(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report four recent arrests:

Thursday night (Jan. 9th), 43-year-old Erik Speed, of Creston, was arrested for Assault. He was released on a Promise to Appear (in court).

Friday afternoon, Creston Police arrested 45-year-old Lela Ann Churchwell, of Creston, for Public Intoxication. She was transported to the Adams County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

At around 1:46-a.m. Saturday, Creston Police arrested 38-year-old Christopher Paul Stolk, of Creston, for OWI/1st offense. He later posted a $1,000 bond, and was released.

Early Sunday morning, 36-year-old Vaughan Gordon Long, of Red Deer, Alberta Canada, was arrested in Creston for OWI/1st offense. Long later posted a $1,000 bond, and was released.

(Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Most Americans continue to support the legalization of cannabis, as the medical use of cannabis is legal in 40 states and the District of Columbia and recreational cannabis is legal in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Early indications are the second Trump administration will continue the cannabis legalization policies of the Biden administration, including the rescheduling of cannabis at the federal level. Although three of four state ballot measures for recreational legalization failed in the November 2024 election (Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota), as many as five states are projected to legalize it in 2025. Iowa is increasingly becoming the exception.

Like most public policy issues, expanding the availability of medicinal cannabis products and legalizing recreational cannabis sales in Iowa is complex. Social justice, health, law enforcement, employment, agriculture and many other elements are part of the legalization movement and counter-movement. Ultimately, some observers say, it’s about the money: the potential tax revenues that the state coffers may eventually need after cutting the income tax rate and administration spending to the bone and then spending significantly more on the private school tuition voucher program. Mike Tramontina, former state deputy treasurer and former director of the Iowa Department of Management, says the Republican-controlled state Legislature and administration have “walked into a fiscal trap.”

“The state has a strong financial balance now, primarily because of federal money and the strong economy. Public education, natural resources, regulation of nursing homes and every form of regulation have been cut much further than they should. The overspending for private school vouchers will continue to escalate rapidly,” Tramontina said. Estimated to cost $106.9 million during the first year (2023–24), private school voucher spending totaled $128 million. The projected cost for the 2024–25 school year was $132.3 million, but the Legislature approved $179.2 million. Critics of the program say most of that money subsidizes affluent households with children already attending private schools. “When it becomes apparent the state will experience shortfalls, it will need new revenue. The Legislature, as in most Republican-dominated states, dare not go for more income and sales tax. The taxes on cigarette and alcohol sales are already quite high. They will need a new sin tax and, I predict, it will be the legalization of cannabis,” Tramontina added.

Robust Cannabis has a 75,000-square-foot greenhouse in Missouri, one of the states Iowans visit to buy cannabis products that are illegal in their home state. (Photo by Rebecca Rivas/The Missouri Independent)

He estimates the state will need $40 million to $50 million in new revenues and the current and very limited Medical Cannabidiol Program will never generate those amounts. Although statistics are difficult to find, Iowans who want to purchase either medicinal or recreational cannabis can drive a few hours or even minutes across the borders into Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri, boosting the economies and tax revenues of those states. Last fall, Iowa House Democrats listed the legalization of cannabis for adult use as one of their primary legislative initiatives for 2025. During a news conference in September, House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst predicted Gov. Kim Reynolds would likely oppose any cannabis legislation from Democrats during 2025, although about 60% of Iowans support legalization.

As is the case in many other states, the legalization of recreational cannabis and the expansion of the current legal medical cannabis program in Iowa will continue to be a hot issue. Internal and external forces will determine whether and when the majority of Iowans who support the legalization of recreational cannabis and a majority of Iowa legislators, who don’t, will agree the time has come.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is asking for the public’s help with a carcass dumping investigation. The DNR says five dead deer were found at the Highway 44 boat ramp of the Raccoon River, in Dallas County.

In Iowa, it is illegal to leave a dead animal without disposing of it in a timely manner. If you have any information, call 515-883-0228 or email dustin.eghmy@dnr.iowa.gov.

The DNR says you can remain anonymous and there could be a reward for your tip.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will discuss and likely approve 2025 Bridge Embargoes during their meeting that begins at 9-a.m. Tuesday (Jan. 14), in Red Oak. Bridge embargoes are designed to prevent accidents involving overweight vehicles that cause damage to a bridge, such as what occurred in Audubon County in October, 2008, when a farmer was hauling a load of corn across a four span wood bridge. The structure collapsed and a grain wagon dropped into a creek. At the time, officials said the load likely weighed about 70,800 pounds, with ~64,800 bearing on the single cart axle. Along with his tractor the total load was around 90,0000 pounds. The posted bridge weight limit was 9-tons.

