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Proposed constitutional amendment on voting requirements

News

October 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa voters are being presented with a three-part proposal about who is eligible to vote in Iowa. The amendment proposed for Iowa’s constitution says 17 year olds may vote in a Primary if they’ll be 18 by the General Election. That’s already state law. Another part of the proposed amendment says –only– U-S citizens may vote in Iowa elections, a change from current language in the document that says –every– U-S citizen may vote. Some Democrats say the proposal would prevent legal U-S residents from being allowed to vote in local city or school board elections at some point in the future. Bill Brauch is chair of Polk County Democrats.

“These may be people who own their own homes, they are paying real estate taxes, they are paying sales taxes, they’re paying income taxes in the United States and they cannot cast a vote,” Brauch says. “What this amendment does is it prevents the legislature from ever changing that.” Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann predicts the proposed amendment will pass easily.

“Voting is for citizens and I would be willing to bet that the overwhelming majority of Iowans agree with that,” Kaufmann says. “I’m going to guess that a majority of Democrats are in favor of that.”

The third part of this proposed amendment aligns Iowa’s Constitution with the 26th amendment to the U-S Constitution that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 nationally — back in 1971. The OTHER proposed state constitutional amendment on Iowa ballots this year deals with the line of succession in state government.

High School Volleyball Class 5A, 4A, and 3A Regional Final Scores

Sports

October 29th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

5A

#2 Ankeny Centennial 3, Ottumwa 0

#7 Cedar Falls 3, #10 Iowa City Liberty 0

#4 Dowling Catholic 3, Iowa City West 0

#6 Waukee Northwest 3, #12 Sioux City East 0

#1 Pleasant Valley 3, #15 Linn Mar 0

#9 Waukee 3, Bettendorf 0

#3 Ankeny 3, #11 Iowa City High 0

#5 Indianola 3, #13 Valley 1

 

4A

#7 Glenwood 3, #8 ADM 1

#12 Sgt. Bluff-Luton 3, #6 Lewis Central 1

#2 Bishop Heelan, Sioux City 3, #13 MOC Floyd Valley 0

#3 North Scott 3, #14 Grinnell 0

#5 Pella 3, Norwalk 0

#1 Xavier, Cedar Rapids 3, Charles City 0

#4 Clear Creek Amana 3, Dallas Center-Grimes 1

#9 Carlisle 3, #10 Marion 2

 

3A

#5 Kuemper Catholic 3, #15 Clarinda 0

#1 Mount Vernon 3, Nevada 0

#4 Dubuque Wahlert 3, Monticello 0

#3 West Delaware 3, Union 0

#2 Western Christian 3, Humboldt 0

#6 Assumption, Davenport 3, #11 Anamosa 1

#8 Mid-Prairie, Wellman 3, #10 Wilton 1

#7 Sioux Center 3, #9 Cherokee 1

Atlantic City Council has a Special Session & Work Session scheduled for Oct. 30th

News

October 29th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic will hold back-to-back meetings Wednesday evening. The first is a Special Session at 5-p.m. to act on two resolutions: “Adopting a Memorandum of Understanding with the Atlantic Community School District for a School Resource Officer Program.”  The second resolution is “Authorizing Vision Atlantic, Inc., to proceed with infrastructure for the Camblin Hills Development and Assurances Regarding a Development Agreement.”

The Council will hold a Work Session at approximately 5:15-p.m., to:

  • Review, discuss and come to a consensus on a Housing Development Policy. And…
  • Review, discuss and come to a consensus on the Sidewalk Program.

Both meetings take place in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall in Atlantic.

City Council Meeting & Work Session Agenda Packet 10-30-2024

‘Thousands’ of voter registrations have been challenges in three counties

News

October 29th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s secretary of state and the American Civil Liberties Union have sent letters to county auditors, reminding them they are in the three month period when they cannot respond to challenges seeking removal of names from Iowa voter registration lists. Federal law says such challenges must be tabled within 90 days of an election. State election officials say a non-partisan vendor that monitors activity on voter registration lists reports Iowa county auditors have continued to process voter registration challenges.

Rita Bettis Austen is legal counsel for the A-C-L-U of Iowa. “We sent this letter because we were contacted by impacted voters who learned they had been a part of some of these mass challenges and that led us to investigate,” Bettis Austen says.

