(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congressman Steve King says he plans to stay active in the country’s political debates once his ninth term in the U.S. House ends at noon on Sunday — and the 71-year-old is not ruling out another run for public office.

King served six years in the Iowa legislature before winning his first race for the U.S. House in 2002. He narrowly won re-election in 2018, then was defeated by fellow Republican Randy Feenstra in the G-O-P Primary this past June. Feenstra will take King’s seat in congress on Sunday.

King periodically gained national attention with controversial comments. Nearly two years ago the Republican leader in the U.S. House removed King from committees after King’s remarks about white supremacy. King says you “never say never” and he’s not ruling out running for some other office OR endorsing a presidential candidate before the 2024 Iowa Caucuses.

King has written a book titled “Walking Through the Fire” and he announced this fall that it would be released in November.

Once the book is published, King plans to embark on a publicity tour. King was not in Washington this past Monday when the U.S. House voted to override the president’s veto and to endorse sending two-thousand dollar federal stimulus payments to most every American. King says he had a cold and it did not seem wise to fly.

King, in one of his final acts in the U.S. House, filed a 20-page ethics complaint against House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy — a final protest of McCarthy’s decision to strip King of his committee assignments. King says a search of House records by congressional staff suggests every other member of the U.S. House who’s been tossed off committees either switched parties, was under some sort of investigation or had been convicted of a crime.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say the number of initial unemployment claims increased slightly last week. Iowa Workforce Development said Thursday that 7,644 Iowans filed initial unemployment claims in the week ending Saturday. That’s an increase of 373 from the previous week. A total of 38,296 continuing weekly unemployment claims were recorded last week, an increase of 804 from the prior week.

Unemployment claims are generally higher between November through February because of seasonal layoffs in construction, agriculture, landscaping and manufacturing. The agency said 70.6% of claimants who filed last week indicated their claims were not COVID-19 related, an increase from 68.9% the previous week.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court is severely limiting the financial damages that can be awarded for injuries and deaths caused by state police officers who are found to have used excessive force. The court ruled 6-1 that punitive damages, which are intended to punish and deter future misconduct, are not available in lawsuits alleging state officers used excessive force in violation of constitutional rights.

Instead, the court says lawsuits brought by injured individuals and the families of those killed by police are subject to limits in the Iowa Tort Claims Act. Justice Edward Mansfield says compensatory damages are still available and offer “an adequate remedy.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state House ethics committee has dismissed an ethics complaint against a Scott County lawmaker. The panel found on Tuesday that a complaint against Republican state Rep. Ross Paustian of Walcott did not meet content requirements and did not warrant further investigation. The panel voted unanimously with little discussion.

The Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund had argued that Paustian, a crop and livestock farmer, used his position as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee to block legislation to strengthen regulation of livestock confinement operations.

They alleged Paustian also promoted support for legislation that protects factory farms. Paustian called the ethics complaint a “political stunt” by a “rogue group.”

A man from Glenwood was cited Wednesday, following an accident. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says 32-year-old Lucas North was driving a 2009 Kia northbound on Levi Road near Highway 34 at around 4 p.m.  As the vehicle was going down a hill, it went out of control, entered the west ditch and rolled multiple times. North was transported by Glenwood Rescue to Methodist/Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, for treatment of unknown injuries. North was subsequently cited for Failure to Maintain Control. Authorities said he was driving too fast for the weather/road conditions.

Sheriff’s officials said also, 24-year old Devin Brandon Jackson, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Wednesday, on a warrant for two counts of Failure to Appear. His bond was set at $100,000. And, 24-year old Jacob Lee Mattox, of Shenandoah, was arrested, also at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who worry about their online security are likely familiar with what’s known as “two-factor authentication.” Information technology security expert Jesse La Grew explains that in many cases, to log onto one account, you’ll have to enter a six-digit number that’s texted to your cell phone. “Even if someone guesses your password, they can’t get in without that multi-factor authentication, they can’t get in without having access to your smartphone.”

Two-factor authentication may also involve a numerical code being sent to your email account. Websites were security is vital, like bank accounts, allow users to activate this extra layer of protection. La Grew recommends you do so, even if it means you need to allot an extra 30 seconds to log in. He says enabling those pop-ups on your phone or in text messages is one of the best ways to keep your accounts safe. “If you receive a pop-up prompt that says ‘Hey, would you like to allow access?’ and if you know you didn’t access your account at the time you received that prompt, that’s a really good indicator somebody guessed your password,” he says.

There are several options available, La Grew says, and you should see what’s compatible with your important websites. “It could be the Google Authenticator or it could be another application that’s built-in,” La Grew says. “This is very common with banking websites, very common with email and social media.” The system can also send you a message each time there’s a log-in attempt from a location that’s not your typical spot, say from home or work.

The Glenwood Police Department reports 39-year old Crystal Rowland, of Glenwood, was arrested Monday. Rowland was charged with Failure to Appear, plus a new charge of Driving While Revoked. Her total cash or surety bond amounts to $2,000.

Des Moines, Iowa – A man from northwest Iowa, 46-year-old Andrew Warren Joyce, from Emmetsburg, was recently charged with one Class B Felony count of Ongoing Criminal Conduct, one Class C Felony count of Theft 1st Degree, on Class D Felony count of Theft 2nd Degree, and one Class D Felony count of Failure to Trust Pre-need Funeral Services. The charges followed an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau that began in 2019.

Photo courtesy of the Palo Alto Sheriff’s Office.

According to criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Fraud Bureau, while acting as an Iowa funeral director licensed to sell pre-need funeral insurance policies, Andrew Joyce failed to comply with the requirements of Iowa Code chapter 523A. A Cease and Desist order was previously issued against Joyce by the Iowa Insurance Division in October of 2019. On December 29th, 2020 Joyce was charged and posted bond with a promise to appear in court at a later date. No additional information was released.

A reminder: If you have information about insurance fraud, or suspected fraud, contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — An investigation continues into what caused a fire at the Council Bluffs airport that destroyed one plane and damaged several others. The fire broke out Wednesday morning, sending thick black smoke into the air. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 40 minutes.

Authorities say one plane was a total loss and others sustained smoke damage. Officials have not yet estimated the financial toll.