DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The chairman of a House committee that would consider any changes to the public worker pension program says no legislation will pass this year or next that would change the system. Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, chairman of the House State Government Committee, says Tuesday “simply unequivocally” there will not be any changes to the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System. The system covers state and local government workers and public school teachers. He says any groups saying otherwise are liars.

His intention is to squelch accusations by unions and other groups that have criticized Republicans for considering a plan to force future recipients into a self-saving retirement plan, similar to a 401k. A Senate Republican proposed change failed to advance last year. Others have talked about turning the program over to private management.

Democratic legislator Mary Mascher told Kaufmann that Democrats would hold him to his promise.
The group Progress Iowa has been raising concerns the pension program could be changed. Executive Director Matt Sinovic says the group will keep encouraging Iowans to stay informed and speak out.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Des Moines resident suspected of fatally injuring a pedestrian while driving a stolen car has been charged with first-degree murder. The new charge has been filed against 21-year-old Donterius Bomar, who’s already charged with attempted murder, robbery and criminal mischief. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press.

Bomar is accused of assaulting a business employee and stealing the employee’s car within hours of being released from jail on the unrelated charge of attempted murder. Police say Bomar was driving that car when he hit 69-year-old Charles Michael Childs and kept going. Childs was found dead two days later inside a tent at a homeless camp. Police say the Polk County medical examiner’s office has determined that Childs’ manner of death was a homicide.

(Radio Iowa) — Fire forced the evacuation of patients from Spencer Hospital in northwest Iowa last (Monday) night. The Spencer Fire Department says the call was received at 5:12 p.m. for a fire in the southwest corner of the hospital. Susan Zulk, the hospital’s vice president of marketing, says, “In our central sterilization area, which is adjacent to the surgery center, one of our coworkers smelled smoke and noticed sparks coming from a washer and immediately turned to a coworker and pulled the fire alarm.” She says both workers left the area after the alarm sounded and the automatic fire suppression system extinguished the threat.

“The sprinkler system took care of the sparks, however there was some smoke that spread to a few areas of the hospital,” Zulk says. “Because of that, we did transfer some of our inpatients to surrounding facilities.” A total of 16 patients were transferred to area facilities but the Spencer Hospital president says at no time were patients or hospital employees in danger. Hospital officials anticipate having the surgery center reopen later this week.

(Radio Iowa) –The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s office has released more information about a fatal accident on Storm Lake. The two people who died when a car broke through the iced-over lake late Sunday afternoon are identified as 40-year old Zackary Newlon, of Anthon and his 8-year old son. Two of Newlon’s other children, a 9-year-old girl and a 5-year-old girl, were airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital. Buena Vista County Sheriff Kory Elston says their prospects for surviving “look positive.”

Elston says the family came to Storm Lake to play at an indoor waterpark Sunday afternoon. He says investigators don’t yet know why the man decided to drive out on to the nearby lake after leaving. The car was seen driving slowly before it became submerged in the freezing water, a quarter-mile or farther from shore. Elston says rescuers found the wet children on the ice, and the father was in the water. Rescuers used sleds to get the family to the shore.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is releasing her proposed bill that would restore voting rights for felons through an amendment to the Iowa Constitution. The language released Tuesday would change Article 2 of the constitution to say a felon gets voting rights back after the sentence is discharged. That means they could vote after serving their prison time and any probation or parole.

It doesn’t include complete repayment of all obligations, including restitution. That’s an issue that could be a problem for some conservative lawmakers who have viewed Reynolds’ proposal with skepticism.
Reynolds says the move would bring Iowa in line with 35 other states that either never take away rights or restore them upon discharge of a sentence. Iowa and Kentucky are the only states with a broad permanent ban on felons’ voting.

The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton School Board met Monday evening and acted on personnel matters and reviewed 300 series Board Policies. Superintendent Trevor Miller said the IASB sent out updates that Board reviewed to make sure they were covered and not exposed to any potential legal issues. The first reading on some of those policies passed. Miller told KJAN News the Teachers Union provided the Board with a “Letter of Intent to Negotiate.” They’ll start on negotiations sometime next month. Right now, the district is waiting on its insurance renewal costs and what the State sets for supplemental aid.

Miller said hearing on the 2019-20 District Calendar will be held at the start of the February School Board meeting. There were also some hiring of current personnel for various in-district positions. He said Tony Santisteban was hired as Boys Track Coach; Lisa Dreier, Jr. High Track Coach; Payton Wilkenfeld, Girls Track Coach; Ashton Koelhmoos, who is Volleyball Coach, will also serve as the Head Softball Coach. And, Mr. Miller will serve as as Baseball Coach for one more year.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a woman was set on fire by another woman at the apartment they shared in Burlington. Des Moines County court records say 51-year-old Deborah Powell is charged with domestic assault, willful injury and reckless use of fire. County jail records show Powell remained in custody Tuesday. Court documents say Tammy Speights told officers she and Powell had been arguing early Friday morning and that Powell sprayed her with rubbing alcohol and lit her on fire.

Police say Speights was taken to West Burlington hospital before being transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City. The documents say Powell told police that Speights may have set herself aflame by falling asleep with a lit cigarette.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Joni Ernst says she turned down Donald Trump after interviewing to be his running mate, according to a court filing that describes an “extremely painful journey” that led to her divorce from a man she alleges was abusive.

The Iowa Republican wrote in an affidavit in her divorce proceeding that was first reported by Cityview, a Des Moines alternative newspaper. She said that after Trump interviewed her in 2016 to join his ticket, “I turned Candidate Trump down, knowing it wasn’t the right thing for me or my family.”

She doesn’t explicitly say if he offered her the job. Ernst has indicated she’ll run for a second six-year Senate term in 2020.