(Jackson County, IA) – A single vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon near Nashville, in eastern Iowa, claimed one life and resulted in injuries to two others. According to the Iowa State Patrol, an eastbound pickup truck driven by 20-year-old Kaleb D. Carder, of Clinton, was traveling on a 33rd Street (a gravel road), just west of the junction with 84th Avenue at around 2:10-p.m., when it came upon a non-contact Jackson County Secondary Roads vehicle, that was mowing the ditch.

When Carder tried to slow down as he approached the mower, he lost control of the pickup, causing it to rollover over. A passenger in the vehicle, 24-year-old Alexus Woodford, also of Clinton, was injured in the crash. Authorities say Woodford was not wearing a seat belt.  A third, unidentified person died. Their name was being withheld by the Patrol, pending notification of family.

Carder – who was wearing his seat belt – was transported by helicopter to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinic. Woodford was transported to the Jackson Regional Hospital. The Patrol was assisted at the accident scene by Anamosa Fire and Ambulance, Aircare, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Medical Examiner, and Iowa DNR.

(Radio Iowa) – Some elements of the the governor’s property tax proposal are similar to a plan released Monday by Senate Republicans. House Speaker Pat Grassley says House Republicans will release their plan next week. “I think it gives us true momentum,” Grassley said, “and shows Iowans that we’re taking the issue of property taxes very seriously.” Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh notes the Senate G-O-P plan would completely end property taxes for older Iowans who own their homes, while Reynolds plan is a freeze.

“It’s good to see that we’re aligned in the same direction,” Klimesh said. “…I think those conversations play out over time as we kind of take a look at the nuts and bolts of the proposal and measure where we were at.” House Democratic Leader Brian Meyer says the governor’s property tax plan is interesting, but lawmakers need to go over the details.  “Our goal is to protect first responders on the local level, fund schools and make sure our local governments can actually do the work they need to do,” Meyer said, “but we also recognize that we need to lower property taxes.”

Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner says Republicans have been in charge at the statehouse for nearly a decade and she’s skeptical they’ll provide a meaningful reduction in property taxes for Iowans who really need it.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is proposing a property tax plan and new spending on cancer prevention, detection and treatment. Reynolds outlined these and other initiatives in the annual “Condition of the State” message Iowa governors deliver to legislators. Reynolds is calling for a two percent cap on property tax revenue growth for city and county budgets.

“Spending is what drives taxes — always has, always will — and the most reliable way to protect taxpayers is to limit the growth of government itself,” Reynolds said. “…When we were kids, our parents would tell us that money doesn’t grow on trees. Well, it’s time that government learned that, too.” The governor’s proposing a property tax freeze for Iowans above the age of 64 if their home’s value is less than 350-thousand dollars. “Because no one should be taxed out of their own front door,” Reynolds said.

And Reynolds is proposing tax-deductible accounts for Iowans saving for their first home, along with an expansion of Iowa’s beginning farmer tax credits.”Whatever their dream, let’s make sure it’s within their reach so more young Iowans will choose to build their future here,” Reynolds said. The state just received federal funding for rural health care initiatives and Reynolds is promising to dedicate 50 million dollars of it to expand cancer screening tests and treatment of cancer.

“We’re making early detection the norm, not the exception,” Reynolds said, “replacing fear with hope and making sure if families hear the word ‘cancer’ they also hear: ‘We caught it early and we can treat it.'” Reynolds began her speech by honoring Staff Sergeants Nate Howard of Marshalltown and Edgar Torres-Tovar of Des Moines, the two Iowa National Guard soldiers who were killed a month ago in Syria. “Our fallen soldiers served their state and their country with honor. As respected leaders they were models of courage, commitment and character,” Reynolds said.

“We don’t speak their names only in grief, but in honor…Please join me in honoring Staff Sergeant Howard, Staff Sergeant Torres-Tovar and their families with the applause of a free and grateful people.” Staff Sergeant Howard’s family was seated in the House gallery for the speech and they wiped tears from their eyes as the ovation lasted for well over a minute. The governor then revealed the two Iowa National Guard soldiers who were seriously wounded in that attack in Syria have been released from the hospital and are in outpatient treatment.

Reynolds says only 29 percent of the nearly 180-thousand veterans who live in Iowa are receiving the federal benefits they’re owed — and only six other states have a lower grade. “An outdated system that provides little accountability is leaving too many veterans and well-meaning county officials without the tools, training and consistency they need,” Reynolds said. She’s proposing that the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs take over training of all 99 county Veterans Service Officers and that the state no longer provide 10-thousand dollars to each county to pay these employees.

