As distrust in election integrity rises nationwide, Christy McCormick with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission said the agency is working with local election officials to combat misinformation about election security, check that voting systems are working correctly and ensure they are prepared for Nov. 5. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports McCormick spoke at the Iowa State Association of County Auditors summer conference in Des Moines Thursday, going over resources available through the EAC to local and state officials. In the lead-up to the 2024 general election, McCormick said election officials are facing new challenges with public perception.

“There’s a new interest in elections and every part of the election process that we never used to see back, you know, 10, 15 years ago,” McCormick said. “There’s a lot more scrutiny on election officials now, every single move that they make is being watched. So they have to be careful, they have to be as perfect as they possibly can. … They’re under a lot of stress, so we’re trying to provide them with resources, trying to get new election officials up to speed.”

The commission, created through the 2002 Help America Vote Act, is the federal government body dedicated to overseeing and providing resources on election administration to officials throughout the country, including ensuring voting systems meet federal guidelines, certifying voting equipment and maintaining the National Mail Voter Registration Form.

In Iowa, the EAC official spoke about resources through the commission available to county auditors and local election offices ahead Nov. 5. For example, McCormick said, Iowa uses the voluntary EAC program for testing and certifying voting systems. Other resources are available to ensure election systems are secure, she said, like the Field Services Program bringing EAC staff to test machines and conduct manufacturer audits, and a “learning lab” launched to train new election officials.

The EAC also works with states and Congress on HAVA grants, federal funding for election security efforts distributed to states. Congress approved $55 for these grants in 2024, a compromise reached between the Democrat-controlled Senate’s proposal of $75 million and the Republican-controlled House proposal of zero dollars. The most recent appropriation falls below the $75 million approved in fiscal years 2023 and 2022.

U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner Christy McCormick spoke at the Iowa State Association of County Auditors summer conference in Des Moines June 27, 2024 about federal resources available to local election officials. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

According to EAC data compiled in 2023, Iowa has received more than $46 million in federal funds for election security and maintenance since 2003.

McCormick said the EAC is also working with local and state election officials on safety precautions, including trainings with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service on how to respond to potentially hazardous mail, or how to take private information off online search engines to prevent stalking or doxxing.

Though elections officials are facing more attention because of heightened concerns about integrity, McCormick encouraged people with questions and concerns to be in contact with their local election offices. One of the best ways to learn about how the election process works is to get involved, she said, encouraging people to become poll workers and to vote.

Officials are preparing for an “interesting” election season, she said, but that the EAC is working with officials on how to respond to situations where problems do arise, encouraging transparency on processes like auditing and recounts, as well as making contingency plans in case emergencies arise on Election Day.

MASON CITY, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — Thursday marked 29 years of searching for answers in the disappearance of Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit. It was also the final day for a $100,000 reward offered by a private investigator, for information that leads to her remains. Earlier this year, private investigator Steve Ridge upped his reward for information from $50,000 to $100,000.

Jodi Huisentruit (file photo)

Huisentruit was reported missing in 1995 after she never showed up for work in Mason City. Investigators believe she was kidnapped. Huisentruit was legally declared dead six years later.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Two more reports of avian flu in Sioux County dairy herds were announced on Thursday, marking the 13th report of bird flu in dairy cattle herds in Iowa for June.  Sioux County’s problems with bird flu continue as these two recent reports leave the county with 12 reports of cattle herds and one chicken flock infected with the virus. These two most recent cases of bird flu infected a 980-cow herd and one with 2,500 cattle. Cows generally recover from the virus within two weeks. The virus is typically deadly to poultry and flocks are culled to prevent spread of the infection.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced new rules for dairy cattle in exhibitions on Tuesday in hopes of limiting the spread of the disease.  Also on Tuesday, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced four states – Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico and Texas – would voluntarily test for bird flu in bulk milk tanks at dairies. Pasteurization kills the virus, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the agency is urging people to avoid drinking raw milk.

Outside of Sioux County, Sac, Plymouth, Cherokee and O’Brien counties have each had one report of bird flu.

(Radio Iowa) – The governor is extending the disaster proclamation for Sioux, Cherokee, and Sac counties for a full month due to confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in all three counties. State veterinarian Dr. Jeff Kaisand says state and federal teams are working closely to trace how the 11 recent bird flu outbreaks in dairy cattle herds in northwest Iowa may be linked to things like dairy workers, feed, delivery trucks, or wild birds flying through the area. “We are trying as hard as we can right now to identify — with producers’ cooperation — what those connections are and it may not just be one thing,” Kaisand says. “That’s why it’s very important that producers put biosecurity plans in place on their farm and looking at how they are connected to the outside world.”

