(Radio Iowa) – It’s not yet clear that the 2025 Iowa legislature will be able to finish work on the state budget this week and adjourn for the year. Twelve Republicans have said they won’t vote on state spending plans until the Senate votes on a bill with new rules for land access for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. All 34 G-O-P Senators spent most of the workday Friday in private meetings, but didn’t resolve the dilemma.

During an interview LAST Monday, Senator David Rowley, of Spirit Lake, said he and the other 11 Republicans are standing with property owners who don’t want the pipeline on their land. “The idea of having a private company come in and have the authority to use the government’s authority to take land away from people for public use, supposedly, is just wrong,” Rowley said. “…Their frustrations are our frustrations because every one of us are at risk if this goes forward.”

Proposals from two lawmakers may show how negotiations among Senate Republicans have gone. Senator Mike Bousselot, a Republican from Ankeny worked for the company that owns Summit Carbon Solutions, has filed an amendment that would prohibit the use of eminent domain for any hazardous liquid pipelines IN THE FUTURE, along with a 25-year limit on operating any carbon pipeline, including Summit’s.

Republican Senator Kevin Alons, of Salix, has proposed an outright ban on seizing farmland for any hazardous liquid pipeline now and in the future.

(Clarinda, Iowa) -This week (May 11th through the 17th), is National Police Officer’s Memorial Week, 2025. The week is reserved to recognize the service and sacrifice of federal, state, and local law enforcement. As part of the observances, the Clarinda Police Department will conduct a memorial services beginning at 2-p.m. Tuesday, May 13th, at the Clarinda Cemetery Armed Services Flag Stand/ Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  American Legion Sergy Post 98 will provide a three-volley salute and Taps honor guard.

In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.

Clarinda Chief of Police Keith Brothers and his staff cordially invites you to attend the memorial service and pay tribute to those law enforcement officers who have given their lives in the line of duty. 147 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2024 according to preliminary data provided by the FBI.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Officials with the Red Oak Police Department report the arrest at around 5:40-p.m. Saturday, of 18-year-old Cylis Daniel Johnson, of Red Oak. Johnson was taken into custody in the 400 block of N. 2nd Street, for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree (a Simple Misdemeanor). He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Prescott, Iowa) – A motorcycle accident Saturday afternoon in Adams County claimed the life of a man from Texas. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2000 Yamaha motorcycle operated by 25-year-old Tevin Takeo Wilson, of Amarillo, TX, was traveling westbound on 180th Street, between Redwood and Quince Avenues, when for reasons unknown, the machine began to wobble and cause Wilson to lose control.

When the cycle struck the barrier face of the Mt. Zion Branch Bridge, Wilson was ejected over the barrier and landed on the rocks below, as the motorcycle continued to slide westbound. The accident happened a little after 2-p.m., Saturday.

Wilson died at the scene. His body was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office.

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM Community School District’s Board of Education will hold a regular monthly meeting and public hearing, Monday evening, in Anita. During the public hearing (which begins at 6:30-p.m., in the CAM High School Media Center (1000 Victory Park Road), the Board will take comments with regard to Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget Amendments.

During their regular session that follows, the CAM School Board will act on any personnel matters (resignations & contracts), and act on approving:

• A Joint Representation Waiver with Ahlers and Cooney.
• The Amended Budget for FY 24-25
• An Asbestos Abatement Bid
• and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Green Hills AEA (Area Education Agency) for an Iowa Connections Academy Social Worker.

**Please note: The traditional entrance to the Council Chamber doors will not be open as the Bull Creek Project Display from the Iowa State University Design and Engineering students is in the audience area, and there is no way to move around it. The main lobby doors and the front doors to the office where you go to pay bills or visit an Administrative or elected official will be open. If anyone is unsure how to get back to the Council Chambers (don’t be embarrassed, it is a bit of a maze, this part of the building used to be an old jail), there will be personnel available to help you. – City Administrator John Lund.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Board of Adjustment will meet 5:30-p.m. Monday (May 12th), in the Council’s Chambers at the City Hall. The Board will hold a public hearing and then consider a request from Fredericksen Iron Recycling, to allow a fence higher than six-feet (a total of eight-feet) in the Light Industrial District (D-1), for the property located at 607 Sunnyside Lane, as allowed under the City’s Zoning Ordinances.

The hearing will include an opening statement from business owner Matt Fredericksen, followed by any statements from abutting and opposite property owners, as well as statements from the general public. The owner says he has spoken with his businesses neighbors about cleaning-up the the fallen, existing fence and says everyone approved of the effort to make the area look better. The fence would be a total of 150-square linear feet, at a cost $9,800.

The area inside the yellow line is property owned by Fredericksen Iron Recycling (from the BOA information packet)

Following public comments, the Board of Adjustment will have an opportunity to ask questions from the owner of Fredericksen Iron Recycling, and then act on approving a Conditional Use Permit Application for the request to allow higher fencing.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch/Washington, D-C) – Members of Iowa’s federal delegation have introduced multiple measures related to health care, weighing in on Medicaid coverage and maternal care options. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Ashley Hinson, both Republicans, helped introduced the “More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed” (MOMS) Act in the Senate and House respectively, legislation that they said would help provide more services and support for expecting and new mothers.

