(An IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH report) – A western Iowa teacher who was fired after publicly commenting that she wouldn’t miss activist Charlie Kirk after his death last year has been awarded jobless benefits. Jana Aldrich of Council Bluffs was a special education teacher who last year worked for the Omaha-based Child Saving Institute, a nonprofit with a mission of helping children with behavioral, mental and social needs. According to state records, on Sept. 10, 2025, shortly after conservative activist Kirk was shot and killed in Utah, Aldrich posted a comment to Facebook. The post included a widely circulating meme that included Kirk’s April 3, 2023, statement in response to a question about gun deaths: “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”

Above the meme, Aldrich added a comment of her own: “He was wrong…it’s not worth it! I won’t miss him!!!” Aldrich posted the comment on her personal Facebook page during off-work hours, although her Facebook profile listed her employment as a special education teacher at Children’s Square, the name of an organization that was acquired by CSI. Aldrich’s supervisors at CSI learned of the post after 12 members of the public contacted the organization and complained. According to information CSI later provided at a hearing, two of the complainants were out-of-state residents and none of the 12 had children attending CSI or had any other direct involvement with the organization. Some of the complainants suggested they would attempt to jeopardize the organization’s funding if CSI didn’t terminate Aldrich’s employment.

CSI subsequently determined Aldrich’s post violated the organization’s social media policies in that they exhibited a lack of empathy and humanity, which directly contradicts the organization’s core mission and values. Aldrich disputed those findings, arguing that her post showed empathy and humanity by stating Kirk’s rhetoric on gun deaths was wrong and that suggesting that no deaths — including Kirk’s — are worth the protections granted under the Second Amendment. CSI disagreed, and Aldrich was fired on Sept. 12, 2025. She subsequently filed for unemployment benefits, which CSI challenged, arguing she had been dismissed for work-related misconduct that would disqualify her from collecting benefits.

The matter recently went to a hearing before Administrative Law Judge Jasmina Sarajlija, who ruled in Aldrich’s favor and awarded her benefits, finding there was no evidence her off-duty conduct was connected to her work. Sarajlija also found that CSI had provided insufficient evidence that Aldrich’s conduct had caused any harm to the organization. Even if CSI has provided evidence of work-related misconduct that was damaging to the organization, Sarajlija stated, there was no evidence to indicate Aldrich’s Facebook post violated the organization’s policy calling for workers to represent CSI in a positive manner in their online activity. “The post itself made no reference to the employer or claimant’s employment with the employer,” Sarajlija ruled. “Her post also did not contain any hateful or violent language that could be interpreted as condoning the shooting death of the activist.”

Aldrich said Monday she was pleased with the ruling and is still weighing her options as to any further legal action she might take. “I will say that this decision made me feel vindicated with regard to knowing in my heart that they did the wrong thing at CSI, that it wasn’t right what they did to me,” Aldrich said. “So it made me feel vindicated in that sense. Right now, I’m just wondering whether I should take this any further.”

Other cases include that of Melisa Crook, a high school English teacher from Creston, who sued the Creston Community School District in federal court after being told she was facing termination for her comments about Kirk. Crook had written of Kirk: “He is a terrible human being … terrible. I do not wish death on anyone, but him not being here is a blessing.” In her lawsuit, Crook cited a series of pro-Republican posts by Superintendent Deron Stender and school board president Don Gee. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger granted Crook’s motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction blocking the district’s plans to terminate her. In her ruling on that issue, Ebinger concluded “Crook spoke as a citizen on a matter of public concern when posting her Facebook comment… Crook posted her Facebook comments on her personal time, at home, from her personal Facebook account. She did not purport to speak as an employee of the Creston Community School District.”

The school district has appealed that ruling while the underlying case proceeds toward trial.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has unanimously approved a bill designed to expand access to intensive mental health services outside of a hospital setting. It applies to facilities that help stabilize patients in a mental health crisis while a long-term care plan is developed. If the bill becomes law, insurance companies could not require prior authorization for admission. Representative Ron Johnson of Des Moines says the bill is a step in the right direction.