The A-C-L-U has confirmed the registrations for thousands of voters in Johnson, Muscatine and Pottawattamie Counties have been challenged and some Iowans have had their voter registration cancelled in error. “It is deeply concerning to us that auditors may have improperly removed some Iowa voters based on that Secretary of State letter,” Bettis Austen said, “and one of the things that our letter reminds auditors of is the fact that they need to restore those voters who have been improperly removed due to those challenges.”

The Council Bluffs Nonpareil has reported a local man walked into the Pottawattamie County Auditor’s office in August and challenged whether over six-hundred registered voters still lived in the county. Any voter who has been removed from the registration list can still register and vote at their county auditor’s office or at their precinct on Election Day if they show proof of their current home address on things like a utility bill, a paycheck or the address listed on their photo I-D.

Leave of absence approved for Oelwein city council member facing drug charges

News

October 29th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Oelwein City Council approved a request Monday for a leave of absence at for At-Large Council Member Karen Seeders, who was arrested at her home on October 18th on felony drug charges. Oelwein Mayor Brett De Vore told K-C-R-G T-V they first asked Seeders what she wanted to do. “We leave it up to the person and what they choose to do. Whether it’s resigning, keep coming. Personally, I would have resigned if it were me,” De Vore says.

Seeders was elected to the position in 2021 after winning a special election. DeVore said he talked with Seeders since the arrest, and she told him she has an obligation to stay on. )“She feels that she was elected by the residents of the community to represent them, and she wants to keep doing that,” Mayor DeVore says. Iowa law says only a city council or a district court can remove a member of the council, but the city attorney said he doesn’t believe it can at this time. Iowa Code says the council member would need to be convicted of a felony, and Seeders is only facing charges.

The mayor tells K-C-R-G T-V the leave is the only option. “We really don’t have an option to remove her at this point,” DeVore says. The council did approve having the mayor to talk with Seeders about limiting the leave to 60 days. “People are not happy, I don’t believe anyone on council is very happy about it either,” he says.

Seeders’ seat at the council meeting was empty Monday while the council discussed how to proceed.

Becht Named to Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2024

Sports

October 29th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht has earned a spot in the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2024 and is officially in the running for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.

Becht has been outstanding leading the Cyclone offense this season, paving the way for ISU’s first 7-0 start since 1938. Through seven games, Becht has thrown for 1,712 yards and 11 touchdowns and is completing passes at a 61.3% clip.

The Wesley Chapel, Fla. native has thrown a touchdown pass in 11-straight games dating back to last season and has thrown for 250-plus yards in five games this season, including three straight. Becht has also made good use of his feet to extend plays and pick up key first downs on the ground. He has four rushing touchdowns this season.

Still just a sophomore, Becht has been at his best when it’s mattered most this season, delivering two game-winning drives when ISU has gotten the ball trailing with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

At No. 21 Iowa, Becht marched the Cyclones 42 yards in 0:28 to set up a game-winning field goal with 0:06 left. Becht came through in crunch time once again against UCF when he led the Cyclones on an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive in 1:18, capped by a quarterback sneak with 0:30 remaining in the game.

No. 11 Iowa State is back in action Saturday, Nov. 2 at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN when they host Texas Tech for homecoming.

XC Notebook: Big Ten Championships

Sports

October 29th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

THIS WEEK
University of Iowa men’s and women’s cross country begins postseason competition with the Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Illinois, on Nov. 1. The Big Ten Championships are hosted by the University of Illinois and held at the Orange and Blue Golf Course. The women’s 6,000-meter race begins at 10:35 a.m. (CT), with the men’s 8,000-meter race to follow at 11:35.

LAST TIME OUT
The University of Iowa men’s and women’s cross-country teams concluded their regular season on Oct. 18, with six Hawkeyes setting personal records at the Bradley Pink Classic. The men placed third overall with 165 points, while the women finished tenth with 275 points.

WOMEN’S TOP RUNNERS
Miriam Sandeen is the leading runner for Iowa in the 2024 regular season. The senior from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has been Iowa’s top finisher in the Hawkeye Invite, Big Ten Preview and the Bradley Pink Classic. Freshman Elena Torres finished as Iowa’s top runner at the Gans Creek Classic. Senior Amber Aesoph and junior Rowan Boulter combined to score for all of Iowa’s 2024 regular season races.

MEN’S TOP RUNNERS
Juniors Will Ryan, Miles Sheppard, Brayden Burnett, and Carson Houg have been Iowa’s point scorers this season. Ryan was named to the Big Ten’s Preseason Watch List. Sophomore Miles Wilson has been a consistent top-five runner for Iowa in every meet for the 2024 season.

