(Radio Iowa) [CORRECTION TO ORIGINAL REPORT] – Iowa’s attorney general has filed a legal brief asking the state’s Supreme Court to let a so-called “fetal heartbeat” law go into effect. Wednesday’s filing comes a day after voters in Republican-leaning Ohio ratified a constitutional amendment to guarantee abortion access. Governor Kim Reynolds says she won her 2018 race after signing the bill to ban most abortions after the sixth week of a pregnancy when fetal activity typically can be detected. The governor’s legal counsel worked with the attorney general on the brief that argues the law should go into effect.

In 2019, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the bill was unconstitutional. Since then, Reynolds has appointed five of the court’s seven justices. After the U-S Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned Roe v Wade, Reynolds asked the Iowa Supreme Court to let that 2018 law go into effect, but the Iowa court, in a tie vote, kept an injunction in place preventing the six-week abortion ban from going into effect. Reynolds says it’s time for the court to uphold the law once and for all.

Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says a law banning abortion at six weeks is not what a rapidly growing majority of Iowans want and Democrats will stand up to Republicans on the abortion issue.

Radio Iowa reports on Wednesday mistakenly suggested the Iowa Supreme Court agreed just yesterday to hear legal arguments over the Fetal Heartbeat Act. The court made that announcement in late July and it was Attorney General Bird’s legal brief that was filed yesterday (Wednesday).

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Utilities Board hearing on Summit Carbon Solutions proposed pipeline has resumed this week. A schedule on the board’s website indicates that tomorrow (Thursday), the company will start offering its rebuttal to dozens of landowners who’ve testified they do not want the pipeline on their property. Neil Dahlquist, who owns land in Palo Alto County, testified this (Wednesday) morning. Dahlquist says he’s been unable to get confirmation that his insurance company would provide liability coverage if the pipeline ruptured.

Dahlquist, who is a neurologist in Minnesota, suggests if the pipeline is built, it will shut down when federal tax credits for carbon capture expire.

A bill President Biden signed last year establishes a tax credit worth 60 dollars for every metric ton of sequestered carbon. The U-S Treasury Department estimates two-point-three BILLION dollars in carbon tax credits will be claimed between now and 2029. Ethanol plants have signed up to connect to Summit’s proposed pipeline, expecting to market carbon neutral ethanol as a result. Groups like the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and the Iowa Corn Growers say capturing carbon from ethanol plants is key to the industry’s long term survival. Last month, Navigator cancelled its carbon pipeline project. The company cited unpredictable regulatory processes in states along the proposed pipeline route.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors breezed through their short agenda this (Wednesday) morning. During their meeting, the Board approved a courtyard use request for carriage rides. Gina School with Greenfield Chamber/Main Street organization requested the courtyard use for the evening of Saturday, November 25^th.

She noted also, that the lighted parade and other festivities will take place in Greenfield Friday, November 24^th.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County, today (Wednesday), received numerous comments with regard to a wind turbine moratorium, carbon capture (CO2) pipelines, and closure/replacement of railroad bridges, prior to discussing and/or acting on those issues. In her report to the Board, Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert discussed ongoing road maintenance projects.

The Board then opened sealed bids for property forfeited to the Sheriff’s Department**, and awarded the vehicles to the highest bidders. Supervisor Donna Robinson….

The Board also received a lengthy report by Jan Norris from West Township in Montgomery County, with regard to the status of carbon capture pipelines in Iowa and surrounding States.

In other business, the Montgomery County Supervisors heard from Zoning Administrator Barry Byers, who said the Zoning Commission recommends the Board pass an indefinite moratorium on wind turbine energy conversion system construction. Byers said on Tuesday, the Pottawattamie County Supervisors passed a one-year moratorium on wind turbine and solar power projects. Their moratorium will last up to 365 days, or when the board approves an updated set of rules and regulations, whichever comes first. The moratorium will give the county time to revise its current set of rules and regulations for wind farms and create a set for solar farms. Currently, the county does not have a set of regulations for solar farms.

After hearing from MidAmerican Energy/wind turbine spokesman Will Dougherty, and subsequent lengthy discussion, Supervisor Mark Peterson read a motion to extend the moratorium. Here’s a portion of the resolution….

Following a second on the motion, a Resolution to that effect was passed by a vote of 4-to-1. With Supervisor Randy Cooper voting no. In other action, the Board voted purchase a new laptop computer for the Maintenance Director, since the old one is no longer functional, and to accept a recommendation from the County’s IT Director, to purchase a Sennheiser microphone kit/audio equipment for the Board of Supervisor’s meetings, in the amount of $3,433.02.

**The property included a 2008 Ford F-450 Super Duty King ranch pickup; a 2007 AWD Saturn Vue; a 2003 Audi A4 and a 2008 Harley Davidson Soft Tail.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – In conjunction with the 2023 Festival of Trees in downtown Atlantic, the festival committee is offering a unique Iowa Hawkeye basketball raffle opportunity to support the fundraising effort for the American Cancer Society. The raffle is taking place now through the end of Festival of Trees on December 3rd. The raffle winner will receive two tickets to the Iowa Hawkeye men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on December 16, 2023.

