(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has overwhelmingly voted to require at least 90 percent of miles along proposed carbon pipeline routes be voluntarily secured before the government’s eminent domain authority could be used to seize the rest. It also would let farmers seek compensation years from now if crop yields are depressed in the area around a carbon pipeline. Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, is the bill’s lead sponsor. He says the pipelines have generated intense debate around the state and he calls pipeline opponents “freedom fighters.”

“The route of these pipelines in Iowa would impact thousands of fellow citizens, a great deal of farmland and many of our communities,” Holt says. Some of those who voted for the measure lamented that it did not go far enough in protecting landowners who do not want the pipelines on their property. Republican Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton, a bill backer, is blasting pipeline developers and the ethanol industry who’ve been calling for the bill’s defeat.

“When you use government funds to aid your project, when you wish to use the tools of government, such as eminent domain…expect uncertainty,” Kaufmann said. “…The notion that this legislation is going to kill the ethanol industry — there’s a lot of four letter words I could use to describe that and I will not do that — I’ll just simply call it B.S.” Republican Representative Henry Cisneros of Muscatine has the same concerns — but voted against the bill. Cisneros calls eminent domain theft.

“Your government is in a hurry to facilitate this theft so a single corporation can shovel more of our taxdollars into its bank account,” Cisneros says. Representative Chuck Isenhart, a Democrat from Dubuque, says if House members believe carbon pipelines have no public benefit, then the bill should have banned construction. “Don’t put the burden of the decision on a small group of landowners to hold out, resulting — no doubt — in a beseigment if the bill becomes law,” Isenhart said.

Representative Zach Dieken, a Republican from Granville, was a reluctant yes. He says the pipelines a cash cow for developers and he praises landowners who’ve refused to sign voluntary easements with pipeline developers.  “To those actively standing up for yourself and your freedoms, the rest of Iowa and America thanks you,” Dieken said, acknowledging pipeline opponents watching debate in the House balcony. “..I also want to apologize that I couldn’t do more and I’m sorry the government created by God to defend your God given rights was not courageous to do more.”

Summit Carbon Solutions released a statement saying the carbon capture projects will play a critical role in ensuring the long term viability of the ethanol industry and the future of Iowa’s ag economy. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says the bill is a mistake that will reduce ethanol production and depress corn prices.

(Radio Iowa) – Arrest warrants have been issued for two men police believe were involved in the murder of a Fort Dodge man nearly three months ago. Fort Dodge Police have issued a warrant for 31 year old Lakendrick Mosley of Des Moines. He’s charged with First degree murder. A warrant has also been issued for 27 year old Darwin Green of Fort Dodge for aiding and abetting murder in the first degree. Both men are still at large.

Lakendrick Mosley

Forty-six-year-old Montreail Dungy was killed on Christmas Day. Fort Dodge Police say they will not be releasing any additional information about the case and they’re encouraging anyone with information about Dungy’s murder to contact police.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa doctors are now barred from starting gender transition treatments for minors. Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Wednesday that took effect immediately, making it illegal to start prescribing puberty blockers or perform gender transition surgery on anyone under the age of 18. Earlier this week, Reynolds told reporters she believes the science isn’t there to support gender transitions for kids.

“These are irreversible,” Reynolds says. “…Unfortunately these kids don’t get a redo. It’s done.” Minors who have already started gender transition care have 180 days to end their treatment in Iowa. Minnesota’s governor has issued an executive order indicating Iowa doctors could refer minors in the midst of treatment to Minnesota.

Reynolds has signed another bill that immediately requires transgender students in Iowa’s K-through-12 schools to use the bathroom or locker room that matches the gender on their birth certificate. Parents may ask a school to let their transgender child use a single-occupancy bathroom or facilities used by staff only. Opponents say the bathroom policy will make transgender students less safe.

Similar policies in states like Oklahoma and Alabama have been challenged in federal court. A group of Florida parents are suing to try to overturn that state’s ban on gender transition care for minors.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Engineer’s Office reports a contractor will be working from Thursday, March 23, 2023 to Friday, April 14, 2023  on about 38-miles of White Pole Road in Adair County, performing asphalt surface crack sealing.

