(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds returned at the end of last week from a trade mission to Japan. Reynolds talked about the mission during an event in Sioux County. “As we met with the different individuals that are marketing our products, they saw a lot of potential for us to not only capture some new market share, but to also capture some of the market that was going to Australia. So — it was really productive,” Reynolds said. She says there’s also hope the U-S/Japanese trade agreement will lead to more opportunities.

“We were hoping that it would get out of committee while we were there — and did get stalled a little bit. As we talked to the different officials and especially with the Embassy visit, they still felt very confident that it would be ratified in their congress or the DIET. And they wrap up their session round December 5th,” Reynolds said. “So the goal and what everybody felt very optimistic with is that would get it through and it would go into effect the first of January.”

Reynolds says they also had good visits with companies that have invested in Iowa and have businesses located within the Hawkeye state.  “It’s not only exporting our products but looking for foreign direct investment into the state of Iowa,” according to Reynolds.  The Iowa governor says the delegation was able to make several pitch presentations as to why Japan would want to consider investing in Iowa.

Iowa 4th District Democrat congressional candidate J.D. Scholten will host a town hall in Exira this Thursday, November 21st, as part of his “Don’t Forget About Us” tour. During the tour, Scholten will hold a town hall in a town with a population of less than 1,000 in each of the 4th district’s 39 counties. The event will be held at the Exira Public Library (114 W. Washington St.) beginning at 5-p.m. There is no charge to attend, and the event is open to the public.

Scholten is running against incumbent Republican Congressman Steve King, from Kiron, during the 2020 elections.

(Radio Iowa) — A public celebration of life is set for Wednesday in Des Moines to honor Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady. Cady died unexpectedly of a heart attack Friday. The memorial will be held at the Drake University Knapp Center Wednesday beginning at 10:00 a-m. Members of the public are invited to attend, and the family will greet the public after the service. The family will hold a private service later.

Justice Cady had served on the Supreme Court since 1998, and was selected as chief justice in 2011. Governor Kim Reynolds ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff through Wednesday evening to honor Justice Cady.

(Radio Iowa) — The latest spell of cold, wet weather doesn’t bode well for the spring season ahead, as it makes renewed flooding all the more likely early in 2020. Hydrologist Jessica Brooks, at the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities, says she’s concerned because a majority of rivers in the Mississippi River basin are already above normal levels and the soil is still saturated. “Moisture in the soil won’t have the opportunity to dry out before we get into the spring season,” Brooks says. “A lot of it will likely be frozen into the soil once we, well, we are cold right now and are probably starting to see a little bit of the ground starting to freeze, on the top layers anyway.”

Brooks also says the winter outlook is for normal to above-normal amounts of rain and snow.  “If there are some things you wanted to make sure you get done before it floods again, maybe it’s time to think about how you should do it now rather than wait until later,” Brooks says. “It’s not a situation yet that we would say start getting your resources ready because it’s going to happen. We’re not confident in that yet.”

Some Iowans are still recovering from this year’s record-breaking flooding along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Key factors to watch in the coming months include: winter and spring precipitation, how wet the snow is, how fast it may melt, and frost depth. The weather service in Davenport will issue its first Spring Flood Outlook on February 13th.

A woman from Nebraska was arrested at around 3-a.m. today (Monday), in Montgomery County, following a traffic stop. Officials say 41-year old Rebecca Elizabeth Sabo, of Omaha, was taken into custody for being a Fugitive from Justice, as the result of an active warrant out of Missouri, for Identity Theft. Sabo was transported to the Montgomery County  Jail, and held without bond.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Iowa and New Hampshire get to weigh in first on the Democratic presidential contest next year, but the states are not ethnically diverse enough to offer any insight into how a candidate will fare across the country, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Sunday. “I don’t think it matters what happens in Iowa or New Hampshire because those states are not representative of the country anymore,” the longtime Nevada senator said.

Former Obama housing secretary Julian Castro, who recently made comments similar to Reid’s and suggested Iowa and New Hampshire shouldn’t go first, said he’d like to see other states rotate into to the early role. He noted that when he’s in Iowa, he gets asked more questions about ethanol than transit, even though millions of people in the country rely on mass transit. Castro said he thinks Iowa and New Hampshire can still play an important role “but I also believe it’s time to give other states a chance to go first.”

