(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird traveled to Sioux City Tuesday to highlight the importance of the state’s new cold case unit. “We must never lose hope when it comes to cold cases and unsolved cases. And as a prosecutor, I fight for victims and for families and to bring criminals to justice, and nothing weighs on my heart more than a family that’s left in the dark or a murderer out there walking free,” Bird says. Bird was joined by family members of Maureen Brubaker Farley, a Sioux City teen who disappeared in 1971 while working at a Cedar Rapids diner. Her cold case was solved in 2021.

“Maureen, I think, shows us the importance of never giving up, because her case was solved 50 years after her passing, and while Maureen’s murderer had died by that point, at least at that point, those answers had come to light,” she says. Maureen’s body was found on the trunk of an abandoned car in Cedar Rapids in 1971 and D-N-A from the scene eventually matched George Smith to her murder in 2021. Smith had been dead for eight years when investigators told her sister Lisa Schenzel and the rest of family of the match on the 50th anniversary of Maureen’s death.

Lisa Schenzel with AG Brenna Bird talks about the cold case involving her sister. (KSCJ photo)

“It was no surprise to my mom, as she had known that name and discussed that name with the police back when the event happened in 1971 when Detective Denlinger called to tell us the case had been solved, we cried. We cried so much over the years, especially our mom, but we also felt a calmness or peace come over us as we finally had answers,” she says. Maureen was 17 and the oldest of seven kids when she died. Schenzel says the smallest bit of evidence can help solve a case and anyone with information in a cold case should contact law enforcement.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department reports 55-year-old Vernon Brinkley Warf, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 6:40-p.m., Tuesday, on an active Montgomery County warrant for Probation Violation. Warf was taken into custody in the 100 block of E. Prospect Street, in Red Oak, and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. His bond was set at $7,500.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic School Board will meet this (Wednesday) evening following a tour of the district’s buildings that begins at 4:30-p.m. When the meeting convenes sometime around 6-p.m., the Board will hear from Chad Alley, with the Iowa Construction Advocate Team (I-Cat).

The Board is expected to act on approving a Superintendent search firm vendor, and the following personnel matters:

Resignations –

• Jordan Zarbano, Evening High School Custodian
• Lindsey Thomas, Elementary Special Education paraprofessional (Effective Oct. 9th)

Retirements –

• Jon Peterson, Middle School Teacher (effective the end of the 2024-25 school year).

Recommendations to hire –

• Harrison Heogh, Volunteer HS Football Coach (Non-paid position)
• Dan Vargason, Interim HS Girls Soccer Coach
• Mackenzie Morris, Elementary Special Education paraprofessional.

And:

• CTSO sponsors requirement for Perkins Grant Funds.
• 2024 Volunteer Coaches for Winter Sports.
• 2025 Spring Sports Coaches.

The Board’s final order of business is to approve an FFA Fruit Sales Fundraiser request for Oct. 10th through the 30th.

PUBLIC 10092024 Agenda

(Radio Iowa) – Republican incumbent Zach Nunn and Lanon Baccam, the Democratic nominee in Iowa’s third congressional district, both say they’d support steps to reduce inflation, but they disagree strongly on the topic of abortion. The candidates debated for an hour on K-C-C-I Television last (Tuesday) night and the first question was about lowering costs for Iowans. Nunn says cutting taxes should be a priority.

“Make sure that Iowans get more money in their pocket to invest in their community. That’s how you grow and recover,” Nunn said. “…Pass a balanced budget.” Baccam says addressing the cost of housing and groceries should be priorities. “We have to go after the price gouging,” Baccam said, “big corporations…raising up prices for us and not passing down those savings.” Abortion has been a defining issue in the race and the two returned to the topic often. Baccam accused Nunn of being out-of-step with the majority of Iowans.

“The abortion ban that we have in this state, before most women even know they’re pregnant,” Baccam said. “He laid the groundwork for this when he was in the state legislature and what we have today is exactly what he wanted.” Nunn voted for a six-week abortion ban in 2018, when he was a state legislator. “I am pro-life. I have voted for exceptions for rape, incest and certainly for the health of the mother,” Nunn said. “I believe strongly that we should not have a federal abortion ban.”

Both expressed support for enhanced security at the southern border, but each accused the other of failing to support efforts to accomplish that goal.  “Mr. Baccam today will you stand up to your boss Biden and he can sign right now ‘remain in Mexico,’ he can sign a bill to make sure ‘catch and release’ is ended and he can build the border wall that would help everyone today?” Nunn asked. Baccam responded: “I think Iowans are tired of these political games where folks are trying to drive wedges between us. We actually want to see action and get things done…and Zach Nunn has failed to do that.”

It was the only debate the two are scheduled to have before November’s election.

(Iowa News Service) – A new report from the American Federation of Labor shows the pay gap between C-E-Os and their workers continues to widen. Iowa has among the biggest disparities in the nation. The A-F-L’s report shows companies’ production costs were down 3-percent in 2023, but consumer prices were up 3-percent. Iowa Federation of Labor President Charlie Wishman says company C-E-O profits are up 6-percent, even as more families struggle to keep up with a rising cost of living. Wishman says the gap between the C-E-O and an average worker at a Casey’s General Store in Iowa is among the highest in the nation.

Wishman says the Casey’s C-E-O-to-employee wage gap has grown from about 40 to 1 in the 1980s. Casey’s says it reviews its salary and bonus structure yearly to be sure they are competitive. Nationwide, the report says it would take more than five career lifetimes for a worker to earn what the average C-E-O is paid in one year.

The A-F-L report lists several examples of huge corporate profit increases, including a 66-percent hike in the former Starbucks C-E-O’s pay. Securities and Exchange Commission documents show Laxman Narasimhan’s compensation jumped from 8-point-8 million dollars in 2022 to 14-point-6 million in 2023. Wishman says for the average Iowan, numbers like these are hard to stomach.

In the Starbucks example, the A-F-L report shows the cost of a medium coffee at the chain has risen by 20-percent in some locations, and the company has doubled the number of points required to qualify for rewards despite its overall production costs going down.

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents approved today (Tuesday) U-I Healthcare’s plans to buy Mission Cancer and Blood’s more than 20 community clinics across Iowa. During a special meeting, U-I Vice President of Medical Affairs Denise Jamieson told the board the deal will help improve access to treatment.

“Cancer rates in Iowa are the second highest in the nation, and they’re rising. And in the midst of this cancer crisis, access to cancer care across the state is insufficient to meet the needs of Iowans, and this is particularly true in rural Iowa,” Jamieson says. She says they thoroughly review the operation before moving ahead with the purchase proposal.

“Mission, Cancer and Blood is a thriving, financially sound medical group that provides access to cutting-edge cancer care, and they really excel at patient-centered care by building lifelong relationships with patients and providing personalized care,” she says. U-I Healthcare will pay 280 million dollars to purchase Mission’s assets. Jamieson says there are several positives to the purchase.

“It improves access to clinical care for patients in Iowa. Second, it expands access to community-based clinical research trials. Third, it improves access to innovative clinical therapies,” she says. Jamieson says the acquisition also gives them more opportunities for training medical students and is expected to be a draw for doctors.

“We believe that it will increase the likelihood that cancer physicians stay in Iowa to practice,” she says. Mission is headquartered in Des Moines and have facilities in central and western Iowa, which includes Ankeny, Pella, Oskaloosa, Fort Dodge, and Grinnell.