“Iowa is in a really rough place when it comes to mental health care,” Johnson said. “…I’m really glad to see listed in this bill the prior authorization because far too often we are allowing insurance companies to make medical decisions and not the medical professionals themselves.” Representative Ann Meyer of Fort Dodge says the bill would also get rid of a state rule that insurance companies have cited when limiting coverage for these services to just 10 days. “It also establishes a bed tracking system for (each) Pediatric Mental Institute for Children,” Meyer said.

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

An eastern Iowa native is preparing to take to the ice at the Paralympic Winter Games which begin this week in Milan, Italy. Kevin McKee grew up in Davenport. He was born with a rare spinal condition and has used a wheelchair his entire life. McKee says he started playing sled hockey at around 10 years old. He says he plays other adaptive sports but loves the speed and physicality of sled hockey.

(As said) “What makes this sport so hard is you have to use your hands to not only skate but then to puck handle, pass, shoot,” McKee says, “and also maneuver so you don’t get your head taken off when people are trying to hit you.”

McKee won gold medals in sled hockey in 2014, 2018 and 2022. He says the sled hockey team hopes to repeat in 2026, especially after the American women’s and men’s hockey teams won gold last month.

(As said) “So there’s a little bit of pressure, but I think it’ll be good too,” he says, “because I don’t think our team’s had that kind of pressure over the last four years. I mean, we’ve been pretty dominant at the world level.”

Speaking on Iowa Public Radio’s “Talk of Iowa,” McKee says he feels fortunate to be on the 2026 Paralympic team. He had emergency surgery on a broken femur in October after breaking it in practice in the Czech Republic.

HASTINGS, IA — Aspiring chefs, bakers, and food entrepreneurs in Southwest Iowa will soon have a space to call their own. The SWITCH – Lakin Foundation Training Hub is proud to announce the opening of its new Commercial Kitchen, coming in April, a shared-use space designed to transform culinary dreams into thriving local businesses. The SWITCH Commercial Kitchen will serve entrepreneurs across Mills, Fremont, Page, Montgomery, and surrounding counties. By providing affordable, licensed kitchen space and removing the high overhead costs of traditional brick-and-mortar storefronts, SWITCH is effectively lowering the barrier to entry for the local food industry.

This kitchen is a cornerstone of the SWITCH campus, prioritizing equity, accessibility, and community. Through strategic partnerships, the hub offers comprehensive support that goes beyond the stove. Members can access ServSafe certification, mentorship, and entrepreneurship workshops to ensure their businesses are as sustainable as they are delicious. “Our goal is to build a vibrant, resilient local food system,” says SWITCH Director, Kattie Lewis. “By providing the tools, the space, and the education, we are empowering underserved populations and rural entrepreneurs to turn their passion into a paycheck.”

To accommodate everything from experimental startups to established catering operations, SWITCH offers a variety of rental structures:

Hourly Rental
Half-Day & Full-Day Blocks
Monthly Memberships
Individuals and businesses interested in utilizing this space are encouraged to fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfr6xiKlTjVZjQ8Koag68CuerW3N0cMNIJKafHt4ik-U7sfsg/viewform?usp=header

About SWITCH – Lakin Foundation Training Hub:
The SWITCH – Lakin Foundation Training Hub is dedicated to creating educational partnerships that enhance vocational training opportunities. They believe collaboration with educational and industry leaders and local businesses fosters a learning environment that benefits students and the community. SWITCH’s mission is to provide accessible training solutions tailored to meet the needs of Iowa residents. Through its focus on quality, sustainability, and support, SWITCH provides the infrastructure necessary for local residents to flourish in a modern economy.

