A White House task force on rural America has released its recommendations and improving broadband access is a top priority. Ninety-six percent of city residents have access to high-speed connections, compared to just 61 percent of rural residents. President Trump addressed the disparity yesterday (Monday) during a speech at the American Farm Bureau convention in Nashville. Trump also spoke briefly about the North American Free Trade Agreement. “On NAFTA, I am working very hard to get a better deal for our country and for our farmers and for our manufacturers,” Trump said, to applause.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump called NAFTA a bad deal. The pact was opened to renegotiation this past August. American Farm Bureau Vice President Scott VanderWal says the Farm Bureau’s call for renewing NAFTA rather than scrapping it is well known to the Trump Administration. “They know very well that there are people nervous out there in farm country,” he said.

Representatives of the U.S., Canada and Mexico will resume NAFTA talks later this month.

(Radio Iowa)

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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MANLY, Iowa (AP) — Police are investigating the death of a 7-month-old girl who was being cared for at an in-home day care in northern Iowa. Manly police say in a news release that medics were sent to the home in Manly around 3 p.m. Dec. 28. They performed CPR on the baby, and she was taken to a Mason City hospital. Manly Police Chief Aaron Pals says the little girl was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Her name and those of her parents haven’t been released. Pals says state agencies are aiding the investigation. No arrest has been reported.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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The Creston Police Department reports two arrests took place Monday afternoon. At around 12:15-p.m., 18-year old Kimberlyn Albrechtsen, of Afton, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. She was taken into custody on a Union County warrant for Simple Assault. Albrechtsen was subsequently released on a $300 bond.

And, at around 1:30-p.m., Monday, 26-year old Dalton Cormeny, of Murray, was arrested on an Adair County warrant for Failure to serve jail time. Cormeny was transferred to the custody of Adair County Deputies.

FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) — A 32-year-year-old Forest City man faces two charges connected with the shooting of a school bus. No one was injured in Friday’s incident, when a bus window was shattered by a shot from a pellet gun. Authorities say Martin Tindall is charged with felony intimidation with a dangerous weapon and with misdemeanor criminal mischief. He’s due in court Friday. Court records say he told investigators that he’d shot toward the bus.

KJAN’s sister-station KNOD in Harlan reported on their social media page, Monday evening, that an accident involving a van occurred at Concerned, Inc., in Harlan that same evening. The van collided with the side of the building, but it wasn’t immediately clear if there were injuries. We’ll have more additional information when it becomes available.

Photo by KNOD staff

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) — Two more former Glenwood State Resource Center workers charged with mistreating residents have pleaded guilty. The Des Moines Register reports that 50-year-old Darrel Case pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of wanton neglect of a resident of a health care facility. His wife, 43-year-old Dana Case, pleaded guilty to one count. They’re scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 12.

Earlier this year 13 workers at the center quit or were fired over abuse allegations. An Iowa Department of Human Services investigation that found several clients were physically abused or subjected to verbal abuse or neglect. The center provides services for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

History will be made in the Iowa Capitol today (Tuesday) when Kim Reynolds becomes the first female governor to deliver the annual “Condition of the State” address. Reynolds told reporters yesterday (Tuesday) she’ll emphasize that when you “challenge yourself, big things can happen.”

“It’s more about acknowledging that, you know, as a small town girl from rural Iowa, if you dream big and work hard, anything can happen,” Reynolds said during a statehouse news conference, “and I think that applies to anybody.” This will be the third major speech Reynolds has delivered since she took over as governor in late May. Over the past several weeks, Reynolds has said she’ll use today’s (Tuesday’s) speech to unveil the “broad ideas” she has for tax cuts. “Delivering my vision for not only tax reform, but for Iowa moving forward,” Reynolds says.

Reynolds has been arguing cutting the state’s income tax rate will make Iowa more competitive. She’s also been promising to focus the tax relief on “working class families.” “We ought to do everything we can to make sure they can keep more of their hard-earned money,” Reynolds said. “People are working hard and what I still here is they’re struggling to make ends meet.”

Reynolds has hinted water quality and developing a more skilled Iowa workforce are among the other “pressing issues” she’ll discuss today (Tuesday). The annual “Condition of the State” address also requires a look back at 2017 and Reynolds has been telling crowds these are “exciting and critical times for Iowa.” “We have a great story to tell,” Reynolds says. “Iowa has so much capacity and opportunity within our borders.”

Republican legislative leaders have been talking about reducing Iowa’s income taxes and an analysis obtained by a blogger indicated the G-O-P would like to phase out the state inheritance tax as well. Senate Republican Leader Bill Dix says voters sent Republicans to Des Moines to cut taxes.”Tax relief is about emboldening our middle class and encouraging our citizens to invest in themselves, their local businesses and in our state,” Dix said yesterday during a speech on the legislature’s opening day.

Democrats in the legislative warn against mimicking the 2012 tax cut package in Kansas that’s left a current 900 million dollar state budget deficit there.  Senate Minority Leader Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines said “It would be irresponsible for Iowa to go down that road. Iowans want us to make wise decisions to improve our state. We can’t afford to repeat the mistakes of others.”

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature has formally launched its latest session. Legislative leaders from both chambers gaveled in shortly after 10 a.m. Monday at the state Capitol in Des Moines. The day is expected to be focused mostly on ceremonial speeches. Republicans with majorities in the Senate and House will set the agenda for the session, and they’ve indicated that overhauling Iowa’s tax code will be high on their to-do list. A proposal has not been shared publicly.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature has hired a human resources director to oversee harassment complaints at the state Capitol. Colin Tadlock, a spokesman for House Republicans, confirmed Monday the manager will begin work Jan. 21. The state agreed in September to pay $1.75 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a former GOP Senate staffer who said she was fired after reporting sexual misconduct in the workplace. The Legislature is still grappling with the fallout.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa attorney general’s office has filed a lawsuit against a former Sioux City council member alleging the improper storage and disposal of millions of pounds of electronics and hazardous waste. The Sioux City Journal reports the state filed the lawsuit Monday against Aaron Rochester, seeking unspecified civil penalties and a permanent injunction against his recycling businesses. The state says more than 17 million pounds of waste has been stored at facilities in Iowa and Nebraska.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A California man from Russia charged with using stolen identification from Russian immigrants to file fraudulent unemployment benefits in Iowa and two other states has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. Court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Iowa say Nikolai Monastyrski also must repay the state of Illinois more than $230,000, Iowa more than $114,000 and Pennsylvania $46,000.