Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott — who represents South Carolina in the U-S Senate — says he’s ready to draw a line in the sand on federal spending, even if it leads to a government shutdown. Scott voted against this spring’s budget deal that set a two-year framework for government spending.

Scott supports the long term goal of making deficit spending illegal by passing a balanced budget amendment to the U-S Constitution. In the near term, Scott says federal spending should return to pre-pandemic levels and that would save half a trillion dollars over the next 12 months.

Scott discussed the looming budget fight in Washington during a weekend appearance at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s fall fundraiser. Scott was interviewed on stage by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. She asked if Scott had a special lady in his life other than his mother.

Scott, who is 57, is the only unmarried candidate in the G-O-P presidential field. Scott says he’s been getting a lot of questions lately about his dating life after a Washington Post story in which he talked about his girlfriend, but did not reveal her name. On Saturday, Scott told the audience of 12-hundred conservative Christians that as the child of a single mother he knew the consequences of an absent father, and made a commitment to take a different path.

Scott is making stops today in Nevada, Fort Dodge and Mason City.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports six recent arrests. Three people were arrested on separate drug charges:

32-year-old Jordan Pierce Osberg, of St. Paul, MN, was arrested Sept. 11th by Adair Police. He was charges with a drug ax stamp violation and a Felony, controlled substance Violation. Osberg was released two days later on a $5,000 cash or surety bond; 29-year-old Kamron David Polk, of Oakwood, OH, was arrested Sept. 16th in Adair County, by the Iowa State Patrol, near Adair. He was charged with Poss. of a controlled substance/Marijuana-1st offense, and released later on a $1,000 c/s bond; And, 36-year-old Amanda Marie Comly, of Stuart, was arrested by Stuart Police on Sept. 16th. She was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense, and Poss. of drug paraphernalia. Comly was released later on a $5,000 c/s bond. Comly was previously arrested Sept. 13th, for Assault with Bodily Injury.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports also, 42-year-old Wendi Nicole Wright, of Stuart, was arrested Sept. 14th, on an Adair County warrant for Probation Violation. Wright was released Saturday on a $1,000 bond. And, 55-year-old Elmer Lee Donaldson, III, of Des Moines, was arrested Sept. 15th in Adair County, by the Iowa State Patrol. He was arrested for Driving while license denied or revoked. Bond was set at $1,000.

Police in Red Oak, Sunday, arrested 20-year-old Steven Lynn Ronfeldt, Jr., for disorderly conduct. Ronfeldt was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

Police in Creston, Saturday, arrested 44-year-old Lela Ann Churchwell, of Creston. Churchwell was taken into custody at her residence, at around 9:30-a.m. She was charged with Disorderly Conduct-Loud Raucous Noise. Churchwell was cited and released from the scene.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department has issued a report on recent arrests and accidents. This (Monday) morning, 24-year-old Kelsie Engelke, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. Engelke was being held without bond until seen by a Magistrate Judge. And, on Saturday, 48-year-old Chad Bruce, of Wahoo, NE, was arrested for OWI 1st offense and Possession of a dangerous weapon. He has since posted a $2,000 cash or surety bond, and was released.

Three separate accidents took place Friday, in Glenwood. Authorities say at around 12:50-p.m., a 1999 Chevy pickup driven by 74-year-old Phillip Ray Brown, of Glenwood, was traveling south on N. Linn Street to head west on 1st. When navigating the turn, a trailer being pulled by the pickup struck a legally parked and unoccupied 2021 Dodge RAM pickup, causing a total of $2,000 damage.

At around 1:30-p.m. Friday, a Hyundai Sonata driven by 68-year-old Peggy Jean Purvis, of Malvern, was leaving the parking lot of the BP Store in Glenwood, when she truck a trailer attached to a parked 2013 Chevy pickup that was at the gas pumps. The damage was estimated at $4,000 altogether.

And, at approximately 7:30-p.m., Friday, a pickup driven by 34-year-old Blake Anthony Starnes, of Malvern, struck the side exit wall of a washbay at the Glenwood Superwash. Starnes said he was towing a trailer through the wash bay when it apparently caught the wall and ripped it down. The entire right exit wall fell down and the garage door was ripped open.

Damage from the accident amounted to $30,000.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic will meet in their Chambers at City Hall, beginning at 5:30-p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19th. First-up on their agenda, is action on closing certain streets for the 4-p.m. Oct. 14, 2023 Annual Fireman’s Parade. (See the parade route map below)

They are expected to receive a fundraising update from Jeremy Butler with the Splashpad Fundraising Group, and hear the Mayor announce Halloween City-wide Trick or Treating in Atlantic will take place from 5-until 7-p.m. Oct. 31st.

In other business, the Council will act on a Resolution “Approving and Adopting a Revenue Purpose Statement for the Use or Expenditure of Revenues, from a Natural Gas Franchise Fee.” The resolution stipulates the revenue may be used for property tax abatements, building permit fee abatements, and the abatement of other fees for property damaged by a disaster, as defined in the Code of Iowa. If the Council passes the Resolution, it will be submitted to the Iowa Utilities Board for their approval.

The City Council in Atlantic will act on passing the third and final reading of an Ordinance pertaining to the Mayor and City Council’s compensation (as previously reported), the second reading (& waiving of the rules) followed by the third reading of an Ordinance pertaining to the creation of a Parks and Rec Advisory Commission, which was amended to clarify the initial terms of the Commission as being “staggered, with two members serving for 2-years, and three members serving for 1-year. Appointments to the initial terms shall be 2-years for all members.”