(Des Moines, IA) – Information provided to KJAN News by Iowa Freedom of Information Council President and Chief Executive Officer Randy Evans, sheds more light on the termination of former Atlantic High School Guidance Counselor Jesse McCann. The detailed list of events leading up to McCann’s discharge was provided to Evans from Atlantic School District Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen, and confirms McCann was fired for alleged inappropriate conduct. The timeline leading to his termination, according to Dr, Johnsen, is as follows:

A report was made to the District on January 18, 2026, alleging that Mr. McCann engaged in inappropriate conduct. Following an investigation, the District determined that Mr. McCann engaged in the following conduct:

• Sent unwelcome and inappropriate messages to one or more students;
• Engaged in unwelcome and inappropriate conduct toward one or more students;
• Engaged in a pattern of conduct which directly or indirectly significantly and adversely affects the District’s efforts to provide students with high quality instruction;
• Failed to take responsibility for actions towards students and/or failed to cease engaging in harmful conduct towards students and staff;
• Engaged in conduct that violates one or more of the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners standards of ethical conduct for individual licensed as a teacher including Standard VI(c) and (d) and Standard VII (a) and (b);
• Engaged in conduct toward students which is inconsistent with any reasonable standards of conduct applicable to teachers or student support services in the District;
• Failed to maintain reasonably safe and productive professional learning environment for students at school;
• Engaged in conduct which has directly or indirectly significantly and adversely affected ability to serve as a trustworthy employee, including one responsible for supervising students and/or resolving student issues;
• Engaged in conduct which directly or indirectly significantly and adversely affects ability to be a positive role model for students in the District;
• Engaged in conduct which directly or indirectly significantly and adversely affects ability to maintain trust and respect of parents of students in the District
• Engaged in conduct which directly or indirectly significantly and adversely affects confidence in judgment and fitness to serve as a teacher or guidance counselor;
• Engaged in conduct which is inconsistent with the commonly expected standards of professional conduct applicable to teachers and guidance counselors in the District, in violation of District Policies 400 (Role and Guiding Principles for Employees), 401.4 (Employee Expression), 404 (Employee Conduct and Appearance), 404-R(1) (Employee Conduct and Appearance – Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics Regulation) and 404-R(2) (Employee Conduct and Appearance – Code of Rights and Responsibilities Regulation).

The Board of Directors terminated Mr. McCann’s employment effective February 11, 2026. To date, NO FORMAL CHARGES have been filed against McCann.

(Radio Iowa) – State climatologist Justin Glisan says February continued what has been a dry winter. “Preliminary liquid equivalent total, so melted snow, melted sleet in the rainfall that we saw, only about four-tenths of an inch, and that’s about eight tenths of an inch below average,” Glisan says. He says it will end up around the 17th driest February in So if you look at 154 years of records. Glisan says February did not have the snow drought we saw in January.

“Overall, about three-point-eight inches of snow on the ground, so three inches below average. So not exceedingly significant snowfall departures, but overall through winter, meteorological winter, December, January, February, as a state, we’re about eight inches below average,” Glisan says. He says the meteorological winter saw much more snow than last year, which ranked 4th for the least amount of snow on the ground. Glisan says the overall snowfall season was a little behind normal. “Starts in October, runs through May, and we’ve even had snow in June. We still have deficits in snowfall, but not as high as what we saw in meteorological winter,” he says. Glisan says the areas that got less snow, like southeastern Iowa and also northwestern Iowa, saw drought conditions increase.

“Coupled with less rainfall and basically no snowpack on the ground, you deplete soil moisture profiles, topsoil particularly, and that’s where you start to see these drier conditions reemerge,” he says. Glisan says temperatures in February were about seven degrees above normal, which provided the benefit of warming of the top level of soil, allowing moisture to sink in. “We did remove shallow frost. So with that shallow frost removal, we did see infiltration of melting snow, but also any rainfall that we got,” he says. “So at least in the shallow profile, we have seen some improvement, particularly you look at a soil moisture map, bullseye right over central Iowa, where we’re right near normal for soil moisture this time of year.”

