(Radio Iowa) – The Republican who’ll lead the tax policy committee in the Iowa House next year says property tax relief will be his primary focus. Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton says property taxes have exploded over the last decade. “It’s one of the top things I hear, not just on the campaign trail, but also back home when I’m around constituents, particularly when it comes to seniors who are on a fixed income who see skyrocketing property taxes,” Kaufmann says. “They have to start making incredibly difficult choices about what to pay for.”

Kaufmann says he’s interested in making substantial changes that lead to property tax relief. “For me, everything’s on the table,” Kaufmann says. “I’m open ears. I am willing to listen to any option and I am willing to listen to the detrators of every option, but we’re going to be aggressive in our approach.”

Senator Dan Dawson, the Republican from Council Bluffs who’s chairman of the SENATE Ways and Means Committee, has also said property tax changes will be the top priority for Senate Republicans in 2023. Last month at the Republican Governors Association meeting, Governor Kim Reynolds said her priority in the next four years is eliminating the Iowa income tax. She did not mention property taxes.

(Radio Iowa) – This is supposed to be the season of joy but for some Iowans, the Christmas holidays only remind them of a loved one they’ve lost. Several Iowa communities are holding solemn services for those who are mourning a death in the past year. Amy Keller, with the Foster Funeral and Cremation Center in Webster City, is coordinating a memorial this weekend with several area churches. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be within the last year. It can be any loss that you’ve had throughout your life, if you would like to come over to the service,” Keller says. “It’s not only just for humans, it can be for pets. The service here will be a service that’s going to be honoring and celebrating, remembering those that we have lost.” Sarah Ostlund, faith formation director at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Webster City, says there will be a reading during the service of all of the names of those who are being remembered.

“There’ll be an actual candle-lighting portion of this service so that we just reserve a space in time for our loved ones that we so desperately wish were still here with us,” Ostlund says, “and we’re missing them even more during this special time of the year.” The impact of loss can be lessened when we realize we’re not alone in missing those who are gone, and Ostlund says the service is a way to join individuals together.

Ostlund says, “Hopefully, we’ll have time to remember those people and share some memories and share some of the joys that we have, despite the sadness that we feel missing our loved ones.” The service is scheduled to begin at 5 P-M on Sunday at the center with the lighting of luminaries and the ringing of bells.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports one arrest and a property damage accident. Authorities say at around 7:17-p.m. Thursday, Deputies conducted a traffic stop in Red Oak, and upon further investigation, arrested 35-year-old Samantha Josephine Wheatley, of Shenandoah, for Driving While Suspended. Wheatley was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on bond amounting to $491.25.

And, at around 8:40-a.m. Thursday, Deputies in Montgomery County received a report of a two-car, property damage accident that had occurred in at 122 W. High Street, in Villisca, where a 2019 Hyundai Kona was legally parked on the street. The vehicle had been struck by a 2002 Ford F-150 pickup, driven by 39-year-old James R. Gilvin, of Villisca. Authorities say Gilvin was traveling west of High Street and attempting to secure a pet in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. His distraction resulted in the pickup hitting the car on the left rear side.

The Kona sustained $6,000 in damage, while damage to the pickup was estimated at $3,500. There were no injuries and no citations issued.

(Ames, Iowa) – Officials with the Ames Police Department report Officers responded Thursday afternoon (12/8/22), to an accident at the North Dakota train crossing. Witnesses reported that a pedestrian had been struck by a train. When officers arrived on scene, they determined the person was deceased.

The accident is currently under investigation. The name of the victim is not being released pending positive identification and notification of family.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is encouraged to contact the Ames Police Department at 239-5133 or the anonymous tip line, 239-5533. You may also contact Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa at 515-223-1400. Online anonymous tips may be submitted to www.crimestoppersofcentraliowa.com or text a tip, Text “PCCS” plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES).

(Harlan, Iowa) – A former Harlan Community School District “teacher associate” is facing charges in two separate felony cases. KETV in Omaha reports investigators said 35-year-old Ashley Cibic is accused of having a relationship with a student and buying prescription drugs from an undercover officer. A criminal complaint alleges Cibic had a relationship with an 18-year-old student. The complaint states the student confirmed the relationship to investigators and alleges that deputies found pictures of Cibic and the student in bed.

Then in October, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said Cibic bought hydrocodone, a prescription opioid, from an undercover deputy. Investigators said Cibic left her 13-year-old autistic son home alone to go make the purchase.

The woman is charged with: Sexual Exploitation by a school employee (a Class-D Felony); A controlled substance violation (Class-C Felony); Child Endangerment; and two counts of Unlawful possession of prescription medication. Her arraignment is set for Dec. 19th, with a pre-trial conference scheduled for January 23rd. Cibic’s trial is set for February 7, 2023.