(Elk Horn, Iowa)-  The Exira-Elk Horn Kimballton School Board is scheduled to meet 6-p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 19), in the Conference Room at the High School in Elk Horn. The Board is set to discuss and/or act on:

• The Nov. 7, 2023 School Board election,
• A request for Allowable Growth for Negative Special Education Balance ($39,913.04),
• and the hiring of: Andrea Halterman – Prom Sponsor; Irene Blazek – Cheer Sponsor; Eleanor Greving – Associate.

They will then entertain a motion to enter a closed session with regard to a personnel matter (as allowed in the Iowa Code), and when they return to an open session, take action on the matter. Another motion will follow, with regard to a requested closed session pertaining to the expulsion or suspension of a student, and a return to open session.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hear two presentations during their meeting Tuesday morning (Sept. 19th). Suzanne Watson, with Southwest Iowa Mental Health, will provide updates to the 28-E agreement, along with other information. And, County Auditor Kathy Somers will discuss the impacts of HF-718 (relating to local government property taxes, budgets, information to be provided to property owners, and modifying bond procedures). Those impacts will be in effect beginning with the budget year for FY 2025.

In other business, the Supervisors will discuss and act on approving a request by the McLaren family to replace a memorial tree in the courthouse yard, and location in the front lawn. The Board will also discuss and act on approving employment for John Johnson as Equipment Operator II, District 4, at a probationary wage of $25.75 per hour.

A regular, weekly report is expected from County Engineer Trent Wolken, along Supervisor Committee reports. The Cass County Board of Supervisors meeting begins at 9-a.m. Tuesday, in their Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse, in Atlantic.

Abortion policy was a key discussion point as a group of G-O-P presidential candidates addressed 12-hundred conservative Iowa Republicans this weekend in Des Moines.

All 10 candidates were interviewed on stage at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s fall fundraiser. The group’s national chairman asked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis if he’d support federal legislation that would ban abortions nationwide after the 15th week of a pregnancy. “I think the states have done the better job thus far…Congress has really struggled to make a meaningful impact over the years,” DeSantis said. “As president, I’m going to welcome pro-life policies across the board, at both levels.” Former South Carolina Nikki Haley says passing any federal law requires 60 votes in the U-S Senate and it’s been 100 years since Republicans occupied 60 Senate seats, so she’d focus on things like promoting adoption and a ban on late term abortions. “I’m going to fight on the side of life every chance I get,” Haley said, “but I’m not going to demonize people in the process.” Former President Donald Trump, who did not attend the event, said in an interview that aired on N-B-C’s “Meet the Press” that he’d negotiate something that’s acceptable to both sides on the abortion issue. Former Vice President Mike Pence offered this rebuttal Saturday night. “The right to life has been the core of our movement in the last 50 years…but my former running mate and other candidates in this issue want to relegate that issue to the states only,” Pence said, “but I won’t have it.” Pence backs a national 15 week abortion ban. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird interviewed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, but she did not ask either about a national abortion ban. Scott like several of the candidates, suggested ways to support pregnant women.

Ramaswamy has previously expressed support for state abortion restrictions, including six week abortion bans, but opposes a federal law. Two of the leading candidates were asked about Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions, to pressure the Pentagon over its coverage of expenses for servicemembers who travel across state lines for an abortion. Haley, who’s husband recently deployed to Afghanistan, says as president she’d never allow tax dollars to be used for anything related to an abortion, but she says blocking more than 300 military promotions is wrong.

DeSantis says the Pentagon’s policy belongs in the trash can and he supports Tuberville’s effort.

DeSantis held a God Above Government Rally at a Des Moines church Saturday afternoon and announced a group of Iowa pastors had endorsed his presidential bid. On Saturday morning, DeSantis campaigned in Red Oak alongside Senator Joni Ernst. DeSantis pledged to more effectively deal with illegal immigration.

DeSantis, who is 45, told the crowd that ages of President Biden and former President Trump are a concern.

DeSantis says the founding fathers established 35 as the minimum age for the presidency and, if they were to witness American politics today, DeSantis predicts they’d travel back in time to the 1787 Constitutional Convention and set a maximum age limit as well.

Iowa ranks first in the country for tractor rollover deaths, and a rebate being offered through a University of Iowa program aims to make farmers safer. Brandi Janssen is director of the U-I-based I-CASH, the Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health. A properly-maintained tractor can be a workhorse across several generations of farmers, and Janssen says the older machines are more deadly in rollovers as they lack ROPS, or rollover protection systems.

A ROPS is a metal bar or frame that attaches to the tractor. In a rollover, the ROPS — when used with a seatbelt — prevents the operator from being crushed under the machine. Sadly, many Iowa farmers don’t shell out the money to retrofit their tractors.

Adding ROPS to a tractor may cost between 15- and 25-hundred dollars, but Janssen says a rebate is being offered that erases a large portion of that cost.

There is a waiting list for the ROPS rebates in Iowa, but Janssen encourages every owner of large farm equipment to sign up, as it’s a life-saver.

This is National Farm Safety week. For information about the rebate, visit “ROPSr4u.org” or call (877) 767-7748.