(Ames, Iowa) – The latest Iowa Drought Monitor (Released Thursday, June 1) indicated a continued trend toward dryness across the State. Only the north-central & northeast counties are free of drought conditions.The report is released every Thursday, and does not take into account rain received since the report was issued. Atlantic finally received some decent rain Thursday, at slightly more than nine-tenths of an inch. The last time we received over nine-tenths of an inch, was May 5th (.94″).  The National Weather Service says a high-pressure system parked over the Great Lakes continues to block any organized weather system from entering the state.

White-No drought; Yellow-Abnormally dry; Tan-Moderate drought; Orange-Severe drought; Red-extreme drought; dark red-Exceptional drought.

Drought areas are categorized from D-O (no drought) to D-4 (Exceptional Drought). The Drought Monitor shows drought conditions continued expanding across the region, from D-O to D-1 (Abnormally Dry) in parts of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. D-2 soil/drought conditions expanded in Iowa and Missouri, while D-3 (Extreme Drought) conditions grew in Missouri. As of May 28th, USDA data revealed more than half of the topsoil moisture was short or very short in Iowa (50%), Missouri (62%), and Michigan (68%), and 40% or more was short or very short in Wisconsin (45%), Ohio (45%), Illinois (42%), and Indiana (40%).

The story for the Midwest was continued drying of soils, low streamflows, and mounting precipitation deficits over the last 1 to 3 months.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that limits the Iowa state auditor’s ability to access some data, like tax returns or medical records, for audits and investigations. State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat in statewide elected office, says it’s the worst pro-corruption law in Iowa history. It forbids Sand from going to court to compel reluctant state officials to turn over records. Sand says the mediation process set up in the bill gives the governor the power to block access to information that would expose wrongdoing.

During a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa PBS, Reynolds said executive branch officials should be able to resolve disagreements without going to court. She also said Sand shouldn’t have access to information just because he’s curious about it.

Governor Reynolds signed 67 bills into law yesterday (Thursday), completing action on all the bill that cleared the 2023 Iowa legislature.

(Radio Iowa) [UPDATED 9-a.m. 6/2/23] – The boil order WAS lifted today (Friday) for residents of five counties in southwest Iowa. The order was rescinded after tests came back negative for any issues in the water system. Avoca Regional Water Plant general manager, Tom Kallman, says they had been waiting on the third and final water test. He said previously he was “cautiously optimistic” that they were going to be able to go ahead and lift the boil alert. Kallum said “We’re still going to be in a water shortage — but at least now folks are not going to have to boil their water to be able to consume it.”

The problem started on May 25th when the seven water towers were drained down, leading to a negative pressure in the system. “The towers are now full enough that I don’t have any pressure issues anywhere in terms of getting the water out to folks when they turn on their tap. They should have no problem with the water they’ve got,” Kallman says. “But we will end up having to go back into a boil advisory if I lose pressure again from more demand than I can push water into my system.”

The drought brought down the levels of water they use to fill the tanks at a time when they set records for demand. Kallman says residents will have to continue conserving water to avoid a repeat. “If it happens a second time, our board of directors will then review whether or not we need to elevate our water posture to a water rationing state. And then that’s all based on your previous years usage,” Kallman says. He says they have sent out suggestions for reducing water use and he is optimistic those will pay off.

“What we find a lot of times in these kind of circumstances, we have these helpful hints on folks to tell them conserved things that they can be looking at. And I don’t think there’s been a situation go by where some of it and say you know, I never thought about it and whipped the water deal I went and did that little test is that you recommend for the toilet and lo and behold, my toilet was leaking and I didn’t realize that it was. It ends up being a substantial amount of water.”

Kallman says they did get some rain Thursday, but they will need much more. “We’re about three feet lower in our wells now the first of June of this year than we were at the same time last year. “Kallman says. “That’s three foot less water in the wells to pump out of the wells and turn it into fresh drinking water.”

The Rural Water System supplies residents in Shelby, Audubon, Cass, Harrison, and northern Pottawattamie County. Kallman says they will notify residents once the boil order is lifted.

(Radio Iowa) – Former President Donald Trump says there’s no way he could lose Iowa in 2024. “We’re going to win,” Trump said. “We’re going to win big. We’re going to win bigger than ever before.” Trump made a campaign swing through the state Thursday. It included a stop in Grimes at a training session for campaign volunteers. Trump suggested there’s a correlation between his popularity and his legal woes.

“Every time I go high I get further attacked by the DOJ, the FBI. I’ve got to keep my poll numbers down, they’ll leave us alone,” Trump said. “If we were ever losing, they’d leave us alone. It’s called election interference. They do it at a level that we’ve never seen anything like it in this country. It’s a disgrace.” Trump took questions from the crowds at events on Thursday morning and Thursday afternoon, a contrast with the events challenger Ron DeSantis had in Iowa this week.

“It is nice to come here and speak without notes, without anything, just come up and speak from the heart and from the brain,” Trump said, to cheers, “and from the brain.” Trump’s appearance comes as the G-O-P presidential field is expanding. North Dakota’s governor, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Trump’s own vice president Mike Pence are set to enter the race next week.

