Two key Democrats in the U.S. Senate say Steve King, Iowa’s Republican congressman, is to blame for the impasse in the nation’s capital over immigration reform. The Senate has passed what was billed as “comprehensive immigration reform” last year and New York Senator Chuck Schumer says King is the main Republican road block to getting the bill through the House. “The reason the House has done nothing on immigration is because House Republicans have handed the gavel of leadership on immigration to far right extremists like Congressman Steve King,” Schumer said this week during a speech on the Senate floor. “…It is time for the House Republican leadership to decide whether they stand with the majority of the American people…or if they’re really going to let Steve King continue to dicate the policy of the Republican Party on immigration. Just to be clear, right now Steve King is winning.”

King says he’s “flattered” to get credit for blocking the “amnesty agenda” Democrats are pushing.”I’ve been hoping not to work on immigration at all between now and the election because the only thing I have confidence in the president doing with regard to that is to do whatever is in his political interest, but he’s not enforcing the law,” King says. “He’s ordering ICE to actually break the law, violate the law and now he’s turned loose 36,007 criminal aliens onto the streets, some of them murderers, some of them rapists numbered in the hundreds, by the way, not just one or two in the 36,000.”

This past week Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid also criticized “extremists in the House” like King for doing “absolutely nothing” to fix the nation’s broken immigration system. “The senate did its work,” Reid said. “For the past 10 and a half months…House Republicans have twiddled their thumbs. It’s time for the House Republicans to act. Let a vote occur in the House. If a vote occured, the legislation would pass overwhelmingly.” King says the two Democratic leaders in the senate are trying to goad House Republican leaders like House Speaker John Boehner into taking action.

“Our speaker will occasionally utter something that sends a message to the country that he’s looking for an opportunity to pass some kind of amnesty and the speaker has said that of all the issues that are on the table or even off the table with he and President Obama, the one he agrees with most is the immigration issue and that he’s hell-bent on passing something, so that means the topic is up,” King says. “It’s alive.”

King says he’s fighting to preserve the rule of law. If immigration reform passes congress this summer, King says Republicans will be a fractured party heading into the fall elections.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Health System Women’s Health Initiative is offering an educational program Thursday, May 22, 2014. Officials say Kim Kopp and Peggy Perkins will present a program at 2:00 pm at the Anita Public Library.

Kim Kopp, RN, CWOCN, is the CCHS Wound, Ostomy, Continence Director. She will speak about bladder health and incontinence. These are issues that affect many women as they age, and can be inconvenient and embarrassing at times. Kim will share simple techniques to improve daily life and independence, as well as some information about medical interventions available.

Peggy Dunbar, RN, is the CCHS Cardiac Rehab Director. Peggy will present information about cardiac health, risk factors to be aware of and how to reduce your risk of heart disease. While people sometimes think about heart disease as a men’s health issue, it actually is the leading cause of death among women, according to the American Heart Association.

The program is free of charge and no pre-registration is necessary. For more information, contact Kim or Peggy at Cass County Health System, 712-243-3250.

w/ Chris Parks

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The Red Oak Police department reports the arrest on Friday, May 16th of a Red Oak Woman for Indecent Exposure.  Officers arrested 23-year-old Kirstin Lynn Wilwerding  of Red Oak in the 1800 block of East Summit Street at 11:32pm.  Wilwerding was taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on $1000 cash bond.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man accused of trying to abduct children in Omaha was arrested after leading police on a chase from Nebraska to Iowa and back. KETV reports that 23-year-old Sean Collins was arrested Thursday in Omaha’s Old Market district. Police say Collins fled from officers after they were called to a report of a motorist who was trying to lure two children, ages 6 and 10, into a van.

Officers say that when they found the van, the driver turned the lights off and a woman appeared to flee from an open door. The driver sped off, crossing into Council Bluffs and then back into Omaha on Interstate 480 before crashing into two vehicles.

Collins is charged with attempted abduction, attempted robbery, flight to avoid arrest and theft by receiving.

