GROTON, Conn. — A date is now set for the commissioning of Iowa’s newest namesake. The U.S.S. Iowa fast attack submarine will be commissioned 10-a.m. April 5th, in Groton, Connecticut. With the sponsor ordering the Captain to “Man your Ship and Bring Her to Life!”, the commissioning, ordered by the Navy, is generally open to the public and will be live-streamed as well. The Commissioning Committee will make every effort possible to open this event to as many IOWANs as possible.

The Commissioning Committee will start accepting invitation requests on Dec. 26 through Jan. 13. Requests are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

USS Iowa SSN 797; roll-out at General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut – August 2023 (Photo via https://www.seaforces.org/usnships/ssn/SSN-797-USS-Iowa.htm)

To request an invitation, visit SSN797.com.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines police are investigating a shooting on Christmas day. KCCI reports Officers responded to a home in the 2900 block of East 40th Court around 4:13-p.m. Wednesday, to investigate a shooting incident. At the scene, officers found two people with gunshot wounds. A woman was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, while a man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Des Moines Police Department said the initial investigation shows the shooting was a “domestic-related situation.” One off duty officer also responded upon hearing gunshots. The shooting remains under investigation.

This is the 17th homicide of 2024 in Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa) – If you got an ugly Christmas sweater, something in the wrong size or a duplicate item as a gift, ’tis now the season for returns — and the lines at customer service counters are likely long. Margo Riekes, spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau, offers Iowans a few tips to keep the line moving smoothly. “Be patient because all of the sales employees, especially the first few days after Christmas, are overwhelmed with all the returns,” Riekes says. “If you’re patient, you’re more likely to get some action.” Standing in line for 45 minutes may try your patience, but she says to consider what it must be like to be the person hearing peoples’ complaints all day long.

“The customer who’s trying to return the gift should always be calm and polite when trying to do so,” Riekes says. “People will be much more willing to help them.” When returning an item, make sure to keep it in the original packaging and in like-new condition. “Do not take the tags off the things because once the tags are off, it’s probably impossible to return them,” she says.

If the gift giver was thinking far enough ahead to enclose a gift receipt in your wrapped box, it will make the process infinitely easier.

(Radio Iowa) – Several improvement projects at Iowa’s commercial airports are moving ahead on schedule. The D-O-T’s Shane Wright says the governor allotted 100 million federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan to the state’s Commercial Aviation Infrastructure Fund. Money was awarded based on traffic volume, and the Des Moines International Airport got the largest chunk. “They were awarded 58-point-seven million dollars. Their application was to complete the 30 percent design for the terminal project, as well as construct five-story parking garage, which amounted to 11-hundred-50 new parking spaces,” Wright says. During a recent presentation to the Transportation Commission, Wright says the volume of traffic out of Des Moines is projected to continue to increase.

“Three to four percent annually from an enplanement standpoint, and they expect to see that continue. So for a terminal that was basically already at capacity, that three to four percent is a lot for an airport,” he says. They expect to open the new Des Moines terminal in 2027. The eastern Iowa airport in Cedar Rapids was awarded a little more than 28 million dollars for its terminal expansion to handle more traffic.  “This adds additional capacity, with four new boarding bridges, new administrative offices, and then there’s also renovation going on at a few of the existing bridges and gate areas, again, to accommodate that larger traffic,” he says. ” Because Cedar Rapids is seeing the same thing with the larger aircraft and more passengers in those in those gate spaces.” The Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City was awarded three-point-one million dollars.

“This was to begin a phase one of a north T hangar development. So this was kind of a green space T hangar area, because the airport hangar area was full,. And there’s been a lot of general aviation demand in that area. So the airport elected to construct 210 unit T hangars,” Wright says. He says this project is farther ahead than some of the others. “All of the hangers have been leased out, I’ll say, except for two. And I believe probably by now, those two are leased out as well. And they had several more interested parties,” Wright says. “So again, very strong demand at the at the Sioux Gateway Airport for anchor space. We expect this grant to be closed out soon.” The Dubuque Regional Airport was awarded two-point-seven million dollars.  “To construct a large box style hangar. The hanger is being built adjacent to the existing aircraft apron parking lot next to the University of Dubuque aviation program, their new flight building apron space. And this hangar is complete, and it was occupied by the University of Dubuque. It will house up to 14 of the training aircraft,” he says.

