With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson….

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Republican Congressman Steve King says it’s too early to tell whether Texas Senator Ted Cruz has the kind of staying power to keep him in the hunt for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. “As I watch him and I listen to what he has to say — and we’ve had some intense, one-on-one conversations — he’s very well anchored in the fundamentals,” King says. “I do believe that he is a full-spectrum, constitutional conservative and there’s no question he’s a very smart guy, so we will see.” Cruz, who has been a senator since January, has catapulted into the national spotlight with his stand against “ObamaCare” and Cruz is due in northwest Iowa Saturday to hunt with King and speak at a King for Congress fundraiser in Le Mars.

King suggests Cruz realizes the “extraordinary ride” he’s been on in terms of garnering the public’s attention and the adoration from some activists within the G-O-P. “Anybody that steps up into the national arena and picks up all the press that a person like Ted Cruz is now and others have and will in the future, is that staying power — is it theirs or does the public lose its attention span?” King asks. About six-hundred Iowans have purchased tickets to hear Cruz speak at this evening’s Iowa G-O-P’s fundraiser in Des Moines. As for the reason Cruz gained the national spotlight this September and October, King says it’s unlikely Republicans will push again to “defund ObamaCare” in early 2014 when the temporary spending measure for government operations runs out and the country’s debt limit is reached.

“I don’t think the will to take that up again and have that kind of a showdown over a shutdown or a debt ceiling is going to happen in this congress,” King says. According to King, Republicans failed to act when they had their best shot at getting rid of “ObamaCare” in the first four months of 2011 after the Republican “wave” election of 2010. And King sees no “leverage point” in congress now to accomplish that goal before President Obama leaves office. “This is a very determined administration,” King says. “They’re already rolled in more than $600 million into trying to get a website up that works. They would put $2 or $3 or $5 or $10 billion into that to make that work. It is all hands on deck now. They will find a way to grind this thing into implementation.” If the Affordable Care Act is to be “undone,” King says more Americans will have to complain about health care premium increases. However, King isn’t sure that will happen.

“I think the American people won’t come to a sudden realization of how bad ObamaCare is. I think it’ll be dripped into them a few thousand people at a time until they’ve just accepted it,” King says. “That’s my concern and then if what happened in the United Kingdom back in the late 1940s happens here, I think the American people will slowly forget about the freedom they once had.” King made his comments during taping of the Iowa Public Television program “Iowa Press.”

(Radio Iowa)

Congressman Steve King says Republicans need to “respect” Congressman Tom Latham’s decision to support the deal that ended the government shutdown. Some Republicans, including Tea Party activists, have started talking about recruiting a candidate to challenge Latham in a Republican primary. “I can’t imagine me supporting that,” King says. “I’ve, as much as I can, stayed out of primaries, especially in the state of Iowa here.” King, a Tea Party favorite, voted against the deal, but Latham voted yes. “When you look at his voting record down the line, it’s been a solid conservative record,” King says. “And there are many places we can go to improve the House of Representatives without going to Tom Latham.”

Latham’s friendship with the top Republican in the House — Speaker John Boehner — plus Latham’s position on the powerful House Appropriations Committee are valuable assets for the state of Iowa, according to King. “He has his reasons for making his decision and I have mine for making mine and we want Tom Latham to be effective in his influence in the leadership circle in the House of Representatives,” King says. “If that’s a factor in his decision, then we should respect that.” King’s vocal opposition to immigration reform has prompted Republican insiders to suggest King himself might face a primary challenge from a pro-business conservative. King scoffs at that. “Rumors about a primary opponent? I think my antennae are pretty good and we can’t find a whisp of smoke of such a thing,” King says.

While long-time Republican Governor Terry Branstad and the Libertarians who are now the elected leaders of the Iowa G-O-P have had some very public spats, King isn’t picking sides. He’s casting himself as a sort of peacemaker. “I’ve been about the business of unifying this party and I don’t want to see the Republican Party marginalized. I don’t want to see the ‘Establishment’ wing pushed off. They have been an essential core of the Republican Party. They drive a lot of the economic agenda and, of course, they drive a lot of the fundraising side of this,” King says. “I don’t want to see the Libertarian side drift off of the other sides of this party because they are constitutionalists and they stand for the rule of law.”

King made his comments during a taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs this weekend on Iowa Public Television

(Radio Iowa)

Pheasant hunting season opens today (Saturday) in Iowa, but hunters may not see many birds. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports pheasant numbers could be down 18-percent compared to last year. Todd Bogenschutz, a wildlife biologist with the DNR, says the population decline isn’t surprising. “We had the wettest April and May in state history and hens don’t do very well when it’s wet in the spring, certainly not when it’s record setting,” Bogenschutz says. Five consecutive harsh winters followed by wet springs previously led to a drop in pheasant numbers between 2007-2011. Bogenschutz expects the forecast for another decline this year could lead to fewer pheasant hunting licenses being purchased.

