Republican lawmakers say they are “close” to a deal to cut Iowans’ income taxes, but it’s taken a while to find the method and the depth of cuts that all feel “comfortable with” according to House Speaker Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake. “I think the thing we have to remember here is that Republicans have waited a lot time to do some tax reform and some tax cuts and there are 88 Republicans here and so it’s not surprising, perhaps, that there are many ideas on how you might approach this,” she says. Senate President Charles Schneider, a Republican from West Des Moines, says it’s been two decades since Republicans controlled both the legislative and executive branches of state government and had a “serious discussion” about tax policy. “So these conversations don’t happen very often and we want to make sure we get the policy right,” Schneider says. “There are a couple of things we agree on even though we don’t have a final plan in place.”

There is universal agreement among Republicans that the state shouldn’t get a windfall after federal tax cuts were enacted in December. Without any changes that would happen, because Iowans get a deduction on their state income taxes for their federal tax bill. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds says she does not have a “timeline” for having a final deal emerge from these private talks — and she’s been reluctant to make public pronouncements about what should be in the tax plan. “When you start drawing lines in the sand, that makes it hard to have those conversations,” Reynolds says.

House Republicans have voted for a five-year plan that would cut taxes by one-point-three BILLION dollars. Republicans in the SENATE have proposed two-billion dollars in cuts over the next five years. Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen of Des Moines says “there is room” for a tax cut this year, but the size of the deal that may emerge from the G-O-P’s closed-door negotiations is worrisome. “The tax plan is still kind of a mystery to us, as to Iowans, and what we’re actually going to see,” Petersen says. “…Democrats have said all along we’d be willing to work on a tax plan as long as it’s fair and takes into account our current budget situation.”

Petersen and Schneider made their comments during an appearance this past weekend on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program.

(Radio Iowa)

More information is expected to be released today (Monday) about the fatal shooting of a man by police in Boone. It happened Saturday. In a news release issued Sunday, Boone Police said officers were sent a home (at 620 2nd Street) on a report of a “domestic situation.” Upon arrival, the officers encountered a man who was shot and killed by the officers.

The news release did not identify the man or provide other details about whether the man was armed or what led to the shooting. The Iowa DCI is helping with the investigation.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The only certainties in the Republican-controlled Legislature appear to be figuring out a state budget amid tax cuts. Other bills are expected to come up, too. But with legislative leaders focused on high-level negotiations this week, it’s not clear what else will appear on the calendar before adjournment.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Iowa authorities are investigating a weekend fire that killed a woman and child in Waterloo. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the fire was reported around 6:30 a.m.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A riverfront amphitheater that draws thousands of people to downtown Des Moines will close for two years to accommodate the construction of a bridge. The Des Moines Register reports that Simon Estes Amphitheater will be closed from 2019-20. Bridge construction is expected to start August and estimated to cost up to $9 million. The new bridge will replace the downtown Locust Street bridge.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Federal authorities have charged a former central Iowa high school educator who taught for 30 years with multiple child pornography counts. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that federal investigators say 67-year-old Glen Sedlacek, of Marshalltown, had numerous computer files containing pornography of children younger than 12, dating back to March 2013. Sedlacek retired from the Marshalltown Community School District in 2010.