(Radio Iowa) – The Republican who’ll be the new member of Iowa’s congressional delegation next year is hoping to be appointed to the House Ag Committee — the panel that will write the 2023 Farm Bill. Congressman-elect Zach Nunn, who’s from Bondurant, is also aiming for a seat on the House Committee on Financial Services. The panel oversees the nation’s housing, banking, real estate and insurance sectors.

“This year, more than ever, we need to have some real responsibility in helping tame the economy,” Nunn says. Sometime in 2023, congress will have to vote to raise the debt ceiling so the federal government can pay its bills. Nunn expects the Republican-led House to seek spending concessions from Democrats before agreeing to increase the debt limit.

“I think this is going to be a big stick that the House is going to hold over both the Senate and the administration,” Nunn says, “so we need to get to a point where we feel comfortable that our budget is not only sustainable, but it’s returning real economic growth back to our states and the private sector.” Nunn is back in Iowa after a week in Washington, D.C. for new member orientation sessions. Starting in January, all six members of Iowa’s D-C delegation will be Republicans.

“This is the first time we’ve all been Republican in the Senate and the House since the Eisenhower Administration,” Nunn says. But Nunn says with a Republican-led House and Democrats in control in the U.S. Senate, there’s a chance to pass pragmatic bills that both parties can support.  “You know, the 80% of things we all agree on can be things that we can move forward with directly,” Nunn says. Nunn says he intentionally sought-out newly-elected Democrats this past week and he posted a photo of a bipartisan group on social media.

“It’s an amazing freshman class. Both the Republicans and Democrats put forward some really stellar candidates who ended up winning,” Nunn says. “…I made a point to reach out to some of my Democratic colleagues in similar districts, particularly farm states like Illinois across the river here, to have breakfast with and say: ‘This might be the best opportunity to forge a friendship, before we get into what happens in Washington, people go to their sides of the court and they never get a chance to talk to each other.'”

Nunn, a former Air Force intelligence officer, recently reconnected with people at U.S. Cyber Command.  “I was privileged to work as professional staff under the Obama-Biden Administration on the National Security Council,” Nunn says. “I’ve reached out to those colleagues as well at the staff level.”

Nunn finished about 21-hundred votes ahead of Democratic Congresswoman Cindy Axne in Iowa’s third district race. The third district stretches from Clarinda to Ottumwa and up to Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa) – A central Iowa woman is the new Ms. Wheelchair Iowa. Kelly Richmond of Altoona was crowned at the competition last weekend. The 42-year-old mother of four was born with spina bifida, a condition which impacts the spine, and she’s been using the wheelchair for mobility for about five years. Richmond says she likes to be approached and have people ask about the wheelchair and why she’s in it, and she’s hoping to lead by example with her new role.

“There’s so many kids and even adults that don’t have that opportunity or they’re too embarrassed or they’re not as secure in it as I am,” Richmond says. “It’s nice to be able to show them you can do this. You can be a family person, you can go to school, you can go to college, you can travel, you can experience everything you want. It just requires a little bit more adaptability.” As Iowa’s new titleholder, Richmond will be traversing the state, speaking to civic groups, schools and government leaders about the abilities of people who have disabilities. She says she already likes to get out and meet people and see the sights.

“We go out and explore as often as we can as I just love gravel travel, so anywhere I can go,” Richmond says. “My fiance takes me all over Iowa to the less-seen places and I just get to experience openness which I never really did back home.” A native of southern California, she left the West Coast several years ago and fell in love with Iowa — saying California is too crowded, too expensive and too much asphalt. Her children range in age from five to 20 years, and the 20-year-old is in the U-S Army, preparing to deploy. Richmond says she’d like to make the Veterans Home in Marshalltown and Iowa’s V-A hospitals among her first stops as Ms. Wheelchair Iowa.

“Veterans, especially some of the ones that are coming back with injuries and ending up in wheelchairs after having all of that freedom and mobility,” Richmond says, “going in and being able to show them that, I know this is a big setback for you, but you can still do everything you want to do as long as you have that mindset.” Richmond works full-time as a maintenance coordinator in the corporate offices of Casey’s General Stores in Ankeny. She’ll represent Iowa at the Ms. Wheelchair America event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which begins in late August of 2023.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds pardoned two tom turkeys today (Tuesday) — signing a proclamation in a video. “Iowa’s turkey pardoning event is something that I look forward to every year — but with a statewide order currently in place to protect flocks from the threat of avian influenza — we’re honoring the tradition a little bit differently,” Reynolds said. The video showed Ben Slinger and his family, who provided the two turkeys for the virtual event.

