Now that Iowa’s abandoned its so-called stop-gap effort to cut health insurance premium costs, both of Iowa’s U.S. senators are among the dozen Republicans supporting a bipartisan bid in the Senate to prop up the nation’s ailing individual insurance market. Senator Joni Ernst says the bill will hopefully limit 2018 premium increases for 72-thousand Iowans who buy individual health insurance policies. “I am willing to look at whatever is presented to find a pathway forward for Iowans. We are running out of time. There is no doubt about it,” Ernst said. “…I do understand the frustrations that exist out there and, believe me, that’s why I am trying to get a bipartisan plan through. Hopefully it will provide some sort relief for those Iowans.”

Ernst made her comments during a weekend appearance on Iowa Public Television. Today (Tuesday), during a conference call with Iowa reporters, Senator Chuck Grassley said the plan would accomplish two major things. Grassley says, “One would legally put money into the insurance companies to lower premiums for people that are under the poverty level by 250% and give them help with co-pays and high deductibles.” There are tens of thousands of people just in Iowa, Grassley says, who could use this financial boost to pay for their health insurance premiums. “That is something that Obama did but the courts said he didn’t have the authority to do it,” Grassley says. “The president wants to abide by the law that he took an oath to uphold so he’s not going to continue what Obama did because the courts said it was illegal so he wants Congress to enact this.”

The other main goal of the legislation, according to Grassley, is to make it easier for states to get a waiver from the federal government, something Iowa was just forced to table. Grassley, Ernst and 10 other Republicans, along with a dozen Democrats, are backing the bill. Ernst calls it a “short term fix.” “Which isn’t a perfect plan, but it allows the states greater flexibility. It allows those co-sharing payments to continue,” Ernst said. “We have to look beyond that and that means we are going to have to work on finding a much more long-term, permanent solution.”

Earlier this month, President Trump announced the end of cost-sharing payments to insurance companies. The payments are part of the Affordable Care Act, designed to cover some of the costs of insurance policies for the sickest Americans. Trump has given mixed signals about the bipartisan bill pending in the Senate that would continue those payments, but Ernst says Trump is likely to sign it if Congress can pass it. And she says the bill will hopefully limit 2018 premium increases for 72-thousand Iowans who buy individual health insurance policies.

(Radio Iowa)

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say firefighters from at least eight departments responded to a blaze that heavily damaged a building at an egg facility on the west side of Charles City in northern Iowa. Firetrucks were dispatched a little before 5 p.m. Monday, and their crews remained at the Zoetis facility until nearly 11 p.m. One firefighter suffered a minor leg injury. Zoetis spokesman Bill Price said Tuesday from the company headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey, that no employees of the animal health company were injured.

He says several thousand chickens that produced eggs for vaccine manufacture were killed. Price also says the fire cause is still being investigated.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports four recent arrests. Authorities say 32-year old Jacob Ryan Jones, of Glenwood, and 27-year old Jennifer Lea Neal, a homeless person, were arrested Oct. 20th and 23rd respectively, on warrants for Probation Violation. Neal was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail. Jones’ bond was set at $300, while Neal’s bond was set at $5,000. And, 22-year old Destiny Nikole Smith, of Malvern, was arrested Oct. 20th on a warrant out of Council Bluffs with regard to Child Endangerment, and for Violation of Probation. Her bond was set at $7,000.

40-year old Michael Raymond Carver, of Glenwood, was arrested by Mills County Deputies on Oct. 19th, for Driving Under Suspension and No SR-22 Insurance. His bond was set at $1,300.

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

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Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports an arrest has been made in connection with a stabbing incident that occurred during the early morning hours of Saturday, October 21st at 11th & Chestnut Streets, in Clarinda. The Chief says that at around 10:30-p.m., Monday, Clarinda Police Officers arrested 40-year old Jasen Lee Bebout, of Bedford, on arrest warrants for felony willful injury and assault while participating in a felony. Bebout was arrested in the 800 block of W. Tarkio St. after a short foot pursuit.

Jason Lee Bebout

He was being held in the Page County Jail on $10,000 cash only bond. Authorities say Bebout allegedly stabbed 39-year old Monty Casteel Jr., of Clarinda, multiple times during an altercation. Police reports have been submitted to the offices of Page County Attorney Carl M. Sonksen for review regarding the filing of formal charges.

A Union County man was arrested Monday morning in Adams County, on a Theft charge. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says 22-year old Dakota Dean Rosch, of Creston, was arrested when he went to return an item he allegedly stole. Authorities say at around 10:45-a.m. Monday, Rosch backed his pickup up to another pickup in a corn field, and loaded a John Deere tool box worth $4,000 into his truck. The owner of the tool box saw Rosch leaving the field. A call was placed to Rosch, who agreed to meet the owner in Prescott to return the tool box. He was taken into custody after doing so.

Rosch was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

Creston Police, Monday afternoon, arrested 28-year old Caleb Fredrickson, of Lorimor. Fredrickson was taken into custody at around 2:18-p.m., on a Union County warrant for Violation of Probation, on an original – Possession of a Controlled Substance – charge. Fredrickson was being held in the Union County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

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

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Iowa Congressman David Young is scheduled to be joined by Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey for the annual “Bringing in the Harvest” tour, this Friday (Oct. 27th. They will tour family farms, cooperatives, and  agribusinesses to learn more about issues affecting Iowa’s farmers and agriculture economy.  Congressman Young will hear from Iowa’s farmers about this year’s harvest, the importance of trade for Iowa’s agriculture economy, and concerns they have which Congressman Young can take to Washington.

Among the places Young will visit on the tour, is Rose Acre Farms, near Guthrie Center, the Henry A. Wallace Country Center in Orient, Milk Unlimited in Atlantic, The POET Biorefinery in Corning, a Water Quality Demo Project near Sharpsburg, and a listening session with Ringgold County FSA, Soil and Water Conservation Boards.

One person was transported by ambulance to the hospital Monday afternoon, following a collision between an SUV and a van, in Creston. Creston Police say the driver of the SUV, 43-year old Jennifer Lynette Byrd, of Diagonal, was transported to the Greater Regional Medical Center (GRMC) in Creston, to be checked for injuries, after she complained of pain following the collision. Byrd was traveling west in the far right lane of Highway 34 just before 1-p.m., at the same time a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country van driven by 88-year old Ruby Marjorie Stephens, of Shannon City, was traveling south on Cherry Street. Stephens stopped at the posted intersection, looked, but did not see Byrd’s approaching 2015 Chevy Equinox.

As Stephens started across the intersection, Byrd did not have time to stop and avoid the collision. The SUV hit the van broadside, causing a total of $9,000 damage. Authorities say Stephens was at fault for failure to yield the right of way, but no citations were issued.