Thirty-four state senators have joined 54 members of the Iowa House in voting for a resolution that ultimately could add a gun rights amendment to the Iowa Constitution. The same proposal must pass the legislature again in 2019 or 2020 before it could be presented to voters who decide whether amendments are added to the state constitution. Senator Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale, says this is a very important issue to him. “I am trying to protect, at the highest level, our Second Amendment rights,” Zaun said. Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, says backers of the proposal are “completely tone deaf” to public opinion. “Across America people have been dealing with the impact of a school shooting,” McCoy said. “Tonight, it’s as if we’re preparing for the zombie apocolypse.” McCoy was among 15 senators who voted no.

Critics argued the proposal’s call for courts to use “strict scrutiny” when reviewing gun laws would lead to upending reasonable gun regulations. “We’ve gone to the extreme of our the right to bear arms. We’re having multiple murders in our schools. People have thousands of rounds of ammunition.” That’s Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, who called the proposed amendment “simply ridiculous.” Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, says the proposal probably doesn’t go as far as “James Madison, the father of the Bill of Rights,” would go were he alive today.

“I would imagine that when he wrote ‘shall not be infringed,’ he meant higher than ‘strict scrutiny,'” Schultz said. “That he meant zero tolerance. That he said: ‘Hands off. Get away from our weapons. The law-abiding shall not be hampered in their ability to possess…arms.'” Schultz and other Republicans in the Senate rejected the idea of putting the language of the Second Amendment from the U.S. Constitution in Iowa’s Constitution. Instead, the more expansive language approved in the Iowa House this past Monday is what won Senate approval last (Wednesday) night.

(Radio Iowa)

The only company licensed to produce medical marijuana in Iowa is moving forward with the construction of the facility where the plants will be grown and the cannabidiol oil will be extracted. MedPharm is the company created in a partnership with Des Moines-based Kemin Industries to develop the medical marijuana. Lucas Nelson is the general manager of Kemin’s outsourcing services and oversees the MedPharm construction at the Kemin facility.  “That build out is going very well and we’re about two weeks from completing first phase. That phase involves some of the grow areas and also the office area. With that complete we’ll turn to the rest of our vegetative and flower rooms,” Nelson says.

He says the growing rooms should be done by June and construction of the lab and the rest of the facility wrap up in September. “That should put us on target with a couple of weeks to spare to hit our December 1st good to deliver product to dispensaries,” Nelson says. “We’re tracking very well, although that is a very aggressive deadline, we do anticipate hitting that — like I said — with few weeks to spare.” Some states like California have the climate to be able to grow the marijuana plants outdoors — but Nelson says Iowa’s climate requires growing everything indoors. “This is a very, very controlled environment that these plants will live in, really their entire life cycle,” Nelson explains. “They’ll start in a large mother room, they’ll then move to separate grow rooms throughout their life cycle. And those rooms are controlled for humidity, temperature and light. Very specific controls to prevent any sort of bio-hazard, mites, other pests, that sort of thing.”

The first plants will come from outside the facility. “For security reasons we are not discussing where the originals are coming from,” according to Nelson. “As many growers can tell you — the interesting things is that once we have our first batch — we actually will be able to take cuttings from there and come up with the rest of our plants.” It will take roughly 10 weeks to get a plant to maturity. “They’re actually shocked by changing the amount of light the plants are receiving, and that shocks the plant….into producing the flowers, the buds. And that process takes another 10 weeks for full flowering. Once we get to that stage, we’ll take the plants, we’ll harvest them and they’ll be dried for roughly a week, and that dried plant material is what’s ground and then the oil is extracted from there,” Nelson says.