That money would be pooled into a competitive grant program to reward counties based on how many veterans, per capita, have secured the benefits they earned. The state would also set up a computerized claims system that would be used for all 99 counties. Reynolds, who has been Iowa’s governor since mid-2017, is not seeking reelection. “As I enter into my final legislative session as governor, I do so deeply grateful, fully committed and determined to finish strong,” Reynolds said. “There’ll be time to look back and time to say, ‘Thank you,’ but tonight our focus is on forward, on what still needs to be done and doing it together.”

Reynolds has forwarded her state spending recommendations to legislators — for an overall budget that’s slightly less than two percent bigger than this year. It includes a two-and-a-half percent per pupil spending increase for Iowa’s K-12 public and private schools, along with a recommendation that state spending for community colleges and the three public universities increase one-and-a-half percent.

(Radio Iowa) – A discount airline flown by many hundreds of Iowans every week is announcing its merger with another carrier. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Allegiant is buying Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines in a one-and-a-half billion dollar deal. Kyle Potter, executive editor of the Thrifty Traveler, says Sun Country has been a bright spot among low-cost carriers for the past three years, and Allegiant is also in solid shape.

“When airlines want to grow, they need to grow in order to continue generating more revenue and try to increase their profitability,” Potter says. “The easiest way to grow is just to buy another airline. You get those planes, you get those pilots, you get those routes. I think that is what is really driving this acquisition from Allegiant.” The merger is expected to be finalized in the second half of this year.

The combined company will continue under the Allegiant name. Potter says a worst-case scenario is that Allegiant will scale back over time. Right now, Sun Country prides itself as a competitor to larger airlines like Delta. “Offering travelers a cheaper fare than Delta will sell them for, and in many ways, that has kept Delta in check and has forced Delta to be at least more competitive on price than they otherwise would be,” he says. “Allegiant just doesn’t do that. Allegiant’s entire business model is built around flying from smaller cities.”

Together, the airlines will operate more than 650 routes, 551 from Allegiant and 105 from Sun Country. Allegiant flies from cities including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Omaha and the Quad Cities.

(Radio Iowa) – Data from the U-S-D-A shows Iowa set some records for the 2025 harvest. The report shows a record corn harvest of two-point-seven-seven (2.77) billion bushels, topping the previous record of two-point-seven-four billion bushels in 2016. The average corn yield was the second highest ever at 210 bushels, just behind the 211 bushels in 2024.

The average yield for soybeans set a record at 63-and-a-half bushels an acre, one half bushel above the previous record set in 2021. Overall farmers harvested 596 million bushels of soybeans, the third most ever.

Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig released a statement saying farmers delivered record yields despite conditions that varied from being too wet to too dry, and in a time when there is stress on the ag economy from high input costs and low commodity prices.

(Radio Iowa) – Wade Dooley, a 43-year-old Democrat who farms northwest of Marshalltown, is running for state agriculture secretary. He says leadership in Des Moines is too focused on helping big businesses and political insiders. “We have the best soils in the world, the most innovative people and some of the best technology on the planet,” Dooley says. “We can do a lot. All we need is a little support and, for the folks that hold us back, to get out of the way.”

Dooley, a sixth generation farmer, rotates soybeans and rye on his family’s Century Farm. He also sells cover crop mixes and does custom seeding. “I’ve been trying to find more profitable, more environmentally sustainable methods to farm,” Dooley said. “We’ve done cover crops, I raised watermelons for a while, popcorn, you name it. We’re tried a lot of different things.” Dooley says he’s running to lead the Iowa Department of Agriculture because while there’s a lot of talk about helping farmers make changes to boost their income — and improve water quality — there’s not a lot of actual support at the state level for it.

“Farmers are on debt treadmills for the most part. They’re all trying to do what’s best for their family, they’re also trying to do what’s best for their land, they’re also trying to do what’s best for their community, but at the end of the day, they’ve got to make their bank payment,” Dooley says.”…It’s really frustrating, then, to hear people in the Democratic Party blaming farmers saying, ‘Well, it’s their fault they’re doing it.’ They’re doing it, in part, because they’re forced. They’re trying to save their farms.”

