Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says she will continue to push for answers in the death of an Iowa woman.  Twenty-one-year-old Sarah Root of Council Bluffs died after police say her car was rear-ended by a car driven by 19-year-old Eswin Mejia. Police say Mejia was in the country illegally, drunk driving and street racing.  Ernst says they want to know why Immigration’s and Customs Enforcement didn’t detain Mejia and he is believed to have fled the country.

“We have not heard back yet from ICE and we have contacted the agency and I have request a phone call from director (Sarah) Saldaña of Ice. She had appeared before our committee a number of weeks ago,” Ernst says.  Ernst and fellow Senator Charles Grassley have been pushing ICE for answers. “We are going to push and make sure that this fugitive is brought to justice. We have to do that, not only for the Root family, but we have to do it and force the issue to make sure that ICE  is protecting our American citizens, they need to know that this is an issue,” according to Ernst.

Root’s mother Michelle testified before the U-S House Judiciary Committee this week as they also investigate the case.  Ernst says it is important that ICE has the proper procedures in place. “Not just in this case, but there are other cases as well where we need to make sure ICE is following through,” Ernst says.

She says the president must rethink his policies and seriously reconsider them so that tragedies like this one are not replicated elsewhere.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa House approved its last two budget bills this Thursday, but a final agreement and the end of session is still a ways off. The House amended and passed Senate File 2323 to approve more than $1 billion for primary, secondary, and post-secondary education along with Senate File 2023 to allocate $378 million for the the Iowa Department of Transportation Thursday evening.

Key components of the education budget bill include a $3 million increase in funds for Iowa’s community colleges after receiving no increase in 2015, and a $6.3 million increase for Iowa’s Regent Universities. The bill allocates a 0.6 percent increase for the University of Iowa, 1.2 percent increase for Iowa State University, and a 2.9 percent increase for the University of Northern Iowa.

Rep. Tom Moore (R-Griswold)

The bill also gives a $213,958 increase for the Iowa School of the Deaf and an $89,205 increase for the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School. In his weekly newsletter,  Representative Tom Moore, a Republican from Griswold, said  “With only $4.9 million in new money for education, it is no secret this is a tight budget year. As Vice Chair of the Education Budget Subcommittee, I believe the House did a commendable job of funding top priorities and I was proud to support it.”

The $378 million approved for transportation is made up of $2.3 million from the State Aviation Fund, $50.4 million from the Road Use Tax Fund, and $325.3 million from the Primary Road Fund. The main point of contention in this bill was over appropriations for the “highways” section of the transportation budget. The Senate bill approves an increase of roughly $10.4 million — more than a four percent increase — while the House bill approves a $1.9 million increase in highways.

Moore says “With our current budget only allowing for a 2.25 percent increase in Supplemental State Aid for K-12 education and many other priorities facing cuts this year, it seems unfair and illogical to approve such a large increase for part of the transportation budget.” The education and transportation budget bills will go back to the Senate for approval. It is likely both bills will end up in conference committees, along with several of the other budget bills the House passed this week.

Until both chambers come to a finalized agreement on all facets of the state’s FY 2017 budget, the 2016 session still continues.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:38 a.m. CDT

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Room and board costs will increase at Iowa’s three public universities. The Iowa Board of Regents voted unanimously Thursday to approve the price hikes that will go into effect next school year. Under the new plan, the most popular room and meal plans will now cost $9,301 at the University of Iowa, $8,356 at Iowa State University and $8,629 at the University of Northern Iowa.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — Officials says residents in Oskaloosa and Beacon no longer need to boil their water after testing found the water was safe to drink. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources lifted the boil advisory Thursday. Officials asked residents to boil their water Tuesday after a pump failure caused two water towers at the Oskaloosa treatment plant to empty. The low pressure created the possibility for bacteria to enter the water system.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a man’s request for a new trial after he was convicted of a hate crime in the beating of a black man at a Dubuque bar. U.S. District Judge Linda Reade on Wednesday denied 40-year-old Randy Metcalf’s motion seeking acquittal and a new trial. Jurors in federal court found Metcalf guilty of committing a hate crime in March. Prosecutors said the beating was racially motivated.

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — A psychiatrist says a man accused of killing a woman at a Coralville mall may have had a disorder that causes “explosive outbursts.” William Logan, a Kansas City-based forensic psychiatrist, testified Thursday in Story County court. Kozak is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Andrea Farrington. Prosecutors say Farrington was shot three times while working in the Coral Ridge Mall.

The Red Oak Police Department announced the arrest Thursday of 35-year-old Kale Garrett Hardman of Red Oak for Domestic Abuse Assault.  Hardman was arrested after being found walking westbound on Senate Street from 8th Street in Red Oak at 3:50pm Thursday.  He was taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on no bond.

Members of the Griswold and Lenox Community School Districts’ Boards of Education will meet in a special, joint session Monday evening. The purpose of the meeting is to explore whether the districts have a mutual interest in sharing the duties of a Superintendent. The meeting takes place at 7-p.m. in the Lenox Public Library at 600 S. Locust Street, in Lenox. The session will be informational only. No action is expected at this time.

Earlier this week, a proposed three-way sharing arrangement between the South Page, Sidney and Griswold School Districts, was shelved, because the Sidney School Board failed to take action on the matter.

Two people were injured and transported to the Clarinda Regional Healthcare Center, following a collision (this) Thursday morning, about two miles west of Clarinda. The Page County Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened at the intersection of O Avenue and Highway 2, at around 6:55-a.m.  The drivers of the vehicles, 26-year old Andrew Thomas Skinner, of Denver, IA, and 38-year old Tylicia Vaun Bradley, of Fairfax, MO., were hurt. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

Officials say Skinner was southbound on O Avenue operating in a 1998 Oldsmobile, while Bradley was eastbound on Highway 2, in a 2009 Mitsubishi SUV. Skinner failed to failed to pay attention to the stop ahead sign, rumble strips, or the stop sign and went into the intersection without stopping. Bradley didn’t see Skinner until Skinner was in the intersection. Her SUV hit Skinner’s car on the passenger side doors. Both vehicles spun-out, went through a fence in the southeast corner of the intersection and came to rest in a pasture owned by Brent Pulliam.

Clarinda Ambulance and the Clarinda Fire Department assisted at the scene. Both vehicles are considered totaled. Damage to the fence is estimated at $1,500. Charges are pending at this time.

Officials with the City of Council Bluffs said Thursday (today), that the five members of the Council Bluffs City Council are unified in their decision to build a new Council Bluffs Police Department.

Voters are going to the polls in a special election May 3rd to cast a ballot regarding the $20 million bond needed to fund a new police building. The entire City Council is asking residents to vote in favor of the bond.

The Council says it recognizes the need, as the police force has outgrown the current 40 year old building. The police department they agree, has run out of room to operate efficiently and effectively.

A press conference about their unified support for the project will be held Monday afternoon.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A survey of rural bankers in 10 Western and Plains states suggests the region remains stifled by relatively low agriculture and energy commodity prices. An April report released Thursday says the Rural Mainstreet Index fell to 38.2 from March’s 40.2. It had risen the past two months. Survey officials say any score below 50 on any of the survey’s indexes suggests that factor will decline.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the monthly survey, and he says that, compared to a year ago, prices for farm products are down 16 percent and energy products are down 8 percent. Nonetheless, the confidence index rose to 34.8 from 30.1 in March.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.