Republicans on a state senate committee have advanced a plan that would save Iowa-based telecommunications companies nearly 30 million dollars in property taxes each year. The plan changes the way land lines, telephone poles and other property owned by cable and phone companies is taxed. Republican Senator Randy Feenstra of Hull says the current, centralized system for property tax assessments is “archaic.” “When you have a lot of telecommunications companies that don’t have any physical presence in our state and they don’t pay any taxes and yet you have small, telecommunications companies that are in our communities and they pay significant (property) tax,” Feenstra says, “we’ve just got to figure out some parity.”

Democrats like Senator Herman Quirmbach of Ames say now is not the time to reduce the amount of property taxes cities and counties may collect. “I mean, our local governments are already struggling,” Quirmbach said, “and I think it’s really unfair to them.”

The Iowa Association of Counties and the Iowa League of Cities are registered as undecided on the bill, however. Supporting the bill are CenturyLink, the state’s rural telephone cooperatives, the city-run telecommunications utilities and the Iowa Association of Business and Industry.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says he’s concerned about a report showing Latinos seeking home loans in Iowa City were far more likely to be denied than whites. Miller says the findings by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting seem consistent with an earlier University of Iowa study that documented home loan denial rates for Latinos. He says his office will look into the issue.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — Police in southeastern Iowa have announced an arrest in the stabbing death of a college basketball player in Oskaloosa. Officials said Wednesday at a news conference that 23-year-old Luke Ryan VanHemert, of Oskaloosa, has been arrested in the May 1 fatal stabbing of 22-year-old Marquis Todd. VanHemert has been charged with second-degree murder and is being held in the Mahaska County Jail on $500,000 cash bail.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has shot down an effort to ban automated traffic enforcement cameras in the state, effectively ending the effort this session. The Republican-controlled chamber voted 55-43 Wednesday against a proposal that would have banned cameras designed to catch cars speeding or running red lights.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa House Republicans are advancing a legislative effort to ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected by adding the measure to a separate bill. A Republican-led panel agreed Wednesday to approve legislation that would ban the sale of fetal tissue. The heartbeat provision, which would ban abortions as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy, was tacked on during the meeting. The bill heads to the House Human Resources Committee, which is expected to take up the measure Thursday.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — Police in southeastern Iowa have announced an arrest in the stabbing death of a college basketball player in Oskaloosa. Officials said Wednesday at a news conference that 23-year-old Luke Ryan VanHemert, of Oskaloosa, was arrested for the May 1st fatal stabbing of 22-year-old Marquis Todd.

VanHemert has been charged with second-degree murder and is being held in the Mahaska County Jail on $500,000 cash bail.

Todd was a student and basketball player at William Penn University in Oskaloosa. Investigators say officers found Todd with stab wounds after being called for a report of a fight. Police have said there was as minor vehicle accident that happened about a half-hour earlier that led to the stabbing

A Council Bluffs man was sentenced Wednesday in U-S District Court to a term of imprisonment, followed by three-years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 33-year old Jesus Everardo Medina is required to serve 37 months (slightly more than 3-years) in prison on the charge.

An investigation into his activities began when Council Bluffs Police responded to a gunshot being heard in the 1400 block of Avenue B shortly after midnight on June 5, 2017. Upon arriving in the area, officers located nine millimeter shell casings and were told by a witness that the party responsible, Jesus Medina, had left the area in a gold colored two door car. The vehicle was located by law enforcement a short distance from the 1400 block of Avenue B, with Medina in the back seat.

A nine millimeter Jennings semi-automatic handgun was found in the seat pocket in front of Medina. Medina was convicted of a felony offense in 2009 making it unlawful for him to possess a firearm.

The investigation was conducted by the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said Wednesday, that a Pottawattamie County man was sentenced March 13th to prison, for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. 35-year-old Sean Cullen, of Council Bluffs, will be required to serve 2 years in prison and three years of Supervised Release at the conclusion of his imprisonment.

On September 23rd, 2017, Cullen was admitted into the emergency room at Jennie Edmondson hospital in Council Bluffs, for treatment of a gunshot wound to his leg. He claimed someone had shot him. After an investigation it was determined that Cullen shot himself with a firearm during a domestic dispute. Cullen then threw the loaded handgun into a neighbor’s yard before driving himself to the hospital for treatment.

Officers observed a trail of blood on the outside of the residence that led to the fence of the property. The neighbor located the gun and reported it to Council Bluffs Police Department the next day. The firearm was determined to be a six shot, .22 caliber revolver, with one spent round in the cylinder. Cullen was convicted in 2007 of a felony for theft.

The investigation was conducted by the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

A bid to ban traffic enforcement cameras fell eight votes short in the Iowa House. Instead, the House has overwhelmingly voted to establish new state regulations for the devices used to ticket vehicles caught running red lights or speeding. Representative Wes Breckenridge, a Newton policeman, says the cameras can be a safety tool when used appropriately.

“You take a stop light or stop sign. If I’ve had 12 accidents in the last six months at that location, I can tell you if I was the chief of police, I would want to put a stop light camera there.” Representative Bobby Kaufmann, of Wilton, is among those who object to the cameras. He argues they’re primarily used to generate tax revenue for local governments.

“If traffic cameras are the best thing since sliced bread, puppies and world peace, why doesn’t every town have ’em?” Kaufmann asked. Other critics like Representative Jake Highfill of Urbandale say Iowans feel “ripped off” by traffic camera tickets. “If the cities need more revenue, they should raise their taxes and stop abusing this,” Highfill said. Representative Ashley Hinson of Cedar Rapids says the bill would set up a new petition process for those hoping to get a camera taken down, plus there’d be new requirements for keeping the cameras properly adjusted.

“Let’s face it — Iowans speed. They run red lights,” Hinson said. “…This is a law enforcement tool to hold people accountable and there are sensible regulations and due process built in.” Representative Ras Smith of Waterloo says the bill also calls for a “rigorous structure” that would govern where traffic cameras may be used.

“We’ll use data as evidence in areas where we think traffic cameras are applicable,” Smith said. “…I think this is thoughtful. I think it’s well-planned-out and I think it’s great for the people of Iowa.” Earlier this year, the Iowa Senate voted to ban traffic cameras. However, just a year ago, the Senate voted to keep the cameras, but establish new regulations. With all those variations, it’s unclear how or even whether the issue may be resolved this year.

(Radio Iowa)