(Radio Iowa) – The president of the union representing employees in Iowa’s correctional system says violence inside the prisons has become commonplace, due to depleted staffing. AFSCME (AFFS-mee) Council 61 president Danny Homan says since a nurse and a correctional officer were murdered inside the Anamosa prison last week, there have been at least three other assaults against corrections employees. In a letter to legislative leaders, Homan said there are 234 vacant correctional officer positions in the system today – including 14 at the Anamosa prison. Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls of Coralville says last week’s attack at the prison in Anamosa should prompt decisive bipartisan action in the legislature. “It was obviously a tragedy and we’re at a point now where thoughts and prayers and flying the flag at half staff are not enough,” Wahls says. “We need action.”

Last week, the Senate’s majority leader indicated Senate G-O-P budget plans had already included four MILLIION more dollars for the Iowa Department of Corrections, so more prison guards may be hired. House Speaker Pat Grassley says House Republicans are planning something similar. “Obviously, we had a terrible situation happen at the prison,” Grassley said. “I think you were going to see a strong number in our budget, but I think it just further strengthens our option that was the right decision that we were working off of.”  Wahls says policy reforms are needed, too, like letting prison staff collectively bargain over workplace safety issues. “In order to truly make sure that our corrections officers and staff are able to work and do their jobs,” Wahls says, “and that they can leave home without having to worry about whether or not they’ll come home that evening.”

AFSCME’s president is calling on legislators to conduct their own investigation of the causes of last week’s attack at the Anamosa prison.

(Radio Iowa) – Police are searching for a Mason City man after a murder late Wednesday night in Mason City. Police Chief Jeff Brinkley says shortly after 10:25 Wednesday night, officers responded to a shooting in the northwestern area of the community, with the initial call being that one person had been shot. Officers confirmed this on arrival at the scene, with the victim being transported to MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center where they later died.

Benjamin B. Gonzalez

The name of the victim is being withheld pending the notification of relatives. A warrant for first-degree murder has been issued for 38-year-old Benjamin Gonzalez of Mason City, who should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Mason City Police Department at 641-421-3636. If you have any information about Gonzalez’s whereabouts, you are asked to contact your local law enforcement agency.

(Radio Iowa) – Some high-profile proposals have failed to advance past the final deadline requiring policy bills to have cleared at least five steps in the legislative process by the end of this week. One bill that stalled called for ending tenure at the three state universities. House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans will revisit the issue in 2022. “There still is interest within the legislature to do something within tenure, it just may be a different approach,” Grassley says. “It maybe is more of a reform proposal that we would see.”

One of Republican Governor Kim Reynolds’ education proposals has failed to advance in the House. It would have established state scholarships to cover private school expenses for students who transferred out of a few dozen public schools. Republican Senators included the proposal in a bill they passed early this year, but Grassley confirms there were not enough G-O-P votes in the House for what the governor called “Students First Scholarships.”

“We just were unable to find a path forward on that,” Grassley says, “but we feel very strongly about the charter piece.” A bill designed to let groups form publicly-funded charter schools in Iowa without approval from local public school boards passed the House in March and the Senate Education Committee took action on it yesterday (Thursday).

Proposals on to automatically restore felon voting rights and track racial profiling failed to clear today’s (Friday’s) deadline. The governor’s proposal to allow over-the-counter sales of birth control also stalled again this year. While today (Friday) is technically the deadline for action on policy bills, legislators typically do not meet on Fridays and are not meeting today.

JOHNSTON, Iowa –March 31, 2021­–Iowa Corn announced the 18 student recipients of the Iowa Corn Future of Agriculture Scholarship program for the 2020-2021 school year. Iowa Corn awarded the eighteen (18) $1,000 one-year scholarships to deserving, qualified students enrolled at an accredited U.S. 2-year or 4-year junior college, college or university, or graduate school, in a program of study to equip them to contribute to Iowa’s agriculture industry. The program is sponsored by the Iowa Corn Growers Association® (ICGA) and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board® (ICPB).

“Our industry’s success depends on our ability to offer relevant programming, advocacy, and services to developing young leaders entering Iowa’s agricultural sector,” said Gary Petersohn, a farmer from Tingley, Iowa, and chair of the Iowa Corn Grassroots Network, Membership & Checkoff Committee. “Iowa Corn is excited for the future of agriculture in Iowa with this group of recipients leading the way.”

Selection committees evaluated applications by their essays, applications, reference letters, current grades, and activities. They also must be an Iowa Corn Growers Association member or be a dependent of a member. Iowa Corn will recognize these scholarship recipients at the Grassroots Summit in August.

High school scholarship winners include:

District 3: Dallas Wittenburg of Readlyn, IA, Des Moines Area Community College
District 4: Rylee Sloss of Guthrie Center, IA, Iowa State University
District 5: Gavin Tindle of Montezuma, IA, Iowa State University
District 6: Dylan Engelbrecht of Davenport, IA, Drake University
District 7: Alexa McCunn of Red Oak, IA, Iowa Lakes Community College
District 8: Abby Benshoof of Winterset, IA, Iowa State University
District 9: Macy Moore of What Cheer, IA, Iowa State University

College scholarship winners include:

District 1: Adam Knoblock of Rock Rapids, IA, Iowa State University
District 1: Kaleb Schutte of Sibley, IA,Minnesota West Community and Technical College
District 2: Cole Eden of Titonka, IA, Iowa State University
District 2: Grant Kuehnast of Humboldt, IA, Iowa State University
District 3: Lydia Martins of Fairbank, IA, Iowa State University
District 4: Paul Schlotman of Sioux City, IA, South Dakota State University
District 5: Katie Hall of Clive, IA, Drake University
District 6: Courtney Vondracek of Fairfax, IA, Iowa State University
District 7: Nathan Behrends of Wiota, IA, Iowa State University
District 8: Ben Vos of Pella, IA, Dordt University
District 9: Sophia Breuer of Burlington, IA, Iowa State University