(Radio Iowa) – First Lady Jill Biden and Congresswoman Cindy Axne held an event in Ankeny, Wednesday, to tout elements of the $3.5 trillion infrastructure package Democrats are proposing. Jill Biden said it would guarantee access to high quality, child care and free preschool.

“Whether you’re a struggling single parent or a dual income family, the cost of child care can be crushing,” Biden said. “…This is infrastructure and investing in working families is the best way that we are going to recover from this pandemic.”

Axne told reporters America’s roads and bridges need repairs, but she fields far more concerns from Iowans about a lack of child care options. “We’ve got waiting lists over 80 kids strong in Stanton, Iowa — a tiny town, so imagine what some of our larger cities are facing as well, “Axne said. “This is a real problem here.”

The pair mentioned the expanded child tax credit Democrats approved this spring, The infrastructure package House Democrats are proposing would extend it for four more years. Axne told the crowd in Ankeny 80% of Iowa children have parents receiving additional tax relief this week from the now temporary credit.

“And, as the president would say himself: ‘That’s a big deal,’” Axne said and the first lady laughed as the crowd applauded.

The pitch to Iowans from the first lady and Axne comes as the Biden Administration tries to get reluctant Democrats in congress to vote for the infrastructure package. Axne told reporters “first and foremost,” no one knows if the final package will reach $3.5 trillion.

“Secondly, this is over a decade, so this is not spending in one year. Third, it’s about an investment. It’s time we invest in this country…It’s time we do this again,” Axne said. “Our working families need it.”

The Iowa Republican Party’s chairman said Axne and other Democrats should “be worried” about following Biden’s agenda after the GOP candidate for an Iowa House seat won Tuesday’s special election in a swing district in Ankeny.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) said Wednesday, two health care facilities will be presented with the Governor’s Award for quality healthcare. In southwest Iowa, DIA Director Larry Johnson, Jr., will present the first 2021 Governor’s Award for Quality Care in a Health Care Facility to Accura HealthCare of Stanton, on Friday, Sept. 17, beginning at 11 a.m. Accompanying Director Johnson will be senior staff from the department’s Health Facilities Division: Administrator Dawn Fisk and Bureau Chief Geri Paul.

Accura HealthCare of Stanton, a 46-bed skilled nursing facility, is located at 213 Halland Avenue in Stanton, Iowa (Montgomery County). Officials said also, the Lake Mills Care Center will receive their award Oct. 8, 2021.

The Cass County Auditor’s Office reports four more filings for various city offices took place, Wednesday. The latest candidates to file their completed nomination papers, and whose names will be on the ballot November 2nd, includes:

For Anita City Council Member: Deanna Andrews

For City Council Member in Cumberland: Matt Dolch

For Lewis City Council Member: Christopher Jahnke

For Massena City Council Member: Doug Venteicher.

Don’t forget: The deadline to submit papers with the proper number of signatures to the Cass County Auditor’s Office, is Thursday, Sept. 16th, at 5:00 p.m.  Once the filing deadline passes, we will populate the entire list of candidates for you on the kjan.com news page. Those candidates’ names will appear on the ballot in your respective city.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, Wednesday, said a Council Bluffs man, 55-year-old Andrew J. Fischer, was sentenced September 10th to five months in prison, for False Statements in Connection with Federal Crop Insurance. His term of imprisonment is to be followed by five years of supervised release. Fischer was ordered to pay $399,725 in restitution.

According to court documents, Fischer obtained crop insurance for the crop years 2012, 2014, and 2017 through the United States Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency’s Federal Crop Insurance Program. Fisher then submitted fraudulent insurance claims which resulted in indemnity payments of approximately $399,725 to which he was not entitled. According to court documents, Fischer pleaded guilty to False Statements in Connection with Federal Crop Insurance in May of 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Risk Management Agency Special Investigations investigated the case.

(Radio Iowa) – A man from the small northwest Iowa town of Albert City is in jail after being accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of gas from his former employer. According to the Newell Police Department, 48-year-old David Sanchez allegedly stole nearly 55-thousand dollars worth of fuel from Ag Partners in Newell.

