(Radio Iowa) — Iowa U-S Senator Chuck Grassley is taking part in a Judiciary Committee hearing today (Tuesday) on so-called sanctuary cities and their impact on public safety. Iowa banned sanctuary cities and counties with passage of a state law last year that revokes state funding to places that violate federal immigration law. Still, Grassley says sanctuary jurisdictions are a worry in Iowa — and across the country. Grassley says, “There may be law outlawing it in Iowa, but I think you’re going to find a lot of sheriffs in Iowa cautious about how they handle requests from the federal government.”

He’s quick to point out that action — or inaction — by Iowa law officers isn’t based on their personal politics, but more on fear of litigation. Grassley says, “We’ve had organizations that go to court, let’s say they might be something like the ACLU as an example, threatening lawsuits if sheriffs cooperated with ICE and other immigration officials.”  While Iowa City has pronounced itself as a safe haven to people who are in the U-S illegally, city leaders have not designated the community as a formal sanctuary. The Iowa City city council vowed not to commit local resources to enforcing federal immigration law, which prompted passage of the 2018 state law against sanctuaries. Grassley says sanctuary proclamations elsewhere continue to be a concern.

“You have an instance I think last week, the governor of California got somebody out of prison through his executive powers,” Grassley says. “He did it for the sole purpose so they wouldn’t be extradited and put out of our country.” Under the Iowa law, which took effect on July 1st of 2018, cities and counties are forbidden from prohibiting or discouraging law enforcement officers or other employees from “assisting or cooperating with a federal immigration officer as reasonable or necessary, including providing enforcement assistance.”

TIFFIN, Iowa (AP) — A former president of a baseball organization in eastern Iowa has been accused of stealing more than $30,000 from it. Linn County court records say 40-year-old Adam Henderson, of Cedar Rapids, is charged with theft. The Gazette reports that Johnson was president of the Clippers Baseball Club, an organization that serves the Clear Creek Amana School District area but is not affiliated with the district.

An investigation began after Henderson wrote a club check that bounced. Court records say investigators found that Henderson wrote himself checks, used the club’s debit card, deposited club funds into his personal account and wrote checks to pay his rent. The records say Henderson eventually acknowledged the thefts to a detective.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report the arrest on Monday morning, of 33-year old Zachary Thomas Scheffler, from Council Bluffs. He was taken into custody at the Shelby County Jail, on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Violation of Parole, and transported to the Pott. County Jail.

DES MOINES – Thousands of students will vote for their preferred candidates for President, U.S. Senate and U.S. House during Secretary of State Paul Pate’s Iowa Youth Straw Poll one week from today (on Tuesday, October 29th). This will be the first Iowa Youth Straw Poll since a change in Iowa law that allows 17-year-olds to register to vote and participate in primary elections. Next year, they can vote in the Iowa Caucuses and the June primary if they will be 18 by November 3, 2020. Secretary Pate said “We’re very excited about 17-year-olds having the opportunity to vote in the primaries, and with the Iowa Youth Straw Poll coming up, it’s an opportunity for young people to let these candidates know that their opinions count and their voice is important.”

The Iowa Youth Straw Poll is a hands-on educational experience designed to inspire civic engagement. Every public school, private school, homeschooling student and youth group in the state is invited to participate. Presidential and congressional candidates were asked to provide a short video with a personalized message for Iowa students. The videos are available on the Elections 101 website and on Secretary Pate’s YouTube page.

The Iowa Youth Straw Poll has the support of the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Council for the Social Studies and has received national recognition for outstanding leadership in voter education. The Iowa Youth Straw Poll directly engages students in understanding how democracy works while preparing them to become active citizens,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise, a former social studies teacher.

The Youth Straw Poll is one component of Secretary Pate’s Elections 101 curriculum that is available for any school or civic organization to utilize. It is written by Iowa teachers for Iowa teachers. Two new components of the curriculum are lesson plans on the history of women’s suffrage and women in politics. The curriculum is available for free at Elections101.org.  Students, teachers, and organizations can register for the Iowa Youth Straw Poll by clicking here. A full list of schools that have already registered is available at this link. Teachers and students are encouraged to post photos of their Youth Straw Poll activities on social media, utilizing the #BeAVoter hashtag.