Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa District 3 Republican Representative Zach Nunn today (Tuesday) announced winners of the Iowa Third Congressional District Art Competition. The top three vote receivers from the public voting option will have their art on display in each of the Iowa Third Congressional District offices, and the winner selected by a panel of three art judges will have their art on display in the U.S. Capitol. They include: Noelle Craver, Centerville High School – Overall Winner; and the top three Public Choice award recipients: Karlie Larsen, Mt. Ayr High School; Haagen Arnold, Wayne Community School, & Lily Hepples, North Polk High School.  Larsen won for her art piece entitled “And he saw it was good.”

“I am beyond impressed with the sheer level of talent on display in the Iowa Third Congressional District Art Competition. Students showcased diversity of thought, varying perspectives, and a profound creativity with each piece,” said Rep. Zach Nunn. “I want to extend a deep congratulations to our top winner, Noelle, as well as the top three vote getters in the People’s Choice Award—Haagen, Karlie, and Lily. Thank you also to every student who submitted their artwork for the competition. Iowa is a special place, and our amazing students are a big reason why.”

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowa Auditor of State Rob Sand today (Tuesday) released an agreed-upon procedures report on the City of Walnut, Iowa, for the period July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. The agreed-upon procedures engagement was performed pursuant to Chapter 11.6 of the Code of Iowa.

Sand reported three findings related to the receipt and disbursement of taxpayer funds. They are found on pages 9 and 10 of this report. The findings address issues such as a lack of segregation of duties and disbursements exceeding budgeted amounts. Sand provided the City with recommendations to address each of the findings.

All of the findings discussed above are repeated from the prior year. The City Council has a fiduciary responsibility to provide oversight of the City’s operations and financial transactions. Oversight is typically defined as the “watchful and responsible care” a governing body exercises in its fiduciary capacity.

A copy of the agreed-upon procedures report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website.

(Creston, Iowa) – A man from Union County was arrested Monday afternoon on a warrant. Creston Police say 31-year-old Dalton James Cormeny, of Creston, was arrested at 110 Manor Dr, in Creston. He was charged on a Union County Warrant for Child Endangerment-Bodily Injury and Willful Injury-Causing Bodily Injury. Cormeny was taken to the Union County Jail, where he was being held without bond.

Additional details were not released.

(Radio Iowa) – Marion County is hoping borings taken by the state Ag Department will help them figure out what caused a big sinkhole there. Public information officer, Emily Feagins, says the borings could give a little bit more information about how far the borings went down into the ground, and what they are pulling up that they can’t see. She says there are three theories about the cause — it’s either natural, coal, or lime related.

The last measurements taken show the sinkhole had grown to roughly 35 to 40 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep. The Marion County Sheriff is asking for people to stay away from the area. Feagins says she understands why people are interested — they just don’t want anyone getting hurt. (click on the image to enlarge)

Photo courtesy Marion-County EMS

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man from Red Oak with 23 withdrawals on his license, was arrested Monday evening following a traffic stop near Boundary and Prospect Streets, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 46-year-old Jeffrey Wayne Porter was taken into custody a little after 7-p.m., for Driving Under Suspension. Porter was also cited for Failure to Provide proof of insurance – motor vehicle related. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on bond amounting to $491.25.

Des Moines, IA – State Auditor Rob Sand, Monday, voted to provide Department of Corrections (DOC) employees back-pay owed to them for on-the-job COVID-19 testing. The required testing occurred prior to the employees clocking in for their shifts at the Newton Correctional Facility from July 2020 to May 2021.

“Iowans expect to pay a fair day’s wages for a fair day’s work,” said Sand. “Plus, correctional officers’ jobs are already dangerous enough.”

Sand is one of three members of the State Appeal Board. The board voted unanimously on Monday to provide more than $112,000 in back pay to more than 235 current and former DOC employees.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa legislature has unanimously approved a bill that requires K-through-12 schools to have discipline policies for students who are violent or disruptive. Senator Lynn Evans, a Republican from Aurelia, is a former superintendent. “It creates more structure for what schools must include in their discipline policies for threats of violence or incidents of violence,” Evans says, “while still giving the school leeway to adjust based on the specific situation.”

In March, the House voted to require in-school suspensions ANY time a student is removed from a classroom due to violent behavior. Last month, the Senate adjusted the bill giving schools more latitude, but requiring escalating discipline for students who are disruptive or violent. The House has now approved those changes and sent the bill to the governor. Representative Brook Boden, a Republican from Indianola, says lawmakers are responding to teachers, support staff, parents and administrators.

“We listened and we developed language here that will provide the support in education for all the parties,” Boden says, “making sure that we provide the tools needed to ensure that we have environments in which children can learn.” The bill will allow educators to report incidents of classroom violence or the destruction of school property to the State Ombudsman for investigation.

Representative Sharon Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City, is a retired teacher who suggests the bill is a good first step to addressing the problem. “I think this bill has come a long way,” Steckman says. “We’ve done lots of negotiating on this. I still think we have a lot more work to do on it.” Senator Molly Donahue, a Democrat, is a teacher from Cedar Rapids who urged her peers to back the bill. “It protects our teachers, it protects our kids,” Donahue says. “It makes sure that there’s some clarity around behavior in the schools.”

