Iowa Congressman Steve King is leading opposition to the push to pass some sort of immigration reform through the U.S. House. “Legalization is amnesty, is citizenship eventually and if we do anything like that, then this perpetual amnesty that has already passed the senate — and it looks like there are members in the House that support it — then we can never control our borders again,” he says. King and other Republicans in the U.S. House met privately Wednesday afternoon to discuss the issue.

“I did have an opportunity to speak. It wasn’t in the time of the meeting when I thought it should have been,” King says. “The leadership and the committee chairs spoke for a full hour explaining their agenda and their bills before any member was allowed to step up to the microphone and speak, so the inertia of the meeting was already set…For me, it was an hour and 50 minutes of waiting waiting for one-minute-and-30-seconds to speak and I made all the points that I could.” King suggests House Republican leaders structured the private meeting in such a way as to sway newer House members who may be undecided on the issue and King worries the ground may be shifting against him.

“I think there’s a good, solid core of members that say, ‘No legalization of any kind because we know that is amnesty and it turns into citizenship. We can’t be rewarding people that broke the law. Let’s reward the people that honor our laws,'” King says. “I think there’s a good, solid core of that, but I wouldn’t be confident that we have enough people on our side of this to prevent what would be perpetual amnesty.” Some Republicans argue the G-O-P will continue to lose ground with the growing ranks of Latino and other minority votes if Republicans in the House kill immigration reform. The bipartisan immigration reform plan that cleared the U.S. Senate last month calls for a so-called “border surge” that would send thousands of additional federal agents to the U.S./Mexican border. King doesn’t think that’s necessary.

“We’re spending over $6.5 million a mile on our southern border right now and that’s plenty of money to secure the border,” King says. “If they would give me Janet Napolitano’s job, the budget that she has and a president who didn’t tie my hands, in three years I’d be up into the 99th percentile of the border security that we would have.” One alternative under consideration in the House is for Republicans to pass a series of bills related to different parts of the immigration debate — like a bill offering citizenship to young adults who were brought into the country illegally, when they were children. King not only opposes a single, “comprehensive” immigration reform bill, but he opposes any effort from his fellow Republicans to make changes in any federal immigration policies.

“I don’t think that there’s a need to try to pass more legislation,” King says. “This is an executive problem of a president who refuses to enforce the law and honor his own oath of office. It’s not something that the legislature can fix. Any law that we would pass, he can just do like he’s done with ObamaCare and just refuse to enforce it.” The Obama Administration recently announced it was delaying a requirement that large employers provide health insurance for full-time employees or pay a penalty. White House officials released a report Wednesday, suggesting immigration reform is an “economic and national security imperative.” A national polling firm also released details about surveys in key congressional districts suggesting voters would be less likely to vote for Republican incumbents who oppose immigration reform. None of the surveys were conducted in Iowa. All the district surveyed were “toss-up” areas with a history of close contests between Republicans and Democrats.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Senator Charles Grassley says farmers would be better served by a farm bill that separates agriculture programs from food stamps but he doubts separate measures will pass. House Republican leaders are considering separate farm and food stamp bills to get the support of conservatives who voted against the farm bill last month. Grassley says Iowans tell him they want farm measures separated from food stamps.

For decades rural lawmakers have added money for food stamps to the farm bill to gather urban votes for the measure. Grassley says a combined bill costing $900 billion over 10 years makes it look like farmers are dipping into taxpayer’s pockets. In reality 20 percent of the farm bill pays for agriculture programs while 80 percent supports food stamps and related programs.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A Cedar Rapids attorney is joining the race for the Democratic nomination in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports Dave O’Brien launched his campaign yesterday with events in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Waterloo.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Little League baseball coach in Des Moines has been suspended for one game after being accused of attacking another coach in front of kids. Des Moines police say coach Michael Boehler allegedly attacked coach Steven Dicks at the end of the Grandview Little League’s baseball practice Friday. Des Moines television station KCCI reports the Grandview Little League board later suspended Boehler for one game. The station reports Boehler declined to comment.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Iowa City have accused a man of mistakenly setting fire to a vehicle he thought belonged to a drug dealer. An Iowa City police complaint says 57-year-old Jerry Titus told officers he set fire to the car at an apartment complex on June 23rd to get revenge on a dealer who cheated him on a drug sale. The car actually belonged to another apartment resident.

GARNER, Iowa (AP) — After a multi-year restoration effort, volunteers are only a month away from reopening an 82-year-old Art Deco movie theater in the small northern Iowa city of Garner. The seats, screen and digital projection equipment are now in place at the Avery Theater, which began its restoration after a nonprofit agency bought the 1931-vintage building in 2008.

A tire blow-out on an SUV caused an accident that resulted in an injuries to a Nebraska woman this (Wednesday) morning, in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa State Patrol says a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer driven by 22-year old Dylan Anthony Sporer, of Council Bluffs, was traveling east on Interstate 80 at around 8:52-a.m., when the left rear tire blew out.

The SUV went out of control and spun off the road about a mile and a-half south of the I-680 split. The vehicle continued to slide down an embankment before coming to rest in the east ditch. A passenger in the SUV, 72-year old Calixta Malapit Laplano, of Omaha, was injured, and transported by Neola Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) approved a request by Steinbeck and Sons, to install an additional 30,000 gallon anhydrous tank on their property located about six-miles southeast of Griswold. Tim Steinbeck said the request is based on increased demand for anhydrous ammonia used as fertilizer.

