The only woman running for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat routinely talks about her pistol and her past experience in castrating farm animals, part of what a University of Iowa political science professor calls a “subtle effort” from Joni Ernst to prove she can go toe-to-toe with the power brokers in D.C.

Joni Ernst of Red Oak stresses her experiences as a soldier in the National Guard. “As someone who has commanded brave Iowans in a combat zone, I know the demands we place upon our men and women in uniform,” Ernst tells Iowa audiences. She touts her status as a member of the Iowa Senate. “I am the only one here on this stage who has stood up against ObamaCare. I voted no,” Ernst said this past Thursday during a forum with the five other male candidate. “…I want to continue that fight in Washington, D.C.” And Ernst talks about being a mother and grandmother. “And as a farmer’s daughter who grew up in southwest Iowa castrating pigs with her dad, I can go to Washington and cut pork,” Ernst says during appearances on the campaign trail.

University of Iowa political science professor Tim Hagle says as a farm kid himself, he laughs “pretty hard” at that, but Hagle sees the serious message behind the comment, too. “Saying, ‘Hey, I’m not some frilly kind of a person. I can hang tough with the boys in congress,'” Hagle says. Dianne Bystrom, the director of the Iowa State University Center for Women and Politics, has done research on the campaign ads of U.S. Senate candidates from 1992 to 2012. Bystrom found the “tough, but caring” strategy was common among female candidates.

“Survey research shows that voters’ question about women candidates is: ‘Are they tough enough for the job?’ Bystrom says, “so you very often see women trying to prove in various ways how tough they are.” In states like Iowa with rural populations, Bystrom has found female candidates for the U.S. Senate have emphasized farm and ranching experience and their comfort with guns to illustrate their toughness. “It’s a strategy that we’ve seen not only with Republican candidates, but also with Democratic candidates,” Bystrom says.

In Iowa, Democrats nominated women candidates for the U.S. Senate in 1992 and 2012. The University of Iowa’s Hagle says Democrats in Iowa have been more likely to tout the idea of electing a woman to congress, so Ernst seems to be taking the “subtle” approach. “By and large, women Republican candidates probably don’t want to make that gender-based argument as directly,” Hagle says, “and so, in a sense, maybe this is a way to do that and kind of let people know that, ‘Hey, I’m running and I want to get out there and mix it up with the guys in the senate.” Men far outnumber women in the U.S. Senate. Eighty senators are male and 20 are female.

(Radio Iowa)

The court case involving the City of Shelby and the driver who struck and killed a Shelby Firefighter has been dismissed. Online court documents state the lawsuit with David Thies who was suing the city of Shelby was dismissed Wednesday by Judge Robert Rodenburg, in Pottawattamie County district court.

Thies was seeking $5,000 from the city after claiming Shelby Firefighter Michael Collins was under the influence of THC when he stepped into traffic on September 18th, 2011. The 41 year old volunteer firefighter was directing traffic on I-80 following an accident around 6:50pm two years ago.

Thies was traveling on the Interstate and went around the stopped vehicles and hit Collins in the left lane. No criminal charges were filed against Thies but he was charged with driving without proper registration. The accident report from the Iowa State Patrol reported Collins received oxymorphone (a narcotic pain reliever) from someone who had a prescription.

In his order dismissing the case, Judge Robert Rodenburg wrote Thies “failed to maintain a proper lookout, and failed to maintain control of his vehicle” before striking Collins. He said also that Thies also did not see an emergency sign alerting motorists to the crash scene, and, that Thies failed to present any evidence that the drugs in the firefighter’s system impaired him that evening.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety report positive identification has been made on the skeletal remains discovered on October 11th along the I-480 bridge in Council Bluffs.  The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation worked in association with the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office, who used known dental records to identify the remains as 21 year old Chance Fletcher of Omaha.

Fletcher was last seen alive on December 15, 2011, by area law enforcement during the course of a police pursuit.  Fletcher was driving in a stolen car when a Carter Lake officer attempted to pull him over.  Eventually the chase ended in Council Bluffs, near the I-480 bridge, after Fletcher wrecked the car he was in and escaped on foot.  Officers with Council Bluffs Police Department, Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Omaha Police Department assisted in the search for Fletcher that evening with no success.

The Omaha Police Department’s Missing Person’s Unit was investigating cold cases when they coordinated a search of the area on October 11th, with the assistance of the Council Bluffs Police Department.  The discovery of the skeletal remains were located in a drainage ditch on the south side of the I-480 bridge, an area adjacent to the location Fletcher was last seen running from almost 2 years ago.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation was requested to investigate the discovery of the remains and death investigation by the Council Bluffs Police Department as local law enforcement was the last to have contact with Fletcher during the course of the pursuit and his escape that evening.  Assistance was provided by the Council Bluffs Police Department, Omaha Police Department, the Pottawattamie County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office.

It was another remarkable year for area Relay For Life committees. The American Cancer Society has released their final numbers for the 2013 fundraising year. The per capita amount is based on money raised and the population of a county. In the state of Iowa, the per capita is around $2 and the national average is $1.25. Cass County raised $76,313 and had a per capita of $5.55.

The Shelby County Relay for Life raised a new record of just over $130,520. The county had a per capita of $10.92. Carroll County raised just under $260,730, with a per capita of $12.61. Crawford County raised nearly $100,396, with $6.12 per capita. The figures from Audubon County were not given.

In addition to the County totals, team totals were also announced. Shelby County had 8 teams raise over $5,000.  Crawford County had 4 teams raise over $5,000, Carroll County 11 and Cass with one.

The American Cancer Society reports with the money raised from Relay For Life events in the Country, 16,500 cancer survivors were given rides to treatment last year, 1 million people were assisted by their free 800 number and 89,000 people were helped by ACS patient navigators on understanding their diagnosis and find the help the patient needed.

Since 1946, the ACS has invested more than $3.9 billion in cancer research that has helped many breakthroughs including establishing a link between obesity and multiple cancers and different treatments. Every year, more than 4 million people come together at Relay for Life events around the world to support the American Cancer Society and help finish the fight against cancer.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

Officials with Hiringourheroes.org have announced the U-S Chamber of Commerce Foundation in association with the University of Phoenix and other, local sponsors, are conducted a Hiring Fair on Nov. 11th, from 10-a.m. until 1-p.m., in Des Moines. The “2013 Hiring Our Heroes” event takes place at the Iowa State Fairground, Bruce L. Rastetter 4-H Exhibits Building, and is preceded by an employment workshop at 9-a.m.

The workshop is for veterans and other military job seekers. It will focus on resume writing, tips for successfully navigating hiring fairs, military skills translation, and interviewing. To register for the workshop, visit hohworks.eventbrite.com.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa business owners can begin applying for a new property tax credit that was part of a tax reform package approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor earlier this year. The property tax credit applies to certain commercial, industrial, and railroad properties. The Legislative Services Agency has estimated that the maximum first year credit amount will be about $523.

Lawmakers set aside $50 million to pay for the first year of credits. Applications for credit against 2013 property tax assessments must be received by the county or city assessor by Jan. 15.  Applications may be obtained from the Iowa Department of Revenue.