(Radio Iowa) – It’s the time of year when some Iowans like to pack the family into the minivan at dusk, switch the radio to Christmas music, and drive around town taking in the colorful holiday light displays. AAA-Iowa spokeswoman Meredith Mitts says if you’ll be making the rounds, remember to follow the rules of the road — and don’t stop dead on the street to take selfies. “As you’re looking at the lights, whether they’re in a residential area or a little bit more high traffic, there are still pedestrians and other drivers around,” Mitts says. “You need to remain focused about driving on the road and if you want to enjoy the lights, make sure you find a place where you can safely pull over.”

Some spectacular holiday displays may rival Clark Griswold’s house, but while the lights are beautiful to look at, they can also be a dangerous distraction. “Make sure everybody in the car is buckled up — you are still out on the road and things happen,” Mitts says. “Make sure the driver is staying focused on the road and that you are constantly scanning the area for bicyclists, pedestrians, any young children who might be playing in the snow. And then, make sure someone other than the driver is taking photos.”

Many Iowa communities have professionally-lit light displays in parks, golf courses, arboretums and other locations. Some are walk-through shows, but those that are the drive-through style demand drivers stay vigilant so the jolly mood isn’t wrecked by a fender bender. “A lot of these places have lots of vehicles so make sure you’re keeping an eye on the vehicle ahead of you and going whatever the posted speed limit is,” Mitts says. “Also, remember to turn your lights back on when you are leaving the park because generally, they have you turn them off as you’re going through the park so you can enjoy the lights better.”

She suggests you make sure to have the appropriate winter gear in the car in the event of a roadside emergency. The kit should include things like: blankets, water and snacks, a flashlight with fresh batteries, tools, a shovel, an ice scraper, jumper cables, sand and a first aid kit.

Des Moines, Iowa — U.S. Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03) today led the Iowa Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in a letter urging President Joe Biden to allow for the expanded, year-round sale of E15.

“Iowa leads the nation in the production of biofuels thanks to our hardworking farmers and biofuel producers,” said the representatives in the letter. “Any delays in securing permanent, year-round E15 sales punishes Americans and farmers who have already faced record inflation, fuel prices, and market uncertainty as a result of your Administration’s economic policies.”

Nearly every other row of corn grown in Iowa is used to create biofuels. Each day, Iowa farmers provide access to homegrown fuel across the nation and the world. The biofuels industry supports countless jobs, reduces prices at the pump, and provides billions of dollars in exports.

Text of the letter can be found here.

(Mitchellville, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 58-year-old Julia Ann Cox was pronounced dead due to natural causes at 10:10 a.m. on Thursday, December 21, 2023 in a hospice room of the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women.

Cox had been serving a 7-year maximum term for the crime of Abuse of a Corpse and Accessory After the Fact from Poweshiek County. Her sentence began on April 5, 2022.

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) released the following video wishing Iowans a Merry Christmas:

DES MOINES – Today, Gov. Kim Reynolds released her annual Christmas video message to Iowans.

(Radio Iowa) – The three member state panel that sets the estimate of state tax collections lawmakers use to draft the state budget has just two members today. David Underwood, a C-P-A from Clear Lake, has retired from the Revenue Estimating Conference.  “I started this in another century and that really seems like a long time,” Underwood said last Wednesday, “but I have spent about a third of my life serving on this committee.”

Underwood was appointed to the Revenue Estimating Conference by Governor Terry Branstad — in September of 1997. For the past 26 years, he’s primarily been a mediator between tax estimates from the executive and legislative branches of state government.

“People kind of warned me in the beginning that I was probably going to get a lot of political pressure,” Underwood says. “I never did.” State law says the two other members of the panel, one appointed by the governor and one employed by the legislative branch, will choose Underwood’s replacement.

Underwood was the chief financial officer of a Mason City company that makes doors and windows when he was appointed to the Revenue Estimating Conference. After retiring from that job, he became a business consultant.

(Radio Iowa) – A Northern Iowa man is dead and his wife is hospitalized after a house fire in the town of Burt. Brian Wilson reports.

(Albia, Iowa) – A teenager from southeast Iowa was injured when the vehicle crashed Thursday night in Monroe County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 1999 Dodge RAM pickup driven by 21-year-old Trevor Joe Gundrum, of Eddyville, was attempting to elude law enforcement when the pickup left the road and entered a field. The pickup entered a pond in the field before it came to rest. The incident happened at around 8:05-p.m. near 1802 695th Avenue, near Albia.

Three occupants of the pickup were able to get out of the vehicle. CPR was performed on one of the passengers, 17-year-old Trenton Larry Gundrum, of Oskaloosa, before he was flown by LifeFlight to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. Trevor Gundrum was taken into custody.

A second passenger in the vehicle released at the scene.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Schools are still preparing to pull books of their shelves before the new year in accordance to Senate File 496. The law passed last spring bans any books in school libraries that describe or visually depict a sex act – the only exemption is religious books like the Bible. KCRG reports, with just over one week until the deadline, some educators and administrators remain frustrated with the lack of guidance in the law itself and worry about potential penalties if they miss a title.

Many schools like Iowa City, and College Community have partial lists. Titles including To Kill a Mocking Bird, Handmaid’s Tale, and Ulysses are on some of these lists. Smaller schools, while dealing with smaller libraries, are also still working to compile a list. Solon’s process includes going through each title in their libraries to determine age appropriateness and how it relates to the upcoming law.

As the deadline draws closer, many have expressed uncertainty and anxiety surrounding possible penalties for not removing any book that might meet the criteria.