(Radio Iowa) – A few dozen Iowans have shared their views on a six week abortion ban at public hearings at the Iowa Capitol. The Iowa House and Senate convened early this (Tuesday) morning for a one-day special legislative session to consider a bill to ban abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected.

Maggie DeWitte, executive director of Pulse Life Advocates, urged legislators to act. “It is beyond time to once and for all have this heartbeat law passed for the second time, signed into law for the second time, but now be able to be enforced,” DeWitte said. Dr. Deborah Ann Turner, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States, is an O-B-G-Y-N who was medical director at Planned Parenthood North Central States. She previously practiced at hospitals in Davenport, Mason City and Des Moines.

“Respect the people seeking abortion as individuals,” Turner said “…You have no license or right to make medical decisions about anyone’s health except your own.” Samantha Fett, chair of the Warren County chapter of Moms for Liberty, thanked the governor and G-O-P legislators in advance for acting on the bill, but she ultimately wants to see all abortions outlawed.

Special-session-protests.-RI-photo

“There’s no more important calling on this earth than to have children,” Fett said. “It’s the fundamental part of our society that is true and beautiful.” Reverend Brigit Stevens is the executive minister for the Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota Conferences of the United Church of Christ. She says abortion will not go away, it will go underground if the bill becomes law.

“The interpretation imposed by this legislation represents a narrow Christian view that is not appropriate criteria for public policy,” she said. Terry Aman, pastor of the Church of the Way in Des Moines, urged legislators to vote for the bill. “Everyone in this room is going to stand before a holy God and give an account,” Aman said, “and woe to the one who says, ‘I arbitrarily chose death.'” Hundreds of opponents of the bill gathered for a midday rally in the Capitol rotunda. Waverly Zhou urged the crowd to defeat G-O-P legislators running for reelection in 2024.

“We know we can’t change their minds, but we can do what voters and citizens of this country do best and that is vote them out,” she said, prompting the crowd to chant: “vote them out.” Reverend Debbie Griffin of a downtown Des Moines Disciples of Christ church told the crowd pregnancy is complicated. “My faith compels me to protec the freedom of choice of my neighbors,” she said.

As the rally was underway, a group of people who backed the bill gathered in a small Capitol meeting room to pray for passage of the legislation. The House and Senate are expected to begin debating the bill around 4 p.m. It will be around 10 p.m. when the House takes a final vote and the Senate will vote around on the bill after 11 p.m.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest Tuesday afternoon of 61-year-old Shellie Renee Shuffler of Red Oak on a Montgomery County Warrant for Littering. Shuffler was arrested on West Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak at 1:25 p.m. and taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond before later being released.

(Radio Iowa) – The rail traffic coming into Iowa is providing some mixed signals on economic conditions. The D-O-T’s Stuart Anderson says the volume of some items shipped by rail continues to increase. “Increased car loads in motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts, crushed stone, and sand. Both those measures really are viewed as measures of what the overall economy is looking like, so those are positive measures,” Anderson says.

He says those increases can signal the economy is doing okay. “Not not really moving into a recession, but as we know there’s a lot of other measures out there that would tell you we are, so real conflicting messages on the economy overall but at least from the rail perspective where these have been leading indicators they are positive,” he says. Anderson says on the other side, the number of containers with consumer goods coming in has dropped. “Those have been down significantly although starting to show some improvement here in May,” Anderson says. “But still that would be an indicator that things aren’t necessarily so great from a consumer spending perspective.”

Anderson made his comments during a report to the state Transportation Commission today (Tuesday).

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, received a report from County Zoning Administrator Mike Kennon, with regard to issues of excessive scrap metal and inoperable vehicles on rural properties. Kennon handed the Board a sheet defining what is a junkyard, and junk. He said the reason for bringing the issue to the Board’s attention, is because of a number of complaints the Zoning Board has received, especially with regard to four specific properties.

Supervisor Steve Green said he had some concerns about the definition of junk, and suggested the County Attorney review the definition of terms.

The Board suggested Kennon focus on the most serious offender and send that owner a letter from the Zoning Board. They also suggested he check with other counties, to see what kind of Ordinance they have or what their Zoning Requirements are, in hopes of finding something with “more teeth,” than what Cass County has or may have.

The Board discussed and acted on approving a Resolution making appropriations and transfers for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. The matter was previously covered in budget discussions, and it simply gives the County spending authority.

Cass County BOS, 7-11-23

The Cass County Supervisors acted to pass a Resolution allocating the final ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) payments to fire departments. The resolution approved allots $75,000 to each of the departments in Cass County, as previously discussed. And, they approved applied for homestead and military tax credits, as recommended by the County Assessor.

In other business, Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken updated the Board on Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities.

And, Cass County Mental Health/General Relief Coordinator Deb Schuler provided the Board with a quarterly report for April through June.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors met in a regular weekly session this (Tuesday) morning, in Red Oak. Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert kicked-off the session with her weekly update.

She said also a construction project on Page-Montgomery Road south of Villisca is expected to start the week of July 26 with the laying of rock. The project is expected to last some three-to four-weeks.

Under New Business, the Board passed by a vote of 4-to 1(with Supervisor Donna Robinson opposed), a Revised Resolution pertaining to a half financial support agreement between the City of Red Oak and Montgomery County, and with regard to the Red Oak rail, track spur current maintenance. The agreement includes all the legal descriptions which were inadvertently omitted from the first proposed agreement.

Montgomery County BOS meeting, 7-11-23

Board Chair Mike Peterson….

The Supervisors passed (by a similar vote) a Revised MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the County and the Montgomery County Development Corporation (MCDC). The County had budgeted $30,000 to the MCDC, and may provide additional funds for specific programs provided by MCDC and may allocate $18,000 to MCDC to take ownership of and complete the needed repairs of the Burlington Northern Spur.

In other business, the Board passed a Resolution for the County 5-year Montgomery County Secondary Roads. They also approved a revised funding agreement for the 250th Street Bridge, and financial administrative matters, including the Sheriff’s and Recorders reports of fees for the month of June, claims payable for July 12th, and the Treasurer’s Ending Fund Balance for the month of June.