Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, says the immediate priority for the new speaker of the U-S House is bringing a series of budget bills up for a vote on the House floor.

Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson was elected House Speaker this week after the previous speaker was ousted by eight fellow Republicans upset about passage of a temporary spending measure that avoided a federal government shutdown, but it expires November 17th. Nunn supports the House G-O-P’s new plan to try to reduce federal spending below the level the former House speaker and President Biden agreed to this spring.

President Biden has also proposed a spending package with funding for Israel, Ukraine and U-S border security. Nunn says the new House speaker is right to plan for separate votes on those issues.

Nunn says the House should first priority should be on spending to secure the southern border, then vote to provide assistance to Israel. Nunn says the U-S needs to have a conversation when it comes to funding for the war in Ukraine.

Nunn made his comments today (Friday) during a news conference in Des Moines. Nunn discussed a bill he’s co-sponsoring that would direct federal officials to draw up a plan to increase capacity a nursing schools. Several people in Nunn’s family are nurses, including his mother.

Nunn cites a state report from 2020 that indicated 70 percent of Iowa health care facilities were struggling to find nurses. Nunn held his news conference at the Iowa Primary Care Association’s headquarters. About 25 percent of the nursing jobs at the non-profit’s clinics in Polk, Marshall and Story Counties are unfilled.

(Radio Iowa) – Court documents show a former northeast Iowa policeman accused of stalking and assault is planning to plead guilty, but not to those charges. Corey Harguth reports.

Scheevel is one of a handful of former officials in the small town of Armstrong who’ve been charged with a variety of crimes. Two former city clerks pleaded guilty after a special investigation released by the state auditor’s office in 2017 found Armstrong’s finances were a tangled mess.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has reversed a Court of Appeals decision that overturned a murder verdict in eastern Iowa. The Iowa Court of Appeals overturned the second-degree murder verdict against Johnny Blahnik Church in the stabbing death of Chris Bagley of Cedar Rapids in 2018. The Court of Appeals based its decision on a jury instruction that was given by the judge after the jury deliberated for several hours and was deadlocked at 11-1.

The Supreme Court ruled the facts and circumstances do not support the conclusion the district court’s verdict-urging instruction coerced or potentially coerced the jury’s verdict.

Church was sentenced in December 2021 to 57 years in prison.

(Radio Iowa) – An excursion boat that’s been sailing in West Okoboji Lake since 1986 is being restored. Jon Pausley is C-E-O of Arnolds Park Amusement Park, where people buy the tickets for an hour-long, narrated cruise around the lake on the Queen Two. Pausley says the boat has been showing her age. “One of the engines just went out completely and we knew we had to do some work to replace it,” Pausley says. The boat was recently inspected. “To find out if there was still life left in the hull and making sure everything was good enough to make some restorations,” Pausley says, “and decided instead of replacing the Queen, we should restore her and get another generation down the road.”

The diesel-powered boat was lifted out of the water earlier this week. Pausley says the Queen should be back on the water by Memorial Day. “Going to get new engines, new generators, new electrical and finish out the windows project, then try to get ahead a little bit on some of the interior beautification of the boat,” Pausley says. That phase of the project might have to wait until after the 2024 sailing season. Pausley says they did consider replacing the boat. An anonymous donor — who was married on the Queen Two — is financing the restoration — at an estimated cost of up to a million dollars

“People love the Queen 2 and there’s a lot of nostalgia and a lot of history and a lot of love for this boat,” Pausley says. “The decision to go ahead and just restore her and make her what she once was again as best we can for a 38 year old vessel…we decided to go that direction.”

The Queen Two has an open air upper deck and an enclosed lower deck. The original Queen sailed the Iowa Great Lakes for 89 years until it was retired in 1973.

(Radio Iowa) – Today (Friday) is the last day on the job for the president of Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Lori Sundberg is retiring after being appointed president in 2017. Sundberg was Kirkwood’s first female president and she looks back on her six years in office. “I think probably the biggest accomplishment was getting through the pandemic,” Sundberg says, “and keeping the institution financially strong during that time, but also, really trying to figure out how to support students during a really critical time.”

Sundberg’s retirement will bring in a new president: Kristie Fisher, a Kirkwood graduate who has been president of Iowa Valley Community Colleges in Marshalltown since 2019. Kirkwood has an enrollment that exceeds 12-thousand students.

