(An Iowa News Service report) – A key health committee in the Iowa Legislature has defeated a measure that would have increased the state’s tobacco and e-cigarette taxes.

Iowa hasn’t changed the rate in 19 years, and proponents of the increase say it’s aimed at curbing the cancer rate in Iowa, which reports the second-highest number of new cases in the nation.

Senate Study Bill 3415 would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 65 cents, from the current average of $1.36 cents to just over $2. It would also impose a 15% excise tax on e-cigarette and consumable hemp products. But the measure failed in the Health and Human Services Committee by a single vote.

Kristina Hamilton, Iowa advocacy director for the American Lung Association, said the bill is important, as smoking remains the number one risk factor for lung cancer.

“Eighty to 90% of lung cancer cases are due to cigarette smoking,” she said, “and lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, in Iowa and nationwide.”

Backers of the bill are still hopeful. Since the measure deals with taxes, it was not subject to the first legislative deadline and can still be reconsidered, despite the committee vote.

Iowa hasn’t raised its tobacco tax since 2007, and Hamilton said recent data show that doing so could do more than target the state’s cancer rate. It could also discourage young people from smoking or vaping in the first place.

“When you make tobacco products less affordable,” she said, “you can help prevent around 2,500 Iowa kids from becoming adults who smoke, and reduce smoking among teens by more than 10%.”

Revenue from taxes on tobacco and e-cigarettes helps fund the state’s Health Care Trust Fund, which is responsible for a large share of Iowa’s portion of Medicaid funding.

(Radio Iowa) – A bipartisan group of House members has approved one of Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s priorities — a bill that would require adults and juveniles arrested for a serious crime in Iowa to submit a D-N-A sample. Republican Representative Bill Gustoff of Des Moines says the sample would not be a full D-N-A genome, but would have critical data that’s unique to the person.

“It’s a court-tested, effective tool that has help solve literally thousands of crimes and bring closure to the victims of violent crimes and their families in over 30 states,” Gustoff said. Nine of the attorney general’s fellow Republicans joined most House Democrats in opposing the bill. Representative Charley Thomson, a Republican from Charles City, says there’s no doubt D-N-A is a powerful tool for law enforcement, but the bill requires an unconstitutional search of a person who’s been arrested.

“It’s not a fingerprint,” Thomson said. “It’s a library and it’ll be another brick in our digital prison.” Under current Iowa law, D-N-A is collected when someone is convicted of an aggravated misdemeanor or a felony, but not when they are arrested. The bill to collect D-N-A samples from anyone arrested for felonies or aggravated misdemeanors now goes to the Senate for review.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has passed a bill to bar women and children in Iowa who are in the country illegally from receiving federal food assistance from the Women, Infants and Children program. Representative Austin Harris, a Republican from Moulton, says that’s the policy for food stamps and Medicaid — only U-S citizens and legal residents are eligible.

“Are we a nation of the laws or not? Do we play by the rules or not?” Harris asked at the end of debate on the bill. “Do we put Iowans first or do we allow people who broke into this country to take advantage of these public assistance programs?” WIC provides nutritious food to pregnant and breastfeeding women, their babies and children until they reach their 5th birthday and citizenship is not currently required for enrollment. Representative Angel Ramirez, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says WIC benefits are not a luxury.

“Hunger does not check papers. Hunger does not check status,” Ramirez said. “This bill is a political point written in infant formula and the losing side is a starving baby.” Under the bill, children under the age of five who were born in the U.S. or who have legal status could receive WIC benefits, but if their mother is an illegal alien, she would not. The senate has not yet taken a vote on the policy.

(Radio Iowa) – House Republicans, with the support of a handful of Democrats, have voted to limit the powers future governors would be able to exercise in emergencies. The bill would bar governors from ordering the closure of churches or businesses and it would require legislative approval of any election-related changes. Governors could not shut down churches, private businesses. Representative John Wills, a Republican from Spirit Lake, says it’s designed to restore balance after what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your body belongs to you — no forced vaccines under emergency powers,” Wills said. “And most importantly we give ourselves and the Legislative Council when we’re not in session, the ‘kill switch’ to end any emergency proclamation with a simple majority vote.” Representative Beth Wessell-Kroeschell, a Democrat from Ames, was among the 30 House members who voted against the bill.

