(Radio Iowa) – Two key statehouse Republicans are suggesting is may be necessary to raise a tax on some health insurance companies and use that extra money to reduce the deficit in the state’s Medicaid program. Governor Kim Reynolds says raising a tax on H-M-Os and the private companies that manage the state’s Medicaid program is temporarily available under the One Big Beautiful Bill President Trump signed last summer.

“We have a Medicaid shortfall,” Reynolds said.”I mean, that’s the main driver of this and that would help address that. It’s pretty significant and that would help address that. It’s pretty significant that the bill was going to come due after COVID and this is one of the ways, one of the options that we have and it doesn’t even take care of all of it.” A lobbyist for Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield railed against the proposal earlier this week, suggesting it could be the single largest tax increase on a private company in legislative history.

Reynolds says Wellmark’s original calculation of a nearly 50 MILLION dollar impact was incorrect and state officials calculate Wellmark will pay about 25 MILLION dollars more if the premium tax is raised on Wellmark’s H-M-O. House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans aren’t generally interested in raising taxes, but they’re open to considering this temporary tax.”Looking at the current shortfall with around $70 million…Our five years you’re looking at a roughly $600 million shortfall,” Grassley said. “I think this is an appropriate thing at least for us to discuss.”

Senator Tim Kraayenbrink, the Republican from Fort Dodge who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, says lawmakers are looking at ways that might lessen the blow to private insurers, but he notes there’s a March 31st FEDERAL deadline for passing a bill that would raise the premium tax and funnel the money to Iowa’s Medicaid program. “This is one of the things that I was taught as a kid that whenever you’re compromising, nobody’s usually happy at the end,” Kraayenbrink said. “That means you probably hit a good compromise.”

The proposed insurance premium tax would be retroactive to January 1st and end September 30th.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn have announced they plan to be at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware tomorrow (Saturday) for the dignified transfer of the remains of two central Iowa soldiers who were killed in Kuwait last weekend. Nunn led a moment of silence in the U.S. House for the two Army Reservists and the four other members of a unit based in Des Moines who were killed in an Iranian drone strike.

“Out of grief we renew our resolve, out of loss we strengthen our unity, and out of sacrifice we carry forward an obligation to the families, to the survivors, to our nation,” Nunn said, “to every man and woman still standing in the post today.”

Nunn, who is currently a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve, is also postponing a campaign fundraiser he had planned for March 14th that was to feature U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as the keynote speaker. A spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says scheduling a campaign fundraiser while American soldiers are at war is callous. Nunn says his focus right now is on Iowa service members who are deployed, supporting military families, and helping American citizens in the Middle East get to safety.

Nunn and over a dozen U.S. House members stood on the House floor yesterday (Thursday) as Nunn read the names of all six members of the Army Reserve Unit based at Fort Des Moines who were killed March 1st. Nunn said 20-year-old Declan Coady, the Army Reservist from West Des Moines who was killed Sunday, was one of the youngest soldiers in his unit and was studying cybersecurity at Drake University.”He was taking classes online, from Kuwait, while he defended our country in order to become an officer,” Nunn said. “Last week, he proudly told his father he’d been recommended for promotion.”

Coady was posthumously promoted from the rank of Specialist to Sergeant. Nunn also talked about 45-year-old Major Jeffrey O’Brien of Waukee, who had a decades’ long career in the military. “He gave his life keeping our forces in Kuwait safe,” Nunn said, “and our Americans at home guarded.”

On Wednesday Nunn announced on social media that nine other soldiers from the same unit had been injured in the attack and were getting medical treatment at a U-S military medical facility in Germany.

(Radio  Iowa) – The four Republicans who represent Iowa in the U.S. House have voted against a resolution that would have constrained the military operations President Trump has authorized against Iran. Second District Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion says Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

“First and foremost, I don’t support an endless war and I think most members of congress are in that same boat, but Iran is the world’s number one sponsor of terrorism,” Hinson said, “…and we need to keep those dangers from every reaching our shores.” Hinson cites the recent security briefing three top Trump Administration officials gave congress about the decision to attack Iran.

“We know the threat to Americans was and continues to be real,” Hinson says. First District Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa says the mission must remain focused and limited because Americans do not want another forever war, but Miller-Meeks says adopting the war powers resolution would hamstring the Iran operation while pilots are in the air. Third District Congressman Zach Nunn is attending tomorrow’s (Saturday’s) dignified transfer ceremony in Delaware for the two Army Reservists from Iowa who were killed in Kuwait Sunday.

