Des Moines, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Public Health today (Wednesday) reported 156 additional COVID-19 deaths. The additional deaths happened between Oct. 20 and Jan. 27. On the bright side, the data show positive virus tests and hospitalizations continue to decline.

The IDPH dashboard indicates there were 19,161 positive tests reported in the last seven days, down from 23,461 at last report on Monday. The state’s 14-day positivity rate fell from 22.9% to 21.5%. The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 also continues to fall. There are currently 794 patients hospitalized with the virus, down from 849 on Monday.

Of those hospitalized with the virus, 54.1% are unvaccinated, while 70.6% of those listed in intensive care with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. State data shows 55% of those hospitalized have a primary COVID-19 diagnosis, while 45% were hospitalized for another reason but tested positive.

The number of Iowa’s long-term care facilities reporting a virus outbreak continues to climb. There are 109 such facilities, up from 107 on Monday.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is making a public pitch for a reduction in Iowa’s corporate income tax rate. “When we talk about the corporate tax rate, we are tied for third highest in the nation — 9.8% is our tax rate,” Reynolds says. “Illinois, California, New York are lower than Iowa.” Reynolds did not mention cutting income taxes for corporations when she unveiled her tax plan during her Condition of the State Address in January. During a news conference today (Wednesday), however, Reynolds described Iowa’s corporate tax rate as a liability compared to the zero rate in South Dakota and Nebraska’s corporate income tax of seven-and-a-half percent.

“I’m trying to get to 5.5 flat,” Reynolds said. “There are 11 states today — today! — that have a corporate tax rate under 5%, so that’s what I’m saying. Every state is very competitive because they know that’s what you need to do to be in the game and to compete. We are an outlier.” House Republicans have released a bill that includes most of the governor’s tax proposals, with the exception of a corporate income tax cut. Senate Republicans have a plan that does cut the corporate tax, but not as deeply as Reynolds proposes.

The Senate G-O-P plan also reduces or eliminates some popular business tax credits and exemptions. Reynolds says her goal is to keep the corporate tax rate simple, but she’s not saying what concessions she might make.  “This is not a discussion I’m going to have with the media,” Reynolds says. “We’re going to sit down and talk to legislators and we’re going to take a look at what it looks like, where we agree, maybe where we need to change.”

Reynolds made her comments during a news conference at a business in Des Moines to tout another element of her tax plan that is included in both plans released last week by House and Senate Republicans.

One person was transported to Cass Health in Atlantic, following a single-vehicle accident that happened this (Wednesday) morning, northwest of Atlantic. Marne 1st Responders, Atlantic Fire & Rescue and Cass EMS were dispatched to the scene off Eastland Road and west of Highway 173 (590th St.). Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Bartholomew explains what happened.

The driver of the 2018 Chevy Silverado was identified as Don Sonntag, of Atlantic. He was conscious and breathing when the Deputy arrived. Bartholomew said it’s not clear what time the accident actually occurred, only that it was discovered by a passing motorist at around 10:28-a.m.

(Radio Iowa) – Retired admiral Mike Franken says he raised more than 300-thousand dollars in January in his bid for the Democratic nomination for the U-S Senate. Franken says he has raised more than 750-thousand in individual donations since launching his campaign last October and says that is a sign Iowans are tired of the divisiveness in government and this country: “I see people wanting answers, they’re wanting action, they’re wanting us to get along better, so even within the family structure, people are getting along better. And that there’s more of a hope for the future in the state of Iowa. There’s also a sense in Iowa that we have lost some of that which has made us unique in the United States,” Franken says.

Franken is from Sioux County and has a home in Sioux City. He says both Democrats and Republicans need to find ways to compromise on issues like President Biden’s build back better bill, which recently failed without support from all Democrats in the Senate. But what I think Joe Biden will do now is back up. He’ll segment and I would hope the Republicans will come to the table and work to do something that is good for all Americans,” he says.

Retired Vice Admiral/Iowa Senate candidate, Mike Franken.

Franken says one of the things he likes in the bill is expanding the electrical grid. “Iowa is in great situation here to be central to having the most reliable, least expensive electricity in a carbon tax environment in the United States. That will be a huge boost to manufacturing in the state, Franken says. Franken served in various policy-making, strategy, and planning roles including Chief of Legislative Affairs for the Department of the Navy. He defends Biden, saying no one president has ever been responsible for a major swing in fuel prices and is optimistic inflation will come down and the economy will turn around this year.

“There’s supply chain problems that are significant causes to inflation. There are treaty manufacturing issues associated with the delivery of technical goods — there’s a host of issues,” Franken says. “There’s also a sense that the interest rates have been too low for too long.” Franken retired from military service as a three-star admiral in 2017.

Marne First Responders and Atlantic Fire & Rescue were dispatched to an accident just west of 590th (Highway 173), on Eastland Road. A call about a truck in the ditch came in at around 10:27-a.m.  According to dispatch reports, one person was injured and possibly trapped in the vehicle. Additional information was not immediately available.

(Radio Iowa) – As Senators prepare to review President Biden’s nominee to replace retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says Biden’s pledge to nominate a black woman is never going to be an issue for him. “What’s going to be an issue for me is, you know, what we call temperament, leaving their own views out of the decision making,” Grassley says. “That means basically that they’re going to look at the law and interpret the law the way congress wrote it.”

Grassley is the top Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He and the committee’s chairman met with President Biden at the White House yesterday (Tuesday) to discuss the process of filling the court vacancy this summer. Grassley says Biden’s potential nominees appear to have credentials that are common among the current justices. “On the list, obviously, are African Americans,” Grassley says. “But they also come from prestigious universities, law schools and that doesn’t automatically make them a justice on the Supreme Court, but that seems to be the tendency of the people we have on the Supreme Court.”

Grassley, as a freshman senator, voted to confirm Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court, fulling President Reagan’s 1980 campaign pledge to nominate a woman. “You can be just as qualified to be on the Supreme Court whether you’re black, brown, Asian, Native American, man or woman, anything else,” Grassley says. “You’re looking at what they do.” A few Republican senators have raised objections to Biden’s pledge to nominate a black woman, comparing it to affirmative action and saying it adds to the perception the court is a political institution. Grassley briefly talked with Biden yesterday (Tuesday) about the lack of competition in the cattle industry and promoted a bill he’s worked on with a bipartisan group of 16 senators.

“You get invited to the White House the first time under this administration and I’ve heard him speak about how he wants to increase competition in the marketplace,” Grassley says.  Grassley says Biden recalled conversations they’d had 25 years ago when both were Senators, working on a bill to address anti-competitive practices in the construction industry.