(Radio Iowa) — Republicans in the Iowa House have approved a bill that denounces the rise in hate crimes against Jews and provides a definition of antisemitism. Democrats in the House say the bill elevates one race and religion above others. Representative Ruth Ann Gaines is a Democrat from Des Moines.

“We don’t want antisemitism, of course we don’t,” Gaines said, “but we also don’t want other groups that have been discriminated against religiously to think what they’ve experienced is a different kind of pain, a lesser pain, a pain that is not as important.” Republican

Representative Stephen Holt, of Denison, rose to speak, noting the bill had cleared a House subcommittee AND committee with the support of Democrats. “Based upon the comments that have been made tonight, all of the Republicans…and all of the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee who supported this legislation are ill-informed and cannot possibly understand the ramifications of this bill because some of us are the wrong skin color,” Holt said. “I categorically reject that.”

Representative Ako Abdul-Samad, of Des Moines, says the bill needed to be inclusive of all religions, not just one. “If we put it all together now and we put some meat to this, we do it for one community and that’s the religious community,” Abdul-Samad said, “and that’s our Iowa family.”

Representative Linda Upmeyer, a Republican from Clear Lake who sponsored the bill, says pointing out one problem doesn’t minimize others. “The reason that I offered this legislation is because data shows that although Jews only make up 2% of the American population, they are the most likely among all the minority groups to be victimized by hate,” Upmeyer says.

The bill narrowly passed on a 51 to 45 vote. It now goes to the Senate.

(Radio Iowa) – Two men wanted for crimes in eastern Nebraska were arrested in western Iowa Thursday afternoon. 26-year-old Cody Murphree had escaped from a jail in Thurston County, Nebraska Sunday afternoon and authorities say he stole a car. On Tuesday afternoon, local authorities say Murphree, and 29-year-old Derek Pedersen broke into an apartment in Stanton, Nebraska, and stole another vehicle.

U.S. Marshals say they were able to track that sedan to a residence in Council Bluffs, where the two were arrested. Both men were booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail, but will be transferred back to Nebraska to face charges there.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Republican senators from four states that have seen severe flooding from the Missouri River are backing legislation that would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to change its management of the river to reduce flood risk. The proposal would require the Corps to take steps to reduce flood risks along the lower Missouri River by changing the way it manages the dams and by strengthening levees along the river. The proposal is backed by all the senators from Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. Corps officials say flood protection remains their highest priority.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified a man stabbed to death earlier this week in Cedar Rapids. Police say in a news release 35-year-old Tremaine Williams died in the early Wednesday morning stabbing. Police arrested 36-year-old Jacqueline Marie Holmes that same morning at the home where Williams was found with a stab wound to his upper torso. Williams was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Police say an investigation showed that Holmes, who was in a relationship with Williams, stabbed him with a knife. Holmes has been charged with first-degree murder in the case.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A plan developed by MidAmerican Energy and Iowa City calls for using a portion of a city park for MidAmerican’s first solar energy project. The Iowa City Council has scheduled a public hearing March 24 on leasing nearly 19 acres at Waterworks Prairie Park to MidAmerican, which would install about 10,000 solar panels. The system is expected to generate three megawatts of energy that would be tied into the electric grid. The lease would run for 30 years and could be extended. The city would receive an annual payment starting at $13,440, and it would increase by 3% annually.

CLARINDA, Iowa, March 5, 2020 – Clarinda Academy, a residential academic and behavioral health treatment center for at-risk youth, has announced the appointment of experienced leader and Clarinda native Nola Bond as Executive Director.

Nola Bond

Bond comes to Clarinda Academy with more than two decades of experience leading human resource efforts across industries with a specialization within the education space. Prior to joining the Academy, Bond ran her own consulting firm in Council Bluffs and served in numerous leadership capacities within Northwest Missouri State University. Her roles included vice president of strategy and operations, where she was responsible for developing key business partnerships. Bond will utilize her vast experience in HR to further strengthen Clarinda Academy’s culture to support students and staff.

