(Radio Iowa) – As Iowans prepare their state tax returns, they’re reminded to remember the Fish and Wildlife Fund on Line 21 of Form 10-40, what’s also known as the Chickadee Check-off. Stephanie Shepherd, a wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Diversity Program, says the fund was created in the 1980s to help protect many hundreds of species of non-game wildlife. Shepherd says, “If you were someone who cared about bald eagles or songbirds, or frogs and toads, or bumblebees, all those other wildlife and enjoyed watching them and how they enrich your life, then you could make a donation towards those species and protecting them.”

Programs devoted to game animals, like deer, ducks and pheasants, are paid for through hunters’ license fees, but more than a thousand other species, from salamanders to monarchs, — which make up the majority of wildlife in Iowa — rely on this fund. Last year, only about 46-hundred Iowans checked the box to contribute to the fund on their state tax forms. That’s barely three-tenths of one-percent of Iowa taxpayers. “The number of donors has been dropping for several years, but the amount of money donated has stayed relatively the same,” Shepherd says. “In fact, from the 2023 tax year to 2024, the number of people donating dropped by about 800 people, but the amount donated went up by four- to $5,000.”

Funding helps to improve wildlife habitat, restore native wildlife, and provides opportunities for people to learn about Iowa’s natural resources and more. The number of donors to the long-standing check-off has dropped by more than half in the last 20 years, so Shepherd is working to raise awareness. “It would be nice also if more people knew about the check-off and how easy it was to make a donation,” Shepherd says. “It doesn’t have to be huge. It could be as low as a dollar to Wildlife Conservation in Iowa so that we could get the number of donors up as well.” Before the fund was created, non-game wildlife had no dedicated funding.

The Wildlife Diversity Program still receives no state income tax funds and is primarily supported by this voluntary donation program on the state tax form — and from the sale of Natural Resources license plates. Donations can also be made online at: https://programs.iowadnr.gov/donations

(Red Oak, IA) – Two adults were arrested early this (Wednesday) morning in Red Oak, on Disorderly Conduct – Loud Noise, and two-counts of Child Endangerment, charges. Red Oak Police report 26-year-old Jeffery Allen Arnold, of Red Oak, and 29-year-old Tylea Lynn Barnes were taken into custody in the 1600 block of E. Summit Street. Arnold was arrested at around 2:10-a.m., and Barnes was arrested at around 2:35-a.m.

Both were transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond, each.

(Red Oak, IA) – A woman from Red Oak was arrested on numerous charges at around 7:30-p.m., Tuesday. According to the Red Oak Police Department, 38-year-old Vanessa Rene Sickels was taken into custody following the execution of a search warrant in the 600 block of Washington Avenue, in Red Oak. Authorities say upon further investigation, Sickels was arrested with the assistance of Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies, and charged with:

• 1 count of Drug Distribution Violation to a person under 18 (A Class-B Felony)
• 2 counts of Child Endangerment – Aggravated Misdemeanors, and
• 1 count of Harboring a Juvenile Runaway – Also an Aggravated Misdemeanor.

Vanessa Sickles was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $25,000 bond. In addition, two juveniles were arrested on serious Misdemeanor charges that include:

• Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense
• Poss. of Carrying Dangerous Weapons While Under the Influence
• Minor Armed with a Dangerous Weapon (Firearm) – Carry/transport within City Limits.
• One minor was arrested also on a valid juvenile pick-up order through the juvenile courts.

The juveniles were transported to the Juvenile Detention Center near Council Bluffs.

DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – An Iowa Senate bill that advanced from a subcommittee Tuesday would limit the uses of artificial intelligence in state agencies. Senate Study Bill 3014 would require state agencies to disclose the use of artificial intelligence tools and prohibit the use of artificial intelligence in matters that impacted a state employee’s employment status, bargaining rights, wages, transfer or eligible hours.

Sen. Charlie McClintock, R-Alburnett, said the bill is “setting some guidelines in the use of AI.” “In short, this bill outlines things that basically humans do now, that AI has kind of reached into both now and into the future that could take over those practices,” McClintock said.

Technology groups, state agencies and business entities expressed interest in the bill, but only unions representing state employees registered in favor of the bill.  Peter Hird on behalf of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, said in the subcommittee that the bill is “getting out in front” of artificial intelligence.

Reports show that artificial intelligence models are widely used by employers to screen resumes, script interviews or gather data about candidates. Recently, an AI recruitment company, utilized by a slew of big name companies including Microsoft and PayPal, was sued by the state of California for allegedly compiling reports to screen candidates for hiring positions without their knowledge.

Hird said the technologies are being used by companies for other types of employee evaluation or automations that have eliminated jobs.  Tom Chapman, speaking on behalf of the Iowa Catholic Conference, said the group was leaning toward supporting the bill and noted that the challenge with AI is “not really so much technological, but anthropological.”

Sen. Liz Bennett, D-Cedar Rapids, who served on the committee and signed off on the bill, said AI models can often misinterpret data, hallucinate or make faulty inferences, depending on how they are trained. Other groups commented that some of the broad definitions in the bill could limit a state agency’s ability to utilize some of the efficiencies provided by artificial intelligence.