Officials with the Governor’s office say Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds this coming week, will travel to Coon Rapids, to sign Senate File 2344 into law. The bill will protect Iowa’s renewable fuels industry by extending the state’s biodiesel production tax credit and enhancing the state’s E15 retailer tax credit.

The event takes place at the POET ethanol facility at 1015 Grant Avenue in Coon Rapids, from 12:30-1:15-pm, Wed., May 21st.

Joining the Governor and Lt. Governor, will be Monte Shaw, Executive Director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), and several renewable fuels and agriculture industry leaders.

321 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 2014

…NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND FROST TONIGHT…

MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS WILL ALLOW FOR TEMPERATURES TO FALL TO NEAR FREEZING IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. FROST WILL BE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY ON ELEVATED SURFACES AND IN LOW LYING AREAS.

AREA COUNTIES: SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT- and PAGE.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A FROST ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 7 AM CDT SATURDAY.

* TIMING…TEMPERATURES WILL FALL THROUGHOUT THE OVERNIGHT HOURS…WITH THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OCCURRING IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS NEAR SUNRISE.

* TEMPERATURE...LOW TEMPERATURES WILL FALL INTO THE LOW AND MID 30S.

* IMPACTS…SENSITIVE OUTDOOR VEGETATION COULD BE DAMAGED OR KILLED IF LEFT UNPROTECTED…ESPECIALLY IN SHELTERED OR LOW LYING AREAS

 PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A FROST ADVISORY MEANS THAT FROST IS POSSIBLE. SENSITIVE OUTDOOR PLANTS MAY BE KILLED IF LEFT UNCOVERED.

Young Professionals of Atlantic and the Chamber Board of Directors partnered up recently to help with Spring Planting in downtown Atlantic. YPA President Kevin Wiser said  “We appreciate the board of directors coming out to help us plant the bed we adopt.”

Pictured: LaVon Elben, Lora Kanning, Dawn Marnin, Hannah Beaman

The Young Professionals have made the commitment to adopt a bed to help with downtown beautification. Wieser said “The group is big and we will rotate to keep the bed weed free.”

Pictured: Jenny Williams, Hans Krengel.

Pictured: Kevin Wieser, Hans Krengel, Stephanie Krengel, Hannah Beaman, Lora Kanning, Ouida, Wymer, Jessica Nichols, Tara Jennerjohn

Senator Chuck Grassley will hold six town meetings in Iowa during the week of May 26 as part of his annual 99-county tour. Grassley has held a meeting in each of Iowa’s 99 counties at least once every year since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate.

On May 28th, 29th and 30th, Grassley will be in Greenfield, Atlantic, Mount Ayr, Chariton, Pella, and Bloomfield. On Wednesday, May 28th, Grassley will hold Town Hall meetings:

• In Greenfield from 9:45-to 10:45-a.m., in the courtroom at the Adair County Courthouse.
• In Atlantic, from Noon-to 1 p.m. at Iowa Western Community College
• And in Mount Ayr, from 5-to 6-pm, in the Assembly Room at the Ringgold County Courthouse.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) board today (Friday), awarded direct financial assistance and tax benefits to nine companies for job creation and expansion projects. The awards will assist in the creation/retention of 484 jobs and will result in nearly $105 million in new capital investment for the state. The board also took action to support three innovation projects.

The board approved assistance for planned or proposed projects located in Burlington, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Milford, Sioux City, Story City, Swisher, Tipton and West Des Moines. In Council Bluffs, the Echo Group, Incorporated, a holding company that operates 18 electrical product sales subsidiary locations in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and South Dakota, is proposing a $11 million capital investment project to relocate the company’s wholesale division to a 13-acre site in Council Bluffs.

The project would include warehouse space, a large equipment/product storage area and a training center and administrative support services building in a campus setting. The IEDA board awarded the company tax benefits to create and retain 117 jobs. Currently the company employes about 400 people in four states.