The investigation showed multiple unauthorized transactions using a company fuel card during the period from November of 2020 through August of this year. Sanchez turned himself into the Buena Vista County Jail last Wednesday, September 8th. He’s charged with first-degree Theft.

(Radio Iowa) – A second inmate has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering a nurse and guard during an escape attempt at the Anamosa State Penitentiary in March. Twenty-eight-year-old Michael Dutcher had originally pleaded not guilty and indicated he would claim he acted in self-defense. Dutcher instead pleaded guilty this (Wednesday) morning to two counts of first degree murder. Robert McFarland’s wife, Sara, gave a victim impact statement in court today (Wednesday).

“When Robert took the correctional officer position, it wasn’t for the money. He took it to help the inmates, to help you guys make positive decisions so you didn’t go back to prison. You took that caring soul from everyone. You killed the best father. I had to tell our boys their dad wasn’t coming home,” she said. “…I hate you more than anything for taking Robert from us. I hope you rot in hell.” Colten, one of McFarland’s sons, addressed Dutcher.

“March 23 was the worst day of my life. I ended up being in the vehicle with my mother, hearing the words Robert McFarland had passed away,” he said, “…and you don’t even care.” Another son submitted a written statement, telling Dutcher he looks like an idiot now because his plan to escape backfired. David McFarland, the older brother of the slain officer, wore a t-shirt that read “Stronger Together” to court today.

“Today is your judgement day, but it is not the judgement day that you should be worried about,” he said. “…This judge can only sentence you to life in prison. You should be worried about your final judger, God.” Stephanie Schulte, the mother of prison nurse Lorena Schulte Dutcher killed, said her daughter had a calling to help others. “Anything we do as a family from this point forward will now have to be experienced without Lorena,” she said. “This is a loss from which we will never recover.” The nurse’s sister, Gretchen, told Dutcher he had created a bottomless void in her family’s life.

“My 11 year old asks, ‘Why?’ — a question that we’ll never be able to answer because there is no reason Lorena should have been dead,” she said. Dutcher also pleaded guilty to attempted murder for attacking a fellow inmate and to kidnapping another prison employee in the Anamosa prison’s infirmary. Lori Mathis directly addressed Dutcher in her written remarks, which were read in court by a colleague. “The complete lack of regard for others’ lives was so apparent to me that day in that breakroom,” Mathis wrote. “I do not feel you have one ounce of remorse for all the lives you have forever changed by your inhumane act of violence.” Mathis said she has recovered from the serious physical injuries she suffered in March, but her mental wounds remain.

The judge who sentenced Dutcher today (Wednesday) asked Dutcher if he had a statement. “No, I got nothing,” Dutcher replied. The other inmate involved in the attack was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month. Dutcher will be transferred to a prison in Missouri.

(Radio Iowa) – Tourism traffic in the Iowa Great Lakes area appears to have rebounded this spring, compared to the second quarter of 2020. Hotel/motel taxes for the city of Arnolds Park this April, May and June were 52% higher than the same period a year ago. Milford saw a 31% increase in hotel/motel tax payments this spring compared to last spring. Rebecca Peters, director of Okoboji Tourism, says she wasn’t surprised by the rebound. “All of our indicators throughout the entire summer and leading up to the summer showed that our businesses were going to have a great season and that we were going to see a big influx of visitors this year,” she says, “so it was nice to see that that all came true.”

The City of Okoboji’s hotel/motel tax revenue for this April, May and June was up 37% from the spring of 2020, however, it’s a few thousand dollars short of the amount collected in the pre-pandemic spring of 2019. Spirit Lake was the only city in corridor to collect more in hotel/motel taxes in the pandemic spring of 2020 compared to 2019.

Photo from the Iowa Great Lakes Association website.

Peters says some of the hotel/motel tax revenue collected by cities surrounding the Great Lakes is used to promote tourism in the area. “But also a lot of the hotel/motel tax revenue goes right back into the city’s general budget so that it can be used for infrastructure to improve our parks, to improve our streets, to help support our police and fire departments,” she says, “so really that money that comes from a lot of our visitors really helps the whole community just thrive.”

At least half of the hotel/motel taxes collected in Arnolds Park are to be used to build, repair, or enlarge recreational, convention, cultural or entertainment facilities.