“A special thanks to the slinger family from Ellsworth who raised Iowa’s official turkeys this year affectionately known as Stars and Stripes,” she said. Reynolds wrapped up the event by reading a proclamation.

“Now therefore, I Kim Reynolds governor of the great state of Iowa do proudly proclaim Stars and Stripes as symbols of Iowa’s great turkey industry they are free to roam this Thanksgiving Day,” Reynolds said. The governor thanked those who own the 130 turkey farms in the state. A majority of Iowa’s turkeys are processed into deli meat for restaurants.

(Neola, Iowa) – Fire fighters are battling a field fire this (Tuesday) afternoon, near Neola. KJAN listener Zach Ploen provided us with a view from the Tri-Center Neola High School. He said it was across I-80 and making its way east. The closest towns are Minden and Neola. Minden Fire was enroute to the scene early today.

Photo courtesy Zach Ploen.

(Radio Iowa) – Retailers are facing a dilemma with their return policies as the holiday shopping season is upon us. I-S-U assistant professor of supply chain management, Robert Overstreet, says return policies that are too restrictive can turn off customers. He cites online retailer L.L. Bean’s decision 2018 to change the return policy that allowed you to bring something back with or without a receipt. “They just changed it to one year with a receipt,” he says. “…I think I’m a rational person and that seems fair — but they receive quite a backlash for that decision.” Overstreet says L-L Bean made the change after they found some people were taking advantage of the policy.

“What had happened is people would go to thrift stores and find things and return for it credit. Or dumpster dive. One article said people were dumpster diving, ” he says. Overstreet says increased costs and supply chain backups now have focused attention again on return policies. “Things flow really well out toward the customer. I mean, we in supply chain, we’re really good at that. But trying to get stuff back into the supply chain is harder, it’s more expensive,” he says, “we don’t know what’s coming back, we don’t know what shape it’s in, we don’t know if it can be resold.” Overstreet says some companies figure in the cost of returns in their sales — but many can’t. He says some retailers have decided to deal with it in another way. “I was just reading an article recently where companies are just not even taking the material back, just giving the person a refund, and allowing them to keep the material because it’s just cheaper to do that and then take it back into the system,” Overstreet says.

He says has says having overly lenient return policies in an effort to get customers can backfire. “What it did is it took all of the burden of the purchase decision away from the consumer and place it on the retailer because he made a bad choice, you didn’t have to pay for that,” Overstreet says. He thinks such policies will be an incentive to people who already are abusing the system. “And I think what’s going to happen with those we allow you to keep the item even though you’re using it have used it may actually continue to use it but you’re claiming you want to return it that’s going to create a whole new issue and people act in bad faith and says ‘I’ll just keep it for free, tell them I want to return it. I’m just gonna keep it anyway,” he says.

The National Retail Federation says if consumer habits mirror previous years, 20 to 30 percent of the merchandise they buy this holiday season will be returned.

(Griswold, Iowa) – The Griswold School Board has two, upcoming Work Sessions on different topics. During the first session on Monday, December 5th at 5:30-p.m., the Board will meet in the Conference Room, with the purpose of developing an action plan that supports their 2022-23 Board of Education goals. The second work session will be held 4:30-p.m. Monday, Dec. 19th. The Board will gather in the Conference Room and proceed to tour the District’s facility, with the purpose of conducting a facilities assessment.

(Wright County, Iowa) – A collision a little after 7-a.m. today (Tuesday) in northern Iowa, claimed three lives. All three of the victims were occupants of a 2007 BMW 525 that collided with a 2020 Mack tractor-trailer. The accident happened at the intersection of Hancock Avenue and 160th Street, north of Holmes. The Iowa State Patrol said the victims died upon impact with the truck. The driver of the semi, 20-year-old Braxton William Matthew Murphy, of Eldora, was not injured.

At this point, only one of the victims have been identified. That person was 27-year-old Jorge Marih Lopez-Lopez, of Britt. He was wearing a seat belt. It’s not known if the remaining victims were wear a seat belt, and we also don’t know who was driving the car.

