SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The island nation of Micronesia is raising concerns about how some of its citizens working at an Iowa pork processing plant are being treated. Micronesia recently sent a formal letter to the State Department asking U.S. officials to investigate possible misconduct at the Seaboard Triumph Foods plant, including verbal abuse, using false Social Security numbers and withholding workers’ passports. The company denies any wrongdoing.

Micronesia said in its letter that dozens of its citizens have complained about the way they have been treated while working at the plant. Seaboard recruited workers from Micronesia. The State Department didn’t immediately respond Tuesday to questions about its response to the complaint.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa judge has struck down large portions of a 2017 voting reform law, declaring much of it unconstitutional. The law requires voters to show certain forms of identification when voting, requires voters to provide an identification number on absentee ballot applications and allows county auditors to reject ballots if they believe signatures don’t match a voter signature on record.

Judge Joseph Seidlin says in a ruling Monday the state may require a voter ID but election officials must issue a voter ID card to any voter who requests one. The law prohibited election officials from issuing cards to voters with a driver’s license or state identification card. He also struck the signature match provisions, saying they violate the Iowa Constitution. The judge also makes permanent his earlier order that says Iowa Secretary of Paul Pate cannot require a voter ID number on absentee ballot applications.

The ruling follows a lawsuit filed last year by the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa. Pate’s office didn’t immediately respond to a message.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s senior U-S senator is taking a few days off. Senator Chuck Grassley’s office says he underwent a scheduled, outpatient surgery for a hernia on Monday. The operation was said to be successful and the news release says Grassley is resting at home with his family. The 86-year-old plans to return to work in Washington later this week.

(Radio Iowa) — With forecasts calling for up to five inches of rain over three days this week, several counties in southwest Iowa are preparing for more Missouri River flooding. Michael Bertacini is an emergency management specialist with Pottawattamie County. He says around 40 homes are in the area of concern in the northwestern part of the county. “Most of those residents were actually out of their homes before this happened,” Bertacini says. “It’s just prolonging the effects of the flooding. These people have been flooded since March so it’s a bad deal for them because some people haven’t even been in their homes from March.”

Bertacini says it’s possible the impacts could mirror what the county saw this spring, though the river could crest about a foot lower. “All the county roads in the northwest part of the county on the west side of I-29 were basically underwater. I-680 and I-29 also went under,” he says. “It forces the water table to rise in Council Bluffs.”

Bertacini says people who live in Council Bluffs could see basement flooding if the storm sewers are not able to keep up with the heavy rainfall. In a joint news release, Pottawattamie, Harrison and Mills counties say it’s unclear where the heaviest rains will fall, so people should stay alert.

RED OAK, Iowa – Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Montgomery County office will host an Aquatic, Forest and Right-of-Way Continuing Instruction Course (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. The program provided by the ISU Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) can be seen at office locations across Iowa.

The local attendance site for the Oct. 16 CIC is the Montgomery County Extension Office. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. followed by sessions from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The registration fee is $35 on or before Oct. 8 and $45 after Oct. 9. To register or to obtain additional information about the CIC, contact Katie Hart at the ISU Extension and Outreach Montgomery County office at (712) 623-2592.

The course will provide continuing instruction credits for commercial and public pesticide applicators certified in categories 2 (Forest Pest Control), 5 (Aquatic Pest Control), 6 (Right-of-Way Pest Control), and 10 (Research and Demonstration). Topics to be covered are: recognition of sensitive areas, including groundwater and other non-target sites and organisms (pollinators) as potentially impacted by pesticide applications, drift and runoff; pesticide labels; restricted entry intervals and preharvest intervals; aquatic weed management; bur oak blight treatment; and roadside weed management. Additional information and registration forms for this and other courses offered through the PSEP Program can be accessed at www.extension.iastate.edu/PSEP.
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The Adair County Board of Supervisors will meet 9-a.m. Wednesday in their Boardroom at the Courthouse, in Greenfield. On the agenda for their session is discussion with Kristen Renslow, with the City of Stuart, with regard to an Urban Renewal County Consent Resolution and Stuart Wind Turbines. That will be followed by discussion about a wind turbine cap, and Ordinance 31-A, pertaining to an Assessment of Wind Energy Conversion Property.

The Board will also hear reports from County Engineer Nick Kauffman, with regard to new hires, final vouchers for various road, culvert and bridge projects, and his regular report of maintenance and activities. In addition, the Board will discuss Township Clerk  wages, a liquor license renewal and receive a Manure Management Plan (MMP) update.

The Cass County Conservation Board is asking you…When do you think the first Trumpeter Swan will arrive at the Schildberg Quarry (in Atlantic)? You can call in your prediction (by November 11th) to the Conservation Board at 712-769-2372, leave a message and return phone number if their staff are not in. Duplicate dates will not be allowed. For example, if a caller predicts November 25th, no one else will be allowed to predict that arrival date.

One prediction per family, please. The sponsors of this contest will determine the official arrival of more than 6 trumpeter swans to Lake 4. The winner will receive a Trumpeter Swan 8×10 print from the Cass County Conservation Board. This contest is only for residents of Cass County.

Trumpeter Swans have visited the Schildberg Quarry for, at least, Twenty out of the last twenty-one winters. Arrival and departure dates of the swans have been as follows:

1997/1998 December 18 – January 2

1998/1999 Nothing on record

1999/2000 December 25 – February 15

2000/2001 November 23 – March 6

2001/2002 December 25 – February 24

2002/2003 November 23 – March 15

2003/2004 November 26 – March 21

2004/2005 November 25 – March 18

2005/2006 November 17 – March 5

2006/2007 October 30 – March 9

2007/2008 November 22- February 14

2008/2009 November 18- March 12

2009-2010 November 19 – January 5

2010-2011 November 5 – February 10

2011/2012 November 17 – February 21

2012/2013 November 24– March 4

2013/2014 November 12- April 7

2014/2015 November 11- April 6

2015/2016 November 22- March 24

2016/2017 November 19- March 9

2017/2018 November 9- March 20

2018/2019 November 11- January 23

2019/2020 November?

Three people who were wanted on warrants were arrested Monday, in Pottawattamie County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 29-year old Daniel Scott Jones, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Pott. County Jail’s Booking area, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. 22-year old David Joseph Patrick Robertson, of Omaha, was arrested at the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for Violation of Probation. And, 38-year old Jeremy David Bahensky, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Sheriff’s Office, after turning himself-in. Bahensky was wanted on a warrant for Child Endangerment/Substantial Risk, and Domestic Abuse Assault by strangulation.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A December trial has been scheduled for a 25-year-old accused of shooting to death a Burlington man. Des Moines County District Court records say the trial of Diavontae Davis is set to begin Dec. 3. He pleaded not guilty last week to first-degree murder and other crimes.

He’s accused of killing 28-year-old Reynaldo “Rey” Villarreal. Officers were sent early Sept. 8 to check a report about several gunshots. They found the man later identified as Villarreal suffering from a gunshot wound. Police say he died later at a hospital. The court records say Davis intends to rely on a defense of self-defense or defense of others.