(Radio Iowa) – A spokesman for Governor Reynolds says just over 10 percent of state government job classifications require a bachelor’s degree. Kollin Crompton, the governor’s spokesman, is responding to State Auditor Rob Sand’s announcement that he’d collaborated with a non-profit and found 28 job classifications in state government where a four year college degree was not necessary.

Crompton says two years ago Governor Reynolds directed the state’s human resources agency to review the more than 800 unique job classifications within state government. The goal was to allow alternative requirements for employment wherever possible.

Today, just 10-point-two percent of job classifications require a bachelor’s degree. Crompton says the Reynolds Administration will continue to look for opportunities to update job requirements, making state government employment as accessible as possible to Iowans.

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Chuck Grassley says congress must move carefully as it considers legislation to crack down on Chinese money laundering organizations. “Now is the time to make it harder for criminals to move dirty money and buy assets in the United States, not making easier,” Grassley says. “This complex money-laundering problem requires well thought-out solutions.”

Experts say underground Chinese networks are helping transfer money from Mexican drug cartels and international gangs. Just last month, five Chinese nationals were charged with money laundering after depositing money from drug deals in banks in Charlottee, North Carolina. Grassley cites a mass shooting at a medical marijuana farm in Oklahoma where workers were all Chinese nationals.

“According to Oklahoma law enforcement, 2,000 of the 3,000 licensed marijuana farms flagged for suspicious activity over the last year had a Chinese connection providing funding, labor, or both,” Grassley says. Grassley says legislation under consideration in the Senate would not adequately address money laundering by Chinese nationals and drug cartels because it assumes state and local regulations are preventing organized crime from infiltrating the U-S marijuana industry.

A KJAN listener sent us photo of a tornado on the ground and hail that fell, Tuesday evening, near Elliott. Thank you!

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports a woman from Montgomery County was arrested on an OWI charge Tuesday. Authorities say 50-year-old Amy Batten, of Red Oak, was charged with OWI/1st offense. She posted a $1,000 bond and was released.

TINGLEY, Iowa — [KCCI] – The tornado sirens in the Ringgold County town of Tingley did not sound off Friday night before a powerful tornado swept through the town of about 130 people. Ringgold County Emergency Management coordinator Melissia Stark tells KCCI the town lost power just before 7 p.m. that day. She said the sirens were triggered three separate times. But they never sounded off. Stark said the sirens were working when they were tested just last month.

Power has been restored in the town, but the siren had not been fixed as of Tuesday afternoon. Mayor Larry Jarred said he hopes to have it up and running again, soon. Jarred said the town is also going to build a concrete storm shelter. Tingley currently doesn’t have one. People in town said they were surprised they didn’t hear the sirens. One resident said he is excited about the potential of having a storm shelter. (Photos from the TingleyIowa Facebook page)

Tingley Community Bldg.

Tingley Presbyterian Church

Ringgold County Emergency Management says it’s important to have multiple ways to receive weather alerts. They recommend people sign up for Alert Iowa and pay attention to updates from the National Weather Service.

Council Bluffs, Iowa [KETV] — Pottawattamie County officials took new action Tuesday to help people affected by the deadly tornado outbreak. KETV reports the county board of supervisors put its emergency disaster proclamation into writing, authorizing the continued use of county resources to help disaster areas. It will be active for 30 days or until extended. Supervisor’s Board Chair Susan Miller said she’d made a verbal approval Friday but it needed to be formalized. Board members also voted to waive fees for building permits for tornado damage. Different agencies like Pottawattamie County Emergency Management also gave updates on clean up efforts.

Efforts have focused in Minden since the town received the majority of the damage. Emergency Management Director Doug Reed said “Just about the entire east side, east half of Minden is impacted with the significant majority of them completely destroyed.” He said they’ve made progress restoring power to some homes and are now working to restore gas where they can.

Volunteers also helped people clear their homes in Crescent, Tuesday, and supplies have been set up for those who need it at its fire station. Reed said they’re also working to set up multi-agency services for people impacted by the tornados and go to each town impacted.

Neola resident Joe Munch said the response has been great but he wants to see more collaboration to get the word about resources out for people impacted. He and other community members gathered supplies at the Neola Area Community Center. “Part of the disappointment, he said, “is the organizational effort of it, that we did have this resource available for folks and they didn’t know.”

He said piles of supplies are sitting in the gym waiting for people who need them. Susan Miller said county leaders are working to identify needs and provide resources. She said they’ll also work to get information about grants available for people affected.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO-TV)— Nearly every one of Iowa’s 99 counties has an unsolved homicide or missing persons case. But now, there’s a new push to solve them. The criteria to categorize a case as ‘cold’ can be different depending on who you talk to, but by definition, it is when detectives run out of fresh leads. Often, that means it loses priority over newer cases that might be more solvable. That’s one of the reasons Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is using her position as one of the state’s most powerful people to create a statewide cold case unit.

