(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in Iowa Senate have rejected the first plan for redrawing the boundaries for Iowa’s four congressional districts, 100 Iowa House districts and 50 Iowa Senate districts. The bill came up for debate in the Iowa Senate early this (Tuesday) afternoon. Senator Roby Smith of Davenport was the only Republican to speak.

“In assessing this plan there are clear indications that Plan 1 can be improved by a second iteration addressing compactness and population deviation,” he said. Once the bill failed in the Senate, there was no need for House members to take a vote. All 32 Republicans in the Senate voted against the plan. The 18 Democrats voted for it. Senator Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque.

The current map is on top, and the proposed (rejected) map is on the bottom.

“The maps before us satisfy the Iowa law and the Iowa Constitution,” Jochum said. Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, suggests the ultimate goal of Republicans is to get to a third plan which, by law, can be amended by legislators. “We’re going to get trapped into a scenario that’s going to make Iowa look like some of the worst gerrymandering states in the United States,” Bisignano said. “…You move to the third plan, it will destroy this institution. It will destroy your majority. It will destroy your party also.” Smith, speaking on behalf of Republicans in the senate, says Iowa stipulates that districts resemble, as much as possible, squares, rectangles or hexagons.

“This map includes a triangle, a pyramid, a figure eight and a district that is so irregular it looks like the 1800s salamander known for gerrymandering,” Smith said. Republicans have passed a resolution outlining some of their specific objections to the first plan for redistricting. “One House seat, House District 18, which is nested within a senate district, is over 300 miles in perimeter. Its Senate District — Senate District 9 — is 307 miles in perimeter,” Smith said. “…In terms of population…the state senate map has a range of nearly 500 people above and below the ideal population. These deviations, along with compactness, should improve.”

By state law, the non-partisan Legislative Committee now has up to 35 days — in the second week of November — to submit a second plan to legislators. Plan 2 for redistricting cannot be amended either. The state constitution requires the new plan for redistricting to be approved by mid-September, but the U.S. Census population data for Iowa didn’t arrive until mid-August — five months late. The Iowa Supreme Court has given the legislature until December 1 to approve a redistricting plan, following the steps outlined in state law for the process.

(Radio Iowa) – Cedar Rapids police say their cold case unit has closed the unsolved murder of a 17-year-old 50 years ago. Maureen Brubaker-Farley disappeared on September 20th of 1971 and her body was found four days later on the trunk of an abandoned car in a wooded ravine on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids. Police investigator, Matt Denlinger, says they have determined that George M. Smith is the man who killed Brubaker-Farley.

“He was pretty high on their radar back in 1971 along with a few other people. He was a suspect identified early on in the investigation — but there hadn’t been any definitive evidence to really attach him to this crime until 2005 when the D-N-A was developed from some of the evidence in the case,” Denlinger says. The investigation determined Brubaker-Farley had been taken to the location after she died from a head injury — and had also been sexually assaulted. Smith died in 2013 — but Denlinger says they were eventually able to get D-N-A from a relative of Smith in 2021 — and had it checked against D-N-A recovered at the crime scene.

Maureen Brubaker-Farley. (photo from Iowa Cold Cases website)

Denlinger says that match determined that the D-N-A matched the D-N-A of Smith. Denlinger says he had mixed emotions knowing the case was solved — but the man responsible was dead. “It was a little bittersweet — but in the end, our focus is to bring resolution to these cases — and answers to the families,” according to Denlinger. “As long as we keep focused on that, we just keep pushing forward on these cases.” Denlinger says  “In my experience, that answer is really important to the families. It was in this case. Their reaction and their appreciation to the C-R-P-D and the generation of investigators who worked on this case, they were extremely appreciative,” he says. “And so, I am rewarded in that I did get to tell them and see how much that meant to them.”

