(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says a ruling from a federal judge makes it clear accepting federal pandemic relief didn’t prohibit lawmakers from cutting taxes at the state level this year and won’t stand in the way of more tax cuts in 2022. Last March, Reynolds signed onto a lawsuit challenging a provision in the American Rescue Plan that said states could not use the pandemic relief to directly or indirectly offset tax cuts. A federal judge in Alabama has ruled that’s a vague condition for federal funding and congress exceeded its authority. Reynolds says the Biden Administration was trying to punish fiscally responsible states and she says the ruling is a major victory for Iowa taxpayers.

Reynolds already approved a series of tax cuts in June. That was three months after the Biden Administration announced there was no blanket prohibition on cutting taxes at the state level, as long as federal pandemic funds weren’t used to pay for tax cuts.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports a Union County man was arrested over the weekend, following the theft of a pickup truck from the rural Orient, area. The Sheriff’s Office says they received a report at around 10:48-a.m., Saturday, about a Ford F-150 that was stolen. At around 1:15-p.m., an Adair County Deputy ran the VIN of a 2009 Dodge 3500 pickup that was in a roadside ditch, east of Zion. The pickup was reported stolen a day earlier, to the West Des Moines Police Department.

At around 3:47-p.m., Saturday, while still on the scene with the stolen Dodge, the Deputy saw the stolen Ford pickup drive by. He activated his emergency lights, but the driver of the vehicle failed to yield, which resulted in a pursuit. The chase went south into Union County for about 15-minutes, before the driver of the pickup stopped, and took off on foot. Deputies with the Union and Madison County Sheriff’s Offices, Iowa DNR law enforcement personnel and the Iowa State Patrol assisted in the search for the suspect.

A call from a concerned citizen led to the suspect being located about one-mile from the location where he originally fled on foot. 27-year-old Wyatt Robert Schamp, of Creston, was taken into custody and faces two counts of Theft in the 2nd Degree, for allegedly taking both pickup trucks. He remains held in the Adair County Jail on a $10,000 bond.  Schamp told authorities he fell asleep at the wheel of the Dodge before it went into the ditch, and then found the Ford pickup with the keys in it, before taking the vehicle.

In an unrelated note, 45-year-old Scott William Richard Funke, of Grimes, was arrested Nov. 12th at the Polk County Jail, on an Adair County felony warrant  for domestic abuse offender in possession or control of a firearm/weapon and possession of a controlled substance/1st offense. His bond was set at $5,000.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests and incidents that took place between Oct. 16th and Nov. 11th. On Nov. 11th, Deputies arrested 35-year-old Michael Ray Simpson for Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd offense. He was transported to the Adams County Jail, and held without bond. On the 10th of November, Deputies responded to a disturbance call at the Cenex gas station, and upon further investigation issued a Juvenile Referral to a 16-year old male, for OWI/1st offense, Minor in Possession of Alcohol and Open Container. The teen was then released to the custody of his parents.

On Nov. 9th, Adams County Deputies arrested 57-year-old Edwin Nelson Thomas, for Violation of a No Contact Order. He later posted bond, and was released. On Oct. 26th, 34-year-old Daniel Reyes was arrested following a traffic stop on Highway 34 at Tulip Avenue. Reyes was charged with Driving While Revoked. He was being held in the Adams County Jail on $2,000 bond.

On the 17th, a traffic stop at Highway 25 and 250th Street in Adams County resulted in the arrest of 32-year-old Sarah Ann Bennett, for Domestic Abuse Assault and three counts of Child Endangerment. She was being held without bond in the Adams County Jail. And, on Oct. 16th, Adams County Deputies arrested 31-year-old Eric Alan Vannausdle for OWI/1st offense. He was held until making an appearance before the magistrate.

(Audubon, Iowa) – The Audubon School Board met Monday night and passed a Resolution approving the sale of Sales Tax (SAVE) Bonds, for their school facilities building project. Superintendent Eric Trager says they got a very low interest rate on the bonds, which will save the District a good deal of money.

Trager says with the sale of the bonds, the District kept its promise to their patrons.

With the financing now in-place, Mr. Trager said they can forward with the building project and see demolition take place in early May.

