(Radio Iowa) – The 2023 Iowa legislature will convene next Monday, with Republicans holding a super majority in the Senate and Republicans in 64% of the seats in the House. The minority leaders in the legislature started meeting with State Auditor Rob Sand after Democrats had a disappointing 2022 Election.

“Three of us came together on Election Night and realized that we were sort of a next generation of leaders. We were all elected in 2018 — all three of us and here we are, in charge,” House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights says. “We decided that it was important that the three of us sit down and have conversations about what of what we can do moving forward.”

Sand, who will start his second term as state auditor next week, was the only Democrat running for statewide office who won in November. “I think that a lot of people appreciate that I have just a different approach to politics,” Sand says. “We’re in a place where it seems like a lot of people want to divide us, They want us to look at each other and think that we’re enemies and I take the opposite approach.”

Sand says a lot of people are hungry for public officials who do things differently. “I guess my permanent position on this stuff is I want to serve the whole public,” Sand says. “I recognize that being the only statewide or federal Democrat means there are some expectations on me and I’m happy to be helpful because I think the party has a lot to offer.”

With Republicans in charge of the legislative and executive branches of state government, Konfrst says the goal is to make it clear what Democrats would do differently.

“Iowans are tired of divisive politics. They’re tired extremism. They’re tired of people just playing politics,” Konfrst says, “and we want to point out when moves are made up here that we think are purely political and not what Iowans are asking for.”

Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls of Coralville says “turning down the volume” on political rhetoric and finding solutions is important. “We’ll work with anybody — Republican, Democrat, independent — who wants to move Iowa forward,” Wahls says. “We know that there are a lot of challenges facing our state.”

There will be 16 Democrats in the Iowa Senate next year — with Republicans holding a 34-seat supermajority. In the House, Democrats will hold 36 of the 100 seats.

(Radio Iowa) – A western Iowa county of just under 12-thousand residents has launched a campaign marketing itself as the real-life embodiment of T-V fiction. Ellen Walsh-Rosmann is the first voice you hear in the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry video. She opened a restaurant in Harlan seven years ago.

In the middle of December, the most-watched entertainment cable network was the Hallmark Channel. Its Countdown to Christmas movies mostly feature a main character who’s charmed by small town living as a romance blooms. Katie Sandquist, a mental health professional at Harlan’s hospital, is also in the promotional video for Shelby County — and references the Hallmark movie formula of a big city character relocating to a small town.

Sandquist says she lived in the big city for a decade before moving to Harlan in 2018. The majority of Hallmark’s Christmas movies are filmed in Canada, as snow is often involved in plot lines. However, a 2016 Hallmark movie titled “Christmas in Homestead” is about Homestead, Iowa and features a movie producer who falls in love with the town’s mayor, but it was all filmed in Georgia.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A woman from Pottawattamie County was being held without bond in Red Oak, after she was taken into custody on felony drug and other charges. According to the Red Oak Police Department, 60-year-old Pamela Christine Hoselton, of Carter Lake, was taken into custody at around 7:20-p.m., Sunday.

Hoselton faces charges that include: Possession with intent to deliver meth (a Class B felony); unlawful possession of prescription pills (a serious misdemeanor); A drug tax stamp violation (a Class D felony), and ongoing criminal conduct (a Class B felony).

During their investigation, Officers seized more than 50 grams of meth, prescription pills, cash and drug paraphernalia.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports two arrests took place last week. On Dec. 20th, Police in Adair arrested 41-year-old Randy Scott Shuey, of Casey. Shuey’s 2006 Dodge Ram pickup was pulled over during a traffic stop at around 12:45-a.m., because the Adair Police Officer knew Shuey had a suspended license, which was confirmed by dispatch. Also in the vehicle was Shuey’s girlfriend. An Adair County Deputy who assisted during the traffic, observed a bottle of vodka in the back floor board. During questioning, Shuey admitted there was drug paraphernalia in the back of pickup, that he intended to throw away.

A box with multiple pipes used to smoke meth, as well as a plastic container containing a substance believed to be meth, was found. Shuey was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense, and Possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released later that same day on a $5,000 cash or surety bond, w/10% acceptable.

And, on Dec. 21st, Adair County Deputies arrested 38-year-old Kimberly Ileen Bloom, of Corning, at the Adair County Clerk of Court’s Office. Bloom was wanted on an Adair County warrant for Theft in the 3rd Degree, Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 2nd offense, and Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations. Her cash or surety bond was set at $2,000.

(Bridgewater, Iowa) – Fire devastated the home of a Bridgewater man, Friday night, but no one was injured. According to his social media posts, Douglas M. Miller said the fire started in seconds. He escaped with just his coat, keys and wallet. He was able to obtain accommodations thanks to Traveler’s Guest House, friends and family.

The same day the fire started, Miller had purchased an extra heater to provide adequate heating for him and his 11-year-old son Hunter. His electric scooter that he must use when he is outside his house was also destroyed.

Photo from the Doug Miller GoFundMe page

According to a GoFundMe account set up by his sister, Deb Benton Gevock, Doug Miller is an RN and has served his community in this manner for 20 years. He hasn’t been able to work in two years and is awaiting hip surgery this summer.

(Undated)  — Last week on KJAN, we told you about some area students who were nominated by Senator Joni Ernst to U-S Service Academies. On Thursday, U-S Sen. Chuck Grassley nominated 32 Iowa students to be considered for appointments to the U.S. service academies. In our area, the following were nominated for the 2023-24 School Year, to the:

United States Air Force Academy

Pierce Johnson – Oakland

Kaiden Krajicek – Denison

Clara Tiegland – Council Bluffs

Kellen Vlahoulis – Sioux City

(Radio Iowa) – Unions that represent rail workers are lobbying for a state law that would limit the length of trains. Chris Smith is state legislative director for the SMART-T-D Union which represents transportation workers.  “Longer trains lead to more accidents, are more unsafe, they lead to more blocked crossings and, for our small communities in Iowa, that could be a life or death situation of if your house is on fire or your grandma or child is having a medical issue, then that ambulance could not get to you on time,” Smith says. “Luckily we haven’t had lots of occurrences of that in our state, but we do have lots of occurrences of blocked crossings.”

A federal report found the length of trains increased 25 percent between 2008 and 2017. There is currently no limit in state or federal law on how long a train can be. “My opinion is when these laws came out, railroads weren’t running three- and four-mile-long trains,” Smith says. A bill to set 85-hundred feet — or one-point-six miles — as the maximum train length cleared initial review in the 2022 Iowa Legislature. Smith says he and others will be back at the statehouse next year, lobbying for action.

“We’re going to be working on legislation to limit train length in the state of Iowa to help protect its citizens and to be at the forefront in Iowa and the United States to get this done,” Smith says, “because I think Iowans understand that we need to protect our people.” Smith, who is from Tama, has worked as a Union Pacific conductor and engineer for nearly 18 years. A spokesman for one of the country’s largest railroads says trains of all lengths have been safely operated for years and longer trains maximize resources and reduce fuel and labor costs. According to the Iowa D-O-T, 18 different private railroad companies ship freight through the state.

“The railroad industry for Iowa is big,” Smith says, “with ethanol and grain and coal that comes through a few of our power plants, etc.” And railroad traffic through Iowa may increase soon with the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. Some officials and residents in cities along the route have expressed concern about the increase in the NUMBER of trains as well as the increase in the LENGTH of trains.