Bridge collapse under heavy grain/tractor load in Audubon County (2008 file photo)

In other business, the Montgomery County Supervisors will discuss and likely approve:

• Signors for Treasurer’s Bank Accounts
• The Treasure’s Semi-Annual Report, ending fund balance for Dec. 31, 2024, in the amount of $13,065,329.08
• A Resolution naming Depositories
• Board and Committee appointments to:
  • The Planning & Zoning Commission
  • Eminent Domain Compensation Commission.

Their next regular meeting will be Jan. 21st, at 9-a.m.

*Please note the Jan. 14th meeting is a public meeting; however, it may be conducted via ZOOM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85039693411

Meeting ID: 850 3969 3411

Dial by your location   +1 312 626 6799 If you are calling in, Press *9 to raise your hand if you wish to speak.31

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold a Budget Work Session throughout the day, Tuesday (Jan. 14th). Their session begins at 9-a.m. with discussion about wages. They’ll then dive into worksheets pertaining to: Courthouse Expenses; Zoning; Capital Projects; The Cass County Fair; The County Farm; and Economic Development (The Valley Business Park). The Board will receive funding requests from: Cass County Libraries; Hungry Canyons; and the Cass County Fair Association.

Other department budget requests will be received as follows:

10:00 AM – Other Departments
a. Sanitarian – Dept. 14
b. Medical Examinations – Dept. 27
c. 2017 Agribusiness (TIF) – Dept. 33
d. Local Option Sales Tax – Dept. 50
e. Road Clearing – Dept. 62
f. Weed Eradication – Dept. 54
g. Insurance Trust Fund – Dept. 55
h. Transfers – Dept 91, 92, 98
i. Non-Departmental – Dept. 99

11:00 AM – Auditor
1:00 PM – Attorney
2:00 PM – Sheriff

The Work Session will take place in-person, and electronically, via:

Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2899195216?pwd=R0hSa2FOOTh0NUdra1ZSdVhVWHpMUT09
Meeting ID: 289 919 5216
Passcode: 012064

Call In
312-626-6799, press *9 to indicate you wish to speak.

(Radio Iowa) – Two studies reveal a proposed casino in Cedar Rapids would shift tens of millions of dollars from nearby casinos in Riverside and Waterloo. The two studies were commissioned by state gambling regulators who are set to vote in February on the application for the Cedar Crossing casino. Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell points to the part of the studies indicating the casino would generate over 100 MILLION dollars in revenue by the end of the decade. “I think competition will help those existing entities be better and that’s what I see in those numbers,” O’Donnell says, “because the numbers I see (show) the market’s ready, the market’s ready here for a casino in the state’s second largest city.”

Patty Koller is the Executive Director of the Washington County Riverboat Foundation, the non-profit that holds the license for the Riverside Casino. She points to parts of the market studies that show new casino could siphon as much as 68 million dollars from its competitors. “It’s just a distribution of the clientele,” she says. “It’s not a huge advantage to bring in new casino patrons, it’s just distributing the ones that already exist.”

The foundation and Riverside Casino have filed a petition with the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, arguing the wording in the 2021 Linn County gambling referendum is flawed, so the Cedar Rapids casino application should be tossed.

(Radio Iowa) – Des Moines Police say a suspect is in custody for the attempted murder of a man and a woman at a social club a few blocks from the Iowa Capitol. The shooting happened in the early morning hours of March 24th and an arrest warrant was issued a few days later for 26-year-old Cori Jayvon Shields.

Cori Jayvon Shields was booked into the Polk County Jail on 1/10/25. (Polk County photo)

Des Moines Police say he was taken into custody in Illinois this past October — and in mid-November a gun was recovered from a storm drain near the social club that is likely the gun that was used in the shooting. Shields has been transferred from Illinois and was booked into the Polk County Jail late Friday afternoon.

(Radio Iowa) – More than 800 volunteers are needed one week from today (Monday) at three locations in central and western Iowa for an effort to fight hunger. Dani Reick is spokeswoman for the non-profit Meals from the Heartland, which is hosting meal packaging events on Martin Luther King Junior Day at facilities in Des Moines, West Des Moines, and Omaha/Council Bluffs. “We’re looking to have roughly about 260,000 total meals packaged for that entire day for all three locations,” Rieck says. “They’ll be packaging our ingredients, like the noodles that go into the taco mac, and the seasonings that go in the taco mac as well.” Since 2008, Rieck says the organization has packaged and distributed almost 250-million meals which have gone to children and families in need in Iowa, across the U.S., and around the world.