The amount of oil derived from each plant varies. “For some of the trim and kind of the excess parts of the plants you can maybe get seven percent oil yield,” Nelson says. “For some of the other plants — especially if they are grown in some of the best conditions and monitored closely– we’re hoping to get possibly up to 20 to 25 percent oil yield.” Once the oil is extracted the product will be sent out to five distributors. The process to award distribution licenses is still underway. Nelson says they will be key to getting feedback on the product. “Those will be kind of the front line of understanding what patients are looking for, if they are receiving all the benefits. If they are clamoring for something else,” Nelson says. “Also, MedPharm is keeping a close eye on the industry across other states. As you can imagine, some of the more robust medical cannibus states have a lot more data coming out of them about what people are seeking.”

MedPharm does have an agreement with a Colorado company to share information on products and manufacturing techniques as it gets underway with producing the oil.

(Radio Iowa)

(updated w/an additional arrest) Creston Police arrested four people on separate charges, Wednesday. Among them was 48-year old Victor Thatcher, of Creston, who was arrested just before 1-a.m. Wednesday at his home, for Domestic Abuse Assault by strangulation. Thatcher was being held in the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond. At around 9:30-a.m., Wednesday, 33-year old Jared James Wilmeth, of Creston, was arrested on multiple Union County warrants for Probation Violation and Willful Injury. Wilmeth was being held in the Union County Jail on $18,000 bond.

Just before Noon, Wednesday, 21-year old Paul Albrechtsen, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While Suspended. His bond was set at $300. And, at around 3-p.m., Wednesday, 23-year old Blade Fox, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County warrant for Violation of Probation, on an original – Possession of a Controlled Substance – charge. Fox was released from the Union County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

VINTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have charged an eastern Iowa couple who kept hundreds of animals in a residence that’s also home to four children. Thirty-eight-year-old Barbara Galkowski and 36-year-old Marshall Galkowski have been charged with child endangerment, and court records say she’s also charged with animal neglect.

In January officials found hundreds of animals in the Galkowskis’ Vinton house and garage, including rabbits, rats, mice, hedgehogs, turtles, birds, guinea pigs, gerbils and a ball python. Several carcasses also were found. Barbara Galkowski has said the animals were not neglected or starving and that she takes in rescue animals and breeds and shows guinea pigs.

Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports that early this (Thursday) morning, Fremont County Deputies arrested 26 year old Courtney Bartles, of Hamburg. Bartles was arrested on a valid arrest warrant in the 1900 block of Park street in Hamburg. She was charged with delivery of controlled substance to a minor and transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center, where her cash only bond was set at $25,000.

Courtney Bartles (photo courtesy Fremont County S/O)

Sheriff’s officials in Adams County report a man from Union County was arrested just after 8-p.m. Wednesday on drug charges. Adams County Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle near the intersection of Quince Ave. and 190th Street and upon further investigation, arrested Keden Morris, of Creston, for Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense (drugged) and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Morris was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $2,000 cash only bond.

Fred Hubbell, Iowa Democratic candidate for governor, launched his ‘Invest In Opportunities Tour,’ Wednesday, and will be traveling across the state to meet with voters and discuss his vision to expand opportunities to succeed for every Iowan.

During his “meet & greets” that will take place from Council Bluffs to Perry to Dubuque, Hubbell’s campaign says he will “highlight how his commitment to restoring people-first priorities — investing in education, expanding access to health care, and supporting community growth, rather than doling out millions in wasteful corporate tax credits — will build an Iowa that will be successful for generations.”

Hubbell will be in western Iowa tomorrow (Friday) at the following locations and times:

Pottawattamie County Meet & Greet: 11-a.m. at the Council Bluffs Library Meeting Room 1A, 400 Willow Ave, Council Bluffs.

Monona County Meet & Greet: 1-p.m. at Miller’s Kitchen Banquet Room, 812 Iowa Ave, Onawa.

Woodbury County Meet & Greet: 4-p.m. at Rebo’s in the Party Room at 1107 4th St, Sioux City.

Dallas County Meet & Greet: 7:30-p.m. Friday, at the Volunteer Home, 1908 North St, Perry.