(Radio Iowa) – The company which owns the historic site of the Kentucky Derby has announced a deal to purchase the assets of the company which owns the Hard Rock Casino in Sioux City. Churchill Downs Incorporated (C-D-I) says it has entered an agreement to buy the assets of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment two-point-four-eight billion dollars. Iowa Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says his office was notified of the deal this (Tuesday) morning. He says they expect to be notified soon by Churchill Downs to start the process of obtaining a license to continue to operate the Hard Rock.

Under terms of the deal announced by C-D-I, they would sell the property associated with Hard Rock Sioux City to a third party and then lease it back to run the casino. If the company can’t reach an agreement on a lease — C-D-I would then buy the Hard Rock Casino itself. Ohorilko hasn’t had the chance to learn more yet beyond what the company announced. “At this point in time we are not really sure what the specific plans are and hope to have answers to some of those questions here in the next few days,” he says.

Ohorilko says there are other properties and states involved and has Churchill Downs has to get approvals from all of them — as well as going through all the background checks here in Iowa. “These gaming transactions typically take some time to get those approvals from each state. And there are other financial reasons why these transactions take time,” according to Ohorilko. “But we would expect that Churchill will be working with the Commission and the D-C-I to complete those backgrounds and have those backgrounds conducted.”

He says things could be completed by this summer or fall. Peninsula Pacific Entertainment was in at the start of the Hard Rock when the Sioux City casino was moved from a riverboat to the land. “It was under a 50-50 ownership arrangement — and it wasn’t until recently when Hard Rock purchased the remaining shares,” he says. “Prior to that Peninsula had owned properties in Dubuque and in Northwood, Iowa. They had sold those properties to Boyd gaming as part of a separate transaction.”

Peninsula is one group that is putting together a plan for a potential casino in Linn County. The company issued a release saying the sale of its assets will not impact their plans for trying to get a license for a Cedar Rapids casino.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s governor will deliver the Republican response to President Biden’s State of the Union address next Tuesday. G-O-P congressional leaders released a written statement from Governor Kim Reynolds. Reynolds said the Biden Administration is pursuing a far left agenda and she’ll focus on the alternatives she and other Republican governors are pursuing in their respective states. Delivering the televised response to the president’s address is a prized spot on the national political stage.

During the Obama Administration, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal were selected to give G-O-P responses before they launched their presidential bids in 2016. Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the U.S. Senate, says Republican governors are fighting and winning for families and the leadership Governor Reynolds has shown puts her right at the front of that pack.

Joni Ernst delivered the G-O-P response to President Obama’s State of the Union speech in 2015, right after Iowans elected her to the U.S. Senate in 2014.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Members of the Audubon School Board, Monday evening, received an opening proposal for negotiations from the Audubon Education Association, representing the Teacher’s Union. Superintendent Eric Trager says a special meeting will be held Monday morning to give the District’s proposal to the Teachers. He said they also approved an agreement for the administration of an early retirement HRA.

The Audubon School Board set March 21^st during their regular meeting as the date for a Public Hearing on the District Calendar. Mr. Trager said also, the Board approved some new hires.

Trager expressed his frustration in not being able to find teachers for certain positions, such as math.

He pointed to bills in the Iowa Legislature as one reason people are turned-off to the idea of becoming a teacher.

On the bright side, the legislature and governor approved a 2.5% increase in State Aid to Schools, which means an additional $215,000 in new money for the Audubon School District, thanks also to an increase in enrollment of about 20 students. Last year, the District went on a Budget Guarantee due to a decrease in enrollment.

(Griswold, Iowa) –  Members of the Griswold School Board, Monday evening, discussed and then approved an adjustment to the hourly rate of pay for substitute teachers. Superintendent Dave Henrichs.

Henrichs says a pay increase is necessary for a couple of reasons….

He said the Board is expected to approve a retention bonus for the district employees during their meeting next month. In other business, the Griswold School Board approved bids for FY 2023,2024 & 2025 Auditor. They’ll stick with their current Auditing firm, Schroer and Associates, which bid $8,500 per year. The current contract rate is $8,000. They also awarded a bid for technology services to the Griswold Cooperative Telephone Company, and there were two bidders for Chemical application.

Specifications for mowing bids will be sent out next month, with the bids due back in March, prior to being awarded. Henrichs said the Board approved also, the same Return-to-Learn plan they developed in August 2021, with no changes.

And finally, the Board accepted a bid for maintenance of the Middle School Gym floor.