Dooley says it’s time to end the blame game about Iowa’s water quality issues and for the Iowa Department of Agriculture to lead the effort to figure out a resolution. Dooley is a graduate of Iowa State University and has served as a board member of Practical Farmers of Iowa. Another Democrat has indicated they’ll run for state ag secretary this year. Chris Jones, an author and retired University of Iowa researcher, is expected to officially launch his campaign later this week. Republican Mike Naig has been serving as State Agriculture Secretary since 2018 and is seeking reelection.

(Oakland, IA) – A woman from Cass County and another from Pottawattamie County were injured during a collision late this (Tuesday) morning, in Oakland. According to the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, the accident happened just before 10:30-a.m. at the intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 59.

Authorities say an SUV driven by Donna Lee Smith, of Atlantic, was traveling westbound on Highway 6, when an eastbound SUV driven by Joy Elaine Van Zee, of Oakland, attempted to turn northbound onto Highway 59. The two SUV’s collided in the westbound lane. Following the impact, the SUV driven by Smith left the road and struck a tree. The other SUV came to rest on the highway.

Both drivers suffered serious injuries and were transported to local hospitals for treatment. Officials say their investigation resulted in Van Zee being cited for failure to yield and driving under suspension. Authorities say her license had been suspended after she was deemed incapable of operating a motor vehicle.

(Radio Iowa) – Top doctors at University of Iowa Health Care say they’re caring for an ever increasing number of premature babies — and have some of the best outcomes in the country. Dr. Patrick McNamara is a pediatrician who leads the University of Iowa Health Care’s Division of Neonatology. “We are probably one of the largest volumes of these tiny babies in the country,” McNamara said, “which is really what drives the excellence.” McNamara cites research from a non-profit that works to improve outcomes at Neonatal Intensive Care Units around the world. He says at every gestational age, the Iowa City unit’s survival rate is significantly higher than the rest.

“At 22 weeks, you’ve got about a 20% chance of surviving in the rest of the United States,” McNamara said. “In Iowa (City), it’s 66%.” McNamara was invited to testify before an Iowa House Committee this (Tuesday) morning. Over 10 percent of babies in Iowa are born prematurely. McNamara told lawmakers the unit is providing the most complex care for the most extremely premature babies — and getting pregnant women to Iowa City for care is critical if there are signs they’ll deliver extremely early.

“A maternal transport team is a unique team because you have to have expertise to take care of the mother, but also if she delivers en route,” McNamara said. “A plane, a helicopter, an ambulance — you have to have someone who can take care of the baby.” McNamara says most ambulance calls are a scoop and run operation to get the patient to the hospital as quickly as possible, where maternal transport teams are specially trained to stabilize before and during transport. McNamara says in other areas, like British Columbia, they’ve set up a regional system to get pregnant women and potential premies to the right hospital and it would be logical to have one for the entire state of Iowa.

(Glenwood, IA) – The Glenwood Police Department reports a man from Glenwood was arrested Saturday afternoon (Jan. 10th), on a drug charge. 22-year-old Michael Anthony Monson was taken into custody for Possession of Marijuana/1st offense. Bond was set at $1,000.

And, on Monday (Jan. 12th), Glenwood Police arrested 64-year-old Kelly Wayne McVay, of Omaha, for Disorderly Conduct/Loud Noise. Bond was set at $300.

(Red Oak, IA) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County, today (Tuesday), approved an amended Burlington Northern-Sante Fe (BNSF) railroad bridge overpass amendment agreement for the L and Q Avenue railroad bridges. County Engineer Karen Albert….

Engineer Albert mentioned in her report the Board, issues regarding mud on the County roads created by farm machinery following the recent rain.

Supervisor Mark Peterson…

In other business, the Board passed a resolution appointing Sonya Jackson as the Montgomery County representative to the Southern Iowa Regional Housing Authority (SIRHA). Supervisor Mark Peterson…

MC BOS 1-13-26 via Zoom

They also approved a resolution adopting the NACO (National Associate of Counties) policy, with regard the Vietnam Era SGU (Special Guerilla Unit), and a related Letter Of Support to extend veteran benefit eligibility. Supervisor Mark Peterson said a letter from NACO explained the request for support and recognition.

And, the Board received a funding request of $5,000 from West Central Community Action Executive Director Wendy Mueller, who said the request was $1,500 more than last year.

Upon acting on other, administrative matters, the Montgomery County Supervisors moved into a Work Session. Their next regular meeting will be held at 9-a.m. Tuesday, at the courthouse in Red Oak.