Nearly 50,000 people have already cast their ballots in Iowa’s primary through early voting. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office says that’s the rough total of early ballots submitted as of Monday. That number could increase as additional absentee ballots are received. Democrats cast about 35,000 ballots, while Republicans cast about 14,400 ballots. Libertarians cast 215 ballots.

Pate says Iowa set a record for early voting requests this primary. More than 54,000 voters made requests, surpassing the previous high of nearly 45,000 in 2014. The state also hit a new high for registered voters leading into a primary. Iowa now has about 1.96 million active voters — exceeding a 2010 record by more than 7,000 voters.

Two Democrats will square off today (Tuesday) to challenge Pate, a Republican, who is unopposed in the primary.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The City Council has approved the Sioux City fire department plan to charge companies for firefighters’ responses to ruptures of natural gas lines. The Sioux City Journal reports that the council voted for the plan Monday. The city will bill the company that causes a break $2,000 for the first hour of response and $250 for each additional 15 minutes. There will be more charges for additional personnel, vehicles, ambulance service or supplies.

The fees won’t apply to small leaks that do not require a full response, incidents lasting under 30 minutes or leaks occurring to above-ground piping inside buildings. Sioux City Fire Rescue estimates it would have received more than $640,000 for its responses to gas line breaks since 2001 if the fee structure were in place.

The next time you renew your Iowa driver’s license or identification card, the card you receive will look a little different. Any cards issued on or after June 2 will have new graphics and security features to help protect your identity. The key objective is a secure card that protects Iowans from identity theft or fraud. States regularly refresh the look of driver’s licenses and identification cards to incorporate new and advanced security features and to protect against fraud. Iowa’s new cards include security features that thwart counterfeiting and tampering, and decrease the possibility of identity theft or fraud. The cards feature the golden dome of Iowa’s capitol building along with our state motto and include layered security features that protect the cards against fraud or alteration.

“The security and safety of every Iowan’s identity is our main concern,” said Melissa Spiegel, director of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Division. “This newly designed card allows us to stay on the leading edge of security technology to effectively prevent driver’s license fraud and identity theft.” The updates follow the most recent card design standards for driver’s licenses and IDs set by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and includes dozens of new security features, some that are visible to the naked eye and others that are not. The secure cards are easy to authenticate by law enforcement, the Transportation Safety Administration, and other businesses who rely on the cards to prove identity. The changes also make the cards more difficult to counterfeit or alter.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says a new report on how the federal court system handles sexual harassment is “totally unacceptable.” The report was commissioned after a federal judge retired in December of 2017 following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. Grassley says he’d hoped the report, released on Monday, would provide a concrete blueprint for accountability. He says it didn’t. “The report lacked very serious proposals and, in a sense, just kind of kicked the can down the road,” Grassley says.

Grassley says his office is working with the Administrative Office of the U-S Courts on a path to prevent future harassment and to hold accountable those who are responsible. “The federal judiciary is the only federal entity without clear guidelines on how to handle harassment complaints,” Grassley says, “and it doesn’t have an independent watchdog to guard against misconduct like congress and the executive branch has.”  Grassley chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and is calling for a hearing before the panel next week to address the issue of harassment in the federal court system.

And, while Constitutional experts argue over whether a sitting U-S president can and should be able to legally pardon himself, Grassley, who’s quick to remind us that he’s not an attorney, says it’s a “common sense answer” as the special counsel probes the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia in 2016. Grassley says, “If I were president of the United States and some lawyer advised me that I could be above the law and take the law into my own hands and be my own judge, I’d get a new lawyer.”

President Trump issued a tweet on Monday, saying he has the “absolute right” to pardon himself, but adds, “why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong?”

