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House Speaker says bill to help Boy Scout abuse victims needs review

News

April 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The top Republican in the Iowa House says there needs to be more review of a bill designed to ensure Iowa men who were sexually abused by Boy Scout leaders decades ago get full payments from a national settlement. Iowa’s current time limit on suing perpetrators of childhood sexual abuse means Iowa victims could get as little as 30 percent of the money victims in other states will receive if the legislature doesn’t act soon. The Senate unanimously passed a bill on the topic this week, but House Speaker Pat Grassley says the legislation could have broad implications.

“We understand that what these victims went through is a very terrible that they’ve experienced,” Grassley says. “While the bill is crafted very narrowly, this is a significant change.” Under Iowa law, survivors of child sex abuse must file lawsuits seeking damages before they turn 20 — or within four years of realizing they were victims of sex abuse as a child. The bill would waive those time limits for former Boy Scouts.

“We recognize that this is a really difficult situation, but the last few weeks of session it’s really hard to be able to find resolution.” Grassley says the bill originated in the Senate committee that writes budgets, and he’s having members of the House panel that considers court-related matters review it.

“This is a much bigger deal than I think it’s being perceived to be and I would say probably everyone would say from all sides it’s a big deal, but changing this is a fundamental change the way we typically do things in Iowa when it comes to statute of limitations, so I don’t think this is something we can just rush though,” Grassley says. “That being said, I understand the clock is ticking as well.”

According to a lawyer who’s familiar with the case, the governor needs to sign the bill into law by April 19th for Iowa adults who were victimized by Boy Scout leaders to get a full payment from the legal settlement. A two-and-a-half BILLION dollar settlement fund has been created to pay 82-thousand men in the U-S who say they were abused by troop leaders. Between 300 and 350 of those men are Iowans.

SHIRLEY J. JENSEN, 82, of Audubon (Celebration of Life Svcs. 4/13/24)

Obituaries

April 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

SHIRLEY J. JENSEN, 82, of Audubon, died March 16, 2024, at the Exira Care Center, in Exira. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service for SHIRLEY JENSEN will be held 10:30-a.m. Saturday, April 13, 2024, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

A family visitation will be held on Saturday, one-hour prior to the service (from 9:30-until 10:30-a.m.).

Burial is in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.

SHIRLEY J. JENSEN is survived by:

Her sons – Rod (Mary Kay) Jensen, and Jay Jensen.

Her daughter – Deb (Rich) McKnight.

Her brothers – Robert (Pam) Jensen, of Audubon, and Clark (Christine) Jensen, of Ankeny.

6 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, her in-laws, other relatives and friends.

High School Girls golf results from April 11th

Sports

April 12th, 2024 by admin

FILLIE INVITATIONAL

Large School

1. Lewis Central (397)

2. Harlan (422)

3. Denison-Schleswig (425)

4. Glenwood (451)

 5. Abraham Lincoln (454)

6. Clarinda (512)

Creston (NTS)

Bedford (NTS)

 

Small School

1. Sidney (411)

2. Mount Ayr (412)

3. Red Oak (416)

4. Shenandoah (454)

5. St. Albert (458)

 6. Southwest Valley (470)

East Mills (NTS)

Nodaway Valley (NTS)

 

Boyer Valley 229 West Central Valley 303 CAM NTS Exira/EHK NTS

Medalist: Kylie Kepford, Exira/EHK (55)

 

Missouri Valley 252 Griswold NTS Essex NTS

Medalist: Linsey Keiser, Griswold (46)

 

Clarke 188 Southeast Warren 237 Wayne NTS

Medalist: Alleena Fry, Clarke (43)

High School Boys Golf results from Thursday April 11th

Sports

April 12th, 2024 by admin

LEWIS CENTRAL TOURNAMENT 

1. Lewis Central (322)

2. Shenandoah (324)

3. Glenwood (330)

4. Atlantic (333)

5. Missouri Valley (346)

6. East Mills (366)

8. Fremont-Mills (374)

 9. St. Albert (375)

10. Red Oak (379)

11. Logan-Magnolia (382)

 12. Riverside (384)

13. Creston (394)

14. Heartland Christian (473)

Medalist: Lewis Central, Joe Miller (73)

 

Essex 219 Griswold 220

Medalist: Hogan Hook, Griswold (47)

 

DES MOINES CHRISTIAN TOURNAMENT

2. Treynor (331)

8. Coon Rapids-Bayard (366)

 

CAM 175, Boyer Valley 188, Exira/EHK 197 West Central Valley 198

Medalist: Chase Jahde, CAM (37)

 

Mount Ayr 163 Central Decatur 240 Martensdale-St. Marys 241

Medalist: Jaxson Greene, Mount Ayr (38)

 

Wayne 160 Southeast Warren 183 

Medalist: Nash Buckingham, Wayne (35)

High School Girls and Boys Soccer Scores from Thursday April 11th

Sports

April 11th, 2024 by admin

Girls

Denison-Schleswig 2 Logan-Magnolia 0 

Winterset 10 Creston 0

Thomas Jefferson 4 Missouri Valley 0

Johnston 1 Underwood 0

Tri-Center 2 West Central Valley 1

Panorama 10 AHSTW 0

Sioux City East 3 Sergeant Bluff-Luton 1

 

Boys

Creston 7 Atlantic 2

Treynor 2 Glenwood 1

Lewis Central 2 Sioux City North 1

Kuemper Catholic 1 Underwood 0

Panorama 8 AHSTW 3

Thomas Jefferson 11 Missouri Valley 1

 

Griswold Tiger Girls Track Update

Sports

April 11th, 2024 by admin

The Griswold Tiger girls track team is off to a great start.