Steinbeck said they currently have 12,000, 18,000 and 30,000 gallon tanks on their property. He said also that in order to abide by rules set forth by the Department of Agriculture, he’s required to seek approval from the County before the new tank can be installed.

In other business, the Board was informed a rededication of the Cass County Civil War Monument will take place this Saturday, beginning at 2-p.m. Steve Livengood explained what the public can expect to see during the event. He told the Board the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War will be on hand, along with a static displays, rifle shooting, a large canon, or Livengood’s own smaller, yet equally loud cannon.

Livengood quipped that they may shoot the cannon toward the park shelter from the southeast corner of the park, “So if it’s raining, and you’re under the shelter, the good news is you’ll be dry…the bad news is you’ll be down-range.” He said he’d rather be wet, than be down range from the canon fire.)

Of course, they don’t really shoot anything out of the canon. Dave Hancock will be the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Board Chair Mark Wedemeyer said Hancock’s great-grandfather’s name is on the monument. He said also that there will likely be some civil war re-enactors on-hand for the event, including a chaplain.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors has approved a request for funding from the Cass County Historical Museum, in Griswold. Museum representatives Shiona Putnam and Lila Hoogeveen addressed the Board during their meeting to answer any questions. Putnam said they were requesting a total of $20,000. She said the money will be used to pay for local contractors, who have worked to replace a 20-year old roof on an adjacent building.

The building will be used to house a collection of county artifacts and displays being donated by Wayne Kerkhoff. Lila Hoogeveen said any funds they receive would be helpful. She said funding for the museum provides them with a challenge each year, as they start without any amount of secured funding. Money provided by the Supervisors helps in keeping the museum open and in paying for necessities such as insurance and electricity. She says the museum is run on a $10,000 per year budget.

During each of the past few years, the Supervisors have provided $5,000 in funds. Hoogeveen says the rest is raised through a variety of methods, including two separate fundraisers, which brings-in about $6,000 altogether, on average. Private donations are also a big part of keeping the museum open. She says they are “very appreciative” them, and when they come in, are “like Christmas in July,” because they never know when they will arrive. Another part of the fundraising effort is writing grant applications.

She says sometimes the grants are approved, other times they aren’t. Federal and State grants don’t pay operating costs, however. Another aspect of fundraising, is a membership drive. Funds received are first and foremost used for operating costs, according to Hoogeveen. Others are set aside for emergencies, like roof repairs. Tourism is yet another means of receiving funds, even though there is no charge to visit the museum. Over the past couple of weeks, eight tour groups have visited the museum. Monies received from speaking engagements by museum volunteers are also directed back into the facility.

The Board unanimously approved a contribution of $10,000 upon receipt of a formal, written request, and another $10,000 in October. The money will come from the Local Option Sales Tax Fund.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports four people were injured early this (Wednesday) morning near Crescent, when a stalled van  being prepared for towing was struck from behind by a full-sized pickup truck. The accident happened on Interstate 29 near the 62-mile marker, at around 1:40-a.m.

Officials say the driver of a 2000 Chrysler van, Christopher Zimmerman, of Omaha, and the tow truck driver, Jonathan Garringer, of Omaha, were standing in between the vehicles, which were parked on the shoulder of I-29, when a 2001 Chevy Silverado, driven by Paul Raymond Trudeau, of Troy, MO, struck the van in the rear, causing it to hit the tow truck. Zimmerman, Garringer, and Joanne Zimmerman, who was a back seat passenger in the van when the collision occurred, were injured. Another person,  Christina Baer and her infant daughter, Annabella Macvitte, of Omaha, were standing outside the van at the time of the crash. Baer wasn’t hurt, but the child, the Zimmermans and Garringer were transported to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, by Crescent Fire and Rescue.

The Patrol says Trudeau complained of a nose bleed, but refused medical attention. Authorities cited him for Failure to Maintain Control and Violation of Financial Liability/Accident related. Damage from the crash amounted to about $13,000.

No injuries were reported following an accident Monday morning, in Atlantic. According to the Police Department, vehicles driven by Ashley Mayo, of Lewis, and Robert Stuetelberg, of Atlantic, collided at around 10-a.m., at the intersection of 7th and Chestnut Streets. The accident, which caused $3,500 damage altogether, occurred in the middle of the intersection, as Mayo was traveling east on 7th and Stuetelberg was turning west on 7th. Both drivers claimed the other ran the stop sign. Mayo was cited for having No Proof of Insurance.

Four people were arrested recently, in Mills County. The Sheriff’s Department reports 39-year old Justin David Reha, of Thurman, was arrested early this (Wednesday) morning on charges of OWI/1st offense and Driving Under Suspension. His bond was set at $1,300. On Monday, 28-year old Brett Allen Coyle, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. He was being held in the Mills County Jail without bond.

Last Saturday, deputies arrested 24-year old Adam Lee Maher, of Shenandoah, on a charge of OWI/2nd offense. Maher’s bond was set at $2,000. And, on Friday, 25-year old Lance Christian Bierma, of Sheffield, TX, was arrested on an OWI charge. Bond was established at $1,000.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports also, a Malvern woman was injured during a single vehicle accident Sunday, two-miles southeast of Pacific Junction. Nancy Ruwe was driving a 2007 Chevy westbound on 221st Street, when the vehicle drifted onto the shoulder. Ruwe overcorrected, sending the vehicle across the center line of the road and into a ditch, where it came to rest after hitting a tree. Ruwe was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center by Pacific Junction Rescue.