“As a member of the Clarinda Community School District’s Board of Education for nearly four years, I understand and value the educational services Clarinda Academy provides at-risk students,” Bond said. “I am dedicated to ensuring our staff receives the support and professional development they need to provide the highest level of service to the adolescents in our care. In my first few months on the job, I feel like chief listening officer will be a more appropriate title than executive director, since I’ll be learning directly from our staff and students about what we’re doing well and the areas we’ll need to work on together.”

At Clarinda Academy, every aspect of the school is student-centered and designed to accommodate individual learning styles, providing each student the greatest potential to succeed. The Academy puts each student’s treatment needs first and foremost, with students receiving outpatient therapy and counseling in the setting that best suits them. Throughout a student’s stay at the Academy, they are challenged to analyze their challenges and experience successes in nearly every area of life.

“Given Nola’s familiarity with the community and the school system in Clarinda, as well as her passion for education and working with adolescents, we felt she was the ideal choice to lead Clarinda Academy,” said Bill Dean, Senior Vice President of Operations, with Sequel Youth and Family Services. “Nola’s history of culture-building within the organizations she has served will be a tremendous benefit to our students and staff. Her ability to create critical partnerships with local businesses and organizations will also be an asset to the Academy and, more importantly, the community.”

DES MOINES, Iowa – United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum reports that on Tuesday, March
3rd, 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant in the 800 block of Grand Avenue, in Ames. The investigation involves the attempted purchase of controlled substances. In an abundance of caution, protective gear was worn during the execution of the search warrant.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are unaware of any
specific or general threats to the public, and are unaware of the existence of any dangerous materials that would create a safety risk for the public.

Authorities said this is an ongoing investigation and no other information will be shared at this time.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A US District Court Judge, Wednesday, sentenced a Pottawattamie County man to slightly more than 10-years in prison on a Child Pornography charge. 34-year old Ellis Dale Robinson, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced in Council Bluffs United States District Court, on a Possession of Child Pornography charge. Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger also ordered Robinson’s term of imprisonment to be followed by a seven-year term of supervised release.

In September 2017, a Douglas County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Deputy was working undercover with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigating users sharing child pornography on a peer-to-peer file sharing network. Based on information derived from the investigation, a search warrant was executed on Robinson’s residence and a laptop computer was seized. The forensic exam produced numerous links to the peer-to-peer file sharing networks, videos and photos of child erotica, and child pornography.

Thes case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department, Omaha FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Elk Horn, IA– A collaborative project designed to raise brand awareness for the Danish Villages as a travel destination received the 2020 Iowa Tourism “Outstanding Marketing Collaboration” Award for a rural area at the ceremony held March 3, 2020 at the Iowa Tourism Conference in Des Moines. Lisa Steen Riggs, manager of the Danish Windmill, accepted the award.

(Center) Lisa Steen Riggs received the award.

The winning project was a 3-day familiarization (FAM) tour for six social media influencers that was held September 24-26, 2019. The itinerary focused on Danish cultural heritage presented with an emphasis on traditions, foods, holidays, and concepts like hygge and “how to be Danish”. It was about sharing conversation and experiences, enjoying new flavors, good food and drink and creating memories as well as showing off the beautiful landscape along the Western Skies Scenic Byway leading visitors to “Denmark on the prairie”.

Partners collaborating on the tour included the Danish Windmill, Larson’s Pub, Danish Countryside Vines and Wines, The Flour Mill, Museum of Danish America, Brun Ko Farms, the Coffee Girl, Egg Krate Mall, Tivoli Inn & Suites, Pleasant Thymes Tea Room, The Danish Table: A Hygge Kitchen, Norse Horse Tavern, Log Cabin Quilt Shop, Copenhagen Friday, Kimballton, Liberty Auto Restoration, Wood Shop and the Nest Egg.

Sara Broers of the Midwest Travel Network helped the partners structure the tour by identifying potential food and travel influencers that would reach the target audience. Success was based on the reach and engagement of the campaign by tracking impressions, likes, clicks, shares and comments before, during and after the influencers were in the community.

The six food and travel writers produced 11 blog posts (valued at $500 per post based on Midwest Travel Network stats) that reached 92,592 followers; and 56 Facebook posts that reached 399,234 followers. Riggs says “As a small community, dollars dedicated to advertising/marketing communications are limited so we are always receptive to ways we can leverage our investment most effectively. Getting involved with the influencers and the Midwest Travel Network was a great way to reach new markets and expand our digital impact because it gives us access to travel writers/bloggers that are all interested in Midwest travel.”

