(Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowa District 21 Representative Thomas Moore (R-Griswold) celebrated his 71st birthday, Thursday, in Des Moines. He announced the event to the House Chamber Thursday morning, where he also recognized former Representative Rob Bacon and their birthday tradition of bringing maple bacon chocolate cake. In discussing what’s transpired so far at the Statehouse, Moore noted that “We are already into Week 5 of the General Assembly and Thursday was day 32 of the 110 day session.”

He said the House Education Committee met Tuesday afternoon and passed seven bills through committee. Among them was HF (House File) 16, which creates a comprehensive transition and post-secondary scholarship program for individuals with intellectual, developmental, or learning disabilities who are at least 18 years old and enrolled in a CTP program in Iowa.

• HF4 is the “Alternative Teacher Licensure” bill. It creates two alternate pathways for those hoping to attain a teacher license. Pathway 1: Creates an alternative teacher licensure path for those who have at least a bachelor’s degree and three years of work experience to apply for a teacher intern license while completing additional coursework. Upon meeting requirements, an initial teacher license is granted at the recommendation of the school they are an intern at. Pathway 2: Creates a program that allows an out-of-state alternative teacher licensure if it operates in at least 5 states for at least 10 years. Training will include required pedagogy training and content training.

A number of the bills will have amendments drafted before they go to the floor for debate. Tom Moore said the Health and Human Services Committee met Thursday morning and passed three bills, including the “Psychiatry Fellowship” bill, which revises the state-funded psychiatry residency program that was established last session to include two fellowship positions. The program will annually graduate 9 psychiatry residents and 2 psychiatry fellows.

• HF74 will update the current Intellectual Disability Waiver home and vehicle modification cap from a lifetime maximum of $5,727.37 to an annual maximum cap of $6,872.85. The modifications must be medically necessary and will be subject to prior authorization.

Moore says among the bills that passed through the House this past week, is Senate File (SF) 181, or the “Property Tax Rollback Calculation Fix” bill, fixes an error in the interpretations of past property tax bills.

Moore said “Our priority this session is the property taxpayer, not the government.” In other news, Moore said he welcomed some Clarinda High School’s I-Jag program to the Capital Dome.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak say no one was hurt and no citations were issued, following an accident involving a pickup truck and a bicycle, Thursday morning. Authorities say 19-year-old Zephyr Darius Richardson, of Red Oak, was riding his bicycle eastbound in the 600 block of E. Market Street in Red Oak, at around 7:38-a.m., when he turned in front of an eastbound 2001 Chevy S-10 pickup driven by 49-year-old Gunner Wesley Magaret, of Red Oak.

The pickup hit the bicycle when Magaret went to push his brakes, but accidentally stepped on the accelerator pedal. The pickup turned sideways on the slush covered road and drove through a yard at 601 E. Market Street before coming to rest after striking a fence on property owned by Peggy Brensel. The damage amounted to $1,650 altogether.

(Creston, Iowa) – The driver of a 2013 Dodge Caravan suffered possible/unknown injuries during a single-vehicle accident early Thursday morning. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, 43-year-old Michael Ray Bishop, of Cromwell, lost control of the vehicle at around 1:22-a.m. at Kingfisher Avenue and Highway 34 east. Authorities say the van went out of control due to the slushy road conditions, and speed.

The van left the highway to the south and struck a ditch embankment, causing $3,500 damage to the vehicle. Bishop was wearing his seat belt. He complained of pain/possible injury, but did not request treatment or transport to the hospital. No citations were issued.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Natural Resources Commission the purchase of a filter system for the Spirit Lake fish hatchery in Dickinson County to improve the production of muskellunge or muskies. D-N-R fisheries supervisor, Jay Rudacille says the hatchery has been facing challenges from gas supersaturation and zebra mussels. He says the gas supersaturation in the water they use from Big Spirit Lake is a natural phenomenon and caused up to 60 percent of the small fish to die, and 26 percent of the fish had deformities 2022.

The filter system will allow them alleviate the problems. Commissioners asked Rudacille about the cost for the system when only three-thousand fish are stocked in Iowa lakes. He says they do trade thousands of muskies that are not stocked for other species of fish.

(Radio Iowa) – A Fort Dodge man accused of beating his ex-girlfriend’s mother to death with a golf club in 2020 has been found guilty of first-degree murder. The jury in the case against Mark Russell deliberated for around an hour and a half after closing arguments Thursday morning before finding him guilty in the January 2020 death of 45-year-old Angela McLeod.

Webster County Assistant Attorney Ryan Baldridge says the trial only took three days — but the family of Angela McLeod has waited three years to get a verdict and closure. Baldridge says. Sentencing will be held March 20th in Webster County District Court.