The crash remains under investigation.

(Shenandoah, Iowa) – Officials with the Shenandoah Police Department reports numerous recent arrests. Beginning with the latest arrest:

Police on Monday (11/21) arrested 54-year-old Curtis Arthur Blacketer, of Oklahoma City, OK, at around 12-p.m.  He was taken into custody for Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct, following a call about a disturbance in the 1000 block of 7th Avenue, in Shenandoah. Blacketer was unable to post a $600 bond, and was being held in the Page County Jail.

Last Saturday, Shenandoah Police arrested 34-year-old Brent Allen Neal, of Shenandoah, on a charge of OWI/2nd offense, following an investigation into an accident that occurred at around 10-a.m., near the corner of Southwest Road and South Fremont Street. Neal was unable to post the required $2,000 bond, and was transported to the jail.

On the 18th of November, Shenandoah Police were called to the Casey’s General Store at around 1:30-p.m., following a reported theft. An investigation resulted in the arrest on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree, of 34-year-old Elizabeth Rose Anderson, from Shenandoah. She posted a $300 bond and was released with a court date.

The previous day (11/17), at around 1-p.m., Shenandoah Police were called to the 100 block of South Center Street, for a disturbance. An investigation resulted in the arrest of 90-year-old Douglas Dean McGinnis, of Shenandoah. He was charged with Harassment in the 3rd Degree, and served with a summons to appear in court.

And, finally, on Nov. 16th at around 1:45-a.m., Officers in Shenandoah conducted a traffic stop in the 2000 block of Highway 59. They arrested 28-year-old Amber Jaye Fichter-Harris, of Shenandoah, for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Unlawful Possession of a prescription drug, as well as possession of paraphernalia. Fichter-Harris was unable to post a $2,300 bond, and was booked into the Page County Jail.

“All charges are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, held a Public Hearing on a proposed amendment to Zoning, changing McCunn Specialty Firearms, LLC near Massena, from Business District to Light Industrial, for the purpose of assembling certain firearms. There were no comments from the public. Zoning Administrator Rich Hanson.

Hansen noted that the Cass County Zoning Commission has already given its approval for the change. Brice McCunn explained in additional detail, what kinds of services they would, and would not be offering, with regard to the assembly of weapons.

He said they don’t have any interest at this time in machining a gun or related components, but that could change sometime in the future.

Since there was no Resolution for action today’s (Tuesday’s) agenda, the Board agreed to meet approximately 10:45-a.m. Wednesday to pass a Resolution approving the change in zoning. In other business, West Central Community Action Executive Director Wendy Mueller provided the Board with an Annual Report, and a request for funding of $4,500, which is a $500 over last year. She said they have not asked the County for an increase, since 2016,

Mueller said the demand for assistance has increased substantially since the advent of Covid, and it has not waned. For Fiscal Year 2022…

West Central provided Head Start school readiness and other services for low income families with children who are between 3- and 5-years of age. The also handle child care resource and referral services.

She said in 22 Fiscal Year, they had 192 enrolled in child care at 12 home providers who participate in the program. One of the problems is finding affordable child care. Board Chair Steve Baier says next Monday, ground breaking will take place in Griswold for the 88-hundred square-foot Noble Initiative Foundation daycare center. Noble Initiative is a 501(c)3 non-profit agency.

(Radio Iowa) – Around eight in ten nursing home residents on Medicare received psychotropic drugs during the past decade, according to a watchdog report from U-S Health and Human Services that was requested by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. He says he’s “very disturbed” by the report. “It shows that just an overwhelming number of people in nursing homes are on psychotropic drugs,” Grassley says, “and I don’t think that it’s justified and I think that there’s overuse of it.” The report covered the years between 2011 and 2019. Grassley says nursing home residents deserve to be “treated with dignity” and their loved ones ought to have the confidence that nursing homes are appropriately prescribing medicines.

“If it was given to people because they just wanted to keep people quiet,” Grassley says, “it seems to me an inhumane thing to do.” Grassley says the Inspector General report “confirms many of our fears” that serious medications are being administered “without appropriate diagnoses or oversight.” He says the report makes it clear that more needs to be done to protect nursing home residents.

Link to the full report:
https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/OEI-07-20-00500.asp?hero=psychotropic-nursing-home-hero