“All of our taco mac bags all stay local,” Rieck says. “So for Des Moines, those are going to go to local food pantries, and at the Omaha location, they’ll go to the Food Bank for the Heartland.” All volunteers will go through a brief training session, then they’ll head out to the floor to directly impact Iowa families in need. “They’ll be put into an assembly line-type of packaging system. So typically we do about eight to 10 people at a table, and then they’ll work together as a team to package one bag at a time. It typically goes a lot quicker than that,” she says, “and shifts are typically about two hours long.”

Photo courtesy Meals from the Heartland

About 135 volunteers are needed at Polk County River Place in Des Moines, 160 volunteers at the Embassy Suites in Omaha’s Old Market, and 520 volunteers are needed at the organization’s West Des Moines Packaging Center. Individuals, families and groups can sign up for any of the three locations here: https://mealsfromtheheartland.org/mlk-day-2025/

(Iowa News Service/ Des Moines Iowa) – Iowa lawmakers are considering reducing fines companies pay for breaking child labor laws. The state has said it’s trying to find safe and creative ways to add more people to the workforce. The proposal to rewrite Section 32 of the state’s child labor laws would reduce fines for companies that violate them from $10,000 per instance to $2,500. Iowa AFL-CIO President Charlie Wishman said Iowa has the infamous distinction of leading the nation in rolling back labor laws designed to protect minors.

“You’ve seen a lot of child labor law reform all across the country and it doesn’t really seem to necessarily be based in partisanship,” said Wishman. “You can see a place like Alabama that’s strengthening it. You can see a place like Iowa that’s loosening it.”

The state has said it’s looking at creative ways to add more people to the workforce, with shortages especially critical in rural areas. Wishman said he worries reducing the fines would create even greater safety risks for minors in those places. The proposal is in the Legislature’s joint Administrative Rules Review Committee.

Iowa is one of the only states that reports losing population, and with that out-migration goes a much-needed employee base. As a labor advocate, Wishman said he isn’t opposed to giving kids a chance to earn money and learn responsibility by working. “But that doesn’t mean that has to come at the expense of their schoolwork, their extracurricular activities or other things like that, or other responsibilities they have,” said Wishman. “And when you lower the penalties that businesses would have for violating the law, you’re just going to encourage more violations.”

Recent changes to Iowa law allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work up to six hours on a school day, extends working hours for kids to 9 p.m. during the school year, and until 11 p.m. during the summer.

(Radio Iowa) – The 2025 Iowa legislature convenes later this (Monday) morning and Republican lawmakers say setting new limits on property taxes is their top priority. House Speaker Pat Grassley says it’s time for a broad conversation that shifts the focus to providing certainty for property tax payers. “I also want to be very aggressive and bold in our aproach to this, because Iowans have an expectation and they’ve seen from the legislature when we work on big things, we’ve been able to achieve results,” Grassley says.

House Republican Leader Matt Windschitl says during the 2024 campaign, lawmakers heard from property owners in every corner of the state. “People want to make sure that their homes are affordable and if they’ve made the investment into their homes that they’re not being taxed out of them,” Windschitl says. “They also want to make sure that if they are paying property taxes that they are being used for the appropriate purposes that property taxes should be used for.” Republican Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican of Wilton is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee where a property tax bill would first be considered.

“Everything’s on the table intentionally so that all options can be considered,” Kaufmann says. “I’ve been having many meetings with the affected stakeholders — cities, counties and planning on meeting with education folks and then, of course, we’ll narrow things down, but only after we’ve had productive conversations about what should or should not be included or eliminated from the bill.” Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver says it’s time for a holistic review of Iowa’s complicated property tax system.

House Speaker Pat Grassley on the “Iowa Press” set. (Iowa PBS photo)

“It’s something we hear about on the campaign trail,” Whitver says, “and we want to be responsive to Iowans.” Senator Dan Dawson, a Republican from Council Bluffs, is chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Like other key lawmakers, he says a wide array of options will be considered, but Dawson says the focus must be on the taxpayers, not the tax collectors.

“To ensure that some relief gets to those property tax owners out there, we’re going to have to either improve upon what we already have in place to look at going to a different model,” Dawson says. Dawson says property tax CREDITS may also be part of the conversation. Democrats say they’re interested in providing property tax relief, but House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says city and county officials as well as school board members need to be consulted.

“The needs of Ackley are not the same as the needs of Ankeny,” Konfrst says, “so sometimes I wonder about these one-size-fits-all solutions.” Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner says property tax changes approved two years ago are already having an effect. “Whether the community is large or small, whether the county is large or small in terms of population, everybody that I’ve talked to realizes they’re coming into a very difficult budget year right now,” Weiner says.

All types of property in Iowa are assessed in odd-numbered years — like this year, 2025 — and assessment notices must be mailed to property owners by April 1st.