The legislation would create a grant system for nonprofit entities that provide support and assistance for prenatal and postpartum care, as well as support during early childhood, with a focus on providing funding for support and equipment for prenatal care options in rural areas, including telehealth options. Grassley said the measure would help encourage and aid parents both before and after the birth of their child.

The proposal is similar to the MOMS program approved by the Iowa Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2022 that provides funding for maternal care nonprofits that encourage alternatives to abortion. The state program has faced criticism from Democrats and reproductive care advocates who said state money is going to “crisis pregnancy centers,” nonprofit entities that some former patients have said shared inaccurate information and misrepresented themselves as licensed medical providers.

Democrats in U.S. Congress have criticized previous attempts to make a federal MOMS program along similar lines, with a group of female Democratic senators saying in a 2024 statement the proposal would encourage pregnant women “to register their pregnancies with the government in order to push them toward anti-abortion propaganda and dangerous crisis pregnancy centers.” The 2025 bill is backed by several anti-abortion groups, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the March for Life Action, and the National Right to Life Committee, according to a news release by Grassley on the bill.

Hinson said in a statement that she supported the measure as a way to “save moms and babies and help advance a culture of life of America.”

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, representing Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, introduced a resolution May 2 that he said will help protect Medicaid and SNAP benefits for some individuals during upcoming budget negotiations. The proposed “Defending Medicaid and SNAP Resolution” would prohibit consideration of budget reconciliation bills that reduce Medicaid or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or enrollment for people age 19 or younger, age 65 or older, pregnant women and individuals with disabilities. The rule would apply to budget reconciliation bills and related amendments and reports during the current term of Congress.

Nunn said this provision would help ensure people in the most need of assistance retain access to these public benefit programs while still allowing Congress to “address abuse, reduce improper payments, and enhance program integrity,” according to a news release on the proposal. The Iowa Republican said the bill will provide some protections for Iowans receiving assistance through SNAP and Medicaid, but would allow Republicans to move forward with efforts they say will help address fraud and abuse of these public programs.

Nunn, and many other Republicans in Congress, have faced heavy criticism over cuts to federal programs and proposed reductions in federal spending on programs, including Medicaid. However, Nunn said he supports continuing to provide Medicaid and SNAP for Iowans who are in need. Nunn said in a statement his conversations with doctors and patients showed “why defending these critical programs is so important, and how my legislation will ensure D.C. cuts do not impact vulnerable Iowans.”

However, Democrats criticized Nunn, saying this provision will not prevent cuts for Medicaid and SNAP coverage for Iowans. Justin Chermol, a spokesperson with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, criticized the resolution in light of Nunn’s support for Republican budgets. “If Zach Nunn really wanted to save Medicaid and SNAP, he should have voted ‘NO’ on the Republican budget that cuts both,” Chermol said. “No matter how hard he tries to run away from it, Zach Nunn’s vote to rip away health care and take food off the table of working families will cost him his job next year.”

(Iowa Capital Dispatch/Des Moines, IA) – The Iowa Senate, Friday, dropped private universities from legislation barring diversity, equity and inclusion activities and offices in state entities.

Senators amended House File 856 and sent it back to the House. The bill would, as amended, prohibit state agencies and community colleges from spending public or private dollars on opening or sustaining DEI offices and official positions. Previous versions of the bill stated private universities would risk Iowa Tuition Grant funding if they continue to maintain DEI divisions, but an amendment introduced by Sen. Ken Rozenboom, R-Oskaloosa, and passed by the chamber removed this section.

Another amendment, also passed, clarified definitions listed in the bill. Senate Democrats opposed the legislation, saying it limits academic freedom and freedom of speech. Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said during debate those restrictions are “completely contradictory to our constitutional mandate and our democratic principles of the United States.”

Echoing previous comments on other DEI-focused legislation, Quirmbach said eliminating the ability for agencies like law enforcement and school districts to use a DEI practice like recruiting from certain communities will have negative consequences, as staff won’t be as well-equipped to understand other cultures. Sens. Molly Donahue and Sarah Trone Garriott said the legislation would harm higher education institutions working to graduate well-rounded students who are prepared for the workforce and world.

Iowa is a state without enough people to work in it, Trone Garriott said, and DEI programs and practices help keep young people in the state and attract new residents to it. “Policies like this are already hurting Iowa, and we can see it as employers are struggling to attract workers, and our young people move away and don’t come back, and our colleges and universities are having a very hard time attracting students, and our economic growth is lagging behind other states,” Trone Garriott said. “This is moving in the wrong direction.”

Rozenboom said in closing comments he heard “a lot of fearmongering, a lot of exaggeration, hyperbole and that sort of thing” from those opposing the bill, when in reality what it serves to do is show that state entities “do not exist to promote politically divisive ideologies.”

“I think House File 856 is required because of the directions some have gone, in the extreme, to push DEI initiatives in our state institutions,” Rozenboom said.