“People coming into the race. You know they’re polling at 1%, 2%. I don’t know what they’re doing. They must know something…but I know actually some of them are pretty stupid,” Trump said. “…They’re running for VP and cabinet. Maybe they are, but some of them won’t happen, I can tell you.” A woman in the crowd asked Trump what he’d do differently if another virus emerges — and she told Trump people had died because he supported “the jab.” That’s a reference the COVID vaccine, which Trump says everybody wanted back at the start of the pandemic in 2020.

“A big portion of the country thinks that was a great thing, you understand that,” Trump said, “(but) not a lot of the people in this room.” Trump, seeking a rematch against President Joe Biden in 2024, was told by someone in the crowd that Biden fell on stage at the Air Force Academy yesterday (Thursday). The 76 year old Trump said he hoped the 80 year old president wasn’t hurt, then Trump ridiculed the media for focusing on his own gingerly walk down what he described as a slick ramp at West Point rather than the speech he gave that day.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s two U.S. Senators have joined their fellow Republicans in the U.S. House in voting for the bipartisan deal to avert a first-ever federal government default. The Treasury Secretary had warned the federal government would run out of money to pay its bills next week if congress didn’t raise the borrowing limit, or so-called debt ceiling. Republican Senator Joni Ernst said the entire Iowa delegation agrees the deal, while imperfect, will ensure the federal government spends less and reclaims billions of unspent COVID funds.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley also voted for the bill last (Thursday) night, which now goes to the president for his signature.

The four Iowa Republicans who serve in the U.S. House voted for the bill earlier this week. The timing of last (Thursday) night’s vote in the U.S. Senate means Ernst will be able to return to Iowa in time to host eight G-O-P presidential candidates at her annual fundraiser on Saturday.

(UPDATED/Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has completed her review of the bills that passed the Republican led 2023 Iowa legislature — and signed all of them into law. Reynolds approved 67 bills Thursday. One requires both of Iowa’s major political parties to conduct their Caucuses in person, although some Democrats have said there may be a legal challenge of the law. Democrats have been planning to cast their presidential preferences by mail rather than on Caucus Night. The Iowa Democratic Party’s chairwoman says the party is committed to holding the most inclusive caucus in history, no matter what.

Another state law that takes effect July 1st makes Iowa households with 15-thousand dollars worth of assets that can quickly be converted into cash ineligible for food stamps. The asset test for SNAP benefits does not include the value of a home or a vehicle.

Reynolds also approved bills outlining the state’s eight-and-a-half BILLION dollar budget, with two item vetoes.

(Radio Iowa) – Staffing shortages in Iowa nursing homes remain “alarmingly high” and are almost twice the national average, according to the state director of A-A-R-P Iowa. Brad Anderson says staffing shortages can lead to poor resident care and, in some unfortunate cases, serious neglect. “Forty-two percent of (Iowa) nursing homes are experiencing a staffing shortage, compared to the national average of 22%,” Anderson says, “which obviously has an enormous impact on resident care.”

One reason for the high rate of staffing shortages in Iowa is too many nursing home beds for staff to cover, he says, especially in rural areas. Anderson says he’d like to see more money devoted to home-based care instead of institutional care, as surveys show an overwhelming majority of people would rather stay in their own homes. Another problem, he says, is pay.

“The wages for direct care workers still remains about $16 an hour, which is too low, frankly,” Anderson says. “We need to do a better job of boosting wages for direct care workers and improving their working conditions, without a doubt.” The state legislature recently devoted an additional 15-million dollars in Medicaid funding to Iowa nursing homes, money Anderson says needs to be directed toward solving what he calls a “staffing crisis.” He says Iowans who are looking for a nursing home for themselves or a loved one can find plenty of data online, including where staffing is an issue.

“Medicare.gov has great resources when it comes to looking at nursing homes,” Anderson says. “They rank them and you can basically get a score on whatever nursing home is in your community and see if they have staffing shortages or not online.” Iowa now has 430 nursing homes. Since January of 2022, at least 21 have closed.
www.aarp.org

(Radio Iowa) – Davenport’s police chief says three people are still missing after an apartment building partially collapsed Sunday and Davenport Mayor Mike Matson says officials are planning for a dignified demolition of the structure. “This needs to be done in a way that it respects that this is a resting place…when we do that,” Matson says, “and we’re not anywhere near doing that right now.” Two people who were unaccounted for after Sunday’s collapse have been found, but Davenport’s police chief says three people are still missing. Emergency crews are at the site today (Thursday). The mayor says experts are being consulted as the search continues for victims.

“Is there something we’re missing? Is there some technique we haven’t used? Is there some piece of equipment we need to get? I mean infrared has been all over that place, dogs, experts at different levels and fields that do this you know in serious earthquake situations,” Matson credits the crews working inside the unstable building and he says any criticism of the emergency response or how the city handled concerns about the building’s condition should be directed at him.

“Do I have regrets about this tragedy and about people potentially losing their lives? Hell yeah. Do I think about this every moment? Hell yeah. I apologize for me getting a little wordy here,” Matson said. “…This is on me and there are people that are talking about other people…You talk to me.”