Click on this image to enlarge

Work zones will be controlled by flaggers and pilot car. This work is fast moving and the work zone can change on an hour-to-hour basis. Roads to be crack sealed are shown on the map.

Please pay attention, slow down, and give the workers space.

(Radio Iowa) – Volunteers with keen ears are needed to help the Iowa Department of Natural Resources track the state’s populations of frogs and toads — as another way to monitor water quality. Graduates of the D-N-R’s so-called Frog and Toad School learn to identify the critters by their calls, like the Boreal Chorus Frog, the American Bullfrog and the Eastern Gray Tree Frog. Wildlife diversity biologist Stephanie Shepherd says volunteers are most needed in northeastern and northwestern Iowa.

“They are assigned a route, which is basically a collection of wetland sites, and they drive to each wetland site and just stop on the road. They get out of the car and they just stand on the road and listen to the wetland site for five minutes and then they move to the next spot,” Shepherd says. “It’s done at night and people are trained to identify what frogs they hear by their unique calls.” Volunteers will just need to make three trips during the spring and early summer, a total commitment of between eight and ten hours a year. That’s not bad, she says, considering you’re just listening to the pleasant sounds of pond life.

“What we’re listening to is the males’ advertisement calls or attraction calls,” Shepherd says. “So basically, they’re making a lot of noise hoping to let the nearby females, that are of the same species, let them know that they’re there and to come on by for a visit.” The ideal volunteer is interested in the outdoors, detail-oriented, and patient, she says. They’ll also need good note-taking skills and a computer with an internet connection.

“There’s only about 17 species of frog and toad in Iowa, which, that may sound like a lot,” Shepherd says, “but compared to birds for example, which there’s almost 400 species of bird in the state, that’s actually a pretty reasonable number.” She says Iowans have collected data on more than 22-hundred wetlands through the program since 1991, providing an incredible record of activity.

Two in-person courses are scheduled in the coming weeks: April 4th in Clayton County at the Osborne Nature Center, and April 11th in Buena Vista County at Gabrielson Park. There is a $5 fee to cover workshop materials. The courses begin at 6:30 p.m. and run for about three hours.

To register, visit: https://programs.iowadnr.gov/vwmp/Home/Registration

(Radio Iowa)- The Iowa Senate has voted to make it illegal for all drivers to use a hand-held smart phone while a vehicle is in motion.

Drivers under the age of 18 years have long been prohibited from using electronic devices, unless the vehicle is off the roadway and stopped, but efforts to extend that policy to adult drivers have stalled in the legislature for more than a decade.

Senator Mark Lofgren of Muscatine said the distraction of a smart phone in a vehicle has become a major issue. “Twenty-five years ago, the problem was not as prevalent, but today it is common place and continues to get worse,” he said. “Hindering drivers from messing with their phones by requiring a voice activated or hands free mode will not eliminate all the risks of distraction, but it will define the line not to cross over and, by doing so, will improve safety on our roads.”

Lofgren thanked people who’ve been hit by distracted drivers or had loved ones die in an accident for lobbying for the legislation. If the bill becomes law, motorists ticketed for handling a smart phone while driving would be fined 100-dollars. There would be higher fines and the potential for a license suspension if the distraction of a smart phone leads to an accident that causes serious injuries.

The bill passed the Senate on a 47-to-three vote and now goes to the House for consideration. Twenty-four other states prohibit all drivers from using a hand-held smart phone while a vehicle is moving.

It’s currently illegal to text while driving in Iowa, but police says it’s almost impossible to enforce.

(Radio Iowa) – A reward is being offered for information on an attempt to vandalize hog barns in northeast Iowa’s Alllamakee County. Brian Waddingham of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers says there’s a total of 15-thousand dollars in reward money for the incident in late December or early January. “Someone attempted to throw Molotov cocktails through the tunnel fan openings and light the barns on fire,” he says. Waddingham says the arson attempt failed. “The buildings weren’t heavily damaged there was no fire the pigs were all fine — but it’s certainly a wake up call that we can’t tolerate this kind of vandalism — especially when it not only destroys public or personal property but also could jeopardize the lives of so many pigs,” Waddingham says.

