(Radio Iowa) – The Secretary of State’s website now shows Democrat Rita Hart leading Republican Marriannette Miller-Meeks by 162 votes in Iowa’s second district congressional race.  The TOTAL number of votes listed on the website has also changed, by more than two-hundred votes. On Wednesday morning, the Secretary of State’s website showed Miller-Meeks leading by 282 votes.

Secretary of State Paul Pate and the Jasper County Auditor will be holding a news conference late this (Friday) morning in Newton, which is in the second congressional district. W-O-I Television in Des Moines reports state officials gave the Jasper County Auditor permission yesterday to recount ballots in one precinct after noticing the tabulation from that precinct was eight votes short of what it should have been. Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott told the station a counting machine had malfunctioned in that precinct and ballots were getting jammed.

(Radio Iowa) – Soon, two states that border Iowa will offer recreational marijuana for sale. Illinois started selling pot to Iowans in January, while next year, South Dakota will begin to grow, tax and sell it. South Dakota voters approved an initiative on Tuesday allowing medical marijuana, and a constitutional amendment allowing recreational use. Drey Samuelson, spokesman for South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, says it was a big victory. “Ten years ago, there was a medical marijuana initiative on the ballot and it lost two-to-one,” Samuelson says, “and a very similar initiative ten years later now passed by a margin greater than two-to-one. Attitudes are changing, just like people change.”

Both initiatives will take effect in South Dakota on July 1st of next year. Between now and then, that state’s legislature will have to determine how to launch and regulate the new industry, including whether people from neighboring states — like Iowa — may purchase the products. “The question is whether or not people are going to get it legally and have it be safe and have it be taxed, where the revenue goes to our public schools and our state’s general fund,” Samuelson says, “or whether it’s going to be sold in a back alley and it’s not going to be safe, you don’t know what it is or how strong it is, and the profits go to organized crime and illicit drug dealers.”

Iowans can legally buy marijuana in Illinois and they can legally consume it there, but it’s illegal to bring the pot back to Iowa and to use it here. Also, Illinois residents can buy larger quantities of marijuana there than Iowans. South Dakota may go a similar route in how it treats non-residents. Samuelson says the amendment was written to keep that state’s lawmakers from making changes to both the recreational and medical marijuana markets. “The good news is, Amendment A is a constitutional amendment and it protects Measure 26, the medical marijuana,” Samuelson says, “so the legislature can’t under it’s own volition change anything, frankly. They can mess with it around the edges, but they can’t repeal it.”

Sales in South Dakota will be limited to buyers who are 21 and older. This week, Arizona, Mississippi, Montana and New Jersey also passed measures to legalize marijuana.

MADISON, Wis. (November 6, 2020) – Seven food banks across the Midwest are receiving a total of $385,000 from the annual Drive Out Hunger golf event, held by Alliant Energy’s Foundation. The funds will purchase 1.15 million meals to fight hunger and provide food for local families. In our area, the Food Bank for the Heartland, in Omaha, and Food Bank of Iowa, in Des Moines, were the recipients of funds from the golf event. Officials say the golf event, traditionally held in-person, was re-envisioned as a virtual event in 2020 to prioritize safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sponsors were encouraged to follow social distancing guidelines and play golf on their own time during September and October.

Julie Bauer, Executive Director of the Alliant Energy Foundation, said “The need for food in communities is greater than ever as food banks are seeing an increase in first-time customers due to the pandemic. We’re thinking of innovative ways to continue supporting communities while keeping safety top of mind.” Bauer thanked event sponsors for continuing to participate in the Drive Out Hunger event in support of food banks. She said “Even though we were unable to be together in-person, we’re extremely pleased with the amount raised and are proud to partner with others who understand how critically important it is to support communities and families.”

InterCon Construction has been a major sponsor for all 14 years of Drive Out Hunger. In 2020, nearly 40 business partners teamed up with Alliant Energy to generate the funds. Other top sponsors this year included: Border States, Michels, Perkins Coie, PwC, and White Construction. Anna Hillebrandt, President of InterCon Construction, Inc., said  “InterCon is proud to be a sponsor of the Drive Out Hunger event over the years. This year, more than ever, it is important to support our communities in their fight against hunger. Our donation is just a small part; the real credit goes to the dedicated staff and volunteers of the partner food banks who are doing critical work.”

Over the past 14 years, Drive Out Hunger has raised $4.38 million, resulting in nearly 16 million meals for local families.

A traffic stop on Interstate 29 in Mills County, Wednesday night, resulted in two arrests. Sheriff’s officials say 61-year old Kim Jane Marie Canapp, and 48-year old April Dawn Camden, both of Council Bluffs, were arrested on drug charges at around 9-p.m.  Camden faces charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance (PCS), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and for having no valid driver’s license. Her bond was set at $1,000.

Canapp was charged with PCS/Delivery of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of prescription drugs. Her bond was set at $26,000. Both women were transported to the Mills County Jail.