(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says by the end of her new four-year term, she hopes to get rid of Iowa’s state income tax. “I’ve got South Dakota to the north of me, so we’ve got to get to zero,” Reynolds says, “so we’re going to keep working on that, too.” Reynolds made the comment on a Republican Governors Association panel. Her comment made South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem chuckle.

South Dakota has no personal income tax or corporate tax and mainly relies on property taxes and sales taxes to fund government operations. Reynolds has just been elected chair of the Republican Governors Association for the next two years. Reynolds reviewed her education priorities for the group.

“We did open enrollment, we expanded charter schools and I’m really excited about implementing ‘school choice’ this next election cycle, so that’s my top priority,” Reynolds said, “so hopefully we’ll get that done.” Reynolds has tried in each of the past two years to get the Republican-led legislature to approve state scholarships for some students who switch from a public to a private school.

During the 2022 campaign, Reynolds has said her goal is for all parents to have the choice of sending their child to a private school, but she has not outlined the details of this new plan. House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says Democrats will oppose any bill that shifts money from public schools to private schools. It’s not clear yet whether Reynolds has enough Republican votes in the Iowa House to pass her latest plan. Some House Republicans who oppose the school choice concept either did not seek reelection or were defeated in G-O-P primaries.

(DES MOINES, IA) – Today (Friday), the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board approved awards for five companies, which will assist in the creation of 266 jobs and result in $202 million in new capital investment for the state. These projects are located in Charles City, Council Bluffs, Creston, Fairfax and Fort Dodge. The board also approved innovation funding in support of two startups located in Coralville and Des Moines.

In this area:

IceCap Cold Storage to increase warehouse/distribution facility in Council Bluffs
IceCap Cold Storage is a subsidiary of US Property, a development group creating mixed use facilities across the country. In late 2021, IceCap began construction on its first facility at the Council Bluffs site. Seeing continued growth in the industry, the company is moving forward with an expansion of the warehouse/distribution facility, additional dock doors and equipment such as racking, freezing and transportation components. The project, representing a nearly $70 million capital investment, is anticipated to create 146 jobs, 96 of which are incented at a qualifying wage of $24.42. The board awarded the company tax benefits through the Targeted Jobs Withholding Tax Credit program.

Benson Hill to add extrusion facility in Creston
Benson Hill is a food technology company with a processing location in Creston that currently converts proprietary soybeans into high-protein soymeal and high-oleic oil, as well as food-grade soy white flake, flour, and grits. Benson Hill acquired the business through the acquisition of ZFS Creston, LLC in December 2021. This project will include a 15,000-square-foot building expansion and the purchase of equipment to create an extrusion facility to foster product innovation and increase manufacturing scale. The resulting high-protein soy ingredients will be marketed industry-leading consumer packaged goods companies. In addition to food applications, Benson Hill also serves the domestic and Northern European aquaculture markets. The project represents a $28 million capital investment and is expected to create 11 jobs, nine of which are incented at a qualifying wage of $19.83 per hour. The board awarded the company tax benefits through the HQJ program.

Read about the other awards, HERE.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Glenwood Police, Thursday, arrested a man for Domestic Abuse Assault. 39-year-old Kyle Zeigler, of Glenwood, was transported to the Mills County Jail and held without bond, until seen by a magistrate judge.

Atlantic, Iowa November 2022 -The Atlantic Police Department has taken a pledge to keep tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products out of the hands of Atlantic underage persons.

Known as I-PLEDGE, the program is a partnership with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABD) to educate local retailers and to enforce Iowa’s tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor product laws. Since the program’s inception in 2000, the statewide tobacco compliance rate has grown to 91%. By participating in the program, the Atlantic Police Department has committed to do its part to increase the compliance rate even more this year.

I-PLEDGEplaces emphasis on retailer training. Clerks who successfully complete an online training course and then pass an exam will become I-PLEDGE certified. This allows a retail establishment to use an affirmative defense against a civil penalty if the certified clerk makes an illegal sale.

“1-PLEDGE’s retailer training is a great way for clerks to prepare themselves to refuse illegal tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor product sales, “Chief Hogue said. “The training also assists retailers to ensure they maintain a compliant and responsible establishment.”

Officers will also be conducting compliance checks on local establishments as part of the I-PLEDGE program. Underage customers, under the supervision of law enforcement officials, will enter establishments and attempt to buy tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products. Clerks who make the illegal sale will be cited on the spot.

Criminal penalties for selling tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products to a minor include a $135 fine for a first offense, a $325 fine for a second offense and a $645 fine for third and subsequent offenses. However, handing out citations is not the intent of the I-PLEDGE program.

“By partnering with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, we hope to educate clerks and maintain a compliant retail environment in our community,” Chief Hogue said. “Moreover, we pledge to help keep tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products out of the hands of underage persons in Iowa.”

To take the I-PLEDGE training or search certification records go to https://abd.iowa.gov/.

(Radio Iowa) – A federal jury has ordered former Congressman Steve King’s campaign to pay 750 dollars for using a copyrighted image in online fundraising. The Florida mother who took the photo of her young son in 2007 sued King and his campaign a year and a half ago, seeking at least 75-thousand dollars. She got a copyright for the image in 2012 as it became known as the “Success Kid” meme on social media. The jury in Sioux City decided King’s campaign must pay Laney Griner 750 dollars for using the boy’s image, but King owed the Griners nothing. The Sioux City Journal reports Griner left the courtroom in tears. King had said the lawsuit was politically motivated and he told the newspaper he had been vindicated by the jury.