He says they are unsure if the vandalism was random or targeted. “The sheriff’s office is still looking into things. Kind of right now we really don’t have a good indication one way or the other,” he says. “By offering that reward we’re hopeful that somebody does know the person or persons responsible for trying to cause that damage. They do come forward and contact the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department.”

The Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers put in ten-thousand dollars and another five-thousand was added from local sources.

(Radio Iowa) – The founder and C-E-O of Iowa’s largest cybersecurity firm is being named Iowa’s Small Business Person of the Year by the Iowa District Office of the U-S Small Business Administration. Aaron Warner launched ProCircular in 2016 in Coralville, and now has two additional offices in Des Moines and Minneapolis.  “We help organizations to get comfortable with their cybersecurity risk,” Warner says. “Essentially, we help companies to sort out risk that comes from people, from technical things — which is what most folks think about when they think about cybersecurity — and increasingly, compliance, things like cybersecurity insurance, and HIPAA and that sort of thing.”

The company started off very small and now has almost 70 employees and offers around 20 paid internships. Warner says in the first year, ProCircular’s revenue grew 200-percent, and progress since then has been steady. “We’ve grown at least 20-30% year-over-year,” Warner says. “We’re actually really proud of this. We managed to maintain staff, we did zero layoffs, and we kept revenue stable through COVID.” He say the company serves a variety of industries, including finance, education, health care, manufacturing, government, defense contractors, and more. While the focus of the business is on computers, “ones and zeros,” and serious technical issues, Warner attributes his company’s achievements to their sticking to the basics of how people matter.

“That’s how we interview. That’s how we hire. That’s when you’re reviewed. The core values. Things like, ‘It’s about people’ are the things that you get graded on,” Warner says. “It’s a really integral part of our firm and making sure that a company as technical as ProCircular remains grounded in people and relationships. I think that’s the key to our success.” Saying he’s humbled and a little embarrassed by the S-B-A honor, Warner offers all the credit to his staff, which he calls “crazy brilliant.” Winners from all 50 states will be recognized at Washington D-C ceremonies over April 30th and May 1st, during which the National Small Business Person of the Year will be named.

More at:

https://www.sba.gov/district/iowa

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(Radio Iowa) – Planned Parenthood of North Central States operates clinics in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and the Dakotas and, since Roe v Wade was overturned last summer, those clinics have seen a 13 percent increase in patients coming in from outside the five-state region. Mazie Stilwell is Planned Parenthood’s director of public affairs in Iowa. She says there’s also been a 40 percent increase in second trimester abortions since last June as patients travel farther and Iowa’s 24 hour waiting period for an abortion took effect. “People are jumping through unnecessary hoops, having to arrange additional child care, additional time off, additional lodging,” Stilwell says.

Supporters of abortion rights gathered for a rally at the Iowa Capitol Tuesday.  “Abortion remains safe and legal in Iowa today, but that is absolutely hanging by a thread,” Stilwell says, “so ultimately we know it’s important for advocates to be speaking up and having these conversations with their elected officials whether there is a bill moving today or not.”

Republican lawmakers, including Governor Reynolds, have said they’re waiting for the Iowa Supreme Court to decide whether a ban on abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy that passed in 2018 may take effect before considering other abortion restrictions.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Senior Alumni Scholarship Foundation in Atlantic is awarding four $2,500 scholarships this spring. The foundation was started in 2003, to provide need based scholarships to graduating seniors of Atlantic High School, who have a GPS of 2.5 and higher.

In 2003, the group began awarding one scholarship of $500, and since that time has been awarding increasingly higher scholarships. Continued financial support from previous graduates and classes, has allowed the SASF to increase the number of scholarships to four this year.

The deadline for applications is April 4th, and the application is available on the school’s website or through the High School Guidance Office.