Coach Rachel Larson commented on how well things are going so far this season.

Coach Larson had this to say about the early success of this years Tiger’s track team.

Coach Larson elaborated on how some of her individuals are doing this year.

Coach Larson says she is looking forward to seeing how well her track team improves the rest of the season.

The Tigers next track meet will be at the Lenox Cooed Meet on April 15th in Lenox. That meet will get underway at 4:30 p.m

 

CAM Cougar Boys Track Update

Sports

April 11th, 2024 by admin

The CAM Cougars boys track season is off to a great start.

CAM Cougars coach Drew Ticknor says he has been very pleased the Cougars have started the season.

Coach Ticknor said the upperclassmen are great role models for the for the track program.

Coach Ticknor talked about how well senior Jack Follmann has been doing in some events this season.

Coach Ticknor elaborated on what his team’s strengths in events are for the year.

The Cougars next track meet will be the CAM Classic Track Meet on April 16th in Atlantic. That meet will start at 4:30 p.m.

Weekend’s brush fire in Pottawattamie County reignites from strong winds

News

April 11th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Council Bluffs Fire Department said the wind has caused some of the small fires from the weekend that were still smoldering to ignite again. First responders have set up command as the fire continues to burn.The fire is along Interstate 29 near the Pottawattamie County Jail. KETV reports I-29 is still open, but fire officials do not recommend driving on it between Council Bluffs and Crescent.

The 16th Street and N 25th Street, I-29 on ramps have been closed. The fire is on both sides of the interstate. Fire officials said 40 to 60 acres of land have been affected by the fire. The city of Council Bluffs is under a burn ban.

A field fire also broke out in Mead, Nebraska, on Thursday, burning almost 80 acres of land.Another factor in the brush fire is Nebraska and Iowa’s ongoing drought.

JANET HOEGH, 95, of Atlantic (Svcs. 4/20/24)

Obituaries

April 11th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

JANET HOEGH, 95, of Atlantic, died Thursday, April 11, 2024, at the Allen Place in Atlantic. Funeral services for JANET HOEGH will be held 1:30-p.m. Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Roland Funeral Home, in Atlantic.

Open visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m., Friday, April 19th followed by visitation with the family present from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Roland Funeral Home.

A private family burial will take place in the Atlantic Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to the family for later designation to Salem Lutheran Home and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

JANET HOEGH is survived by:

Her daughter – Lynette (Dennis) Lew, of Tacoma, WA.

Her sons – Dan (Allison Berryhill) Hoegh, of Atlantic, and Thomas (Catherine Rothstein), of Edina, MN.

Her sister – Sonja Switzer, of Sioux Center.

11 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; and her brother-in-law, Roger Klopp of LeMars.

Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com

Supreme court hears fetal heartbeat law arguments

News

April 11th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court heard oral arguments today (Thursday) on the fetal heartbeat law that’s been on hold since the the governor signed the bill. The state’s attorney, Eric Wessen, argued the state has a rational interest in enacting the law and that’s how it should be viewed. “A majority of this court held and Planned Parenthood 2022 that abortion is not a fundamental right subject to strict scrutiny so under its long standing substantive due process jurisprudence this court should apply rational basis,” he says. Wessen says the state has “The right of life, the important value of health and well being of mothers, the integrity of medical profession, each of those can be found in Iowa code section 146 E,” he says.

Wessen says he believes the district court would have to drop its injunction if the High Court follows his argument. “If this court explains and holds that rational basis is the proper standard of review the state is confident that this law which is duly enacted by the legislature and is entitled to the presumption of constitutionality will survive that review,” he says. Peter Im represented Planned Parenthood and the A-C-L-U of Iowa which are seeking to block the law. He says a rational interest interpretation should not be used.

“P-P-H 2022 which is the controlling precedent clearly stated that undue burden quote remains the governing standard unquote. The district court got it right by applying that standard and certainly did not abuse its discretion by committing legal error,” Im says. He says the law block the rights of women.

“Iowans’ ability to make decisions, private and personal medical decisions, to exercise bodily autonomy and to decide what when and whether to have children,” Im says. Justices Christopher McDonald and Susan Christensen asked Im about his argument that women were not properly represented when abortion was banned after Iowa became a state. They asked why a law should be blocked that was passed by a legislature that now includes duly-elected women.

“The level of deference to the legislature is certainly most important I think in issues of policy. But when it comes to individual rights, there is no political question doctrine. There is no doctrine that says that this court should defer to the legislature if the legislature passes a law that rides roughshod over the right of Iowans to exercise bodily autonomy,” he says.

The court is expected to issue a ruling in June.