DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Senate panel has failed to pass a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights for felons, killing one of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’s priorities for this year. In a statement, Reynolds expressed disappointment but said she remains committed to changing the law.

The House voted 95-2 last week to approve the resolution. It must be approved by the Senate and passed again by the Legislature in 2021 or 2022 before it would go to the voters.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Brad Zaun pulled the measure from the Thursday afternoon committee agenda, saying he didn’t have votes among his own Republican caucus. Some want to require total repayment of restitution and exclusion of those convicted of murder, rape, or child molestation.

Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen says it’s shameful that Zaun and other Republicans killed one of Reynolds’ priorities. People convicted of felonies now have voting rights revoked unless restored by the governor. Only Iowa and Kentucky have such strict requirements.

Glenwood Municipal Utilities announced on Thursday afternoon that they are lifting the Conserve Water Advisory for their customers in order to speed up the process of turning over the water in the system and returning to a normal treatment process. However the BOIL ORDER IS STILL IN PLACE until further notice.

Officials said users may now do household chores using water once again such as laundry, showers, car washing, and anything else not for consumption. Hydrants will also be flushed in order to help the process.

Further information will be released once more advancements have been completed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Diocese of Des Moines has released the names of nine priests it says are credibly accused of sexually abusing children. The Des Moines Register reports that a diocesan committee, which included local clergy, a police chief and a judge, investigated the allegations of abuse that spanned from 1940 to 1997.

All but two of the priests named are dead, and seven had already been tied to abuse allegations — including Albert Wilwerding, John Ryan, and Richard Wagner, who were all defrocked in 2003 after allegations against them were found credible.

Des Moines Bishop Richard Pates says he shares “the anger and frustration” over recent reports of abuse by clergy, and that he hopes the release of the list today (Thursday) will facilitate healing.

Red Oak Police were called to the Red Oak High School a little after 10-a.m. today (Thursday),  following a report of a juvenile female with possible drug paraphernalia. Upon further investigation, officers found the juvenile was in possession of drug paraphernalia, and an electronic vaping device. Another tobacco product and a container with residue of a controlled substance was also found.

The female was arrested and brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, where she was issued a citation for Possession of an Electronic Vaping Device, and she received a Juvenile Court citation for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The girl was then released to the custody of her parents. Her name was not released.

The Shelby County Board of Supervisors Chair and County Engineer Brandon Burmeister have re-activated a 10-ton secondary granular road embargo. This means all granular surfaced roads within Shelby County are embargoed to 10-ton vehicles/loads until further notice. Shelby County Engineer Brandon Burmeister says the uncharacteristicly wet weather pattern has prompted the embargo.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — An Altoona man has been given 25 years in prison for crashing while driving drunk, killing a friend. Jasper County District Court records say 26-year-old Michael Roney was sentenced Tuesday in Newton. He’d been convicted March 19 on charges stemming from the Sept. 23, 2017, crash that killed 27-year-old Jeremy O’Connor, who lived in Colfax.

The records say surveillance video showed the two drinking at a Colfax bar before they left. The Iowa State Patrol says Roney’s vehicle ran off the pavement on Iowa Highway 117 south of Mingo and then rolled, ejecting O’Connor. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is opening a Disaster Recovery Office in Mills County tomorrow (Friday). William Lindsey, Jr., with FEMA External Affairs, says the office will be open from 8-a.m. until 6-p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1-to 5-p.m., Sunday. The services will be tied-in with a Business Recovery Center that opened in Glenwood on Wednesday for the flood rebuilding and recovery. Lindsey told KJAN News FEMA is the “Mother Ship” for all disaster recovery operations in the U-S. FEMA offers grants. The SBA offers low-interest loans for disaster relief. Officials want anyone whose homes or business was affected by flooding, to register with FEMA at 1-800-621-3362.

You can also register online at disasterassistance.gov. By registering with FEMA, Lindsey says you can look into recovery resources available on the website, or in-person at their office in Glenwood.) Recovery specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and other state and federal agencies will provide information on available services, explain assistance programs and help survivors complete or check the status of their applications at the center, which is located at 111 Lacey St., in Glenwood.

Another Disaster Recovery Center is already open in Sidney at the Fremont County Emergency Management Office (2014 290th Ave.), which is open during the same hours as the Glenwood Center. Iowa homeowners, renters and business owners in Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona and Woodbury counties – which were included in the major disaster declaration for Individual Assistance – may apply for assistance for uninsured and underinsured damage and losses due to severe storms and flooding from March 12 and continuing.

One-on-one assistance includes:

• Help to register for FEMA’s Individual Assistance program.
• Help completing paperwork and checking the status of your application.
• Help applying for the SBA’s low-interest disaster loans for businesses, private nonprofits, homeowners and renters.
• Referrals to other state, federal and voluntary organizations offering information about additional disaster assistance.
• Help understanding how to appeal FEMA eligibility decisions.
• Accommodations to meet the needs of the entire community including people with disabilities. Centers are equipped with captioned phones, video remote interpreting and assistive listening devices. If you need an accommodation or assistance due to a disability, please notify FEMA staff at the time of registration or anytime during the assistance process.

Applicants for disaster assistance should have the following information on hand:

• Social Security number
• Address of the damaged primary residence
• Description of the damage
• Information about insurance coverage

Authorities in Creston report (9:43-a.m.) Mediacom is having an outage in Creston. Officials are unsure how long this will last. Please be aware that if you have Mediacom Phones you are UNABLE to call 9-1-1. Please make sure you have access to a cell phone if you need to call 9-1-1 until this outage is resolved.

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — A growing number of U.S. colleges are trying to ease students’ anxieties around failure and teach them to cope with it. On many campuses, it’s meant to combat climbing rates of stress, depression and other problems that have been blamed on reduced resilience or grit among younger generations. Across the country, campus mental health officials report today’s students appear to have a harder time bouncing back from adversity. Counseling centers have seen surging demand, often from students overwhelmed by everyday stresses. Professors have raised concerns about students’ fragility when it comes to receiving bad grades.

Colleges have responded with an array of programs meant to boost resilience and help students catch up on life skills. When it comes to grades, Cornell College in Iowa is warning professors that they shouldn’t soften their scoring for the sake of students’ emotions. A directive on the issue notes that “a grade of a C or below is not the end of the world.” “Normalize failure. It’s part of life. It’s one way we learn,” the message says. “Sometimes students need to fail, and not be given an undeserved grade by a sympathetic faculty member.”

Others are highlighting the failures of successful people. Harvard University has a website sharing rejection letters received by faculty, staff and alumni. Experts propose a variety of theories to explain why today’s students might be struggling. Some say the pressure to succeed is stronger than ever, making even small failures seem disastrous. Some say social media floods students with images of perfection that make them feel bad about their own lives. Others blame parents who tightly manage their children’s lives and shield them from failure — a tendency taken to the extreme in the college admissions bribery scandal , in which dozens of parents were charged last month with paying bribes to help their children get into top schools.
Whatever the cause, mental health issues appear to be on the rise on college campuses.

A 2018 survey by the American College Health Association found that 22% of college students were diagnosed with anxiety or treated for it over the past year, up from 10% a decade before. The rate for depression rose from 10% to 17% in the same span, the survey found. Efforts to tackle campus mental health have sometimes been met by sneers. On social media, some observers mock a generation of fragile “snowflakes” who need “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings.” But mental health advocates counter that today’s students are grappling with a host of pressures that past generations didn’t, from social media to the threat of school violence.