The City of Red Oak, and a company connected to the outgoing chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party have reached a settlement in a dispute over a now-demolished church the company owned in the city. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Kirojen LLC of Lincoln purchased a tax lien for the abandoned church at a tax sale in 2012. J.L. Spray, the GOP chairman, was listed in Iowa state records as the company’s president. The city later described the church as dangerous, with a sagging roof and broken windows, and it wanted Spray to pay to have it demolished.

The Iowa Senate’s Democratic leader says he doesn’t “condone” but does sympathize with the decision an eastern Iowa superintendent has made. Davenport superintendent Art Tate announced this week that rather than cut staff, he will dip deeper into the district’s reserve funds and use more money than allowed by law to make up for a short-fall in state support. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal, of Council Bluffs, commented on the situation Thursday during his weekly news conference.

“I don’t condone lawbreaking, either by local superintendents or by House Republicans with the aid of Governor Branstad,” Gronstal said. “Here’s what Iowans need to know about this situation: this is simply the highest profile example of many discouraging events across our state.” A statement issued by the Iowa Department of Education indicated the superintendent could be charged with a misdemeanor and could lose his job if he follows through on his plan.

Tate argues the long-standing formula for distributing state aid to schools needs to be rewritten, to fix the advantage districts in more affluent areas have over districts like his. Tate has said he’s following the example of Republicans in the legislature who have failed to follow existing state law which requires school funding decisions to be made far in advance. Republicans balked at following the law and did not vote last year to set the amount of general state aid that should be forwarded to districts for the school year that begins in August.

Gronstal says there were NO meetings this week in the statehouse on the school funding subject and it’s time for Iowans to pester Republicans to make a decision. “We need to show school boards like the Davenport School Board and to show students like the Davenport students that the State of Iowa will stop eroding our reputation for great schools,” Gronstal said Thursday. Republicans have proposed a one-and-a-quarter percent increase in general state aid to district for the school year that begins this fall. Democrats propose a four percent increase. That’s a gulf of about 100-million dollars between the two parties.

(Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A woman from Ames has been promoted to become the first woman in a management position for the Iowa Army National Guard’s unit in Council Bluffs. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports) Lt. Alishia Bauman was promoted to captain last month, making her the first female primary staff officer in the history of the Council Bluffs unit. Bauman began training earlier this week at Camp Dodge, north of Des Moines.

Maj. James Avrams, the officer in charge of the Council Bluffs armory, says Bauman proved she’s capable of taking on the new role throughout her seven years in the Guard. He says having Bauman in a managerial role “brings a different perspective to an army infantry battalion.” Bauman says the promotion has been both a thrill and an honor.