Governor Kim Reynolds has signed the so-called “sanctuary cities” bill into law. She did it Thursday without making any public statement about it. In February, Reynolds sent a fundraising email praising legislators who crafted the bill. Reynolds said the effort sent a message to “far left liberals in Des Moines and Iowa City” who’ve been considering moves to delay or deter deportation for people in the country illegally.
It’s unclear what may happen now. Bill backers said during debate in the House and Senate there are “some” law enforcement agencies that aren’t fully cooperating with federal immigration agents. The bill calls for withholding state funds from any city or county that fails to detain undocumented immigrants when federal authorities ask. Critics say a warrant is required for that kind of a request.

(Radio Iowa)

The State Board of Regents approved the first reading Thursday of proposed tuition increases of nearly four percent for Iowa State University and the University of Iowa and nearly three-percent for U-N-I. Student leaders spoke before the vote, with U-N-I leader Drew Stensland speaking first.  “It is the students’ stance that tuition be held to as low of an increase as possible with the budget constraints that the university faces,” Stensland says. “Quality education is absolutely vital to students who attend U-N-I, but the reality is that the cost of going to U-N-I in comparison to our peer institutions is anything but advantageous.”

He told the Regents they have to make sure the cost of education does not get too high for students. “I don’t envy the decisions that you have to make, and looking forward it is up to you to make sure that you look forward and make sure that the students who come after me have the awesome experience that I am having,” Stensland says.  Iowa State University student body president Cody West says he supports the “differential” approach to tuition which charges different amounts for different programs. “Of all the approaches that we have seen — this one seems to make the most sense to me and the students that I represent,” West says. “This concept is a logical, factual one that will benefit the financial security of the universe. but I would be remiss to say that I fear it has far reaching consequences that are to complex to comprehend at times.”

West is ending his term and says in the state budget cuts cannot continue if I-S-U is to maintain its quality. “I-S-U continues to remain in a delicate balance of accessibility and quality. The only option that remains to ensure a quality education is to place this on the backs of students, West says. “I know that I and many of my peers may not have had the opportunity to attend and continue our education if we had enrolled in I-S-U this fall. For the last time as student body president I want to warn the legislature — they are heading down a dark and unforgiving path.”

University of Iowa student president Jacob Simpson called on the school to continue working to make school affordable. “Financial aid policies and practices must be reviewed and reformed to increase retention and graduation rates and to decrease student debt,” Simpson says.  Simpson says the school cannot continue to take cuts in state support. “The University of Iowa community as a whole should continue to encourage the governor and the Iowa Legislature to fund our institution at an appropriate level because of our invaluable service and our impact on the state, nation and the world,” according to Simpson.

Regent Larry McKibbon of Marshalltown told the students there is one person who can have the final say on the issue. He encouraged the students to set up a meeting with the governor. “I believe the governor would absolutely make time to listen to you and the things that you talked about today,” McKibben says. McKibben says the continued cuts in state funding have hurt the universities and he says they should give back 12 million dollars cut from the budgets. He says he understands that it is difficult for the legislators to make these budget decisions — but he says the students have delivered the message that it is difficult if they do not provide the funding. The Board of Regents will have their second and final reading on the tuition proposal in June.

(Radio Iowa)

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department reports a man wanted on a warrant out of Cass County, was arrested Thursday evening. 27-year old Francis Daniel Kirchner, of Villisca, was arrested on the warrant for Probation Violation at around 5:14-p.m., Thursday. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond. And, just before 6-p.m. Thursday, Montgomery County Deputies arrested 30-year old Joshua Kenneth Wolcott, of Red Oak. He was taken into custody on a Montgomery County warrant for Theft in the 5th Degree. Wolcott was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 cash bond.

Red Oak Police report at around 12:55-a.m. today (Friday), 41-year old Chrystal Rush Stewart, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 400 block of E. Nuckols Street, for Simple Assault. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail & held on a $300 cash bond.

The recent snowfalls and prolonged foul weather have caused delays in construction of the massive 240-million-dollar pork processing plant in north-central Iowa. Ron Prestage, the C-E-O of North Carolina-based Prestage Farms, says they’re still making excellent progress on the huge structure near Eagle Grove in southern Wright County, in spite of the weather.