Davenport’s top building official has resigned. The mayor says there are a lot of old buildings in the city and, because of this week’s tragedy, inspectors are being sent to some residential buildings, regardless of when the latest inspection was done.

(Radio Iowa) – Volunteers have been digging at the Sioux City Railroad Museum. Museum spokesman Larry Obermeyer says it’s because long ago, workers lived on the grounds as they built a roundhouse to store and service locomotives. “They camped out here, lived here, worked 24/7,” he says. “That was between 1916 and 1918.”

Items like medicine bottles and tent pieces have been found during previous archaeological digs at the site. Heather Gibb is the deputy State Historical Preservation Officer in the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. “Hopefully we’re able to find some evidence that suggests where some of the different buildings may have been and what some of the different railworkers were doing when they were living in those camps and building the facility that we’re in.”

Wednesday’s dig was a pre-conference session for the Preserve Iowa Summit that runs today through Saturday at the Warrior Hotel in Sioux City.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on documented arrests from May 9th through the 31st.

5-31-23: David Allen Coenen, age 37, of Harlan, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant. Coenen was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Violation of Probation.

5-29-23: Lane Joseph Bregar, age 20, of Shelby, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on East St in Shelby, IA. Bregar was transported to the Shelby County Jail and Charged with Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Operate a Non-Registered Vehicle, and Minor Use of Tobacco/Vape Product; Ashley Marie Belle Adams. Age 19, of Shelby, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on East St in Shelby, IA. Adams was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Operate a Non-Registered Vehicle, and Minor Use of Tobacco/Vape Product.

5-28-23: Crystal Renee Eckmann, age 43, of Avoca, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on Highway 59. Eckmann was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI 1st and Fail to change lane upon approach to emergency stationary vehicle; Joshua Michael Haggerty, age 28, of Harlan, IA was arrested after a call for service at the Nishna Bend Recreation Area. Haggerty was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Disorderly Conduct; Cody James Haggerty, age 24, of Omaha, NE was arrested after a call for service at the Nishna Bend Recreation Area. Haggerty was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Disorderly Conduct.

5-26-23: Cainan Anthony Edwards, age 24, of Brayton, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on Highway 173 in Elk Horn. Edwards was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance; Erin Leigh Mack, age 21, Brayton, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on Highway 173 in Elk Horn. Mack was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and No Valid Drivers License.

5-24-23: Samantha Jo Bomstad, age 35, of Irwin, IA was arrested after a call for service in Irwin. Bomstad was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Theft 3rd, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Glenn Edward Summers Jr, age 40, of Irwin, IA was arrested after a call for service in Irwin. Summers was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Theft 3rd, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Driving while Suspended.

5-22-23: Gerard August Rueschenberg, age 68, of Harlan, IA was arrested after a call for service in Harlan. Rueschenberg was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Theft 4th; Thomas Donnakey Gordon Jr, age 30, of Cedar Falls, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on Highway 59. Gordon was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI 1st, Driving while License is Suspended, and Failure to Maintain Control.

5-17-23: Alexander James Maxeiner, age 25, of Harlan, IA was arrested after a traffic stop at 5th and Victoria St in Harlan. Maxeiner was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Driving while Barred, Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance, and Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle; Michael Allen Pitt, age 58, of Logan, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on 9th St in Harlan. Pitt was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Fail to Use Seatbelt, and Improper Rear Lamp; Jennifer Rose Miller, age 41, of Harlan, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on 9th St in Harlan. Miller was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Omar Barquero Flores, age 34, of Harlan, IA was arrested after a call for service at Casey’s General Store in Harlan. Flores was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Public Intoxication and Trespass.

5-16-23: Vicki Marie Kuhn, age 60, of Manilla, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant. Kuhn was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Theft 3rd; William James Ballard, age 56, of Irwin, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on Rd M16 in Tennant, IA. Ballard was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Operating without Interlock Device, Driving while Barred, Failure to Use Seatbelt, and Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability.

5-15-23: Abigail Rae Lennon, age 42, of Davenport, IA was arrested after a call for service in the 4100 Block of Madison St in Elk Horn. Lennon was arrested and transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Burglary 2nd and Kidnapping 3rd.

5-14-23: Charles Howard Hayes, age 36, of Harlan, IA was arrested after a call for service in the 1700 block of 6th St. Harlan.  Hayes was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault.

5-12-23: Jeffrey Richard Pape, age 61, of Emerson, IA was arrested after a traffic stop on Chatburn Ave. Pape was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance 2 counts, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Driving while License is Suspended.

5-11-23: David Allen Coenen, age 37, of Harlan, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Trespass 1st. Coenen was transported to the Shelby County Jail and was also charged with Possession of Controlled Substance; Kirby David Stoneking, age 39, of Harlan, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Public Intoxication.

5-9-23: Alexis Lynn Harriman, age 18, of Harlan, IA was arrested after a traffic stop in the 1500 block of Highway 59. Harriman was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession of Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Note: Criminal charges are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.