Nunn, who is from Ankeny, says Trump is acting within the constitutional authority granted to presidents of both parties and the resolution’s passage would have put more Iowa soldiers at risk. Fourth District Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull has not issued a statement after the war powers vote, but earlier this week Feenstra said the United States must remain resolute in confronting those who threaten our service members and our allies.

On Wednesday, Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst voted against a senate war powers resolution that would have limited Trump’s ability to continue ordering attacks on Iran without congressional approval.

(Red Oak, IA) – Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a woman from Red Oak was arrested Thursday night on a Montgomery County warrant. 39-year-old Blair Shalayne Gross was taken into custody on the warrant for driving while license is denied or revoked, at around 7:35-p.m., in the 1100 block of E. Valley Street.

Gross was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

DES MOINES – Pursuant to Iowa Code 47.1 (1), the Iowa Secretary of State’s office has issued a Directive to Iowa’s County Auditors to ensure consistent and uniform statewide enforcement of Iowa’s residency requirements for voter registration.

Some voter registration records were identified that appear to list post offices or other commercial mailing facilities as a voter’s residential address. The Iowa Secretary of State’s Directive clarifies the statutory requirement that voter registrations must reflect residential addresses, not mailing addresses.

County Auditors are instructed to review their voter registration lists, send a notification letter to voters whose records include a residential address at a known post office or mailing location, and instruct the voters to complete a new voter registration form with the correct residential address.

“Voter participation and election integrity are not mutually exclusive – they support and fuel each other,” said Secretary Pate. “We are proud to work with partners at the state, federal, and local levels to ensure consistent procedures across all 99 counties support both election integrity and voter participation.”

Nothing in the directive prohibits voters without a traditional dwelling from registering under Iowa Code 48A.5, which allows a voter to designate a location where the voter regularly sleeps as a residential address. A commercial mailing location may not be used as a substitute for a residential address.

This Directive reinforces existing statutory obligations, and is effective immediately

(Radio Iowa) – If the U-S doesn’t buy oil from Iran, why is it costing more daily for Iowans to fill their gas tanks? Some of us are grumbling about greedy oil companies using Operation Epic Fury as an excuse to raise prices at the pump, but one industry expert says there’s a lot more to the situation.

“Iran is a key player in the oil market, and obviously, as we’re seeing, any disruption to its oil infrastructure or the region has consequences,” according to Triple-A-Iowa spokesman Brian Ortner. He says in our global market, a shortfall in one nation can drastically impact supply and prices elsewhere, and that’s what we’re seeing now in Iowa.

“The U.S. doesn’t import oil from Iran, but China and India do,” Ortner says. “The Strait of Hormuz is seeing delays, or in some areas, is blocked off. That could send a ripple effect throughout the world, even in countries that don’t rely on oil from the Middle East.”

Triple-A says gasoline prices in Iowa are averaging two-98 a gallon, which has risen 36-cents in the past week. The national average is three-25.

(Radio Iowa) – A state agent who raised concerns about the investigation of Iowa State athletes accused of illegally betting on sports has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the State of Iowa. The petition filed on behalf of Mark Ludwick says he was fired from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation in late 2024, about 10 months after his testimony in a deposition was widely reported by several media outlets. Ludwick said the agency may have conducted an illegal search of I-S-U athletes using sports betting apps because the D-C-I had not obtained a search warrant for part of the investigation.

The lawsuit alleges that once Ludwick’s testimony became public, his bosses in the Iowa Department of Public Safety retaliated. The lawsuit describes Ludwick as a whistleblower and indicates he was investigated for speeding on the way to a murder scene and for trying to help a domestic violence flee from her abuser before he was fired on November 22nd of 2024. Ludwig is suing over lost wages and benefits and emotional distress.

A spokesperson for Iowa’s attorney general says state officials do not comment on pending litigation. Ludwick was assigned to work on the state’s sports wagering prob in mid-2023. His lawsuit indicates he quickly refused to participate in the investigation after learning there might be constitutional concerns related to a warrant. D-C-I agents had access to a Canadian company’s software that tracks users of major online sportsbooks.

A lawsuit filed by some of the athletes who were charged alleged while there were search warrants for their cell phones, there wasn’t a warrant for use of the software that flagged them as illegal betting suspects.