In a letter to parents, the district said Cibic was a teacher associate at the high school. It said she was placed on leave after her arrest and fired once charges were filed. The district said the relationship with the student did not happen during school hours or on school property.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the threat of bird flu continues to hang over Iowa’s poultry industry, as migrating wild birds are identified as the likely source of bird flu outbreaks at seven Iowa sites this fall. “We’ve had three just in the past few days and it does appear that these continue to be wild bird introductions,” Naig says. “We’ve still got that migratory waterfowl that are carrying this virus as they are returning south. They carried it north and really, truly what we need for them to do is to get moving south.”

A hard freeze will help drive birds out of the state, as their landing spots on Iowa lakes and streams turn to ice. During the last bird flu outbreak in 2015, the virus had essentially vanished by June. During this year’s outbreak, wild birds continue to spread the deadly disease nine months after it was first detected. “Once again when those birds head north next spring, we’re very concerned about what they could be bringing back into the area again,” Naig says.

“It’s just unfortunately a reminder that our producers have to be in a constant state of readiness and keeping their biosecurity at just the ultimate levels really now all year round.” Naig plans to ask the 2023 legislature for additional funds to enhance his agency’s ability to prevent and respond to foreign animal diseases. “So of course we’re dealing with (highly pathogenic) avian influenza in the state of Iowa again,” Naig says, “…but we also have in the background the continuation of the threat of African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease.”

African Swine Fever is a deadly virus that has been spreading in Asia and Europe since 2018, but has not been detected in the United States. Foot and Mouth Disease has not been confirmed in the U.S. since 1929, but an outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2001 led to the destruction of a million animals.

FREMONT COUNTY, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) said today (Thursday), that “Over the past three days, state, local, and federal law enforcement assisted with an investigation in Fremont County. Authorities brought in an array of experts representing several disciplines and significant assets to excavate, collect and examine soil samples from a site identified by a reporting party. After exhaustive efforts, no evidence or other items of concern were recovered.

Law enforcement agencies coordinating this effort included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Division of Criminal Investigation and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.”

You may recall that in late October, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office said they were looking into claims from a woman there who said her father murdered many women decades ago and buried the remains in a remote field near Bartlett. The woman claims her late father killed at least 50 women over a span of three decades and used his children to help bury them in a well. The alleged victims are believed to be prostitutes or transients picked up in Omaha and lured to the farmland.

The man who allegedly committed the murders, died in 2013, at the age of 75.

(Radio Iowa) – The grant money awarded for production of a “Field of Dreams” TV series in Iowa will be redirected to another tourism-related project.

The TV series was to be a “prequel,” featuring stories about characters in the Field of Dreams movie. In late June, Governor Reynolds announced the project was getting $6 million from Destination Iowa, a state grant program financed with federal pandemic relief money. Universal pulled its financing for the Field of Dreams series days later.

The executive producer of series told the Des Moines Register the project is suspended indefinitely and his team didn’t want to keep the $6 million in limbo when it might be used on another project.

Field of Dreams site. (Photo from Dyersville city website.)

A spokeswoman for the Iowa Economic Development Authority says applications for about $28 million in Destination Iowa grants are still open, but the deadline to apply is December 31st of this year.

The Field of Dreams series was to be filmed in Polk, Boone, Mahaska, and Clinton Counties. Destination Iowa grants are to reimburse expenses, so none of the $6 million in grant money was spent on the never-produced series.

(Radio Iowa) – As the downstream navigation season on the Missouri River is wrapping up for the year, releases from Gavins Point Dam near Yankton are being reduced to winter levels. It’s a seasonal move, according to John Remus, chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division of the U-S Army Corps of Engineers in Omaha.

“We don’t support navigation usually past the end of November,” Remus says, “so we run winter releases normally and then when we get into drought conservation measures, like we’re in now, we go to what we call minimum winter releases, which is just to conserve water in the system for future years, just in case the drought continues.” While releases are being cut way back, Remus says the Corps will continue to work with downstream users.

“The water intakes downstream of Gavin’s Point, particularly from Omaha to Kansas City, should be able to draw water for the municipal intakes, the power plants, and so on and so forth, with normal inflow,” Remus says. “We’ll watch that carefully and if certain situations arise, we may increase releases just to accommodate some of those water intakes.” Remus says there will be some higher-than-normal releases from upstream dams over the coming months because the reservoir system is a bit unbalanced right now.

“The flooding on the Yellowstone River there in late June and early July put quite a bit of water into Garrison Reservoir, which is higher relative to Fort Peck and Oahe right now,” Remus says, “so we’re going to be dropping Garrison through the winter and raising Oahe up about five feet or so to get those three reservoirs a little more balanced.” Depending on upstream conditions, he says the Corps normally starts increasing flows again in mid-March.

(Radio Iowa) – A statement from University of Iowa Hospitals confirms multiple people were injured by an explosion at a soybean plant in Marengo late this (Thursday) morning. Homes and businesses near the facility in Marengo were evacuated. In a Facebook post, the Iowa County Sheriff said anyone who’s still in Marengo should stay inside due to heavy smoke billowing from the property, which is about seven miles north of Interstate 80.

The facility operated as a printing plant for 33 years, but reopened in 2017 as Heartland Crush. It’s a producer owned plant that crushes soybeans.

A statement from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics indicates it has received multiple patients following the explosion.