Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says if he’s elected president, he’ll push congress to extend the Trump era tax cuts AND set up new FEDERAL scholarships to help cover the costs of attending a private K-through-12 school. The tax plan President Trump signed into law in 2017 expires at the end of 2025 and DeSantis says that gives the person elected president in 2024 an opportunity.

“If you’re not thinking as the candidate about how you would use that to implement policy, then you’re already behind the curve,” DeSantis says. DeSantis says it would be a disaster to have federal income tax rates go up in what could be a recession.

“You’re going in on January 20, 2025, and it’s probably not going to be all sunshine and roses, so raising taxes in that situation would be a big mistake.” The “National School Choice” program DeSantis envisions at the federal level would be modeled on a tax check-off program in Florida. It lets businesses send corporate income tax payments to a scholarship fund.

“We did a billion-dollar program between administration and scholarships. That served 100,000 kids in Florida,” DeSantis says. “…If you did just $25 or 50 billion dollars, which in this day and age is budget dust basically, you’re going to be able provide scholarships to a low of working class and low-income families.” DeSantis says he would push to include a wide range of policies into a package to avoid the requirement that 60 senators support it — and pass with just 51 yes votes. He’d include repeal of Biden era spending and some of his own spending priorities, like funding to build more Navy ships. DeSantis made his comments during taping of Iowa Press which airs tonight on Iowa P-B-S.

(Radio Iowa) – Residents of Waterloo and Cedar Falls are hoping a new housing plan will end a cycle of some citizens continually returning to prison. Recent data from the Iowa Department of Corrections says that the recidivism rate for Black Hawk County is the second highest in the state at nearly 37 percent. Waterloo psychiatrist Tom Eachus (EEK-us) says finding housing is a big part of the problem.

Eachus and others have formed the Cedar Valley Housing Corporation, which has proposed a new 24-unit apartment complex in Waterloo designated for those getting out of prison.

The complex will also provide counseling services.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s largest food bank set another record during November, distributing two-point-15 million pounds of food, the most ever during a single month. It tops the previous record set during the height of the pandemic in October of 2020. Annette Hacker, spokeswoman for the Food Bank of Iowa, says the number of Iowans facing food insecurity continues to climb at an alarming rate. “More than 191,000 individuals were served, and the sobering part of that is that 42% are children,” Hacker says. “In addition to those served at our partner pantries, thousands more sought help through meal sites the Food Bank of Iowa supports to the tune of about 175,000 meals served.”

Studies find up to 36 percent of Iowa families and individuals don’t make enough money to cover the cost of basic needs. Hacker says it’s a social injustice we can’t ignore. “Most of the people we serve are working people,” Hacker says. “There’s a misnomer that people who need food assistance are sitting at home on the couch and watching television and that’s simply not the case. Many of the people we serve are working two or three jobs, sometimes with no benefits, trying to string together a living but they’re really struggling.”

Hacker says there are three things the food bank always needs: food, funds and friends. “If you can come and volunteer, if you can donate to help us buy more food, if you can have a food drive yourself and bring in that food,” Hacker says, “and most of all to advocate for our neighbors who need help with food, and help others to realize this is a real problem in our state and in our country, and this should not be a place where anybody goes to bed hungry.”

The Food Bank of Iowa and its partners serve people in 55 counties.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Fire Department say firefighters were dispatched Thursday evening to a reported home explosion in the 600 block of N. Cedar St.    Union County Sheriff’s deputies and Creston police officers arrived on the scene first and determined the location. The spoke with residents to ensure no one else was in the house. Greater Regional Medics were on hand to care for the residents and firefighters as needed. (Photos via the Creston F.D. Facebook page)

Flames were visible through the front window as the fire department arrived on scene. Crews were able to begin a transitional attack through the living room window and front door before attacking the fire offensively inside the home. Exterior crews were able to extinguish fire that had extended to the basement. Interior crews successfully extinguished the fire on the 1st floor but had to overhaul and remove almost the entire ceiling from the residence. Mutual Aid from the Afton Fire Department was also received. Union County Emergency Management was also on scene to aide the homeowners.

The Creston Fire Department thanks all of their partners who come together during this and other emergency situations.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court says a search that led to a 2020 drug charge conviction against a Texas trucker was not legal. Stephen Arrieta stopped at the Northwood weigh station on I-35 after his automatic pass device failed to work. A D-O-T officer then inspected his truck and called for a drug dog. The drug dog alerted outside the truck and Arrieta admitted to having marijuana in the cab. He appealed his conviction for possession of a controlled substance, saying the stop was illegally delayed to allow the dog to show up.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruling says the officer had no reasonable suspicion to delay the stop and improperly detained Arrieta to allow the drug dog to arrive.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a total of nine people were arrested between Nov. 22nd and Dec. 5th, including four people who were arrested on drug charges.

On Nov. 22nd, Adams County Deputies arrested 20-year-old Jasime Caplinger, 20-year-old Kally Burchett, and 18-year-old Jeffrea Van Scoy, all of Creston. They were taken into custody following a traffic stop on 150th Street at Willow Avenue, and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance (PCS), as well as Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Additional charges on Van Scoy were pending lab results.

On the 23rd of November, 33-year-old Makinze Reed, of Lenox, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Additional charges on Reed were also pending lab results.

November 27th, Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 25-year-old Desiree Ladd, of Council Bluffs, on a warrant for Failure to Appear on original charges of Poss. of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Poss. of Prescription Medication.

54-year-old Patrick Jones, of Lenox, was arrested November 30th in Adams County, for OWI/1st Offense, and Interference with Official Acts.

December 1st, 35-year-old Jacob Franson, of Villisca, was charged in Adams County with PCS and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia.

This past Tuesday (Dec. 5), 21-year-old Christian Sexton, of Bellevue, NE, was charged in Adams County with Sexual Abuse in the 2nd Degree. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in the investigation by the Cass County Sheriff’s Office. And, 60-year-old Dennis Nekuda, of Corning, was arrested Dec. 5th for OWI/1st Offense. He was also cited for additional traffic violations.