“I’ve been amazed at the work that’s been accomplished in pretty tough conditions,” Prestage says. “I’d say as a result of some of that, we’re probably a little behind schedule but I don’t think it’s a really big deal. We still intend to start processing pigs in the plant before the end of the year.” One of the set-backs was missing the goal to finish putting the roof on the facility last fall before the cold, wet weather arrived.

“We ended up with kind of a wet December and we didn’t have 100% of the roof on before it started getting wet, either from snow or rain,” Prestage says. “You have to do things kind of the hard way where you have to go in and remove muddy soil out from underneath those areas that you’re pouring floors on.” Prestage says key staff members are being brought on board, but the big hiring push won’t come for a few months yet.

“We’re in the process of finalizing some of the stuff with the state of Iowa and the local community colleges for training,” Prestage says. “We’ve already started hiring people, for example, plant engineers, IT people, accounting people and stuff like that.” As many as one-thousand workers will be needed to run the plant. Interviews and hiring for those hundreds of positions won’t likely start until mid-summer.

(Radio Iowa)

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

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Muscatine man has been arrested and charged with theft after being accused of stealing from a University of Iowa fraternity’s bank account. The Press-Citizen reports that Iowa City police arrested 25-year-old Drew Rominger on Thursday. Police say Rominger, who was the fraternity’s treasurer, made more than 70 cash withdrawals from the Alpha Chi Sigma fraternity bank account totaling nearly $21,000 between August 2016 and July 2017.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Republican lawmakers are at odds over how they intend to reform the state’s tax system and cut taxes. Republicans, who hold majorities in both chambers, discussed ideas for a tax plan during nearly back-to-back legislative meetings Thursday. Some provisions in the tax proposals are drastically different. The Republican factions will need to reach agreement to get something sent to GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds, who introduced her own tax plan this session.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Los Angeles’ Eric Garcetti, like other Democratic mayors considering the presidential race in 2020, is hoping to show party activists that his experience running a city can preview success on the national scene. He plans to make his debut Friday in Iowa, an early campaign proving ground. Other mayors mulling 2020 bids include Bill De Blasio of New York, Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans and Pete Buttigeig of South Bend, Indiana.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Republicans offered conflicting proposals Thursday for how they intend to reform the state’s tax system and cut taxes, setting up a major legislative battle in the waning days of session. GOP lawmakers with majorities in both chambers held nearly back-to-back legislative meetings at the state Capitol to advance their own versions of a tax plan that would need approval while lawmakers also finalize the next state budget. Some provisions in the tax proposals are drastically different, indicating GOP lawmakers are far apart.

“We’re continuing to negotiate,” said Sen. Randy Feenstra, a Hull Republican who oversees the Senate’s tax-writing committee. “… The bottom line here, the Senate is going to stay here as long as it takes to make sure that Iowa taxpayers get what they deserve.”

Rep. Guy Vander Linden, an Oskaloosa Republican and Feenstra’s counterpart in the House, said he hasn’t seen the Senate’s latest tax plan, but he questioned how responsible it would be. “We know — well, assuming that the estimates are correct — where we will end up,” he said. “But we don’t know yet where the Senate plan is yet, but we need to know that, and I think Iowans need to know that.”

The Republican factions are working off a tax bill introduced earlier this session by GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds. That plan would cut tax revenue by $1.7 billion over six years, in part by cutting personal income taxes but leaving alone corporate tax rates.
Both Republican sides say they’re changing the details around. Whatever they do, they’ll need to reach agreement to send a final bill to Reynolds.

House Republicans have offered a plan that they say would cut $1.3 billion over five years. Senate GOP lawmakers offered a new plan Thursday that they say cuts $2 billion in tax revenue over roughly the same period. Senate Republicans provided the public a one-page summary Thursday with few details. House Republicans introduced their plan late Wednesday after holding a short-notice public hearing on the governor’s bill Monday evening.

Separately, Republican lawmakers have yet to release spending targets for the state budget that goes into effect in July. A budget panel has estimated Iowa is expected to collect roughly $7.5 billion in state revenue. Democrats, who have no real legislative power this session, criticized the tax proposals floating around as unrealistic. The state has faced budget cuts in recent years, and Democrats questioned the timing as well as which taxpayers would benefit the most from proposed tax reforms.

