DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s nonpartisan redistricting process has laid the groundwork for competitive races in all four congressional districts, where no candidate is a shoo-in. After a low-turnout primary, attention shifted Tuesday to congressional races expected to cost millions of dollars and legislative contests that could shift the balance of power in the Iowa Senate. Republicans say they have a realistic chance to knock off one or more incumbent Democratic congressmen. If they win two state Senate seats, the GOP will claim a majority needed to approve new restrictions on abortion, reduce property taxes and place a constitutional gay marriage ban on the ballot. Democrats, meanwhile, are taking aim at Republican U.S. Reps. Tom Latham and Steven King. Their races are expected to be the most hotly contested in Iowa.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports a Braddyville man was arrested Tuesday, on a warrant out of Shelby County for revocation of his probation, on 2010 drug-related charges. 44-year old Roger Dale Schaben was taken into custody at around 7-p..m Tuesday, and brought to the Page County Jail, before he was extradicted to Shelby County by their deputies. His bond was set at $25,000.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Board of Regents says it wants to eliminate the practice of using tuition dollars to give scholarships to low-income students within five years.  The regents voted Wednesday during a meeting in Iowa City to create a 12-member committee tasked with developing a long-term plan to end the practice, in which about 20 percent of tuition revenue is used for financial aid.
 
The practice dates to the 1980s. Last year, more than $144 million went to nearly 26,000 students as need-based and merit-based scholarships. Some parents and Republican lawmakers have been critical of the practice, which they say hurts middle-class families by raising their costs to subsidize other students. Regents say the committee will develop a plan for a state-wide scholarship program and private fundraising to replace the aid.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) were prepared to authorize Board Chair Duane McFadden to sign a letter of intent to join with other counties in an agreement for delivery of Mental Health services. Instead, they approved a motion signifying they intend to do so, after Mental Health Administrative Assistant Deb Schuler, who spoke for Mental Health Coordinator Teresa Kanning, informed the Board an ISAC (Iowa State Association of Counties) official suggested the motion to Regionalize those services be made, because the process to regionalize is still in the very early stages. Governor Terry Branstad signed legislation late last month that reform’s the state’s mental health system. It shakes up the current county-based format, in favor of one based on “regions.”

Parts of Iowa that are desperate for rain may not get it anytime soon. The National Weather Service is predicting a warmer-than-average weather pattern in the lower Missouri River basin, which includes Iowa, through June. South Dakota State climatologist Dennis Todey says he doesn’t expect rainfall to be excessive.”From Montana to North Dakota and northern South Dakota, a decent chance for above-average precipitation chances,” Todey says. “As we look in the southern part of the basin, the near-normal precipitation is expected.” Todey’s comments came during a U-S Army Corps of Engineers conference call. Warm, dry weather has allowed the Corps to inspect Missouri River dams following last year’s flood.

Officials with the U-S Army Corps of Engineers hope to have all Missouri River levee repair projects complete by the end of this year. Last summer’s Missouri River flooding caused significant damage in western Iowa. The Corps’ Omaha District has 11 projects underway, with 99-million dollars in repairs complete. Brett Budd, chief of the Omaha District’s System Restoration Team, says some already-repaired areas need additional reinforcement.

Budd says, “We anticipate phase two contracts will be awarded in the coming weeks for the Omaha Flood Protection project, levee L-624/627 at Council Bluffs, Iowa, levee L-611/614 south of Council Bluffs, Iowa, L-575 near Percival and Hamburg, Iowa, L-550 near Rock Port, Missouri, and L-536 south of Rock Port, Missouri.” Releases from Gavins Point Dam in Yankton, South Dakota, are at 31-thousand cubic feet per second. Last year at this time, releases from there were at 110-thousand C-F-S, and the Missouri River was more than five feet above flood stage.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department today (Wednesday) reports two Cass County men were arrested, Tuesday. 23-year old Joshua Dyer, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Sarpy County, NE. warrant for Criminal Mischief. Dyer was being held in the Cass County Jail. And, 21-year old Shane Suhr, of Anita, turned himself-in to authorities. Suhr was wanted on three Cass County warrants for Public Intoxication, Disorderly Conduct, and Assault with Injury. He was later released from custody, on bond.

The Guthrie County Extension council soon will begin the process to fill four seats on the council. The elected council, like the hundreds of others across the country, is the grass roots governing body for the Cooperative Extension System. As part of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Guthrie County council works in partnership with local citizens, Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to carry the land-grant mission beyond the campus in Ames. Candidates for the council will appear on the general election ballot in November. The duties of a council member include hiring county staff, managing the county extension budget and helping select programming. One hundred ISU Extension and Outreach field offices provide local access to extension programs in all 99 counties.  

The nomination process begins with the appointment of a four-member nominating committee. By law, the current council appoints two men and two women to the committee and it cannot include any current members of the council. The committee must be appointed by Aug. 6t, 2012. The committee is charged with nominating candidates for the council, and geographic distribution of the nominees is one factor that they consider. After nominees have been selected, each nominee must turn in to the county elections commissioner a petition signed by at least 25 qualified voters by 5 p.m. on Aug. 29th, 2012.

For more information, contact: Vicki Frohling, Guthrie County/ISUExtension and Outreach at 641-747-2276 , or e-mail frohling@iastate.edu

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Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer said Tuesday, that no injuries were reported following two separate accidents Sunday evening. 21-year old Johnny Lee Blake, of New Market was cited for Failure to Maintain Control, after the 1998 Ford Mustang he was driving was traveling too fast and went out of control on Highway 2, on the outskirts of Shenandoah. The accident happened as Blake was trying to turn onto Annacrose Highway from westbound Highway 2, at around 5:20-p.m. Sheriff Palmer says the car hit some loose gravel and sand before going into a skid. Blake overcorrected twice, sending the car into the west ditch, where it hit a City of Shenandoah “Welcome” sign. Damage to the sign amounted to $4,000. The car sustained $2,500 damage.

The other accident happened at around 4:30-p.m. Sunday, on 270th Street, near the intersection with Q Avenue, or about two-miles west of Shambaugh. Palmer says Cody Alan Graham, of Coin, was traveling west on 270th when the 1996 Dodge Caravan he was driving went out of control, left the road to the right and rolled over into a ditch before coming to rest on its left side. The vehicle sustained $3,000 damage. No citations were issued.

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