Maureen’s mother Mary Brubaker is 86 and lives in Sioux City. Her father David died in 2002, and she has four surviving siblings and one who has died. The murder happened before Denlinger was born, and he says the work that he finished was based on solid work done at the time. “The unfortunate thing is that although the clock is ticking — you can’t rush your investigation. You want to make sure that you get it right and you get the answer right,” Denlinger says. “In 1971 that was their goal — is to get it right and not cut corners. And because they did things right back then, that preserved enough evidence that we solved it now.”

The Cedar Rapids police chief recognized the contributions of Denlinger, retired D-C-I Special Agent J.D. Smith, and retired Cedar Rapids Police Lieutenant Ken Washburn for their work to close the case.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Outreach Team recently donated $400 to Dolly Parton’s “Imagination Library,” which is locally supported by the Cass County Library Association.  Imagination Library is open to children from birth to age 5, with no income restrictions.  Enrolled children receive an age-appropriate, high-quality book in the mail every month from the time of enrollment until their 5th birthday.

Shown are Kirk Nelson, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and Michelle Andersen, Director of the Atlantic Public Library. (Photo submitted)

For just a $25 donation, a child will receive a year of books; a $425 donation sponsors the entire Cass County program for one month.  To register a child or make a donation, contact any of the Cass County libraries in Anita, Atlantic, Cumberland, Griswold, Lewis or Massena.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, today (Tuesday), approved the appointment of Dorene South as an assistant to Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman. Sundermen told the Board there were nine applicants for the job. South will replace Mary Anstey, who now serves as the Cass County Assessor. The Board also discussed at length, a proposal to close 570^th Street, which runs underneath Interstate 80. Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken explained the DOT’s logic, and benefit to the County, in closing 570^th.

Landowners in the area have voiced their opposition to the plan, citing the need to get to their crops and/or animals living on either side of the bridge on their land. Scott Schram said Iowa Code states while those properties must be accessible, it does not say that does means “Convenient Access.” There is also some concern over high water in the area when there are periods of excessive rain that results in flooding.

Iowa Department of Transportation District of Engineer Scott Schram, in Ankeny, said the bridge over 570^th Street is due for maintenance activity or due for replacement.

(He said they are fully prepared to replace the bridge, but wanted to see first, if the County was interested in voluntarily vacate the road way instead.)

The reason they are interested in closing 570^th, is so that I-80 can eventually be turned into six lanes (3 each direction) across the State. Putting a culvert in-place instead of a bridge, would result in a substantial cost savings for the DOT, and reduce the level of maintenance necessary, as compared to installing a new bridge. But then there’s the matter of how soon is a six-lane I-80 in that area needed?

(I-80 traffic flow show the section of road in Cass County does not necessitate the creation of six-lanes at this time, but if the County wishes to vacate it, the DOT can include the section in their long-term program.)

Iowa DOT District 4 Planner Scott Suhr said studies on 570^th Street show the traffic flow runs about 12-to 15 vehicles per day. A Public Hearing on vacating the road will be held 9-a.m. Friday, October 29^th in the Supervisor’s Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse. In other business, the Board discussed at length, being part of ISICS (the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System), cost and funding. A public hearing on securing essential purpose bonds for the project, was previously set for Oct. 12th.

The bond amount to be proposed is still being kicked around, and is dependent on several factors, including the use of grants, what equipment should be included in the bond, and maintenance contracts. At this point, the proposal is for at least $1.75-million. Timing on passing a bond referendum is a relevant matter, due to the proposal the County has received from Motorola.

(Radio Iowa) – The body of a missing Waterloo woman has been found in the Cedar River. Waterloo police say relatives of Juana Rubio found some personal items along the riverbank near a bridge over the river Monday around 11 a-m. Waterloo Fire Rescue searched the water and recovered a woman’s body, which was then identified as Rubio’s. Rubio was last seen late Saturday evening outside of her home, which is about three blocks from where her personal items were found.

Police say the cause of Rubio’s death is pending an autopsy. They do not suspect foul play.