They also looked at upgrades to the Baseball Field, with regard to resurfacing, taking the lip off the infield-outfield transition, and the installation of an underground irrigation system, but some issues with water pressure were discovered. The Board tabled action on the item and will discuss the matter during their meeting next month, when more information is available on what it will take to increase the water pressure.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – A Public Hearing will be held Wednesday morning in Greenfield, as part of the Adair County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, which begins at 9-a.m. The hearing, which begins at 9:15-a.m., is with regard to the Fiscal Year 2023 Maximum Property Tax Dollars, and will be followed by action on a Resolution to approve the FY23 Maximum Property Tax Dollars. The date will then be set for a Public Hearing on the FY23 Adair County Budget.

Other business includes an appointment to the Safety Committee, any Manure Management Plan (MMP) updates, and discussion/updates with regard to COVID-19 in Adair County. County Engineer Nick Kauffman will present his regular weekly report to the Board, toward the end of their meeting.

The Adair County Supervisors meeting takes place in their Boardroom at the Courthouse in Greenfield.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who spend a lot of time on social media likely know someone who’s been put in “Facebook Jail” for posting something administrators deemed inappropriate, but most wouldn’t think Senator Chuck Grassley would be part of that club. The Republican says his Grassley Works campaign shared a Fox News article on its Facebook page about the investigation into the 2016 presidential campaign last week and it was censored as “false information.” Grassley says, “It’s an example of censorship that a lot of Iowans face or a lot of Americans face, from censorship of political speech, censorship of medical information, censorship of just investigations, and mine is an example of that.”

Grassley says the article referenced federal court filings and analysis from a former congressional investigator in regards to allegations of Russian collusion. Grassley says it shouldn’t have been considered “fake news” by Facebook. “We just think that censorship is wrong,” Grassley says, “and we presented enough facts that the public should be notified about it and that the designation that Facebook gave to it was unreasonable.”

Grassley says censorship in social media isn’t new, and in a written statement said: “…the rules used to only pertain to obscene or threatening material. Now, woke Big Tech monopolists are censoring news that undermines their preferred worldview and preference for Democrat political candidates.” Grassley says the “Silicon Valley liberals” should not be allowed “to silence conservatives and decide what topics we are allowed to discuss.”

(Radio Iowa) – The House has voted to increase state incentives for school districts that share operational staff, like superintendents. Districts that share human resource managers, custodians and social workers qualify for state incentives, but a dozen districts had exceeded the maximum number of shared staff. The bill adjusts the formula, so those schools will see larger state incentive payments. Representative Cecil Dolecheck, of Mount Ayr, is the bill’s floor manager. “There are 124 of our small school districts in the state of Iowa who share a superintendent,” Dolecheck, “so this is much needed for those school districts that rely on that shared operational function.”

The bill also lets small schools enter into sharing arrangements with an Area Education Agency, so an A-E-A staff member could also serve as the special education director for a small district.

(Loveland, Iowa) – Four people, including a Trooper with the Iowa State Patrol were injured during a collision that happened at around 1:05-a.m. today (Tuesday), in Pottawattamie County.
State Trooper Adrian Long, from Denison, was assisting at the scene of a previous accident when his Dodge Charger Patrol Cruiser with its emergency lights on was struck while sitting on the shoulder of Interstate 29 southbound near Loveland. .

The accident happened when a southbound Honda Civic driven by 29-year-old Elizabeth Braun, of Omaha, went out of control on the ice covered road as she approached the Trooper’s vehicle. Her car struck a cable barrier. A Ford Fusion SUV driven by 27-year-old Cha’Ron Thompson, of Omaha, was approaching the Honda, which was partially on the road, when the vehicle went out of control and struck the rear of the Honda. It then spun across both lanes of traffic and hit the Cruiser, which came to rest in the west ditch.

Trooper Long, Thompson and Braun were injured in the crash, along with a passenger in the SUV, 21-year-old Dallas Thompson. Cha’Ron and Dallas Thompson, along with Elizabeth Braun, were transported by ambulance to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in Omaha. The Patrol says Trooper Long’s injuries were minor. Cha’Ron Thompson suffered minor  injuries, but Dallas Thompson suffered life-threatening injuries.

The three motorists were wearing their seat belts. Trooper Long was transported by law enforcement personnel to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs. The accident remains under investigation.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Republican Iowa Senator Charles Grassley will be in Atlantic this coming Wednesday, Feb. 23rd. Grassley will tour Henningsen Construction and answer employee questions. The event is open to the employees and members of the media, but is not open to the public.

Grassley is also set to hold a Town Hall-style meeting in Audubon, Wednesday.  The events takes place as part of the Audubon County Economic Development Corporation’s meeting.