(Radio Iowa)

BRITT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they’ve charged a Mason City man who used a belt to spank a 4-year-old child. Hancock County Court records say 33-year-old Charles Pennington is charged with felony child endangerment resulting in injury. A criminal complaint says an investigation began in March after officials were notified about severe bruising on the boy’s buttocks, lower back and upper legs. Other children in the household told investigators the child was beaten with the belt for “getting in trouble.” Pennington’s next court date is scheduled for June 14.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Waterloo’s police chief wants to hire a violence reduction officer to focus on stemming gun violence. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that officer Justin Brandt created a nonprofit that identifies youths that may join a gang and provides programming to put them on a different course. He says he’s secured $170,000 in grants, $35,000 of which would be used to support the violence reduction officer’s salary.

Police Chief Dan Trelka says the officer would work with the nonprofit, school resource officers, the University of Northern Iowa’s Mentors in Violence Prevention program and other agencies. Councilwoman Margaret Klein says the likes the idea because no city taxpayer money would be used to fund the position. Councilman Steve Schmitt says he’s concerned about raising the number of police staff.

The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office said it has received reports from four counties, about text messages to some voters having with incorrect polling place information. Officials are currently investigating the reports. Some of the erroneous text messages start with, “Tomorrow is the Democratic Primary”, and do not identify the source.  If you are not sure where you vote, contact your county auditor or use the Iowa Secretary of State’s polling place lookup tool at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx

The Harlan Police Department issued a report on arrests and incident, today (Tuesday). Officials say on June 2nd, 57-year old Jody Lyn Wyatt, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for service in the Westridge Trailer Court. Wyatt was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with theft 4th. The next day, 41-year old Ryan Nicholas Schwery, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for a disturbance in the 900 block of 7th St. Schwery was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with disorderly conduct. Also arrested June 3rd, was 31-year old Adam Seth Polchow, of Council Bluffs. He was taken into custody following a traffic stop in the 900 block of Chatburn, in Harlan. Polchow was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, prohibited acts penalties, driving under suspension, failure to prove security against liability and speed. And, on May 31st, 42-year old Amanda Layne Hanover, of Harlan, was cited for driving under suspension, following a traffic stop at 10th and Willow.

And, no injuries were reported on June 1st, after vehicles driven by Dylan Eshelman, of Harlan, and Garrett Cooper, of Atlantic, collided at 6th and Baldwin Streets, in Harlan. Officials say Cooper was traveling north on 6th Street in a 2000 Chevy Silverado, while Eshelman was traveling west on Baldwin Street. Eshelman failed to stop at the controlled intersection, and struck the pickup on the rear passenger side. The impact caused the pickup to spin 180 degrees. Both vehicles were driven away.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports 37-year old Adam Wayne Jensen, of Earlham, was arrested May 29th, on two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance. As Jensen was detained for Driving Under Suspension, his vehicle was towed and inventoried, during which a green leafy substance was observed in a backpack. Jensen initially denied owning the backpack or marijuana, but then admitted they were his. During a probable cause search of the vehicle, a meth pipe was located in a handkerchief tucked inside a coozie that was hidden inside a compartment that normally houses the vehicles’ cd player, which had been removed. Near the coozie was a plastic container for breath mints. The container actually held a white crystal substance believed to be Meth. Jensen denied any knowledge of the meth. He was taken to the Adair County Jail and later released on a $3,000 cash or surety bond.

24-year old Jeffrey Dewane Ott, of Orient, was arrested May 31st in Adair County, for Operating a vehicle without the owners consent. Ott was turned over to authorities in Union County, where his bond was set at $2,000. Sheriff Vandewater reports also, 21-year old Austin Lee Timberlake, of Adair, was arrested May 31st for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. His arrest took place after he got into a verbal altercation with his live-in girlfriend, that allegedly turned physical. He was released the following day on $300 bond. The alleged victim has requested a No Contact Order for Timberlake.  24-year old Zachary Clayton Utterback, of Greenfield, was arrested June 2nd, for Public Intoxication. He was released June 3rd on $300 bond.

And, 48-year old Jeannine A. Larson, of Adair, was cited May 28th for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. She was released on her Own Recognizance.