alfalfa in a given field. Three years of legumes, a type of plant that fixes nitrogen in the soil, will reduce the need to apply nitrogen to the corn crop, and showed a 10% increase in corn yields.

Corn planted into no-till corn residue in 2008 near Minden, Iowa. (Photo courtesy of USDA)

The recommendation would help the state reach its goal of reducing the nitrogen load from non-point sources by 41% from the 1980-1996 benchmark nutrient levels. Point source pollution comes from sources like a wastewater facility or a factory that directly discharges into waterways. Non-point pollution is not as easy to pinpoint as it includes runoff from agricultural land, urban areas and more.

The update also notes that INRS provides quarterly updates to an online dashboard with measurements of water quality metrics, erosion control practices, funding, point source facility permits and in-field practices, instead of a “static” annual report.  The Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council, which monitors the progress of the strategy, found in its 2023 survey a 7% decrease in the use of commercial nitrogen applied to continuous corn operations and that farmers planted nearly 4 million acres of cover crops in 2023, which is also a practice promoted by the strategy to reduce nutrient runoff.

The press release from IDALS also highlighted new strategies to implement conservation practices. This included the “batch and build” process which began in 2020. The process installs nutrient reduction practices, like saturated buffers and bioreactors, on multiple farms at once, to maximize funding pools and accelerate the adoption of these practices.  According to IDALS, the state has completed five “batches” so far.

The strategy is also promoting the use of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Application Consultation Tool, or N-FACT, a precision ag tool developed by the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative, to “fine-tune” fertilizer application. The public, online tool helps farmers determine the optimal rate of nitrogen application for their farm based on factors like location, precipitation and residual nitrogen.

The Iowa Nitrogen Initiative developed the tool from ISU research conducted with private farmers in every region of the state. According to a press release from IDALS, N-FACT can calculate more than 21,000 optimal nitrogen rate scenarios due to the hundreds of field trials conducted by ISU.

(Radio Iowa) – A committee in the U-S Senate has voted for a bill that would require automakers to keep putting A-M radios in vehicles. Some companies, like Tesla and Ford, have begun leaving A-M radio out of electric vehicles, citing interference from the electric motors. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is one of many co-sponsors of the A-M Radio for Every Vehicle Act. “AM radio is a critical way folks across the country receive information,” Ernst says. Ernst and others say during natural disasters, when electricity and cell phone towers are out, A-M stations become a primary source for information.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs and other groups that represent emergency responders have urged congress to pass the bill.  “This act would require automakers to preserve AM radios in electric and internal combustion engine vehicles,” Ernst says. The same bill has been introduced in congress before. Last year it cleared a Senate committee, but was not considered in the U-S House.

“I’m hopeful after many, many years of work our Republican majority will get this across the finish line,” Ernst said. Iowa’s other U-S Senator, Chuck Grassley, is also co-sponsoring the bill. Grassley says A-M radio is the backbone of our emergency alert system, especially in rural areas, and Grassley says Iowans rely on A-M radio to catch up on local news, weather and commodity and livestock markets. The American Farm Bureau, A-A-R-P and several broadcast groups have been lobbying for the bill.

If it becomes law, A-M radio would have to be standard equipment in every vehicle, at no additional charge. Both of Nebraska’s U-S Senators and the two senators from Minnesota are backing the bill. Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley are also co-sponsors.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is recommending that a prominent state-owned building that’s been in poor condition for decades be torn down. The 48-year-old Wallace State Office Building — just across the street from the state capitol in Des Moines — has a southern facade that reflects the image of the capitol building. The windows and roof leak and some employees have said they’ve suffered from “sick building syndrome.” The last group of employees still working in the building are relocating to another building this spring. It’s now up to legislators to decide what to do next.

Republican Representative Gary Mohr of Bettendorf is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “We understand there have been problems with the Wallace Building. Right now no decisions have been made about what we’re going to do with that, but we’re starting the discussion,” Mohr says. “We know something has to change there.” The governor has submitted a piece of legislation that would authorize disposal of the building and an adjacent parking structure, but she hasn’t said whether the property should be put up for sale. Mohr is wary of selling.

Wallace Building

“I’m hesitant to give up that property because it’s state property and it’s close to the state capitol. I don’t think we need to make a quick decision on that because once we give it up, we might not get it back,” Mohr says. “…These decisions will last 30 to 40 to 50 years.” The Wallace Building is in a neighborhood called the Des Moines East Village. The area has undergone a renaissance in the past two decades. Retail areas and housing are still being added. Four state agencies have been housed in the Wallace State Office Building at one time or another.

The Wallace Building was named for Henry A. Wallace, the founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred and President Franklin Roosevelt’s first Secretary of Agriculture. He served one term as Roosevelt’s vice president. After the 1944 election, Roosevelt appointed Wallace Secretary of Commerce and President Truman kept him in the role.