“I choose to lean in on the side of safety of all Iowans in the case of an emergency,” Wessell-Kroeschell said. “We don’t know what that next emergency will be.” Democrats say Republicans are advancing this and other bills to limit the authority of future Iowa governors in case Democrat Rob Sand is elected in November.

One bill would shorten the terms for the people governors appoint to state boards and commissions and require legislative approval for rules written by state agencies to implement Iowa laws. Another sets up a system that would keep state government operating on the previous year’s spending levels if the legislature and governor cannot agree on a new state budget by July 1st.

JOINT FORCE HEADQUARTERS – DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa National Guard, today (Tuesday) announced the remaining three official Welcome Home ceremonies for the group of approximately 575 Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division who are the most recent returning from deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

These Soldiers recently began a phased return to the United States following successful mission completion overseas, where they worked alongside coalition and regional partners to significantly reduce the capabilities of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, helping make the region safer.

These Welcome Home ceremonies will take place on Thursday, March 12th in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Sioux City. This allows families, friends, and community members the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the Soldiers’ service.

DETAILS:

Des Moines Welcome Home Ceremony:

• Location: 132d Air Wing, Des Moines International Airport
• Address: 3100 McKinley Ave, Des Moines, IA 50321
• Date/Ceremony Start Time: Thursday, March 12th at 2 PM
• This ceremony is not open to the public

Cedar Rapids Welcome Home Ceremony:
• Location: Cedar Rapids Armory
• Address: 1500 Wright Brothers Blvd W, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
• Date/Ceremony Start Time: Thursday, March 12th at 4:45 PM

Sioux City Welcome Home Ceremony:
• Location: Sioux City Airport
• Address: 2430 Leavenworth Ave, Sioux City, IA 51111 (map attached)
• Date/Ceremony Start Time: Thursday, March 12th at 12:00 PM

These ceremonies mark an important moment for Iowa communities to welcome home Soldiers who have served overseas in support of national security objectives. While some Soldiers have returned earlier as part of a phased redeployment, others
remain deployed to complete essential mission requirements, including partner support and base security. This phased return is based on mission needs, personnel requirements, and transportation availability.

Help us give our hometown heroes the powerful welcome home they have earned.

OMAHA, NEBRASKA — Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) and AgCountry Farm Credit Services (AgCountry) announce the launch of a pilot program to assist producers seeking additional sources of capital for stewardship activities.

The Farm Credit Associations are partnering with Lasso, a grant-writing service, to help participating producers find and apply for publicly funded grants. Producers report strong interest in stewardship activities but face financial barriers. The Associations are piloting grant-writing services for their customers as part of a broader toolbox of products and services for on-farm improvements. The pilot is available for eligible farm projects in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
The program provides support to producers considering equipment upgrades, infrastructure improvements, or energy and efficiency projects who may be unsure whether grant funding is available or how to navigate the application process. Selected participants will receive Lasso’s end-to-end support, including identifying relevant grant opportunities, preparing applications, and managing post-award requirements. FCSAmerica and AgCountry will cover the majority of the cost.
“Producers are deeply committed to leaving their operations stronger for the next generation, but navigating evolving funding opportunities can become a significant hurdle,” said Myriah Johnson, Ph.D., vice president of sustainability for  FCSAmerica and AgCountry, which operate as part of a collaboration that includes Frontier Farm Credit.
“Through this pilot, we’re meeting producers where they are by supporting the projects they believe in, respecting their production choices, and removing barriers that slow the adoption of sustainable, economically viable improvements. By connecting producers with resources that make these investments more attainable, we’re strengthening both the resilience of their operations and the long‑term sustainability of agriculture across our region.”
Lasso works directly with producers to understand their needs and match projects with federal, state, regional, and local grant programs, including opportunities such as the Value-Added Producer Grant, the Agriculture Diversification & Development Fund (North Dakota), and Choose Iowa’s Butchery Innovation Grant (Iowa). Lasso reports a 90 percent success rate and has helped secure more than 70 grants, representing millions of dollars in funding for on-farm projects.
“Many farmers have strong project ideas but don’t have the time or resources to navigate the grant process on their own,” said Nicole Rojas, co-founder of Lasso. “Partnering with Farm Credit Services of America and AgCounty Farm Credit Services allows us to remove that barrier by helping producers identify the right funding opportunities and manage the grant process from start to finish, so they can focus on running their farms and investing in their operations with confidence.”
FCSAmerica has had a sustainability program since 2022 to support customer‑owners advance stewardship activities on their operations. We continually deepen our knowledge to provide the resources and insights customers seek as part of their stewardship decision-making.
Producers interested in participating in the pilot should be open to pursuing public grant funding and have an on-farm project plan with potential vendors or service providers identified.Learn more about FCSAmerica. AgCountry, and Lasso.