(Radio Iowa photo)

The Waterloo Regional Airport, was awarded two-point-one million dollars.  “Their application was for constructing parking lot canopies, so covered parking with LED lighting as part of an overall land side modernization that the airport’s going through,” Wright says. He says the Waterloo project will cover ticketing lanes, pay station lanes, as well as parking structures for some of the high use parking spaces and disabled spaces. The Fort Dodge Regional Airport was awarded one-and-a-half million dollars to construct three modern box hangars. The Mason City Municipal Airport was awarded one-point-five million dollars to construct a T hangar building and the taxi lanes. The construction of this T hanger building is already complete and the hanger is fully occupied. The southeast Iowa Regional Airport in Burlington received one-point-five million dollars to construct a large box hangar for storing larger aircraft, and construction is nearly complete.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Christmas Night, arrested 40-year-old Joshua Dean Cooney, of Red Oak. Cooney was taken into custody at around 8:35-p.m., for Driving While Suspended (A Simple Misdemeanor). He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Two influential conservative groups are urging Iowa lawmakers to cut state AND local taxes. Iowans for Tax Relief president Chris Hagenow says it’s time to force city and county officials to cut or at least freeze property taxes.   “Just this last year cities in aggregate grew their spending by 6.6% and counties by 7.6% and that’s just too much,” Hagenow says. “I understand that there are obligations that they have, but we all know because of the example we have set by the legislature that they can do better and so we think it’s appropriate to put some spending limitations in this year.”

Iowans for Tax Relief is proposing that future yearly increases in city budgets be limited to two percent in the future. “I know that will be met with significant resistance,” Hagenow says, “but it’s time.”

Some state funding was provided to cities and counties to offset cuts in local commercial property taxes that were ordered in a law Governor Terry Branstad signed in 2013. Hagenow says lawmakers should not consider that kind of a tax shift again. Taylor Raygor — state director of Americans for Prosperity — spoke to Governor Kim Reynolds at a recent state budget hearing and praised her signature on legislation that lowers Iowa’s personal income tax rate to three-point-85 percent on January 1st.

“We look forward to working with you and legislative leaders to build on these successes by chipping away at our income tax until that burden is removed completely from the backs of hard working Iowans,” Raygor said. “Second, in order to do the first, we have to continue to prioritize spending discipline. While Iowa’s economy is strong, we know that government spending should not outpace the growth of our household incomes.”

Reynolds responded. “You can take to the bank that your priority one and priority two are continued priorities of mine as well,” Reynolds said. “We’re going to keep chipping away at this…and I’m excited about it.”

Reynolds has not shared details about her tax proposals for the 2025 legislative session, but she has previously said her goal is to completely eliminate the state income tax by the end of her current term as governor — and that would be in early January of 2027.

Waterloo, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Corrections reported Wednesday, 21-year-old D’Iona Asia Marie Wilson-Bass, who was convicted of Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon in  Black Hawk County, failed to report back to the Waterloo Women’s Center for Change as required, Tuesday.

Wilson-Bass is a black female, 5-feet six-inches tall, and weighs 208-pounds. She was admitted to the work release facility on December 17th, 2024.

Persons with information on Wilson-Bass’s whereabouts should contact their local police.

D’Iona Asia Marie Wilson-Bass

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A Montgomery County man was arrested late Wednesday morning on a trio of charges. Red Oak Police reports 39-year-old Rafael Mendoza-Ramirez, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 11:40-a.m. in the 1800 block of E. Summit Street, following an investigation into a reported disturbance. Mendoza-Ramirez was arrested for Public Intoxication and Giving False Identification information to a Law Enforcement Officer.

After determining his real identity, it was learned Mendoza-Ramirez was wanted on an active felony warrant for being a Fugitive from Justice. The warrant was issued by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, in Wisconsin.

Mendoza-Ramirez was being held in the Montgomery County Jail without bond, pending extradition to Wisconsin.

(Radio Iowa) – A loan officer who works with credit unions throughout the Midwest says some veterans forego the home-buying assistance they earned.

Kris Fish Kuhlmann, a V.A. Loan Specialist, is with the Iowa-based Premier Lending Alliance. “Veterans are eligible to purchase a home with 100% financing,” she says, “so they’re not required to have a downpayment.”

Kuhlmann was at the Algona VFW this past Saturday to meet with veterans. “They receive a benefit from their service and I want them to understand the benefit they have available,” she says, “and ultimately how they can accomplish the dream of home ownership.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 9% of Iowa homes are occupied by veterans. Nationally, about 80% of veterans own their home and about 11% of new mortgages in the U.S. are loans from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

(Radio Iowa) –  A Christmas Eve disruption to American Airlines flights nationwide appears to have had little or no impact on Christmas Day air travel in Iowa. On Christmas morning, both American flights out of the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids were on time. Four out of five American Airlines departures from the Des Moines airport took off as scheduled, although a 5 a.m. Christmas morning flight from Des Moines to Dallas was cancelled.

The websites for Iowa’s two largest airports show all American Airlines flights due to land in Des Moines or Cedar Rapids on Christmas morning were on time, or close to it.