Iowa currently doesn’t have investigators at the state level who are looking into unresolved cases. A federally-funded unit within the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation shut down in 2011 when the funds ran out after three years. Bird has pleaded with state lawmakers, requesting $523,464 as a ‘critical budget need’ to help cut down on the hundreds of cold cases the state has. It’s a dollar amount that Bird said she feels will make an impact — to start.

If approved, Bird said the funding would go toward creating positions for three full-time investigators and one prosecutor who would comprise the new cold case unit within the state’s Department of Justice. The hiring process could get underway by the summer. The unit would then work at the request of smaller, local agencies to collaborate on an old case and review tips, re-evaluate evidence and, hopefully, bring cases to justice.

The criteria might be different depending on who you talk to, but by definition, a case is categorized as ‘cold’ when detectives run out of leads. And most of the time that means it loses priority over newer cases that might be more solvable. The 2011 high-profile murder of West Des Moines realtor Ashley Okland is one example. According to Jody Ewing, the woman who runs IowaColdCase.org, there are more than 750 unsolved cases in the state. Ewing said her organization is the only database tracking the numbers, and it is the catalog of crimes that Attorney General Bird pointed to when she made her budget proposal.

The Attorney General said she believes she has the support to get the state funding approved. Coupled with all of the advancements in technology in recent years, it could prove to be a big boost for unresolved investigations across the board. A tentative budget for fiscal year 2025 was approved by the legislature on April 20. It was sent to Governor Kim Reynolds’ office for review. She has line-item veto power.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s office said they won’t know how much funding they have to work with until it’s officially approved. However, the FY 2025 budget will have to be approved by July 1, 2024. A tentative budget for fiscal year 2025 was approved by the legislature on April 20. It was sent to Governor Kim Reynolds’ office for review. She has line-item veto power.

Unsolved cases can be found at iowacoldcases.org., and on Facebook at iowacoldcases.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Iowa Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) took to the sky Tuesday afternoon, to survey storm damage from the April 26th tornadoes that struck western Iowa. Colonel Jonathan Lartigue, Commander of the Wing, told KJAN News the CAP responded at the request of the United States Air Force (USAF), as well as federal and state agencies, such as FEMA and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, to document the tornado damage.

He said Tuesday their efforts began Monday, and will continue until their services are no longer needed.

A Civil Air Patrol aircraft is shown at the Atlantic (IA) Municipal Airport.

Colonel Lartigue says their work will help to ensure assistance gets to those who need it.

He says Civil Air Patrol pilots understand the role they play in the storm recovery process.

The Civil Air Patrol, a USAF Auxiliary, operates 560 aircraft across the country, and performs inland search and rescue, saving 155 lives in 2019. More than 66,000 members of the CAP perform homeland security & disaster relief missions, promote STEM education, and mentor 28,000 cadet members.

(Omaha, NE/KETV) – The Iowa Attorney General is warning of scams as recovery efforts begin. The federal government is also offering tips on how to make sure you don’t fall victim. Experts warn homeowners to heed caution through the cleanup.  Dan Reuting, with the Professional Remodeling Organization of Nebraska-Omaha, told KETV the concern is that the people who were hit by the April 26th storms are taken care of, long after the tents are gone and when they need to start rebuilding. The remodeling organization said scammers will target these areas and vulnerable homeowners. “Being affordable and good are not always synonymous,” Reuting said. “Most of them, they’re just looking to cut a corner,” he said, “And when you’re looking for warranty work and to make sure your stuff’s done right. Having a local number to call is always a good thing.”

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has some advice too. “Beware of high-pressure sales. Some of these con artists or bad contractors go door to door. And if a homeowner doesn’t sign right away for the repairs, they say, ‘Well, it’ll probably be three to six months before we can get to you.’ That’s a high-pressure sales tactic. So don’t fall for it.” Bird said her office is ready to hold bad actors accountable. But first, homeowners have to report it.

“If any Iowan is having something happen where someone shows up, says they’re helping, helping to clean up and hands them a bill unexpectedly, call my office right away,” Bird said. “Sometimes these storms also bring out the scammers, the shady contractors and those who are looking to make money off of other people’s tough luck. And so we stand ready to hold those people accountable.”

The Federal Trade Commission warns FEMA and the small business administration will never ask for an application fee for assistance. They add anyone who asks you to pay in full upfront is usually bad news. Bird said to make a careful and critical examination of your contractors, make sure you communicate with your insurance, not them, and get everything in writing. And, if you’ve been swindled, call the Iowa Attorney General’s office at 1-888-777-4590. You can also file a complaint form Iowa here.

Bird says “We will do everything that we can to help to hold them accountable and to help Iowans get their homes and businesses repaired.”