Andrew Ritland, speaking on behalf of the Mahaska County attorney’s office, pointed to language in the bill that stipulated a state agency could not “transfer existing duties or functions performed by state agency employees to an artificial intelligence system.” Ritland said the language was “short sighted.”

McClintock, who introduced the bill, said he would go ahead and move it forward, with the understanding that lawmakers would do some work to address the concerns raised before bringing it to the committee.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined 20 other attorneys general in filing a brief opposing a federal judge’s order that restrained ICE agents’ tactics.

The brief opposed an order that found ICE likely violated Minnesotans’ constitutional rights. That order stopped agents from using tactics like pepper-spraying non-violent observers.

The brief was filed prior to the January 24 shooting of Alex Pretti, a VA nurse, by a border patrol agent. This incident marks the second shooting by a federal officer this month.

A federal court has since paused that order without an explanation, allowing ICE to continue its operation.

Bird’s brief criticized what she called “not-mostly peaceful protesting” and argued protesters are taking aggressive tactics to interfere with law enforcement.

(Radio Iowa) – President Donald Trump says the top G-O-P leaders in congress are working on a deal that would ensure year-round sales of E-15 — the fuel that contains 15 percent ethanol. “I am trusting Speaker Mike Johnson, who’s great, and Leader John Thune, who’s great — that’s House and Senate — to find a deal that works,” Trump said. “We’ve got it for farmers, consumers and refiners — including small and mid-sized refiners.”

The issue was removed from a government spending bill last week after push back from critics in the House. During a speech in Iowa yesterday (Tuesday), Trump pushed the issue back into the spotlight with a question of the crowd. “Do you want me to do something with ethanol? Maybe,” Trump said, to cheers. Trump also cited a statement he made on the Iowa campaign trail in 2023.”In the campaign I promised to support E15 all year round,” Trump said.

E-10, which is 90 percent unleaded gas and 10 percent ethanol, is the most common blended fuel in the market today. While E-15 is available in many markets, the E-P-A has cited smog concerns and banned selling E-15 during the summer months. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw says Trump’s remarks are an important signal. “He publicly was telling congress to get this to his desk,” Shaw said, “and I think that’s going to be very helpful in getting the last few votes we need to get a deal through congress.”

Shaw is among a small group of ethanol advocates that met with Trump at a restaurant yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon to talk about E-15. “I think E15 could be President Trump’s singular achievement for farmers if he can actually push this through congress. I mean after all, we’ve been trying to do that for 10 years,” Shaw said. “…This would be brand new market demand and he would be the godfather of E15.” Trump spoke for nearly an hour to a crowd at an events center in Clive, reviewing his first year back in the White House and focusing on this year’s mid-term elections.

“If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about,” Trump said. “…I mean, I’m here because I love Iowa, but I’m here because we’re starting the campaign to win the midterms. You’ve got to win the midterms.” Second District Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, who’s running for the U-S Senate, and Third District Congressman Zach Nunn of Ankeny spoke to the crowd before Trump arrived.

“I’m asking for your help,” Nunn said. “The third district alone is one of the most competitive districts in the country and if we don’t have this, I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen: we’re going to lose our majority.” A few hours before Trump’s remarks, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart told reporters Iowans are literally paying more because of his disastrous policies — like tariffs.

Tracy Chew, a U-A-W member recently laid off from the soon-to-close C-N-H plant in Burlington — joined the online news conference. “As far as Donald Trump…the tariffs and his policies, unfortunately those are not protecting the Americans that built these products,” Chew said. Outside the Trump rally, protesters lined the street. They carried signs demanding the removal of immigration and border patrol agents from Minneapolis.

Shirley Keenan of Des Moines says immigration officers are treating people inhumanely. “He needs to have a heart and follow the Constitution, quite frankly,” she said. “And Congress needs to act as they are supposed to, as a third equal branch of government and a check on the executive branch.”

A protester inside for Trump’s speech yelled “Release the files!” — a reference to the files related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — and was escorted out by police.

(Radio Iowa) – A state senator announced Monday she has uterine cancer and is undergoing surgery today (Tuesday). While there’s no known prevention for uterine cancer, a women’s health expert urges young Iowa women to get the H-P-V vaccine to greatly increase their odds of preventing a similar disease — cervical cancer. Dr. Alexa Lowry, an obstetrician gynecologist at Emplify Health by Gundersen, says the vaccine can be given as young as age nine and she notes, cervical cancer is highly treatable, depending on when it’s found.

“Like any cancer, it depends on what stage it’s at when it’s identified,” Lowry says. “So, of course, if it is caught early, the survival rates can be a lot higher and sometimes can be quoted in the 90s percents, versus if it’s caught much later or more progressed, then the survival rates can be a lot lower.” Lowry says two types of tests can be done in a doctor’s office or clinic that can spot this type of cancer, the H-P-V test or a pap test.

