A new report from the Iowa Policy Project (IPP) outlines the impacts a hike in the minimum wage would have in the state’s most populous county. IPP research director Peter Fisher says boosting the minimum wage in Polk County to 12 or 15 dollars an hour would benefit between 60,000 to 88,000 workers. Fisher argues a significant increase in the minimum wage is long overdue.

“The value that workers produce has nearly doubled in the last 50 years and over that same time period, real wages have grown only about 20-percent and the minimum wage, when corrected for inflation, has actually fallen by a quarter,” Fisher said. Iowa’s minimum wage stands at $7.25, the same as the federal minimum.

Twenty-nine states, including five surrounding Iowa, have a minimum wage higher than the federal level. Fisher says his report counters what opponents of hiking the minimum wage argue — that it primarily impacts young people or those working part-time. Fisher says, of all the people who’d benefit from an increase in the minimum wage, just 13-percent would be under the age of 20.

“A much bigger chunk is over the age of 40, 38-percent, almost three-times as many,” Fisher said. “And they’re not just part-time workers, around two-thirds of the people who would benefit are working full-time.” Raising the minimum wage in Polk County, according to Fisher, would increase total income in the local economy by up to $444 million. That’s because the affected workers would likely spend their extra money on basic needs.

“Most of which, you have to purchase locally,” Fisher said. “So, it’s an economic boost to the local economy. Which, in fact, increases sales for precisely the kinds of businesses most affected by the minimum wage — retail, food service, et cetera. A lot of those low-wage jobs can expect some increase in sales.” Both Polk and Linn County officials are studying plans to hike minimum wages above the state law. Johnson County’s minimum is already two-dollars an hour above the state and will increase to $10.10/hour in January.

(Radio Iowa)

Governor Terry Branstad says the federal government has no business telling school officials how to make accommodations for transgender students. “I think it’s really a decision of local schools,” Branstad says. An Iowa law signed in 2007 by former Iowa Governor Chet Culver to address bullying in schools prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. This past week the Obama Administration put ALL U.S. schools on notice that they must let students use restrooms and locker rooms associated with their gender identity.

“Now you have the federal government stepping in and saying: ‘If you don’t do it our way, we’re going to withhold your federal money.’ I think that’s wrong,” Branstad says. “I mean, we want to treat everybody with respect and dignity, but we don’t think the federal govenrment ought to be coming in and threatening to withhold education money to local school districts in Iowa.” Branstad calls that “overreach.”

“I think there are bigger and more important issues that the president should be addressing, such as protecting the security of Americans,” Branstad says. Branstad says he’s troubled by reports indicating ISIS has released “kill lists” with the names of average American civilians. Branstad says he gets monthly security briefings on threats that are specific to Iowa, but cannot talk publicly about them.

Last week the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice notified school officials that they should ensure transgender students “enjoy a supportive and nondiscriminatory school environment.” The directive came in response to North Carolina’s law that requires individuals to use public restrooms that correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have determined an altercation earlier this month involving a black University of Iowa freshman doesn’t meet the criteria for a hate crime. Student Marcus Owens reported he was assaulted near several bars and restaurants by white men who used racial slurs. Police investigated surveillance video and talked to witnesses and released a statement Monday describing a series of altercations involving Owens inconsistent in some ways with his initial report.

WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) — Waukee city and school district leaders are teaming up to purchase 160 acres of land in an effort to build a second high school and a city sports complex. Officials announced Monday that both the Waukee Community School District and the Waukee City Council approved the purchase agreement May 9 and will collaborate on the project. Officials plan to have the new high school open to students in 2021.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines city workers have ruined a 200-foot long, city-approved mural created by students. The colorful mural featured on a flood wall outside Central Campus in Des Moines was painted over in a misunderstanding with the city. A group leader learned Monday the mural was mistakenly covered by the city’s graffiti removal program, which destroyed nearly 100 hours of work. The project was set to be complete this week.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A penny-per-gallon gas tax that for more than a quarter-century has funded efforts to clean up underground petroleum tanks near gas stations will end later this year under a measure Gov. Terry Branstad signed into law. During a bill signing Monday at the Capitol, Branstad said the program had served its purpose and he wanted to return the savings to drivers when the tax expires on Dec. 31.

(Corrects gender of Kassidie to a male, not female. The State Patrol report did not specify gender in their report)

A collision Monday afternoon near Shenandoah has claimed the life of a Page County man. The Iowa State Patrol says the driver one of the vehicles, 20-year old Kassidie Runyon, of Yorktown, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene. The other driver, 60-year old Cathy Lesher, of Westboro, MO., who was wearing her seat belt, was injured during the collision, and transported by Shenandoah EMS to the Shenandoah Memorial Hospital.

The crash happened at around 3:20-p.m. at the intersection of 250th Street and Highway 59. Officials say a 2003 Kia Spectra driven by Runyon, was eastbound on 250th Street and had pulled away from the stop sign at Highway 59, when his car was hit on the driver’s side by Lesher’s southbound 2006 Dodge 1500 pickup.

Both vehicles came to rest in the east ditch off Highway 59, south of 250th Street.

The status of Atlantic’s application to Vision Iowa for a CAT (Community Attraction and Tourism) Grant, is in limbo. That was the word from Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director Roger Herring, during Monday evening’s meeting of the Parks and Rec Board. Herring said he and Assistant Director Seth Staashelm met with the Vision Iowa/CAT grant committee in Winterset on May 11th, and while the meeting was cordial, and he was the last presenter of the mid-day group, it was clear things weren’t going to be going as well as he’d hoped.

He said the Committee hadn’t seen the City’s application for the CAT grant prior to Herring’s presentation. Nor had they seen the dvd that was created, that gives a virtual/drone tour of the Schildberg Recreation Area and a summary of the plans for improvements to the park. He had a total of 10-minutes to make his pitch. The Committee did get a chance to see a shortened dvd presentation by Herring on the project during the presentation, but the second blow came when he learned from Vision Iowa’s legal counsel that a big element of consideration was the amount private funding the project has.

Atlantic’s project has raised money through private fundraising, but the Chairman said in a follow-up letter Herring read, that it fell short of level the CAT grant board wanted to see. He said “I don’t know where we stand for sure, other than we’ve got two weeks to do [more] private fundraising to their satisfaction.” He said, “That’s obviously not going to happen,” but he added that he would, despite his upcoming retirement, continue to work on helping the project move along.”

Roger Herring (Far right) talks about the CAT grant)

In addition, Herring said Vision Iowa’s legal counsel explained that because the State was re-aligning the Iowa Economic Development Department, the current Vision Iowa Board was in the process of being “dissolved,” and replaced with an “Enhanced Iowa” program, that there are few few details about. Their Board will be in place by Nov. 1st.

The bottom line is, June 8th is the last date CAT grant awards will be given. That means no further consideration will be given to any projects, certainly not until the new Board meets later this fall. Herring said he left the meeting feeling discouraged, because of what he learned. For now, he’ll call for a meeting of the Schildberg Recreation Area Committee and “Go back to the drawing board” with the new “Enhanced Iowa Board.”

He said “We’ll work with it, and make the best of it.”  The City, he said, can move forward with some aspects of the project using funds from the Hotel/Motel tax, but things won’t be coming together as quickly as they’d hoped.