Teachers who go through an Iowa college program no longer have to pass a professional exam to be licensed, thanks to a new state law that eliminates the so-called Praxis requirement for new teachers. The test was a particular obstacle for dual-language immersion programs because it’s only offered in English. Noelia Espinal (no-EH-lee-uh esp-ee-NAHL), a teacher at the Muskie Early Learning Center in Muscatine, says it was an unnecessary hurdle for bilingual teachers.

The Praxis test will still be required for teachers coming to Iowa from outside the U-S, which is a major drawback for schools that rely on teachers from Spanish-speaking countries. Rebecca Gomez leads a Spanish-immersion program at Pella Christian where many of the teachers are native Spanish-speakers from outside the U-S. Gomez says it’s hard to find qualified candidates locally.

She says the school’s religious requirements also narrow the hiring pool. Gomez says taking and retaking the Praxis can add months to the process of bringing in a new teacher on a visa.

Three Iowa Democrats are making a pitch to national party leaders today, arguing the Iowa Democratic Party’s Caucuses should be first in 2024. National Democrats are hearing applications from 16 states and Puerto Rico seeking to be among the five “early” voting states in the presidential campaign. Members of the party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee have made it clear they’re looking for states with diverse populations. State Representative Ras (like Ross) Smith of Waterloo is a member of the Black Caucus in the Iowa House.

Smith says while Iowa’s overall population is nearly 91 percent white, Iowa is diverse in other ways.

The chairmen of the Iowa Democratic Party AND the Iowa G-O-P have both been arguing that Iowa inserts geographic diversity in the presidential selection process. Smith says national party leaders need to consider what will be lost if Iowa’s Caucuses aren’t an early providing ground for those who aspire to be president.

Smith made his comments during a recent episode of Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S. Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn, Democratic National Committee member Scott Brennan of Des Moines and House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst are making Iowa’s pitch to the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee this (Thursday) morning. They will be discussing a big change in the voting process — mail-in balloting rather than a Caucus Night scramble in precinct meetings using complicated math that ultimately decides who won the Democratic Party’s Caucuses. The Republican National Committee has already set its calendar of 2024 presidential contests. The Iowa G-O-P’s Caucuses — which essentially conduct a straw poll to determine the winner — are first.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Wednesday of 54-year-old Richard James Linfor of Shenandoah on a Page County Warrant for Criminal Mischief 5th Degree and Theft 5th Degree. Linfor was arrested at the Page County Jail and then booked in. He was being held on $300 bond pending further court proceedings.

The Glenwood Police Department reports an arrest from Tuesday, June 21st. 20-year-old Madison Haynes of Council Bluffs turned herself in on a Mills County Warrant for Probation Violation. She was booked into the Mills County Jail on $10,000 cash or surety bond.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a single vehicle accident on Wednesday morning after the driver fell asleep. At 11:05 a.m. at 2007 Chevy Tahoe owned and operated by 63-year-old Timothy Wayne Cooney of Corning was eastbound on 110th Street just east of S Avenue when he fell asleep and went off the roadway to the right. The Tahoe struck a sign and continued east and went into the West Nodaway River, coming to rest on the east embankment. Cooney was able to get out of the vehicle and walk to 110th Street to get medical attention. He was transported by Midwest Medical to Cass Health in Atlantic.

The airbags deployed on the vehicle during the crash and Cooney was wearing his seat belt. The Tahoe was considered a total loss.