“It is very rare for young women to get cervical cancer,” Lowry says. “I think the peak age is around 50, but somewhere in the reproductive years to 50s is most common. It’s very rare for women in their 20s and younger.” State health officials say about 110 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed every year in Iowa, or about 14-thousand cases per year nationwide. Lowry says cervical cancer is considered a preventable cancer.

“Getting the HPV vaccination and maintaining your screening with pap smears or HPV testing through your wellness visits with your provider,” Lowry says, “those are the ways that we can prevent abnormalities of the cervix, catch them if they’re there, and then prevent cancer altogether.”

Emplify Healthy by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union. State Senator Catelin Drey of Sioux City says she’s been diagnosed with stage one uterine cancer. Drey was elected to the Iowa Senate last year in a special election held to fill the vacancy created when Senator Rocky De Witt died of pancreatic cancer.

(Atlantic, IA) – Officials with Vision Atlantic, a non-profit 501(c) organization, said Tuesday (Today), J & R Tax Service, owned by Cody Newman, Jan and Becky, has made a generous donation of $20,000 in support of Vision Atlantic’s transformative community development project, which includes a new housing development, child development center, and YMCA expansion.

“Our success has always been rooted in the support of this community,” expressed J & R Tax Service owner, Becky. “We believe every successful project takes a village, and this one will play a vital role in strengthening our local economy. Proper housing and expanded childcare are essential for a community to truly thrive.”

Vision Atlantic, through extensive research and surveying of the community and surrounding region, identified three areas that will help increase Atlantic’s population: expanded childcare, quality housing and quality of life amenities. Infrastructure for the 142 mixed unit Camblin Hills housing development and 300 capacity child development center is almost complete, with construction of 48 homes currently underway. Construction of the child development center and YMCA expansion is slated to begin in 2026.

Vision Atlantic has a fundraising goal of $39 million, which will be used to construct the YMCA expansion and child development center. To date, they have raised $34.1 million of that goal, thanks to an $8.6 million lead grant from the Charles E. Lakin Foundation and significant support from local donors. In addition to their grant support, the Lakin Foundation has created a separate investment fund of $23 million that will be used to construct homes in the Camblin Hills housing development. The capital will be used as a line of credit, and as the dollars are paid back, the Foundation will donate up to 5% of the interest paid back to Vision Atlantic, who will use those dollars to operate the child development center.

Vision Atlantic’s Project Committee is actively working to secure the remaining $4.9 million needed to meet their fundraising goal. If you are interested in helping transform Atlantic, whether it’s through monetary donations or acts of volunteerism, please contact Vision Atlantic at visionatlanticiowa@gmail.com. Visit www.visionatlantic.org and follow on Facebook for behind-the-scenes access to project updates and in-depth information of the project scope.

Vision Atlantic is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to empower growth, enhance lives, and build a thriving community together through the economic development of Atlantic, Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – Senate Republican Leader Mike Klimesh says it’s time to find a solution to the five-year-long debate over a proposed carbon pipeline and Klimesh says his alternative will fix a flaw in state regulations. Klimesh led a subcommittee hearing this (Tuesday) morning on the House-passed bill that would ban the use of eminent domain for the project. It concluded with Klimesh discussing his own plan to widen the proposed route so Summit Carbon could go around landowners who don’t want the pipeline on their property.

“We are all concerned about their property rights. Everybody in the Senate is. Everybody in both chambers is and it’s time for us to find a solution, but find a solution that allows us to get ourselves and dig ourselves out of the box we have currently put ourselves in by over-regulating the noticed corridor.” Klimesh says current regulations forbid Summit from approaching other property owners who might sign easements. Landowners who’ve refused to sign contracts with Summit back the House bill that bans the use of eminent domain and they say under Klimesh’s bill, Summit could still seize some land. Marjorie Swan and her sister own two farms in Wright County that are in the pipeline’s current path.

“Landowners cannot enter into the negotiation process when the heavy hand of big government is tipping the scale in favor of multi-million dollar CO2 pipeline companies via threats of eminent domain,” Swan said. The ethanol industry and the Iowa Corn Growers Association back Klimesh’s plan and say without the pipeline in Iowa, they’ll lose money shipping corn to Nebraska ethanol plants because a carbon pipeline is now operating there. Union representatives say the pipeline will create thousands of valuable construction jobs and the House bill would endanger the project. Dylan Gramlich is a lobbyist for the Laborers’ International Union of North America which has members who specialize in key aspects of pipeline construction and hope to work on Summit’s project.

“For our trade alone, that breaks down to over 2 million man-and-woman hours on this project,” Gramlich said, “and that’s roughly the same amount that our members accrue in a full construction season.” Cynthia Hanson owns a farm in Shelby County that’s in the pipeline route and backs the House bill. “Labor jobs are important and I understand that and I don’t want you guys losing jobs, but farmers are businesses, too, and we have jobs,” she said. “…We want our land safe to do our jobs on.”

Once the Senate Commerce Committee meets to consider the House plan that would ban eminent domain for the pipeline, Klimesh intends to switch it out for his own proposal.