To learn more about the writers’ experiences and get some ideas for your own travel plans, you can read their posts by visiting the Danish Windmill Facebook page

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Republican senators from four states that have seen severe flooding from the Missouri River are backing legislation that would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to change its management of the river to reduce flood risk. The proposal would require the Corps to take steps to reduce flood risks along the lower Missouri River by changing the way it manages the dams and by strengthening levees along the river.

The proposal is backed by all the senators from Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. Corps officials say flood protection remains their highest priority.

(Radio Iowa) — A popular Waterloo restaurant was heavily damaged by fire early this (Thursday) morning. Firefighters were called to The Wishbone shortly before 5:30 a.m. after a passing Waterloo police officer noticed smoke coming from the restaurant. Waterloo Fire Chief Pat Treloar says there was a large fire inside the building when crews arrived.

“The damage throughout the building is extensive,” Treloar says. “There’s structural damage inside and smoke damage throughout the entire building.” Upon entering the front of the eatery, firefighters had to deal with a tense situation, as Treloar says one firefighter went through the floor in the dining area.

“Fortunately, he didn’t go all the way through to the basement,” Treloar says. “A couple of other firefighters close by were able to grab him before he went through. They called a ‘mayday’, which is very uncommon. Fortunately, our guy is okay.” “Mayday” is a term used by firefighters on scene to alert others of a firefighter in distress. Treloar says the firefighter was shook up, but was not transported to the hospital and no injuries were reported.

It’s too early to know what sparked the fire or where it began. The city fire marshal is investigating. The Wishbone has been a fixture in Waterloo since the 1960s. A local couple, Randy and Cindy Hellman, bought the business in 2010 and later added a small bar to the restaurant. Cindy is the daughter of Sharon Wedel Crane & husband Ken Crane, of Atlantic. Randy Hellman says they hope to get The Wishbone running again as soon as possible.

“It’s going to be quite a while. Smoke damage destroyed the whole building,” Hellman says. “It’s hard to say right now (when the reopening might be). My plan is always to get it back open and get my employees back to work, get my friends and family – all of them – back to having a good Wishbone again.” The Hellmans employ around 20 people at the restaurant. In addition to The Wishbone, they also own Dairy Cream franchises in Charles City, Waverly, Webster City and several in Waterloo.

(Radio Iowa) — Warm weather, low humidity and strong winds are making for a foul combination across southern Iowa as the risk of wildfires is rising. In the southwest, Page County Emergency Management Coordinator Kris Grebert says brush fires have been numerous in his area, with two fires just this (Thursday) morning in Shenandoah.

“Within the last week, we’ve had eight or nine grass fires that the different agencies — Clarinda, Shen, Essex, Coin — everybody’s responded to,” Grebert says. “So, they have been relatively busy.” Fortunately, Grebert says the county has avoided structure damage from the fires. “We’ve had pretty good luck with our agencies getting out there pretty quick and not having things get too far out of control,” Grebert says. “The homeowners have called us relatively early on in the process, and we’ve gotten everyone out there and everything put down before they spread too much. We’re just crossing our fingers and hoping nothing bad happens for a while.”

Grebert plans to meet with his counterparts across the county next week. “I have been in contact with each of the fire chiefs from Essex, Shenandoah, Clarinda, Coin and Braddyville to discuss a possible burn ban,” Grebert says. “As of right now, we do not have one on in Page County. We’re hoping some rain will come Monday or Wednesday of next week, then we won’t have to worry so much about it.”

Fremont County’s fire departments are also on guard. Fremont County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Crecelius says virtually every department was out battling brush fires Wednesday night. Crecelius says conditions are ripe for disaster. “If you have an alleged controlled burn — I always thought that was an oxymoron, because you can’t really control a fire — if it decides to do something, you’re going to lose it,” Crecelius says. “As dry as everything is, once it gets going, it can spread all over all sorts of places out there, because we’ve got a lot of dry ground, we’ve got dry vegetation all over the place.”

Red Flag Warnings are posted for Iowa’s three southern tiers of counties today, virtually everything south of Interstate 80.