(Radio Iowa) – A team of University of Iowa archaeologists is investigating a network of tunnels beneath Iowa City which were once used by the Union Brewing Company to ferment beer and transport it to taprooms connected by the caves. Researchers are using specialized radar equipment to search out the contours of yet-undiscovered tunnels to get a better sense of the cave system. Doug Alberhasky, the owner of John’s Grocery, is leading tours of one section of the caves.

“You can see that there are tunnels going every which way,” he says. “There was a tunnel going right there at one point. So this is a very large complex and unfortunately, we probably only have about a third of it that we are going to be able to see.”

There’s about four-thousand square feet now open. U-I archeologist Marlin Ingalls says stable subterranean temperatures combined with a little ice from the Iowa River were a winning combination for brewers who needed consistently cool spaces to make lager beer.

(by Zachary Oren Smith, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s pheasant hunting season opens tomorrow morning and state officials say there could be 50- to 60-thousand hunters in the fields. Todd Bogenshutz, a biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the state’s pheasant numbers appear to be rising. “Our roadside counts showed populations were a little bit higher than they were a year ago from a statewide perspective,” Bogenshutz says. “Looking at the crop reports this week, it looks like over 75% of the soybeans have been harvested and we’re going to be over 50% of the corn out, certainly by this coming weekend.”

Fields that are clear of crops mean less cover and better hunting. The forecast calls for cooler weather on opening day, with highs only in the 30s and 40s. Bogenshutz says lower temperatures may also mean better hunting. “A lot of times, our openers can be warm and that can be pretty hard on the hunters and dogs,” Bogenschutz says. “It’s basically the first time out for a lot of hunters and dogs, and so when we’re warm, 70s and 80s, usually that can cause some stress.” There are no significant changes in the hunting rules from last year, he says, and one of the most frequent questions he hears is about the wearing of blaze orange.

Pheasant hunters. (DNR photo)

“Our upland bird hunters are required to wear at least one article that’s at least 50% blaze orange, whether that’s a hat or a jacket or a vest. We just want everybody to be safe,” Bogenschutz says. “If you’re hunting with a group, and doing drive hunts or whatever, just have a game plan, know where everybody is, where safe shooting zones are.”

Non-toxic shot is required in some areas, including wetlands, and he says to always get permission before hunting on private property. The season runs through January 10th. Find more information at www.iowadnr.gov.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Revenue is in the third phase of a multi-year initiative aimed at modernizing and simplifying procedures for both individual taxpayers and businesses across the State of Iowa. On November 13, 2023, the State will add additional tax types and increase online service functionality through GovConnectIowa, the State’s secure online tax and licensing e-Services portal. This third phase includes:

• New features for individual income tax, fiduciary and inheritance taxpayers to make payments and manage their accounts
• Administration of the State of Iowa Setoffs Program
• Expanded functionality for the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing

Five State of Iowa agencies already use GovConnectIowa as part of their mission to make it easier to do business in Iowa and better serve Iowa’s taxpayers:

• Iowa Department of Revenue
• Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing
• Iowa Economic Development Authority
• Iowa Finance Authority
• Iowa Utilities Board

Important Dates:

• eFile & Pay will no longer be available after November 1, 2023. Payments dated later than October 31, 2023 will not be accepted on eFile & Pay.
• PayDebt.Iowa.Gov will be unavailable November 7-15. Effective November 16, 2023, you may use this site to make a payment or create a payment plan for the amount you owe related to Motor Vehicle Use tax, Cigarette/Tobacco tax, Drug Tax Stamp, Environmental Protection, and Elderly Credit.
• GovConnectIowa will be unavailable from November 8 at 6:00 pm until November 13 at 12:00 pm.
• Effective November 13, 2023 at 12:00pm, visit GovConnectIowa to make payments related to individual income, fiduciary, inheritance, sales and use, withholding, field, and corporate income taxes.

Sign up for the Department’s upcoming webinar, New & Updated GovConnectIowa Features, on November 1, for more information.

Updated educational materials, how-to guides, and tutorial videos are available to assist taxpayers and business owners with using GovConnectIowa. Learn more about the modernization effort and GovConnectIowa at tax.iowa.gov/modernization. To receive notifications of resources and guidance issued by the Department, subscribe to updates.