The men play Florida A&M at 3:30 p.m. followed by the women playing Cleveland State at 6:00 p.m. that day. In addition to the tickets the winner will receive a personalized autographed item from the University of Iowa women’s basketball coaching staff. Tickets for the raffle are $10 for one entry or $20 for three entries. Tickets can be purchased at Festival of Trees or enter through Venmo @CassRelay2023. If entering through Venmo please put your contact information in the payment notes.

Flyers with details about the raffle are located at several area businesses including Brown’s Shoe Fit in Atlantic and Rolling Hills Bank and Trust locations. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to enjoy a great event and support the great cause of battling cancer in Cass County.

The 2023 Cass County Festival of Trees will be held November 30th through December 3rd at 410 Chestnut Street in Downtown Atlantic. This is the former Aunt B’s and Bonneson’s location. Hours will be 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday (closing early to enjoy the lighted parade), and 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Brown’s Shoe Fit Atlantic Manager Austin Renfro and Cass County Festival of Trees Representative Carole Schuler show off raffle details.

You can also listen to the Radio Luminary show from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on December 3rd on KJAN Radio in conjunction with the Anita Winter Walk.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor Kathy Somers reports a meeting between the Board of Supervisors and AFSCME officials, representing the Sheriff’s Union, will exchange Initial Bargaining Proposals. The session takes place 9-a.m. Thursday, in the Supervisor’s Board Room inside the Cass County Courthouse, in Atlantic. No action will be taken other than the exchange of proposals.

(Radio Iowa) – At a time when many rural hospitals are closing their birthing units, a medical center in northwest Iowa is planning a significant expansion. Tara Geddes, chief nursing officer at Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars, says construction will start on a major project next spring that will broaden the scope of the maternal care department. “We offer anything from preconception through our medical clinic all the way through OB care and then delivery afterwards and postpartum care, again, through our clinic,” Geddes says. “So we currently have an inpatient unit and deliver a little over 100 babies per year within that unit and are looking at expanding that.” One of the first things moms-to-be will notice is the larger rooms, which Geddes says are getting a much-needed update.

Floyd Valley Healthcare

“They’re pretty small. They’re a little over 280 square feet and the new rooms will be 411 square feet,” Geddes says. “It allows the moms and their families to have more room to come and see the new babies, to have more room to spread out, and also as equipment has evolved through the years, the rooms get pretty tight.” Geddes says the hospital strives to meet the expectations of patients, and the plans call for a new arrangement for care rooms that should make the process a little easier for mothers.

“Currently, moms, when they come in, will labor in a room and then once they’re ready to progress to the end of delivery, they move into a delivery suite,” Geddes says. “This will allow them to stay in one room, so they’ll be able to labor there, deliver and then actually be able to stay in that room postpartum, so they don’t have to move to different rooms.” Radio Iowa reported on a University of Iowa study in May that found rural Iowa hospitals are losing birthing centers at “striking” rate, with the statewide number of labor and delivery centers falling from 77 in 2000 to just 46 in 2020. Geddes says the expansion in Le Mars will represent a change of setting, but not a change in care.

“Our patient load is one-to-one, so for every patient here to deliver, we have one nurse for that patient,” Geddes says. “They’re not taking care of other patients, they are able to give individualized care and really personalize that to the patient and their family and that will continue in our new unit.” Construction will begin in March and should take about a year and a half.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report two men were arrested Tuesday, on separate warrants. 58-year-old Timothy Jay Blank, of Dubuque (IA), and 50-year-old David Joy Anderson, of Carter Lake, were each arrested on warrants for Violation of Probation. Blank was taken into custody at the Polk County Jail. Anderson was arrested at the Miller County Jail, in Missouri. Bond for Blank was set at $5,000. Anderson’s bond was set at $20,000.

Sheriff’s officials said also, 63-year-old Paul Lowell Otten, of Riverton (IA), was arrested on I-29 in Mills County, for Driving While Barred. His bond was set at $2,000.

(Nevada, Iowa/KCCI) — A woman charged with killing her child in Story County has pleaded not guilty to the crime. KCCI reports 23-year-old Sheyenne Shore faces charges of first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death. Nevada (Nuh-VAY-duh) police charged her earlier this year in the death of her 7-month-old child. Court documents state the child suffered suffered multiple injuries. Another suspect, 35-year-old Juan Angel Montalvo Jr., also faces murder and endangerment charges in his case.

He’s currently being held in the Fresno County California Jail awaiting extradition.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – A man in custody in Polk County in connection with a crime spree last year and who was arrested in Union County, now faces murder and theft charges. Investigators initially connected 24-year-old Davossi Wisdom to a bank robbery, other car thefts, breaking into a home and assaulting two people in January, 2022. He was convicted and is serving time for robbery and theft.

Police say Wisdom stole an SUV on Jan. 12, 2022. He ran over 32-year-old William Kline several times, and then drove away. Kline died from his injuries. Wisdom is now charged with first-degree murder, second-degree theft and leaving the scene of an accident.