(Radio Iowa) – A House committee has approved a bill with guidelines for a limited revival of state incentives for movies and TV shows filmed in Iowa, but the original version has been altered. The plan no longer requires that actors be Iowa residents in order for the project to be eligible for the program.

Representative Chuck Isenhart of Dubuque, a Democrat, backs the bill, but he said that part seems contrary to the goal. “It could be used to inadvertantly prevent us from doing what I think we’re intending to do with this bill and that is employ Iowa actors and actresses and use Iowa vendors on the project,” Isenhart saod. “This throws that into question in my view.”

Under the bill, production companies could be eligible for a rebate worth up to 30% of the project’s expenses, but only $5 million in rebates would be available in each of the next two years. Republican Representative Brent Siegrist of Council Bluffs said it doesn’t matter who the stars of the movie are, it’s what the production spends in Iowa that’s important.

“They are going to be here in Iowa, staying in our hotels, eating at restaurants, probably using local craftsmen for their sets and everything else,” Siegrist said, “so whether they’re paying a big Hollywood a bunch of money or a bunch of lesser actors lesser money, it’s about the expenses.”

Fifteen years ago the State of Iowa cancelled its film tax credit program after auditors found the majority of credits were miscued and some Iowa vendors were never paid.

Republican Representative Jane Bloomingdale of Northwood said she’s confident the program’s second run can be successful. “The Iowa Economic Development Authority has worked with this, they’ve worked with so many grant programs that they know how to write the rules,” Bloomingdale said.

All 24 members of the House Ways and Means Committee voted for the bill today and it’s now eligible for debate in the 100-member Iowa House.

(Radio Iowa) – Woodbury County’s new law enforcement center won’t open on schedule next month as the new jail in Sioux City failed a state inspection this week. The Woodbury County Law Enforcement Authority says more mechanical work is needed, blaming an engineering firm for the problem. The jail’s new completion date is now planned for mid-May instead of April 9th, which was months behind the original date. Chief Deputy Tony Wingert says he is eager to make the move.

“We want to get in there because we know that it’ll be a much safer place for our staff, for our inmates, for the public,” Wingert says. The jail was originally scheduled to open six months ago. The new jail would have room for more than 500 beds, that’s more than double the current size.  “Everybody that is a danger to society is in jail,” Wingert says, “but we have people that probably need to spend some time in jail and they’re not right now because we’re so full, because we don’t have the bed space.”

Wingert says some people are waiting more than a year to serve their sentences due to overcrowding. County officials declined any further interviews due to potential litigation.

(Radio Iowa) – The U.S. House passed a bill this morning calling on the video app TikTok to divest itself from the Chinese company ByteDance to remain available in the U.S.

Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, said prior to the vote on the bill that ByteDance is beholding to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “I believe the nature of the threat is really threefold. It’s the data collection, that’s the most overt, of millions of users to advance China’s intelligence and influence operations. Its covert manipulation of their algorithm to not only sow divisiveness and discord in our society. But it’s also do things like promote pro Hamas content or videos downplaying 9-1,” Hinson said.

She said their point was proved last week after the bill was introduced and TikTok went into panic mode. “They lied to their users saying Congress was going to ban TiTok, and then prompted kids to call their representatives,” Hinson said. “They manipulated and they used our kids. It’s so unacceptable, and TikTok’s disregard for kids mental health was really on full display. ”

Rep. Hinson speaking on the House floor about the TikTok bill.

Hinson said that led to a lot of phone calls from people who were ticked off about TikTok. “I can tell you when I was picking up phones it was one after the after the other after the other so we were getting a barrage of phone calls,” she said.

Hinson said TikTok could send out much worse messages to influence its users. “Imagine if TikTok took the same tactic ahead of our elections. What if on election day, TikTok sends out an alert saying our elections are canceled or whatever message the C-C-P wanted them to disseminate,” Hinson said. Hinson said this is a national security issue and if TikTok does not cut ties from the CCP, it should not be able to operate in the U.S.

The bill passed the House on a 352-65 vote, but its future in the Senate is unsure.

(Radio Iowa) – A 9-1-1 dispatcher from northeast Iowa and two area residents are being honored for their efforts during an incident last November in Hopkinton. A suspect in a shooting at a grocery store in Monticello was spotted in nearby Hopkinton, and Delaware County Deputy Matt Menard fired shots when taking the man into custody. Jessica Kelly says in her 17 years as a dispatcher, she’s never had a call quite as chaotic.

“I would say it was a little bit intense, especially when Matt yelled ‘Shots fired!’ but you don’t know who’s shot and then he’s not answering because he’s busy with the situation,” Kelly says. “Waiting for somebody to respond, the unknown, because you can’t see what’s going on, but you just keep doing your thing, getting a helicopter in the air and ambulances going and other help sent that way.”

Kelly is being awarded the Delaware County Medal of Merit for how she handled the information and radio traffic from six different agencies and emergency medical services. Manchester Police Chief Jim Hauschild nominated Kelly for the award, saying she calmly handled the situation with professionalism. “I’ve seen some really good dispatchers and she is definitely one of the best I’ve ever worked with,” Hauschild says. “I mean that was a lot to take care of, and throw on top of that the emotions, that you know who’s there and what’s going on. That makes it even more challenging. She did an awesome job.”