(Radio Iowa) – A spokesman for the D-O-T says traffic deaths dropped back down after a starting out the New Year up in January. Stuart Anderson told the State Transportation Commission that the lack of winter weather in January led to more cars on the road, and more fatalities. “Of course, last month we talked about January being an unusually high month, particularly coming off our record low year in 2025. February was a significantly low month,” Anderson says.

There were 24 traffic deaths in January, but that dropped to only nine deaths in February. “So I believe that was the first single-digit month we’ve had since we’ve been recording a fatality. So February was remarkably low,” he says. Anderson says this month is not off to a good start. “March has started out a little challenging. Again, we’ve had six fatalities in March so far, and we’re still obviously early in the month,” Anderson says.

The 33 traffic deaths through February of this year is down one from the first two months of last year

(Atlantic, IA) – Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War will present a local history of Civil War volunteers this Sunday, March 15, beginning at 2-p.m., at American Legion Memorial Building (The Armory), in Atlantic. The volunteers included 97 men from Cass County who were in Company “I”  of  the 23rd Iowa Volunteer Infantry.

Roy Linn, Graves Registration officer will tell of his experience to verify Civil War graves to place markers and honor their service. Martin Mundorf, local leader will tell more about Company I. Artifacts from that time will be displayed.

The program is sponsored by Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise. There is no fee. The American Legion Memorial Building is located at 201 Poplar Street in Atlantic. It is handicapped accessible.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors visited with Grace McAfee, Cass County Wellness Coordinator, and Megan Roberts, Director of Public Health, on March 5th, 2026, to learn about a new opportunity designed to strengthen volunteerism and community engagement across Cass County.

During the visit, McAfee shared details about the Cass County Volunteerism Grant, a new program that will provide $4,000 in funding to selected nonprofits, schools, government agencies, and community groups. The program was developed after feedback from recent Community Health Needs Assessment surveys, where many local organizations repeatedly identified a shortage of volunteers as a major hurdle to expanding their impact and services.

In addition to funding, participating organizations will receive support through training sessions, staff assistance, and increased visibility for their volunteer efforts. The program includes 12 hours of required in-person training, with at least two team members from each participating organization attending the sessions. Organizations will also have access to optional one-on-one coaching through Volunteer Iowa and Healthy Cass County to help strengthen their volunteer programs.

Standing (Left to Right): BJ Hart, Bre Preis, Dolly Bergmann, Katie Bateman, Alisha Wagner, Auntoni Love, Krysta Hanson, Dan Haynes, Dr. Keith Leonard, Julie Waters, Rob Claussen, Anne Quist, Lana Westphalen
Seated: Megan Roberts, Grace McAfee, Kate Olson

A key component of the initiative will be a community Day of Service, planned for late summer. Participating organizations will host volunteer opportunities and track community participation, encouraging residents to work together in service to Cass County.

Applications for the Cass County Volunteerism Grant are due by noon on April 1, 2026. Grace emphasized that the goal of the program is to provide organizations with tools and resources that help turn funding into lasting community impact while strengthening the culture of volunteerism across Cass County.

Organizations interested in learning more about the grant opportunity are encouraged to contact Grace McAfee at 712-250-8170 or mcage@casshealth.org