The Republican plans seek to collect new sales taxes from internet sales. “I’m afraid that money that we’re giving them back in tax refunds is going to be negated by other taxes,” said Rep. John Forbes, an Urbandale Democrat. Lawmakers will stop receiving reimbursement for daily expenses next Tuesday, a date that’s long been considered the unofficial target for adjournment. The uncertainty over taxes and the budget has lawmakers planning for a later finish.

Iowa legislators passed a resolution praising astronaut and southwest Iowa native Peggy Whitson this (Thursday) morning. “It’s really a fantastic honor to be back here and to have you guys honor me like this. It’s very special,” Whitson said during remarks on the House floor. “I will tell you that I never forget my Iowa roots.” Whitson is a Beaconsfield native, a graduate of Mount Ayr High School and Iowa Weslyan College in Mount Pleasant. She has spent 665 days in space — a record for a U.S. astronaut.

“Everyone’s always asking what made me successful and I would have to say that learning the work ethic of a farmer was key to that,” Whitson said. “My parents — the hardest-working people I know and being from Iowa has been a fantastic experience for me and one I’m very proud of.”

The resolution passed in the House and Senate noted Whitson’s persistence. Whitson applied to be an astronaut five times before she was accepted into the program in 1986. Representative Cecil Dolecheck of Mount Ayr noted April 12th is an important date in space history. April 12th, 1961 is the data a Russian astronaut made the first manned space flight. April 12th, 1981 was the date of the first Space Shuttle launch.

“I believe it worked out nicely that the Iowa State Legislature will be honoring Iowa’s own record-breaking astronaut on the same date in 2018,” Dolecheck said. Female legislators praised Whitson as a role model for girls considering a career in science.

The resolution passed today (Thursday) in the House and Senate noted Whitson has been called a “space ninja.” It formally thanked her for encouraging boys and girls from towns of any size to “dream big and reach for the stars.”

(Radio Iowa)

The Hard Rock Casino in Sioux City agreed to a penalty today (Thursday) from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission for allowing minor to gamble. Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says it happened in November.

“She was on the floor for 56 minutes and had gambled at two different slot machines. The facility did notice her after she had been on the floor — approached her requested identification — and she refused and exited the casino quickly. It was determined later that she was indeed underage,” Ohorilko says. He says the situation met all the three criteria to be considered a violation of underage gambling.

He says the past precedent is for an administrative penalty of 20-thousand dollars and the Hard Rock agreed to pay that penalty. He says the penalty was based on the past history of the casino. Ohroilko said the casino has not had such an incident in the last 365 days, so it is considered a first offense. He said also, state agents will determine if the minor is charged.

“There is a state law which would allow for a minor to be cited criminally. And so in a situation like this what typically happens — and what happened in this case — is it would be be turned over to the Division of Criminal Investigation.”

The I-R-G-C took the action at their meeting in Council Bluffs.

(Radio Iowa)

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and D-C-I are trying to sort out an early morning shooting today (Thursday) in the town of Breda. When law enforcement arrived on scene, they found 35-year-old Andrew Wempe and 39-year-old Jacob Helken, both of Breda, had suffered non-life threatening gunshot wounds to their lower body.

Authorities also determined that the shooter, 48-year-old Robert John Morris, of Carroll, exhibited injuries unrelated to the use of a firearm. The three men were transported to St. Anthony Regional Hospital.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Cass County Conservation service report the Conservation Board is offering a great opportunity for you to observe spring woodland wildflowers not far from Atlantic. A Wildflower Walk program will be held at the Pellett Memorial Woods beginning 9-a.m., April 28th. There is no charge to participate.

Oak Strollers Nature Club for Families are welcome to join at this event. You’re invited to walk through the early spring wildflowers with Cass County Interpretive Naturalist Lora Kanning, and learn the names, uses and history of the Wildflowers.

Those in attendance will meet at Pellett Memorial Woods- located just outside of Atlantic, ½ mile north and ¾ mile east of the KJAN radio station.