King had used the “Success Kid” meme to raise money for his unsuccessful campaign for a 10th term in the U.S. House. King lost to Randy Feenstra in a Republican Primary. Feenstra was then elected to congress in November of 2020 and reelected to a second term in the U.S. House earlier this month.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston arrested a woman early this (Friday) morning. Authorities report 47-year-old Carrie Ann Johns, of Creston, was arrested at her residence, on a charge of Driving While Barred. She was cited and then released at the scene, on a summons to appear in court.

(Radio Iowa) – The number of crashes and deaths involving distracted drivers is swiftly rising in Iowa and the leader of the state’s largest cycling organization is calling for stricter laws on the use of cell phones by motorists. Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, says they’ve gotten bipartisan, committee-level support of get-tough laws in the past two legislative sessions, but haven’t been able to get a measure to a floor vote in either chamber.  “Currently, it’s illegal to text while you’re driving,” Wyatt says. “What we would like to see is a requirement that while you’re operating a motor vehicle, your phone has to be in hands-free or voice-activated mode if you’re going to use it.”

In one case, Wyatt says a woman cyclist was killed by a distracted driver in Charles City on a Sunday afternoon last spring. “From the court documents, we learned that he was on his cell phone looking at a Facebook notification that popped up about buying a boat,” Wyatt says. “At that point, he hit 28-year-old Ellen Bankston, who was traveling in the same direction on a bicycle. He actually had to turn around to figure out what he had hit. He didn’t even know he hit a person.” That death, and many others, prompted the launch of a campaign called Drive Safe Iowa. It’s an online petition drive to collect names of supporters demanding an update to Iowa’s distracted driving laws.

As for the distracted driver in the Charles City case, Wyatt says he -did- have to go to court. “Just this spring is when it went to trial and it was dismissed before it went to a jury because they believed that the laws on the books aren’t adequate enough to prevent tragedies like this happening,” Wyatt says. “So we think we need to do more and improve the cell phone and distracted driving laws in the state.” An Iowa D-O-T report says in 2001, there was one reported death from distracted driving in Iowa and about 500 crashes. Last year, there were ten deaths statewide caused by distracted driving and nearly 11-hundred crashes.

“It’s concerning to everybody, because it’s not just bicycles on the road, but it’s pedestrians, it’s other motorists and it’s people that move ag equipment,” Wyatt says. “Everybody in Iowa is at risk from distracted driving. We need to do more to have responsibility and hopefully prevent tragedies like this.” So far, 47 states have banned texting while driving and 16 states have hands-free laws. To sign the petition, visit www.drivesafeiowa.org.

(Radio Iowa) – The State Board of Education got an early look this week at the annual report on schools that is set to be released next week. Jason Crowley in the Department of Education’s Bureau of information says the diversity among students has increased in the last 20 years. “Minority, racial, ethnic students make up 26-point-eight percent of our K-12 student population in the fall of 21 — compared to nine-point-seven percent of our student population in the fall of 2000,” he says. The largest increases have been in the number of Hispanic students, followed by African Americans. Crowley says the overall number of students in Iowa schools increased by about one percent in the past 20 years, but there’s been a shift in where those students go to school.

“We’ve seen the largest drop in that middle size district, whereas all of the other district size categories in that 20 year time period have increased a little bit,” he says. There were nearly 28 percent of the districts in that 600 to 900 student middle range in 2000 — while that dropped to around 22 percent in the fall of 2021. The largest districts with 75-hundred or more students increased the overall numbers of students they educate. “In the fall of ’21, eleven percent of our largest districts in the state are educating over half of our student population or about 54 percent of our student population,” Crowley says. “That’s compared to back into fall 2000, it was about nine percent of districts educating about 46 percent of our student population.” The school districts on the other end of the spectrum also saw a modest gain in numbers.

“A three percent increase for those districts enrolling less than 300 students,” he says. The certified state K-12 enrollment for 20221-2022 is 485-thousand-630. The Des Moines school district is the largest with slightly more than 31-thousand students, and the smallest is Diagonal, with 109 students.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest data indicates about 25 percent of Iowans have gotten a flu shot.  “It seems to be still a little bit less uptick than we’d like in comparison to years past.” That’s Dr. Robert Kruse, the state medical director. During the flu season three years ago, 40 percent of Iowans got a flu shot. Kruse says cases of influenza and the respiratory illness known as R-S-V are increasing in Iowa.

“People are interacting more,” Kruse says. “They’re more indoors.” According to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, just under 60 percent of Iowa residents are fully vaccinated against COVID. With holiday gatherings ahead, the agency is urging Iowans to get the flu shot AND ensure they’re up to date on COVID-19 vaccines.

“Having these vaccines can help lower and reduce your risk for illness and prevent some of those complications,” Kruse says. State records indicate nearly 33-point-four percent of Carroll County residents got the flu shot by the end of October. That’s the highest flu vaccination rate of any county. More than 71 percent of Johnson County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

(Radio Iowa) – Two people died in a house fire Thursday afternoon, in Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids Firefighters were called out just after noon on a 911 call reporting smoke coming from the windows of a home. The fire department says 72-year-old Charles Osterkamp and 70-year-old Sheri Osterkamp were found dead in the basement of the single-story home.

The fire department says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.