LAST TIME HERE
The Hawkeyes had a previous look at the Blue and Orange Cross Country Course at the Big Ten Preview on Sept. 13. The women’s team finished fifth with 140 points, led by Miriam Sandeen in 22nd (21:13.2). Amber Aesoph, Elena Torres, Hillary Trainor, and Rowan Boulter rounded out Iowa’s top five. The men’s team placed seventh with 178 points. Miles Wilson paced the Hawkeyes with a 19th-place finish (24:06.2), followed by Miles Sheppard, Kyle Montgomery, Ethan Eichhorn and Hayden Kuhn.

HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
Iowa’s freshman class has made a significant impact this season. On the women’s side, Elena Torres has been recognized twice as Big Ten Freshman of the Week, earning the honor for her performances at the Big Ten Preview and Gans Creek Classic. She was also named Iowa’s September Woman Athlete of the Month. Additionally, Marissa Long and Hillary Trainor have consistently placed among Iowa’s top five runners in the team’s first two races. The men’s team has also seen strong performances from its freshmen. Kyle Montgomery and Ethan Eichhorn have been key contributors, finishing among Iowa’s top five at multiple meets. Montgomery excelled at the Hawkeye Invite, Gans Creek Classic, and Bradley Pink Classic, while Eichhorn secured top-five finishes at the Hawkeye Invite, Big Ten Preview, and Bradley Pink Classic.

Iowa State’s Matt Campbell previews Texas Tech

Sports

October 29th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

With a month remaining Iowa State controls its own destiny. The 11th ranked Cyclones are 7-0 and along with BYU are one of two unbeaten’s in Big 12 play. The path is clear to a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth and ISU will move to 8-0 for the first time in program history with a homecoming win over Texas Tech.

That’s Iowa State coach Matt Campbell who says they key will be how the Cyclones finish the season.

The Cyclones are 7-0 for the first time since 1938 but Campbell says they will be defined by how they play in November.

Campbell says leadership will be critical during the final month.

Iowa’s Cade McNamara ruled out for Wisconsin

Sports

October 29th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says quarterback Cade McNamara will not play Saturday night when the Hawkeyes host Wisconsin. McNamara suffered a concussion in a 40-14 win over Northwestern and was replaced in the second quarter by Brendan Sullivan.

Ferentz is hoping McNamara can return to practice next week. He missed the final nine games of last season after suffering an ACL injury.

Sullivan will get his first start against Badgers after directing the Hawkeyes to a touchdown drive late in the second quarter and three touchdown drives in the third quarter.

Under Ferentz Iowa has been known to finish the regular season strong. The Hawkeyes have won 18 of their last 20 games in November.

The Badgers enter 5-3 after a home loss to third ranked Penn State. Iowa will be in search of a third straight win in their series but Wisconsin has claimed eight of the last 12.

Employers are hiring Iowans now for holiday jobs, from retail to deliveries

News

October 29th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are considering picking up some seasonal work during the final few months of the year should apply now, according to a University of Iowa business professor. Peggy Stover, who directs the U-I’s Marketing Institute, says many retailers are looking to make immediate hires as we’re now less than a month from Thanksgiving.

“Right now, retailers are scrambling for consumers to come into their stores,” Stover says. “Online shopping continues to be the giant juggernaut that brick-and-mortar stores continue to vie for holiday shoppers.” Thanksgiving is a little later this year, falling on November 28th, meaning it will be a shorter holiday shopping season. What will that mean for consumers?

“Actually, there’ll be better deals in the end because of the fact that retailers definitely want to clear out their holiday inventory,” Stover says, “so definitely some good bargains out there to be had in addition to a strong market for hiring seasonal workers.” The national inflation rate has fallen to two-point-four percent and the state unemployment rate held steady at two-point-nine percent in September.

Stover predicts the holiday shopping season ahead will be robust, with Black Friday just a month from today (Tuesday). “Right now it’s being forecasted to increase anywhere from two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half percentage points versus last year,” Stover says, “so definitely going to be a good holiday season. I think overall, holiday shopping is going to be strong again this year.”

Stover sees “fan favorites” like clothing and accessories being big sellers in the season ahead, but also a surge in what she calls memory-making “experience gifts,” everything from concert tickets to a day at the spa.