In other business, the Audubon School Board re-elected Mark Nissen as Board President, with Sarah Asmus elected Vice President.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, today (Tuesday) took no action on a Resolution that would have resulted in the vacating of 500-feet of 570^th Street under Interstate 80, in the State of Iowa Right-Of-Way. The matter essentially died, but could be brought up for discussion in the future if needed. The Iowa DOT requested the road vacation and provided the County with a financial incentive to do so.

During a public hearing late last month, the DOT’s Scott Suhr explained that about six years ago the Department conducted a study of Interstate 80 from the Nebraska border to the Illinois border in advance of widening the road to six lanes – three in each direction instead of the current two lanes. As part of that study, they looked for a low volume of traffic on those roaddways both over and under the Interstate that could be closed, rather than constructing a new bridge.

During today’s (Tuesday’s) meeting, Supervisor Steve Green said he and County Engineer Trent Wolken met with three real estate agents to discuss what impact closing the road would have on property values.

Green said he met with the three affected property owners this (Tuesday) morning, one of whom made it clear they would pursue legal action if the Board agreed to close 570^th.

Green said no one in his district supports the measure, even though the County could use the bridge money. The Supervisors also acted to set compensation for precinct election officials at $15 per hour, effective Jan. 1^st, 2022. Those officials currently earn $9 per hour. And, they acted to pay any additional Medical Examiner’s expenses, sThe ME’s Office is currently paid a flat fee of $200 per call to fatal incidents and/or questionable deaths and to reimburse for expenses incurred, such as as travel, room and boarding, when it comes to training and conferences, as they come in, and within reasonable expectation. The Board will revisit the matter in the next couple of months.

In other business, the Board approved a contract with Motorola for Chair Steve Baier to sign, with regard to ISICS (The Statewide Interoperability Communications System), and establishing a Debt Service Fund for the ISICS Project. The contract carries a price tag of $1,757,514. The Supervisors also agreed to set-up (separately), a Cass County Economic Development Fund for reducing unemployment in Cass County, as part of the disillusionment of CABEDA and the former I-80/Valley Business Park development project. The land near I-80 and Highway 71 was put up for sale in mid-October. Cass and Audubon Counties had been working to try and develop the business park, which contains 156 acres of property.

The Supervisors also approved the use of American Rescue Plan funding for the Cass County Community Building, because it served as a site for COVID vaccinations, recent jury selection and the Food Pantry. The Cass County Ag/Education Association requested $23,205 to help recover the costs of past and current other pandemic-related service expenses, which are also covered under ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) rules. (Dale Sunderman)

The County has so far received about half of the funds it is expecting from the Government, as part of pandemic relief.

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Chuck Grassley was the only Republican in the Iowa delegation who voted in favor of the one-point-two trillion dollar infrastructure bill which President Biden signed into law Monday, and Grassley stands by his vote. He calls the massive measure “an investment in Iowa’s future.” Grassley was invited to the White House bill signing ceremony and skipped it, but he says it wasn’t for political reasons.”We got notice either late Friday or Saturday, I don’t think it was as late as Sunday, that I was invited and we already had my schedule for Monday set up,” Grassley says. “I had meetings with Iowans and I don’t like to cancel meetings with Iowans, particularly for what would be considered a photo op.”

Under the measure, as much as five billion dollars will be coming to Iowa for infrastructure projects, everything from roads to public transportation to airports. “Without a doubt, the policy is good for Iowa,” Grassley says. “Just think of the 23% of the bridges in Iowa that are structurally deficient. That’s the worst of the 50 states. Making sure we have safe bridges, we get over $300-million just for that project.” Back in August, Grassley called the infrastructure bill a “significant investment in Iowa’s roads, bridges, waterways, energy and internet.” He says the measure was passed with bipartisan support and will not hurt his reelection chances as it “paves the way…for economic opportunity in the Hawkeye State.”

“We’ve got highways that are 40 years old that need to be torn up and laid down again, we get a little over $4-billion for that,” Grassley says. “Think of the fact that a large share of rural Iowa, maybe even some places in cities in Iowa, don’t have good internet service and so there’s money for broadband.”  Speaking of reelection, if Grassley wins another term next year, he’d become the longest-serving current member of the U-S Senate since Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy has announced he won’t seek re-election. Grassley was asked if that’s something he considered in deciding to run again. “No, not at all,” Grassley says. “Serving Iowans is all I thought about.”

Grassley is 88 and is in his seventh term in the Senate.