(Radio Iowa) – The board that governs the three state supported universities is launching a comprehensive review of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at the schools. The president of the Board of Regents has also directed the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa to pause implementing any new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. Representative Taylor Collins, a Republican from Mediapolis, says he appreciates the Regents response to concerns, but it’s time to pass a bill that dismantles the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion bureaucracies on the campuses.

“They’re being used to drive a certain political agenda and it’s unacceptable,” Collins says. “And Iowa taxpayers agree it’s unacceptable.” A bill that’s eligible for debate in the Iowa House would prohibit the state universities from spending any money on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion staff or training that discusses things like racial privilege or pronouns which do not represent a gender. Collins says it’s a woke agenda and he says he’s been shocked to hear from a lot of the faculty at the three universities.

“Faculty feel like this stuff is being pushed on them so much that it’s exhausting them,” Collins says. It’s unclear how the House bill would impact the recent legal settlement with former Hawkeye football players. The university has agreed to hire a black studies professor from the University of Texas professor to oversee a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion action plan for Hawkeye athletes and coaches. Collins is a member of the panel that drafts the budgets for the state universities.

“It’s frustrating that theoretically this DEI spending didn’t work,” Collins says. and then we’re going to spend money on DEI to solve the problem.” Senator Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Oskaloosa, is chairman of the Senate Education Committee. He hasn’t seen the House bill on this subject. “If the Regents are taking a hard look at this on their own, that’s probably a better approach to this,” Rozenboom says, “or at least that’s a good starting place.” Rozenboom does have concerns about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs on the campuses in Ames, Cedar Falls and Iowa City.

“Earlier this year I asked the Board of Regents how many DEI employees there were and found out there were 110,” Rozenboom says, “which I think translates into quite a few dollars.” Rozenboom says his approach has been to gather facts and figures and start investigating this year. “I don’t like to be impulsive,” Rozenboom says. “If the House sends something over, I’ll have to take a hard look at it, consider what the Regents are doing and we’ll go from there.”

Advocates of the Regents’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs say they are intended to ensure people from different backgrounds and experiences feel welcome on campus.

(Radio Iowa)- The state Transportation Commission has approved a grant to build a roadway into proposed plant at a site in Plymouth County south of Le Mars. Deb Arp of the D-O-T presented the proposal for what’s called a RISE grant. “The proposed roadway provides improved access to the bio energy facility — a digester plant — and assists in the creation of five full time jobs,” she says. “The facility will take waste from three dairies and process it to generate renewable natural gas. The development is anticipated to start construction later this year and to start production in spring or summer of 2024.” She says this is a local development grant, and the county will help fund the project.

She says the project will cost more than one-point-five million dollars $1,585,556). The county requested a grant of 792-thousand-778 dollars, and will provide the other 50 percent cost of the project in a local match. The Transportation Commission also approved a settlement of a rise grant for Burlington. “The city received a grant of one-million-536-thousand for roadway improvements contingent on the creation of 128 new jobs by General Electric within three years of project completion,” Arp says. She says the company was only able to create around half the jobs.

“In May of 2019 the roadway was open to traffic — however the company associated with this project was only able to create an average of 61 jobs within the allowable timeframe,” she says. Arp says the city has agreed to repay 323-thousand-123 dollars from the grant.

(Sidney, Iowa) – A southwest Iowa man was arrested Tuesday in Fremont County on sexual assault and other charges, out of Missouri. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports, 44-year-old Dewight Eugene Binau was arrested at a residence in Sidney, on a warrant out of Newton County, Missouri.

On February 3, 2023, the Fremont County County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a possible sexual assault that occurred in Missouri in December, 2022, and forwarded the information to the Neosho, Missouri Police Department.

Following an investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Binau, charging him with two counts of statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy-deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 12 years of age and one count of 2nd degree molestation of a child less than 12 years of age.

Dewight Binau

Binau was taken to the Fremont County Jail pending extradition to Missouri.

(Hamburg, Iowa) – A traffic stop late Tuesday night near Hamburg resulted in the arrest of a woman from Nebraska, on OWI and other charges. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports the Fremont County K9 Unit conducted a traffic stop on a 2015 Chevy Camaro for speeding, at around 9:30-p.m. on Interstate 29 southbound, about the 7.5 mile marker.

As Deputies were speaking with the driver, 31-year-old Toriann Michelle Russ, of Omaha, they detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, and saw an unrestrained child in the vehicle. Russ was driving impaired, according to the report.

31-year-old Toriann Michelle Russ, of Omaha

She was arrested for: OWI/2nd offense; Child Endangerment; Driving While Revoked; Poss. of Marijuana, & Failure to use a child restraint device. Russ was being held in the Fremont County Jail  and a $6,300 cash bond, pending an initial appearance before the County magistrate.

(Radio Iowa) – With the recent collapse of two U.S. banks, one based in California, the other in New York, some Iowans may be concerned about the stability of their local financial institutions.

Ron Sorensen, president and CEO of the Iowa Bankers Association, says there’s nothing to worry about, as the banks that failed were run much differently from how banks operate in Iowa. “Not only were these banks that we’re talking about, on the East and West coasts, using very unique business models, primarily tech companies who were funded through venture capital and crypto, they had issues in regards to liquidity,” Sorensen says. “The venture funding fell off from some of their local small business customers.”

That led to a critical drop in deposits, plus, Sorensen says the banks also had issues with their securities portfolios. “None of that exists in our banks here in Iowa, frankly, we have record capital levels in Iowa banks,” he says. “We still have strong liquidity. Our banks are based on a very safe and sound business model. They know their customers. They’re on Main Street every day.”

John Sorenson. (IBA photo)

Sorensen says Iowa banks are typically relationship-based, and their biggest depositors are in areas like agriculture, small businesses, and local companies and manufacturers. “These are strong businesses that have shown the same things that our banks are showing, right?” he says. “They’re consistently strong. They’ve been in the community for a long time, so as a result, it’s just a very different environment in Iowa.”

Iowa banks are well capitalized and highly liquid, Sorensen says, and they’re backed by FDIC insurance. Sorensen recommends customers talk with their local banking officials about the institution’s security. There are over 280 members of the Iowa Bankers Association.