“We finally had an increase in the pheasant population last year for the first time in about five years and we saw a little bump up in hunter numbers. Now, things drop down a bit…so, I expect we’ll see fewer hunters,” Bogenschutz says. “I still think we’ll be similar, we’ll probably have around 40,000 to 50,000 pheasant hunters this year.” The pheasant hunting season runs from October 26 through January 10. Bogenschutz predicts hunters will harvest between 100,000 to 150,000 pheasants this season. He notes hunters will likely have better luck later in the season as nearly half of the state’s corn crop has yet to be harvested. “Standing corn on opening weekend…there’s going to be quite a bit of it and that’s going to make hunting challenging because the birds figure out pretty quick that they’re safe in that standing corn,” Bogenschutz says.

The best pheasant numbers, according to Bogenschutz, can be found in areas of northwest, north-central, and central Iowa. Hunters shot roughly 158,000 pheasants last year. That compares to 109,000 pheasants harvested in 2011 – which was the lowest number since the state began keeping track in 1962.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds will be in western Iowa this coming week. Next Friday (Nov. 1st), Reynolds will take a tour of Molded Products, in Harlan. The event begins at 10-a.m.  Reynolds will move on to take a tour of Sullivan Supply in Dunlap, at 11:30 that same day, and from there it’s on to Sioux City, where she will visit the Sioux Community Schools. Governor Branstad will appear at the Mapleton Community Center at 4-p.m. Friday, to learn about the communities’ tornado recovery efforts. Mapleton was hit by a massive EF-3 tornado on April 9, 2011. The twister wiped out most of the western half of town, and the community is still working to rebuild.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The public library in Council Bluffs has turned to everyday people to help link pieces of the city’s past.  Organizers of the Council Bluffs: Proud Past… Bright Future project want residents to look in attics, basements and other corners of their homes for old pictures, letters and other mementos that could be used to tell Council Bluffs’ history.

The project launched in 2010 and has been collecting historical information from local participating museums. Now it’s seeking help from residents, who are being encouraged to bring in personal items to an upcoming event so they can be scanned onto the project’s website. Project director Chad Nation says it’s a unique endeavor that will benefit the community and help local schools teach Council Bluffs’ history.

Authorities in Council Bluffs are trying to find a man who allegedly stole more than $1,000 worth of bras. The Daily NonPareil reports the theft occurred Wednesday, at a Victoria’s Secret store at the Mall of the Bluffs. The suspect was described as a black man with a mohawk wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and aviator-style sunglasses.

Police say the man, who was in his early to mid-20s, walked into the store at around 11-a.m., and took 22 bras valued at $1,250. The investigation is ongoing.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police have arrested a couple after finding them living with a baby in a garage without heat, electricity, or a bathroom. Police say 23-year old Danae Haynes and 22-year-old Justin Sorter are charged with child endangerment causing bodily injury, possession of drug paraphernalia and probation violations. The child, estimated to be about nine months old, is healthy but was not dressed to withstand near freezing temperatures.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Two Maquoketa natives have given their second $10 million gift in three years to the University of Iowa. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports Jerre and Mary Joy Stead of Scottsdale, Arizona want to advance children’s medicine at the university. The donation includes $8 million to endow one faculty chair each in the areas of pulmonology, nephrology, neurology and general pediatrics.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A 20-year-old eastern Iowa man charged in the 2011 traffic death of a friend has been sentenced to two years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. Iowa City Press-Citizen reports Zachary Swenka of North Liberty apologized at a Thursday court hearing to the friends and family of 14-year-old Mackenzie Lown, who died in the crash.

SPILLVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Supporters of the Inwood Ballroom in Spillville are hoping to get public support to replace the floor of one of a few vintage ballrooms left in Iowa. KWWL television reports the managers of the Inwood Ballroom say they must replace the 5,000-square-foot dining room floor for $50,000.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The Department of Corrections says an inmate has been put on escape status after he left a work release center in Davenport. The agency says 26-year-old Michael Christopher Lewis was listed as being an escape after failing to return to the center Thursday.

He was serving a 19-year sentence for intimidation with a dangerous weapon, going armed with intent, criminal mischief and operating a vehicle without owner consent. He began the sentence in March 2008.

He was transferred to the work release center Sept. 6.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports an Audubon County woman was arrested today (Friday), on numerous charges. 49-year old JB Schmidt, of Audubon, was taken into custody on a Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrant for Burglary 3^rd Degree, Theft 2^nd Degree, two counts of Possession with Intent to Deliver Controlled Substance, and two counts of Drug Tax Stamp violation. Schmidt was taken to the Cass County Jail where she is being held on $25,000 bond.

And Thursday evening, Cass County deputies arrested 27-year old Tony Alan Pross, of Atlantic, on a charge of Eluding (A Serious misdemeanor). Pross was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on $1,000 bond.