AMES, Iowa – Oct. 16, 2023 – There’s an unmistakable chill in the air as fall slowly creeps into winter. Keeping roads in their best shape to ensure you get where you want to go, no matter the season is our goal at the Iowa Department of Transportation. As the weather changes, our focus is keeping the roads as clear as possible and giving you the information you need to make smarter, safer travel decisions.

What you can do to prepare for the months ahead

Winterize your vehicle – To minimize the possibility of a breakdown, get your vehicle tuned up. Check your vehicle’s wipers, hoses, battery, alternator, belts, tires, brakes, exhaust system, lights, and fluid levels. Make sure your vehicle’s heater and defroster are in good working order and you travel with plenty of gas in your tank. A breakdown is frustrating on a good day but can be dangerous during wintery weather.

Place a winter survival kit in your vehicle – This kit should contain items to help sustain your life and the lives of your passengers should your vehicle become stranded during inclement weather. These items can include booster cables; a flashlight with fresh batteries; extra blankets and warm clothes; nonperishable, high-calorie food items; candles, matches, and a can for melting snow for drinking water; and a snow shovel. Sufficient supplies should be in the kit for all persons traveling in the vehicle. Carrying a mobile phone and charger in your vehicle is also advised for use during an emergency.

Use technology to help make better travel decisions – The winter road conditions layer is now visible on www.511ia.org. This layer, along with layers that show images directly from the windshields of our snowplows and stationary cameras along the roadside, can help you determine whether it is safe to travel now or if you should postpone your trip.

 Kick your winter driving skills into gear – The first snowfall and slick roads are a quick reminder that it’s time to re-evaluate and adjust your driving behaviors.

• Wear your seat belt. Every trip, every time.
• Turn off the cruise control. Cruise control does not allow you to let off the accelerator if you hit a slick spot, making it more difficult to maintain control of your vehicle.
• Adjust your speed for conditions. Speed limits are set for ideal driving conditions. Winter weather can create hazards that require slower speeds. Remember these simple slogans, “Ice and Snow … Take It Slow” and “Don’t Crowd the Plow.”
• Take it easy. On slick pavements your driving maneuvers need to be gradual and smooth, so you do not skid or spin.  Change lanes or turn with graceful movements, begin braking sooner gently increasing pressure on the pedal, and give yourself more room around other cars to allow for everyone’s reduced ability to stop or maneuver.

How the Iowa DOT has prepared

Our people and equipment – The department’s 101 maintenance garages employ 1,069 full-time equipment operators, mechanics, and supervisors, and are in the process of hiring up to 633 temporary employees this winter season, to keep the agency’s 902 trucks, 42 motor graders, 33 tow plows, and 10 heavy-duty, self-propelled snowblowers on the road during winter weather.

For those interested in temporary, part-time snowfighter positions, go to https://iowadot.gov/careers and click on the “seasonal/temp” tab.

The materials we use – The Iowa DOT has spent the warmer months stocking salt in our storage facilities for use during the winter. Buying during the spring and summer allows us to obtain better pricing because demand is low. On average, the Iowa DOT uses more than 136,000 tons of salt and nearly 32 million gallons of brine each year to help maintain safe travel on the primary highway system, consisting of interstate, U.S., and Iowa routes.

The Iowa DOT primarily uses salt brine, a simple solution of standard rock salt and water, to help with winter roadway maintenance. It can be used to pretreat roadways before a storm, thus preventing snow and ice from bonding to the pavement. Brine is also used to prewet salt before it leaves the truck, increasing its ability to melt snow and ice and helping keep it on the roadway surface.

You may wonder why Iowa DOT trucks sometimes spray brine on sunny days. Frost is a major safety factor this time of year. The Iowa DOT’s proactive approach of spraying brine on areas prone to frost prevents the formation of an icy layer, which typically occurs on cold, clear nights. Frost is hard to see on the road’s surface and most people don’t expect it. These unexpected encounters with a frost-covered bridge or roadway can be particularly treacherous when traveling at higher rates of speed, making it more difficult to maintain control of your vehicle.

For more information about winter preparedness and the Iowa DOT’s snow and ice control program, check the Iowa DOT’s winter safety website.