(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says the outcome of Iowa’s contested second congressional district race could be a harbinger of efforts to federalize U.S. elections. During a news conference at Iowa G-O-P headquarters, Reynolds again blasted Democrat Rita Hart for asking a U.S. House committee to review ballots cast in her race against Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

“Rita Hart’s request that the House ignore Iowa law, it truly is a forecast of what’s to come,” Reynolds said. “If Democrats get their way and HR1 becomes law, if that happens, then state election law everywhere will be wiped away.” House Democrats passed House Resolution — H-R One — earlier this month and, among other things, it seeks to bar states from limiting the ability to vote by mail. Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann says Hart’s decision to ask a U.S. House committee to review the second district race isn’t illegal, but he says it’s immoral.

“This is personal to me,” Kaufmann said. “I’m in the second district. I voted for Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Nancy Pelosi and Cindy Axne should not trump my vote.” At least a half dozen Democrats in the U.S. House have publicly expressed concerns about overturning Miller-Meeks election after former President Trump pressed to have congress overturn his loss to President Biden. Hart’s attorney, Marc Elias, says they have identified 22 legally cast ballots that were not counted.

“These are not hypothetical voters. These are not theoretical voters,” Elias says. “These are actual people who live in Iowa’s second congressional district who had their right to vote denied due to problems with the election administration or election judge error.” The U.S. House has considered more than 100 petitions like Hart’s over the past eight decades and wound up overturning the results in just four cases.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa House have passed a bill that would set up a new pathway for establishing a publicly-funded charter school. Representative Skyler Wheeler is a Republican from Orange City. “We are simply advocating for a proven education option to be made a little bit easier,” Wheeler says, “so parents and students can continue to search to ensure they get the best education setting for them.” If the bill becomes law, a so-called “founding group” could apply to the State Board of Education to start a charter school. Taxpayer funding for Iowa students in public districts who enroll in a charter school would shift over to the charter.

Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat from Sioux City, says charter schools cannot charge tuition, so Iowa taxpayers could end up paying to education out-of-state students who enroll. “There may still be questions about how many dollars this will end up taking from the state General Fund,” Hall says. Representative Mary Mascher, a Democrat from Iowa City, says under the state’s current charter school system, elected school board members have oversight of the local charter. “The taxpayers cannot vote the founding group out of office if the private charter fails the students in the charter,” Mascher said. “You know who loses? The students.” Wheeler, the bill’s floor manager, says Iowa’s existing charter school law doesn’t promote competition.

“In the current system, the tradiitional public school district signs off on whether a charter school starts up,” Wheeler says. “…If you gave the ability to HyVee to say, ‘Yes or No,’ to Fareway or Aldi or anybody else to come into town, I’d be a little shocked if they signed off on it.” The bill now goes to the Senate. Early this year, Republicans in the Iowa Senate passed a larger education package that included many of the concepts outlined in the House bill.

(Radio Iowa) – A San Francisco company is purchasing Pizza Hut restaurants in 24 Iowa locations. The Flynn Restaurant Group says the Iowa restaurants are part of the 937 Pizza Hut and 194 Wendy’s locations throughout the United States it is buying from the Kansas City-based N-P-C International. Atlantic’s Pizza Hut, which closed a few months ago, was not included in the sale.

The Iowa restaurants are in Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Waverly, Waukee, Dubuque, Charles City, Coralville, Iowa City, North Liberty, Cedar Rapids, Marion, Marshalltown, Altoona, Ankeny, Des Moines, Grimes, West Des Moines, Bettendorf, Davenport, Ames, Toledo, Norwalk, Fort Dodge, and Decorah. The company says it is the largest franchise operator in America.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The rural jail that has long been the largest detention facility for immigrants facing deportation in Iowa plans to stop housing long-term detainees without additional federal funding or other changes. The Hardin County Jail has informed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that it plans to end its current contract, citing a declining detainee population and new standards that have dramatically increased costs for medical care and suicide prevention.

Negotiations between the federal agency and the jail are ongoing, and administrator Nick Whitmore says no changes are expected to happen imminently.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber, Thursday released an updated report on plans for COVID-19 safety after Spring Break.  The letter to parents, students and district patrons is as follows:

(Atlantic) – Residents of Atlantic and Cass County lined the streets of Atlantic to welcome home 17-year old Steele McLaren, who arrived in a multi-vehicle caravan that included his parents, brothers and a fire truck.

Steele – who is an avid duck hunter – was obviously happy to be home, as he blew his duck call and waved to the people. The teen was injured Oct. 25^th, 2020, after he fell out of a moving pickup truck and struck his head on the pavement, while moving a duck blind from one location to another with friends. Since the accident, more than 35-thousand people locally and across the world have followed his progress on the Facebook page Praying for Steele #32strong.

Steele and his brothers arrive in Atlantic (Photo via Praying for Steele #32strong)

His story of recovery has been a catharsis for others with loved ones suffering from a TBI. Steele’s father, Dustin McLaren spoke with KJAN’s Jim Field in February about the outpouring of support.

Dustin said the support, both emotionally and financially, has been like nothing he’s ever seen before.

Barring any setbacks, Steele will continue to recover at home, with his family, friends and others by his side along the way, and the support of thousand of people will likely never meet.

Atlantic, IA —The Cass County Health System Board of Trustees voted on February 17, 2021, to set a tax rate of $2.25 per $1,000 of taxable property valuation for the fiscal year 2022 county budget. The current rate is $2.30, and the previous year was $2.50. CCHS Chief Financial Officer Abbey Stangl says “Year after year, our board continues to decrease our tax rate as part of our commitment to the residents of Cass County. They are attentive to being good stewards of taxpayer funds. Seeing the health and future projections of our organization, they did what’s right for us and our community by lowering the rate. It’s always a balance, and we appreciate their thoughtfulness and research into this matter every year.”

The board of trustees considers a number of metrics when setting the tax rate including the continued downward trend in healthcare reimbursement, dedication to managing operating expenses, offering competitive costs, and employee engagement and retention.

CCHS CEO Brett Altman praised the board for their decision saying, “Our goal is to provide a superior experience to our patients, families, and communities, and our vision is to become the best rural hospital in America. Part of that process and growth is being supportive of our community because we wouldn’t be here without the loyalty of our patients. This relationship is very reciprocal – the more our community chooses to keep their healthcare local, the more we can invest in the future of healthcare in Cass County, and the more we can lower our tax asking each year.”