While much is being learned about the virus and how it spreads, Kaisand says many new questions continue to emerge. “For weeks, the virus can be found in the milk of cows, so any type of contact with infected milk, whether it’s a cow going through a milking parlor, any contact with milk,” Kaisand says, “so we do know there’s cow-to-cow transmission and movements of cows from an infected farm to another farm can carry the virus.” Starting July First, the state will require all dairy exhibitors to complete bird flu testing within seven days of moving to an exhibition, like at county fairs, to minimize the potential spread of the virus. Researchers are puzzled by cases where there’s been no movement of cattle from farm-to-farm and bio-security measures were followed, yet the virus has spread.

“What’s circulating in dairies has been found in what’s called pari-domestic birds, starlings and grackles,” Kaisand says. “It’s not as of yet — and it may be because we haven’t tested enough wild birds — but it’s not been found in the migratory birds, so whether that’s a pathway, we’re also not sure.”

The governor’s extension of the disaster proclamation for the three counties through July 26th allows state resources to be used to help with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection.

(Radio Iowa) – A coalition of local economic development, municipal and business leaders in Perry have worked together for several months to help the city prepare for today’s (Friday) closing of the Tyson plant. Perry City manager Sven Peterson says their efforts until now have focused on helping the workers. “We’re going to be moving into a strategic planning process that will be very action focused to be able to really have a very accountable and mindful process for us to move forward as a community together,” he says. Peterson says they now want to find a way to keep the workers in Perry.

“From closing day on we’re really going to be focusing on the next phase of repair of kind of making sure that we can do as much as we possibly can to replace those jobs that were lost,” he says. Peterson says the plant has some 13-hundred employees and it is estimated that 800 live in Perry and there are 300 kids in the school system with parents at the plant. Peterson says part of the effort is to get another business into town with jobs for those workers.

“We’ve been working pretty heavily with Tyson trying to get them as many contacts as possible that might be interested in the Tyson facility,” Peterson says. “But then we’ve also been really pushing and advertising our industrial park on the east side of town.” He says the industrial park has some opportunities for business. Peterson says they are not going to let the closing get the community down.

“We could kind of take this as a major blow to the community or look at it as an opportunity. And we’ve definitely had our fair share of difficult situations in the past, but in the end we have never backed down from a challenge and you know, we’ve always come out stronger as a result,” Peterson says. While they have know about the closing for months, they now have to deal with the reality of it. He says the emotions vary widely.

“Overall, I think everybody is in a different stage, whether it’s specific employees losing their jobs, other business owners in the community, wondering maybe how it might affect their business. But overall, I think it’s kind of just a, yep, this is happening and we’re going to be moving forward and we’re going to be able to be maintaining ourselves in a strong, resilient manner moving forward,” he says.

Peterson is a Perry native and says they have gotten a lot of help from the state and officials in nearby cities and counties in trying to deal with the closing.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds believes the burgeoning market for hemp-infused candies, drinks and other products is taking advantage of the 2018 Farm Bill’s hemp provision. “I had issues with this bill from the beginning. It was never designed to do that, it was the intent of the hemp bill. It was actually another commodity for our farmers. That was actually the intent,” Reynolds says. New regulations on these products begin in July that only allow people who are 21 and older to buy the hemp infused items. And the state will restrict the potency of these products to four milligrams of T-H-C per serving or ten milligrams per container.

Reynolds visited Alcohol & Drug Dependency Services of Southeast Iowa in Keokuk, and says the state regulations address the issues that the Farm Bill didn’t. “It didn’t deal with minors and their access to T-H-C. This mixing T-H-C with alcohol. That’s a dangerous combination. I’m at a recovery center and we want to make sure people are informed,” she says.

Two Iowa companies which make the hemp infused products are suing the state over the new regulations. The lawsuit says the regulations would criminalize 80 percent of their current inventories. Neither company sells products that mix T-H-C and alcohol.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has announced it will issue a ruling this (Friday) morning on a law that would ban most abortions in Iowa. Attorney General Brenna Bird spoke about the case at a rally last weekend. “Our office made all of the legal arguments to uphold our ‘Heartbeat Law,’ so I ask you this: pray for justice,” Bird said and the crowd applauded “We know the law is on our side. We absolutely do.”

Opponents of the law held an online discussion last (Thursday) night. Jennifer Konfrst, the leader of Democrats in the Iowa House, was the host. “This week has been a whirlwind of emotions,” she said. “I go from dread to hope to motivated to sad to angry. It’s just really hard to believe a ban could really be here in Iowa.” Mazie Stilwell of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa says the court may or may not answer all the questions surrounding this case.  “It’s really hard to overstate the gravity of the moment that we’re in,” Stilwell said.