Glisan says in the southeast and eastern Iowa, there was less overall moisture and the soil profiles remain dry.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has passed a bill with new state restrictions on farm implement dealerships — so the owners of tractors and combines could repair the diesel exhaust fluid systems on the equipment themselves. Republican Representative Derek Wulf of Hudson, who’s a farmer, goes even farther, suggesting it could be interpreted to mean the systems could be permanently disabled.

“This bill is simple,” Wulf said. “It gives farmers and ranchers the ability to repair and alter their equipment that they own as they see fit and remove the diesel control systems if they so choose.” In early February, the Trump Administration announced that under its interpretation of the Clean Air Act, the exhaust systems on diesel powered farm equipment may be disabled FOR REPAIRS and manufacturers cannot justify limiting access to tools or software.

The bill that cleared the Iowa House last (Monday) night would require manufacturers to provide free information and software to diagnose and fix diesel exhaust systems. And they’d have to sell both the tools and replacement parts to make the repairs at a significantly reduced price.”I think it’s important that we realize that farmers are the original innovators in this country and we should continue to allow them to do that,” Wulf said. “Previous administrations have forced costly and burdensome emissions systems and regulations onto farmers and ranchers through the EPA. Every day this country faces 63 more farmers going out of business. Folks, we have to do everything we can to help reduce additional costs to farmers who have to pay the penalty with their livelihoods because of environmentalists’ interests.”

The bill passed with the support of 55 Republicans and two Democrats. Opposition came from nine Republicans and two dozen Democrats. Representative Kenan Judge, a Democrat from Waukee, says he’s all for saving farmers’ money, but permanently disabling the diesel exhaust system is risky.”If you have your tractor under warranty and you go to take this system off, all of a sudden now if you take your tractor back into the dealership and this modification has hurt the engine, you lose your warranty,” Judge said.

On February 3rd, President Trump’s E-P-A administrator said the Clean Air Act prohibits the removal or disabling of emission control systems, but the law has an exception that lets the systems be disabled to make a repair.

(Radio Iowa) – Brad Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg who’s a candidate for governor, has filed the paperwork to get on the Republican Primary ballot this June. To qualify for the primary, statewide candidates must submit nominating petitions signed by thousands of voters across the state. Sherman says he’s been to all 99 counties and his team has far surpassed the signature requirements.

“We feel like we have some momentum, and we’re out there in the grassroots, working hard,” Sherman said, “and we’re just having a blast falling in love with Iowa all over again.” Sherman announced he was running for governor a year ago — before current Governor Kim Reynolds announced she would not seek reelection.

“I think that’s something that sets me apart,” Sherman said. “It shows clarity and conviction for why I’m doing what I’m doing.” Sherman and four other candidates are vying for the Iowa G-O-P’s nomination for governor. All candidates running in the Democratic and Republican Party Primaries have until March 13th to submit their nominating petitions to Iowa’s secretary of state. Petitions can be challenged, though, and a state objection panel convenes to determine if candidates submitted enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

(Logan, IA) – A collision Monday evening in Harrison County resulted a death and one person seriously injured. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened at around 5:42-p.m. on Highway 30, near 260th Street (Southwest of Logan). Authorities say a 2012 Toyota Rav 4 (SUV) was traveling east of Highway 30 and a 2018 pickup was traveling westbound.

The SUV crossed the centerline of the roadway and collided with the pickup truck in the westbound lane of travel. The driver of the SUV, 30-year-old Merari Eduviges Perez, of Manilla, died from injuries sustained in  the collision. The driver of the pickup, 57-year-old Daryl Jay Fichter, of Missouri Valley, was injured, and transported by Harrison County EMS to the Missouri Valley Hospital. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts.

The Patrol was assisted by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office and Logan Police.