(Radio Iowa) – With gasoline prices in Iowa averaging more than a dollar a gallon higher than a year ago, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on President Joe Biden to challenge OPEC in international court. Grassley, a Republican, says the president’s energy policies discourage domestic production, while Biden “resorted to pleading” with OPEC to ramp up production, only to be turned down. “Instead of asking OPEC to pump more,” Grassley says, “he should look at how they’re monopolizing the world price of petroleum.”

Grassley is calling on the president to support his bipartisan No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels, or NOPEC, Act, which he’s reintroduced. Grassley says Biden backed the original bill some 21 years ago when he was still a senator. “He advocated to then-President Clinton that President Clinton ought to sue OPEC for violating antitrust laws,” Grassley says. “That was through a bill that he and I agreed on at that particular time called NOPEC.”

Grassley is urging the administration to support the bill to hold the cartel accountable for its anticompetitive behavior that elevates global oil prices. He says NOPEC would provide the Department of Justice with an effective tool to ensure American consumers are “no longer beholden to artificially inflated gas prices.” “If the president’s serious about lowering gas prices, he should support strong renewable fuels volumes,” Grassley says, “and look at the real anti-trust violation of OPEC.”

According to Triple-A, gas prices in Iowa are averaging three-13 a gallon, compared to a dollar-97 a year ago. An official with the motor club in Iowa notes, prices a year ago were exceptionally low due to drastically-reduced travel levels caused by the pandemic — and lower demand brought lower prices.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The polls are now open in Atlantic for the Mayoral Election. The only polling place is the Cass County Community Center. Grace Garrett and Tim Teig are vying for the seat currently held by Dave Jones, who did not run for re-election. Garrett and Teig were the top two vote recipients during the Nov. 2^nd election. Since neither had 50.1% of the vote, a run-off election was declared.

Atlantic residents living in the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Wards will use the main entrance to the Cass County Community Building on the fairgrounds. Those residents living in the 4^th and 5^th Wards will use the south entrance. The Polls close at 8:00 pm.

There are two other Iowa cities with Mayoral run-off elections today: Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids. Voters in Cedar Falls and Edgewood will decide who wins run-off elections for City Council members.

(Radio Iowa) – Non-profit agencies are having a hard time finding volunteers and the Salvation Army in Sioux City is hoping a promotion with a local business will help them. Volunteers ringing bells during the holidays will be part of the “Ringing for Bling” program. Salvation Army Captain, Karissa Zumwalt says  “A two-hour time slot gets you a chance to win one of 12 pieces of jewelry from Riddle’s Jewelry. If you do more than one time slot, you get more chances to win,” Zumwalt says. The holiday fundraiser is key to raising money for their programs throughout the year.

“We’re pretty far behind in our goal right now, so we are just trying to push as hard as we can to get volunteer groups. You know, if it’s a church group, or a school group that wants to go together — it makes it more fun — or a family that wants to go out and just spend two hours together bell ringing,” she says. Zumwalt says they are also looking to hire people who may need to earn a little extra cash during the holidays.