A report from the Iowa Department of Education indicates there were nearly two-thousand assaults in Iowa schools during the last school year. Over 11-hundred incidents of property damage were reported.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa House have passed a bill that would derail the Iowa Democratic Party’s plan to have mail-in presidential preference cards for the Iowa Caucuses. Representative Bobby Kaufmann is a Republican from Wilton. “House File 716 is our Caucus integrity bill,” Kaufmann says. “…It requires the Caucuses be held in person.” Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann — who is Representative Kaufmann’s father — says New Hampshire officials consider the Democratic Party’s mail in plan akin to a primary and New Hampshire would move its primary ahead of Iowa’s Caucuses.

Democrats in the House voted against the bill. House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says the legislature should not be dictating how either party conducts its business and she questions why Representative Kaufmann — who is a paid staffer on Trump’s Iowa campaign — has taken the lead on the bill.

“It’s hard to imagine it’s not something like greasing the skids for Donald Trump,” Konfrst says. The bill’s fate in the Iowa Senate is unclear. Senator Brad Zaun of Urbandale was the first elected Republican official in Iowa to endorse Trump in 2015. Zaun says he’s wary of legislators telling either party how to run the Caucuses, but he wants to see the changes House Republicans made in the bill before making a final judgment.

DES MOINES – Gov. Reynolds, Senate Majority Leader Whitver, and Speaker Grassley have reached an agreement to provide property tax relief for Iowans.  Gov. Reynolds, Senate Majority Leader Whitver, and Speaker Grassley released the following joint statement:

“We’ve heard Iowans across the state voice their concern about out-of-control property taxes and the impact on family budgets. Today, we’ve come to an agreement on a path forward. This deal provides much-needed property tax relief for Iowans and lays the groundwork for even bolder reform in the future.

“House File 718 curbs the growth of local governments in a responsible manner and begins reducing property taxes next year. It also provides additional relief for older Iowans and military families and requires property tax bill transparency. In total, the bill is estimated to provide $100 million in relief.

“This is an important first step toward long overdue property tax reform. Iowa’s existing property tax code is outdated, overly complex, and costs Iowans too much of their hard-earned pay. Work on this issue is just getting started.”

Governor Kim Reynolds released the following statement:

“My commitment to cutting taxes for the hard-working people of Iowa has never been stronger. After enacting the largest tax cut in state history last year, I’m proud to work alongside the House and Senate to begin property tax reform this year. Earlier this session I signed legislation to make state government more efficient, effective, and less expensive for Iowa taxpayers. This serves as a model for local governments, and property tax reform is a good first step.”

Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver released the following statement:

“We heard the urgent concerns of Iowans about rising property assessments. This agreement delivers on our promise to protect homeowners from huge property tax increases. I appreciate Senator Dawson’s tireless work on this bill, which will result in the most significant property tax reform in our state’s history.”

Speaker Pat Grassley released the following statement:

“With House Republicans representing all 99 of Iowa’s 99 counties, we are in a better position than ever to listen to Iowans. Our constituents spoke loud and clear that property tax relief must be a top priority this session and we got straight to work.  I am very proud of the work Representative Kaufmann has done to deliver on yet another promise made to Iowans. This is a good first step and we will continue to work hard to provide certainty and relief for Iowa taxpayers.”

(Radio Iowa) – The eastern Iowa cities along the Mississippi River had to put their flood control measures into place, but have averted any major problems as the river crests today (Monday). National Weather Service Meteorologist, Matt Wilson, says the lack of any rain to go with the slug of water coming downriver from Minnesota snow melt kept the water from surpassing the record.

“We have been very lucky that we haven’t had any significant rainfall to come in on top of this crest. It’s been pretty straightforward for the last week or so, pretty dry here,” he says.”And even up north, we didn’t have too much extra rainfall up there in the last week or so.” He says the Mississippi River rarely rises to the level they are seeing without rainfall contributing to the flood conditions. Wilson is in the N-W-S Quad Cities office and says these high waters are passing without big damage.

“We haven’t had any reports of any type of major levee failure or any kind of major damage in protected areas along the river. Obviously, in the unprotected lowlands along the river, the river rose to its level and affected any structures or roadways that were there,” Wilson says. “But anywhere that was behind a flood wall — by and large we haven’t heard of any damages behind that.” He says there were reports of two minor levee breaks. One was at the Green Island Wildlife Management Area.

“Just south of Bellevue. No structures or roads were impacted by that one. And then another one in Commanche, Iowa, where it was quickly sandbagged. And they had the pumps going so before anybody even really knew that what was going on the crews there were already taking care of it,” he says. Wilson says the forecast is good for allowing the waters to recede.

“Over the next week, we’re expecting broadly, no more than an inch of rain across the states of Iowa and Illinois. And then for the next eight to 14 days after that, we’re also expecting below-average chances for precipitation,” Wilson says. Wilson says that lack of rain should allow the river to go down at a faster rate than normal.

“By the end of May, we’ll have pretty much every site here in Iowa back down below flood stage,” he says. The crest is going to end up somewhere around 21-point-four feet to 21-point-five feet — which would be below the record crest.