Nevada is the third state to weigh in but the first that looks like the rest of the country, with a sizeable Latino population and significant groups of Asian American and black voters, Reid said. Reid, who helped his home state land its influential role in the presidential nominating process, spoke to reporters in Las Vegas on Sunday before 14 White House hopefuls spoke at a fundraiser for the Nevada Democratic party.

In the clearest demonstration of Reid’s influence, the candidates at one point joined him on stage and lined up to shake his hand one-by-one as he received a tribute from the party. As the candidates took the stage at a glitzy Las Vegas Strip casino, they pitched their health care plans and pledged to beat Donald Trump in 2020 as their supporters cheered and waved signs.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who jumped into the race on Thursday, was added as a last-minute speaker at the event at the Bellagio casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Reid said Patrick is “a very fine man who had a great record in Massachusetts” and someone who “has a lot to sell.” Reid, who says he won’t endorse until after Nevada’s Feb. 22 caucuses, said it’s too early to start counting candidates out of the race and he’s impressed with the packed field.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have arrested a man after a nearly four-hour standoff at an apartment complex in eastern Des Moines. Des Moines Police say officers responding to reports of gunfire shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday found the suspect on a second-floor balcony. The man fired at police and two officers returned fire before he retreated inside an apartment. The man was arrested without incident nearly four hours after police arrived. He was alone in the apartment. No injuries were immediately reported

NEW PROVIDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A 26-year-old man is facing several animal neglect charges after authorities found several malnourished and dead goats on his property in north-central Iowa. The Hardin County Sheriff’s department found two dead goats and a malnourished goat in an outdoor shed without bedding or food when they visited the man’s property on Oct. 30. A veterinarian determined that the malnourished goat needed to be euthanized because of its condition. Authorities also found three dead goats on the property.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Pete Buttigieg is leaning hard on his seven-month deployment as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan as a powerful credential, but the Democratic presidential candidate is walking a narrow path between giving his wartime service its due and overstating it. As his support grows, Buttigieg can expect greater scrutiny of his military record in a political climate where military service is far from sacred. He’s careful to not call himself a combat veteran even as he notes the danger he faced.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The number of Democrats running for president is growing as Election Day approaches. And on the ground in the states that matter most this primary season, voters have a clear message: Stop. Late entries into the race have exposed a fresh divide in a party already plagued by divisions. On one side are establishment leaders who are concerned about the direction of the race and welcome new candidates. On the other are voters in key states who say they’re satisfied with their options.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have arrested a man after a nearly four-hour standoff at an apartment complex in eastern Des Moines. Des Moines Police say officers responding to reports of gunfire at an apartment in the 35-hundred block of E. Douglas Avenue, shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday, found the suspect, 25-year old Troy Donald Ramero Ruggles, on a second-floor balcony. The man fired at police and two officers returned fire before he retreated inside an apartment.

Ruggles was arrested without incident at around 9-a.m., or nearly four hours after police arrived. He was alone in the apartment. No injuries were immediately reported in the incident. Ruggles was charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, and two counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon.

NEW PROVIDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A 26-year-old man is facing animal neglect charges after authorities found several malnourished and dead goats on his property in north-central Iowa. The Hardin County Sheriff’s department found two dead goats and a malnourished goat in an outdoor shed without bedding or food when they visited the man’s property on Oct. 30. A veterinarian determined that the malnourished goat needed to be euthanized because of its condition.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that authorities also found three dead goats on the property that had been dead for more than a week. The man has been charged with three counts of animal neglect and three counts of failing to dispose of dead animals.

A couple of area school district Boards of Education will hold separate meetings Monday evening. The Griswold School Board meeting will gather at 5:30-p.m. in their Board Room. Old business on their agenda includes a regular update from KPE Architects and Estes Construction, with regard to district facilities project.

New business/action items include: Considering the approval of resignations with consideration given to Contract Enforcement; A Stormwater Practices Proposal; Approval of a Budget Guarantee Resolution; and information with regard to the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, results.

In Elk Horn, the Exira-EHK School Board meets at 6-p.m. Monday, in the Conference Room at the Elk Horn Building. Under Old Business, the Board will discuss and/or take action on approving Personnel Hires, Transfers, Resignations and related matters. The Old Board will then adjourn, to be followed by an organizational meeting of newly elected and returning School Board members.

During the Organizational Meeting, new members will be sworn-in, and Officers will be elected and given the Oath Office. Regular administrative matters will follow.