Delaware County dispatcher Jessica Kelly (in grey jacket) flanked by law officers. (Photos by Janelle Tucker, KMCH)

Two Hopkinton residents are also being recognized for their actions that day. Scott Fjelstul and Nick Bossard saw a car that was out of place and approached it, only to find a man sleeping in the front seat and an A-R-15 rifle in the back seat. Bossard says they backed away and called the authorities, but stayed nearby to keep an eye on the car. “I just did the part that you’re supposed to, just being alert and doing what you should have done,” Bossard says. “Pay attention to your surroundings and do the right thing. I mean, that’s what I guess it all boils down to. We just did what we were supposed to do that day. We didn’t really go above and beyond what anybody else should have ever done. It’s just what you’re supposed to do as far as being a good citizen.”

Fjelstul says they didn’t realize it was the suspect from the Monticello shooting until shots were fired.  “I don’t think we did anything extraordinary,” Fjelstul says. “We both live in a small town. We noticed something that wasn’t right and we decided to check it out.”

Fjelstul and Bossard are being presented with the Delaware County Citizen Recognition Award. A few weeks ago, Deputy Menard was awarded the county’s first Medal of Valor for his bravery.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three people were arrested on separate warrants, Tueday:

• 49-year-old Dustin Clark Anglen, of Malvern, was arrested in Malvern, on a warrant for Failure to Appear. His bond was set at $5,000.
• 24-year-old Faith Leeann Clemmons, of Emerson, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Her bond was set at $20,000.
• 18-year-old Brok Uriah Brule, of Glenwood, was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $10,000.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man from Villisca was arrested on drug charges this (Wednesday) morning, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 24-year-old Jonah Lee Kirsch was arrested at around 9:50-a.m., for Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense, Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia, and Unlawful possession of a prescription drug. Kirsch was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

HAMBURG, Iowa [KCCI] — This week marks five years since the historic and devastating flooding along the Missouri River. It caused more than a billion dollars in damage and many southwest Iowa towns were forced to rebuild. A total of 57 counties were under disaster proclamations.

The town of Hamburg was without power, water supply and electricity for days. The Army Corps of Engineers said several levee failures caused the waters to rise.

Last year, Gov. Kim Reynolds created an Office of Levee Safety. In the coming year, work will be done to flag and improve poor design and performance along our waterways. The goal is to hopefully prevent flooding like that from happening again.

Aerial photo of Hamburg – Ditch 6 shows scope of damage from the flooding. Photo taken Mar. 17, 2019. – US Army Corps of Engineers photo

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would have let state agency budgets be audited by private C-P-A firms rather than the State Auditor’s Office has stalled in the Iowa House. It was the first bill Republicans in the Iowa Senate passed this year, but House State Government Committee chair Jane Bloomingdale of Northwood did not bring it up for a vote today (Wednesday) in her committee’s last meeting of the year. “The auditor bill didn’t have support in this committee and also one of the big concerns was the expense of hiring outside firms,” Bloomingdale says.

A Legislative Services Agency analysis found hourly rates for private C-P-A firms were far higher than the rate for C-P-As in the State Auditor’s Office. Friday of this week is the deadline for policy bills from the Senate like this one to clear a House committee, so the proposal is likely tabled for good. State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat elected to statewide office, says the bill would have let state government insiders pick lapdog C-P-As who’d cover up corruption.

ATLANTIC, Iowa – March 13, 2024 – If you drive on westbound U.S. 275/Iowa 92/Veterans Memorial Highway at Metro Drive in Council Bluffs you need to be aware of lane closures on Wednesday, March 20 that may impact your trip.

The Iowa DOT, in partnership with the City of Council Bluffs, will close U.S. 275/Iowa 92/Veterans Memorial Highway at Metro Drive to replace a traffic signal pole and mast arm. The scheduled lane closures will include occur at the following times.

• From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. the westbound lanes of the roadway will be closed.

• From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the westbound left lane will open, and the westbound right lane will remain closed.

• From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. both westbound lanes will close again. Work will then be completed after the roadway opens.

During this work, the traffic signal will be flashing red for all directions and temporary stop signs will be in place. Northbound left turns will be prohibited from the southbound Interstate 29 exit ramp. You will be detoured north on Metro Drive and Denmark Drive, west on 35th Avenue, and south on the South Expressway back to U.S. 275.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett, Council Members Elaine Otte, Emily Kennedy, Jim Behrens, and Mike McDermott, along with Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue and City Clerk/Treasurer Barb Barrick, attended Local Leaders Day 2024 on March 6th. Barrick says the local contingent joined local leaders from across the State in Des Moines, to connect with legislators, discuss legislative priorities, and share their stories. Speakers representing the cities of Cedar Rapids, Atlantic, Bettendorf, and Seymour joined Monte Wyatt of AddingZEROS and Scott Raecker of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University to converse on how cities can best support Iowans and plan for the future.

Barrick says “We can say that Iowa’s cities delivered. With more than 120 city officials in attendance from every part of the state, local leaders came together to speak about their needs in a difficult time. What we heard were concerns about how Iowa can serve and support its cities, from communities of 500 people to 200,000.” Mayor Garrett said “We, as elected officials on a city level, see our constituents on a daily basis thereby being the closest level of government to them. We will strive to continue to provide the best services for those citizens while remaining good stewards of their property tax dollars.”

The resounding message from city officials, according to Barrick, was the need for the state to: (1) provide fiscal predictability so cities can make longer-term plans to serve their citizens; (2) support efficient governance by allowing space for collaboration and innovation; and (3) protect the freedoms to align local decisions with local democracy.

Iowa League of Cities’ Facebook photo of the March 6th gathering in Des Moines.

The Iowa League of Cities is the oldest, continuously operating municipal league in the country. Founded in 1898, the League is a not-for-profit organization that advocates for issues affecting cities throughout Iowa. The City of Atlantic is a member of the Iowa League of Cities.