Governor Reynolds called the legislature into special session last July and signed the law, which bans abortions after fetal activity can be detected, around the sixth week of a pregnancy. There would be exceptions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. A district court judge issued an injunction after a lawsuit was filed and the six week ban has not been enforced

(Radio Iowa) – The Northeast Iowa Community College Board of Trustees has voted for a second time to fire president Herbert Riedel after an appeal ruling. And independent administrative law judge determined the Board of Trustees was justified in terminating Reidel’s contract, an action the board took in March. Riedel appealed the decision, and after Thursday’s hearing, the Trustees voted unanimously to terminate his contract.

Reidel was placed on administrative leave in October of last year. In a letter to the editor of the Driftless Journal, Riedel claimed he was put on leave as retaliation for complaints he made about Trustee Chair Jim Anderson.

The college stated the decision came down to issues raised during his initial evaluation and complaints regarding hiring practices and treatment of administrative staff.

MORAVIA, Iowa — Authorities in eastern Iowa this (Thursday) afternoon, released the name of a teen who died while swimming near the Buck Creek swimming area at Rathbun Lake, Wednesday evening. The 17-year-old was identified as Ayden Beeson. His body was recovered a little after 7:30-p.m., Wednesday, in 15 to 20 feet of water. Beeson, who graduated from Centerville High School this spring, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was last seen in the water at around 6:15-p.m., Wednesday.  The incident remains under investigation.

Centerville schools posted a statement on its Facebook page Thursday saying, in part:

“Ayden was an active member of our school community, participating in football, tennis, and was elected Prom King by his peers. Students and staff recognized that Ayden was a genuinely kind person who treated every student and staff member with respect. For the last two summers, Ayden also served as a summer maintenance worker for the school district helping to prepare our buildings for each fall. He was a hard worker who did his best at everything he did and made a positive impression on everyone around him. Words cannot express the depth of the sadness felt by the school community in this horrible tragedy. Our thoughts are with Ayden’s family and friends as they work through this tragic event.

District officials say there will be grief counselors and other staff available Friday for any students, staff and local families who are grieving:

Ames, Iowa – Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) brought home two major honors from the 2024 Iowa Public Transit Association Annual Awards last week. SWITA was named the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Regional Transit System of the Year and received the FTA Region 7 Rural Transit Systems Award of Excellence. The awards were handed out on Thursday, June 6th at the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in Ames.

The Iowa DOT Award is based on several factors meant to represent ridership and efficiency. SWITA has earned this award again due to record ridership all while being the most cost-efficient system in the state. The FTA Region 7 Rural Transit Systems Award of Excellence is derived from the best year-over-year ridership percentage and number increase from 2021-2022. SWITA also received this award in 2021 with 377,547 rides provided that fiscal year. 2022 ridership went up to 480,229 rides, resulting in the award presented this year. SWITA will hold this honor for the 2023 year as well with 526,300 rides provided.

SWITA Transit Director Mark Lander said, “SWITA continues to see growth with all our services. This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the men and women at SWITA that work day in and day out to get the people of Southwest Iowa where they need to go. This takes everyone from the board, the office, the shop, and the drivers.”

SWITA accepting the FTA Region 7 Rural Transit Systems Award of Excellence. (L-R: FTA Deputy Regional Administrator Mark Bechtel, SWITA Transit Director Mark Lander, SWITA Transit Scheduler Tracy Clark, FTA Operations and Program Management Director William Kalt. (Photos and info. courtesy Chris Parks)

SWITA accepting the Iowa DOT Regional Transit System of the Year Award (L-R: Amy Colwell, Iowa DOT; Emma Simmons, Iowa DOT; Jamie Wingert, Iowa DOT; Laura Lutz-Zimmerman, Iowa DOT; Mark Lander, SWITA Transit Director; Tracy Clark, SWITA Transit Scheduler; Kristin Haar, Iowa DOT; Matthew Oetker, Iowa DOT

SWITA transportation is accessible to everyone in the eight-county region, including the disabled and elderly. SWITA offers several transportation options including work routes, medical trips, student transportation, taxi service in six communities, and special/charter trips. SWITA vehicles are equipped with wheelchair accessibility and one personal attendant rides free.

Southwest Iowa Planning Council Executive Director John McCurdy said, “At SWITA we’re lucky to have the best staff and drivers anywhere who go the extra mile to get our clients where they need to go. Public transportation means freedom of movement for our riders and adds fuel to our local economy. Many take for granted being able to hop in a car and go somewhere but not everyone has that luxury. These awards recognize the fact that Southwest Iowa has one of the best public transit systems in the state, which makes all aspects of life more accessible to our residents, whether they have a car or not.”

You can find out more about SWITA by visiting our website SWITA.com and you can follow us on
Facebook for regular updates. For questions or to request a ride, contact SWITA at 712-243-2518 or
1-800-842-8065.