DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Des Moines airport board has decided to limit taxi service to just one company. The Des Moines Airport Authority Board unanimously approved a three-year contract Tuesday with Trans Iowa. Trans Iowa will be required to dedicate 15 cabs and 24 drivers to the airport. Ride-sharing options will still be allowed.

Airport Executive Director Kevin Foley says limiting the service to one company is the only way the airport can ensure high-quality, consistent trips. He’s said taxi operators have been violating airport rules by having too few drivers, driving damaged vehicles, charging minimum trip fees, failing to post fee lists and only accepting cash payments.

Other cab company owners say the contracted service is unfair to smaller companies trying to expand.

A bill that would give the parents of private school students state tax money to cover tuition and other expenses drew applause, groans and emotional testimony at a statehouse hearing yesterday (Tuesday). Trish Wilger, executive director of Iowa Advocates for Choice in Education, told legislators the bill will “blast the doors open” for parents who want to send their kids to a private school. “This act goes a long way to give some parents a choice who otherwise don’t have one,” she said. Critics say the proposed five-thousand dollar state grants for newly-enrolled private school students will divert scarce public resources. According to Cindy Garlock of Cedar Rapids, a retired educator, there’s “no evidence vouchers increase student performance.”

“Aren’t we here about students and what’s best for our students or are we here to shuffle public dollars off into private entities?” she asked. Kim Preston lobbies in 11 Midwest states for the Foundation for Excellence in Education. She argued competition from private schools will raise the quality of public schools.”First of all, I think all kids can learn if they’re put in the right educational environment,” she said. “…I also believe parents are best equipped to make the choices about what fits the needs of their children the best.”

Andrew Dunn, a senior at Okoboji High School in Milford, told lawmakers that unlike public schools, private schools are not accessible to all students. “Education has truly been one of the foundations for success in Iowa and our public schools are institutions we ought to take pride in,” Dunn said. “…Public schools should be fixed, not abandoned.” If the bill becomes law, the bill’s sponsor says next year about 50-million dollars of state money would be given to the parents of kindergarteners starting out at a private school and to parents who remove their child from a public district and enroll them in a private school. The bill is scheduled for debate in the House Education Committee today (Wednesday).

(Radio Iowa)

The driver of a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan suffered unknown/possible injuries, following a collision in Creston Tuesday. The accident happened on Highway 34 near S. Sumner Avenue, at around 1:45-p.m.  Creston Police report the van, driven by 35-year old Ann Marie Bishop, of Cromwell, was stopped for traffic, when it was struck from behind by a 2002 Dodge Dakota Quadcab truck. The driver of the Dakota, 33-year old Ernest Kyle Sayler, of Bedford, told police he looked away for a moment, and could not stop in-time to avoid the collision. Sayler was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

Bishop complained of pain after the impact, but was not transported to the hospital. Damage from the accident amounted to $3,500.

ADEL, Iowa (AP) — The adoptive brother of a 16-year-old girl who died of malnutrition in her family home has reached a plea deal with prosecutors. Court records say a hearing is scheduled Friday for 22-year-old Justin Ray. The records don’t outline the deal or how he’ll plead. Ray’s previously pleaded not guilty to two counts of child endangerment and two of willful injury.

Police say he “drop-kicked” Sabrina Ray down basement stairs sometime between April 15 and May 1, leaving her unable to walk, talk, eat or drink normally. The girl’s body was found May 12 in the Perry home she shared with her adoptive parents, who have also been charged. The girl weighed just 56 pounds.