(Radio Iowa) – Attorneys General from Iowa and 10 other states are suing three investment firms, accusing the companies of pursuing a “green scheme” that is raising electric rates. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

The Texas attorney general filed the lawsuit accusing the investment firms of anti-trust violations. Bird, along with nine other Republicans who are the attorneys general in their states, have signed on to the suit.

(Radio Iowa) – A project on the University of Iowa campus will revive a building that’s been vacant since it was swamped by flooding in 2008. Rod Lehnertz — the university’s architect — says when you’re inside the old Art Building, you can tell it’s been mothballed for a long time.

The 37 million dollar plan for the old Art Bui includes addressing a backlog of maintenance projects as well as renovations to modernize the structure.

About one-fifth of University of Iowa students are enrolled in the Graduate College. Lehnertz says they’re confident the building will not be flooded again, but just in case there are plans to add flood protection to the lower level.

Based on the size of the project, Lehnertz expects it to be completed in 2026. The old Art Building is among 22 campus buildings that were flooded when the Iowa River washed across the Iowa City campus in 2008.

(Radio Iowa) – National media outlets are declaring Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks the winner of the recount of votes in the 20 counties that make up the first congressional district. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

Bohannan issued a concession statement this (Wednesday) afternoon, thanking election officials and volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure every lawful vote was counted. Miller-Meeks declared victory on Election Night, saying she expected to carry Washington County, which had not yet reported results. Bohannan finished about seven points behind Miller-Meeks in 2022. This year’s margin was well under one percent.

(Radio Iowa) – Two dozen small and mid-sized farms, food processors and distributors in Iowa are receiving grants totaling nearly three million dollars aimed at strengthening local food supply chains. Giselle Bruskewitz is on the state steering committee for what’s called the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program that will invest nearly one million dollars into the state’s wholesale food hubs.

Bruskewitz says the program gives everyone more options.

The program is supported by the U-S Department of Agriculture with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

(Cumberland, Iowa) – Firefighters from Cumberland were dispatched to a house fire this (Wednesday) afternoon, at 901 Adams Street, in Cumberland. The call went out at 1:54-p.m.  Cumberland Fire requested mutual aid from Massena Fire at around 2:08-p.m.

Initially, the Cass County Communications Center had reported some residents were out of the home but others remained, however, Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon told KJAN News two residents – a man and his wife did escape the home safely.

Kennon said a space heater is the suspected cause of the fire, which resulted in extensive damage to the home. Cumberland Fire Chief Jason Rouse said the house was a total loss. In addition to the firefighters and Mike Kennon, Cass EMS responded to the scene.

No injuries were reported. Fire  crews returned to their stations at around 4-p.m. Cumberland Fire was recalled to the scene, when flames were reported to have rekindled at around 8:50-p.m., Wednesday.

Photo courtesy Cass County EMA Coordinator Mike Kennon

(Radio Iowa) – A new committee in the Iowa House will take a deeper look at state accounts that are set aside for specific purposes as well as the “block grants” the federal government sends the State of Iowa. Federal block grants are distributed to states and are designated for a wide variety of programs that are managed by state officials. Republican Representative Martin Graber of Fort Madison will be chairman of the House Committee on Federal and Other Funds.

The next Trump Administration might be sending even more block grants to states and giving state officials broader authority on how the money is spent.

Graber, who was just elected to a third term in the Iowa House, says giving state officials greater latitude to spend federal money would be a positive move.

Most of the taxes and fees the STATE collects is depositing in what’s called the General Fund, but Graber says the legislature has created all sorts of special state accounts designed to support specific projects.

Graber, a retired Iowa National Guard brigadier general, has a Masters in Business Administration from St. Ambrose University and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. He is currently a financial advisor.

(Radio Iowa) – A former licensed nurse practitioner and business owner in Ames has pleaded guilty to fifteen counts of sex trafficking, Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports.

The Ames Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the case, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa is prosecuting the case.

Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of youth under the age of 18 for commercial sex; the exploitation of adults for commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for compelled labor. Human trafficking does not require the transportation of individuals across state lines, or that someone is physically restrained. Signs that a person is being trafficked can include working excessively long hours, unexplained gifts, physical injury, substance abuse issues, running away from home, isolation from others, or having a person in their life controlling them or monitoring them closely. Victims particularly susceptible to being trafficked include those with criminal histories, a history of physical or sexual abuse, uncertain legal status, and dependency on controlled substances.

Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring, be it a minor engaging in paid sex acts, or anyone being coerced into prostitution or labor, is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

(Radio Iowa) – Those who find themselves in debt or experiencing financial stress might feel a little more pressure with all the talk of Black Friday and the start of the holiday shopping season. I-S-U Extension’s Carol Ehlers says holiday spending is about managing and being conscious about what you are spending. “And we do that best when we create that budget, make a list, and use cash,” she says. The National Retail Federation expects holiday spending to grow by up to three-and-a-half percent this year.

Ehlers says you can still participate in holiday giving and the spirit of the season. “The joy of being able to find something that’s special for a friend or a family member that’s very important too. But how important it is to be mindful of what we are spending.”

TransUnion’s Holiday Shopping Report shows more than half of Americans plan on spending the same amount as last year, with about 40 percent spending less.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa bridge destroyed by flooding in June has been replaced and, after five months of detours, the new bridge opened to traffic last (Tuesday) night. In August, the flood damaged remnants of the bridge on U-S Highway 18 over Stoney Creek in Clay County, near the town of Everly, were removed. Construction crews were able to complete work on the new bridge about a month earlier than scheduled. Next spring, crews will plant grass around the bridge site and do some stabilization work on the riverbank and around the bridge.

Iowa D-O-T officials say all the bridges and roads damaged by the historic flooding in northwest Iowa this past June are now open to traffic.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), approved – by a vote of 4-to-1 – an agreement with Windstream for internet service. Auditor Mandy Berg said it’s not clear when it will be installed. The Board received a report from Adair County Attorney Melissa Larson with regard to personnel, and the status of the County Attorney position. She asked for and received permission to post, a job opening for a vacant Paralegal, and Legal Assistant position. She also asked the Board to consider a resolution designating her office as being full-time.

She said it’s been something she’s been mulling over for more than a year.

As a full-time County Attorney, Larson would be prohibited under Iowa law, from having a private practice. She said the County Attorney’s position won’t be up for election until the General Election in 2026, so there won’t be any interference with that process. There are both full-time and part-time County Attorneys in Iowa. Roughly two-thirds of County Attorneys are part-time and may handle private legal work in addition to their official duties. Larson said she would not be asking for a huge pay increase as County Attorney.

The Supervisors agreed to move forward with the request, a draft for which is already prepared. Larson was instructed to give the document to Mandy Berg with the budget numbers and pertinent information, so it can be acted upon during a Board meeting in December.

Adair County Engineer Nick Kauffman presented various documents for Board approval and signing, including the awarding of a contract to Herberger Construction in Indianola, for the N7 Eureka (Township) bridge project, in the amount of $760,838.00

along with right-of-way contracts for the W-12 Harrison Culvert Project, and plans for the IN6 Summerset Bridge plans. Kauffman also gave a report on Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities.

County Auditor Mandy Berg presented for Board approval, separate Transfer and Internal Advance Resolutions for the Capital Progress Fund, a TIF Indebtedness Certification, Urban Renewal Report, and an Information Technology (IT) assessment. The Board approved those items.

And, the Adair County Supervisors approved a Child Abuse Prevention Grant draw-down for Berg to sign, in the amount of $1,196.01.