(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Board of Regents is seeking 18 million more dollars from the state for next year and the amount of tuition students pay at the three state universities will be tied to what they receive. Board president Mike Richards says they plan to stick with the tuition model the used last year. “If the state fully funds our appropriations request, the base undergraduate rate increase will be three percent. If the state provides no additional funding — the base rate increase will be three percent plus the projected Higher Education Price Index or HEPPI,” Richards says.

Total state funding would be a little more than 642 million if they get the additional dollars. The Regents asked for the same 18 million dollar increase last year and got only 12 million dollars more. “If the state partially funds our appropriations request — the base will be somewhere within the defined range,” Richards says. “For U-N-I, if the state fully funds their request, we will continue to take steps to make them more competitively priced with our other Midwest comprehensive universities.”  If the 18 million dollars is approved this year — the University of Iowa and Iowa State University would each receive an additional seven million dollars and U-N-I four million. Richard says they hope to also find other money. “As the governor asked us to do, we have been exploring and researching possible additional funding methods,” Richards says.

The same tuition formula was used last year and tuition rates were frozen at U-N-I last year after the school received the full four million more dollars it requested. The rates at I-S-U and Iowa went up three-point-nine percent. University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld told the Regents one of the things the school is looking at to raise more money is a public-private partnership for its utility system. He says if the school completes a deal, the school would still own its utility system. Harreld says there are benefits for a partner — such as tax breaks that the school cannot take as a non-profit entity. Harreld says the partner would pay the school. “The U-I will receive a significant up front payment that he university would place in an endowment. The univeristy on funding its strategic plan,” Harreld explains.

The Regents met Thursday in Council Bluffs.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Floodwater from the Missouri River has forced officials to close a portion of Interstate 29. The Iowa Transportation Department said Friday (Today) the 10-mile stretch extends north from the Crescent exit to the Missouri Valley area. A detour is in operation. Several I-29 interchange ramps are closed in southwest Iowa as well.

Flood waters from the Missouri River, left, swollen following heavy rainfall upstream, breach Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, a levee meant to protect Honey Creek, Iowa, and Interstate 29 from flooding. The Iowa Department of Transportation warned drivers that if the river continues to rise there might have to close a portion of Interstate 29 north of Council Bluffs, Iowa. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

The river continues to rise and flood mostly rural land in Nebraska and Iowa and is expected to crest Saturday near Omaha. Officials blame the flooding on recent heavy rains over eastern Nebraska and northwest Iowa and on exceptionally heavy rains last week in Montana, North and South Dakota and Nebraska.

Officials don’t expect the floodwaters to cause significant damage to communities. Floodwater broke through two levees Wednesday in a rural Iowa area northeast of Omaha.

(Radio Iowa) — After national party leaders raised security concerns and rejected the Iowa Democratic Party’s plan for “virtual” caucuses, Iowa Democrats have come up with a plan for “satellite” caucuses. Satellite voting is a familiar term for Iowans who have cast General Election ballots at “satellite” locations like churches, schools and even grocery stores before Election Day. For the 2016 Iowa Caucuses, though, the Iowa Democratic Party approved four “satellite” precincts on Caucus Night.

Last (Thursday) night, the Iowa Democratic Party’s governing board unanimously approved a plan to significantly expand “satellite” caucus locations on February 3rd. Iowa Democrats may apply to establish a satellite site at places like factories, group homes or community gathering spots. A group of “neutral” party leaders who have NOT endorsed a presidential candidate will review the applications and decide which to approve. Each satellite location will be like a “mini-caucus” — following the same rules and using the same reporting system as all the precinct meetings elsewhere.

This new plan to expand participation in the Iowa Caucus will be reviewed later today (Friday) by the Democratic NATIONAL Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Senate’s Oversight Committee will hold a hearing to examine the state Judicial Branch contract with a security firm that led two employees break into two county courthouses.  Two employees of an international cybersecurity firm were caught breaking into the Polk County Courthouse in Des Moines — and the two were arrested inside the Dallas County Courthouse in Adel.

The company issued a statement Wednesday. It said the scope of the contract for testing the security of Iowa’s electronic court system wasn’t clear to them or officials in the court system who hired them. Senator Amy Sinclair a Republican from Allerton, is chair of Senate’s Oversight Committee. She says the panel has “a number of questions” — including how “staged burglaries” improve court services.

A date for the oversight panel’s hearing has not been set.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating a stabbing incident that resulted in a man being transported to the hospital. Authorities say at around 8:14-p.m., Thursday, officers were sent to CHI Mercy Hospital on a stabbing call. Upon arrival, officers were informed by Mercy security that the victim, 43-year old Michael Dean Watson, of Council Bluffs, had been dropped off at the hospital by a white male with a beard in a black two door vehicle. Officers were informed Watson suffered a stab wound to his chest.

A short time later, officers were informed by medical staff that the stab wound did not strike anything major and that they were stitching Watson up. Watson refused to cooperate with detectives and refused further medical treatment. At this time the case is currently under investigation, Detectives are attempting to locate a crime scene.

The investigation is ongoing by the Criminal Investigation Division. Anyone with any information that was in the area at the time of this incident is encouraged to contact this Division at 712-328-4728 or they may call Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.