(Radio Iowa) – The American Red Cross reports a welcome boost in volunteerism, both nationwide and in Iowa, though more helpers are needed to join the ranks. Emily Holley, spokeswoman for the agency’s Iowa-Nebraska region, says the number of Red Cross volunteers has bounded by nearly 25-percent in the past three years.

We have seen a surge in younger generations volunteering, thanks to Red Cross Clubs,” Holley says. “These students are supporting blood drives, they are supporting smoke alarm installations, and then as time allows, they’re able to do more volunteering with us.” Nationwide, the agency has more than 325-thousand volunteers, while in Iowa, the figure is around 12-hundred active and dedicated souls providing meaningful care and comfort.

“What’s exciting to us is that this is spanning every generation, and volunteers across the nation make up 90% of the Red Cross workforce,” Holley says, “so we really couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers.” While some volunteers sign up to be on the front lines following tornadoes, floods and other major disasters, Holley says there are scores of other assignments where folks could offer vital help in their Iowa hometowns.

“They can volunteer with our volunteer services team and help put people in the perfect fit for volunteering,” Holley says. “They can help with blood drives. They can help with disasters. They can help set up a shelter. They don’t necessarily have to deploy. They can volunteer to help respond to home fires, which is really our most common disaster that we respond to.” She notes Gen Z is now the fastest-growing group of Red Cross volunteers.

Learn more about the opportunities at redcross.org/volunteer.

ONAWA, Iowa – March 5, 2026 – Crews will be closing the Iowa 175 bridge over Interstate 29 (Exit 112) west of Onawa on Monday, March 16, until Monday, March 30, weather permitting, so work can continue on the bridge maintenance project, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Sioux City construction office.

When the Iowa 175 bridge is closed you will follow a marked detour route as follows:

• Eastbound Iowa 175: At Exit 112 (Onawa/Iowa 175), head south on I-29 towards Council Bluffs to Exit 105 (Blencoe/Monona County Road E-60) where you will head east on Monona County Road E-60 to the northbound I-29 ramp and then head north on I-29 back to Exit 112 (Onawa/Iowa 175).
• Westbound Iowa 175: At Exit 112 (Onawa/Iowa 175), head north on I-29 towards Sioux City to Exit 120 (Whiting/Monona County Road E-24) where you will head west on Monona County Road E-24 to the southbound I-29 exit and then head south on I-29 back to Exit 112 (Onawa/Iowa 175).
  

  Additional Details

  • I-29 traffic will be in a head-to-head pattern during the duration of the maintenance project.
  • This bridge closure is a phase of the entire maintenance project. Once the bridge is opened back up to traffic, the maintenance project will continue with one lane open on the bridge.
  • The project is anticipated to be completed by Friday, May 1, weather permitting.
  • Once the bridge maintenance project is completed, the lane closure that has been in place on the bridge will no longer be in place.

  The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says Iowans who are serving in the military — and their families — need support now more than ever. “Losing four soldiers from Iowa in the course of three months is a sobering reminder that our freedom is not free,” Reynolds said. Two Iowans serving in a Des Moines-based Army Reserve unit were killed in Kuwait Sunday and two Iowa National Guard soldiers were killed in Syria December 13th. In January, Reynolds visited Iowa National Guard units deployed in the Middle East.

“I had the opportunity to see firsthand how critical they are to the mission in the Middle East and almost at every single stop they were leading those missions and I heard over and over how personally committed that they are to it. They believe in the work that they’re doing. They stepped forward and they chose to serve even in challenging and dangerous situations and it is out responsibility to stand strong in support of each and every one of them.” Twenty-year-old Sergeant Declan Coady of West Des Moines and 45-year-old Major Jeffrey O’Brien of Waukee — killed in Kuwait this weekend — served in the Army Reserve’s 103rd Sustainment Command, which is based at Fort Des Moines. Reynolds has directed the Iowa National Guard to provide support to that federal unit.

“They are providing support for family services and survivor outreach,” Reynolds said, “and the Guard stands ready to provide additional help as needed.” Reynolds has talked with Sergeant Coady’s father as well as the commander of his Army Reserve unit. She notes fewer than one percent of Americans serve in the military — and about eight out of every 100-thousand Iowans are active military personnel. “The fact that we have so many families and individuals who have stepped up to serve in that capacity says a lot about who we are as Iowans,” Reynolds says.

Congressman Zach Nunn has disclosed nine soldiers from the Des Moines-based Army Reserve unit were injured during Sunday’s attack in Kuwait and all are receiving medical care at a U-S military base in Germany.