(Radio Iowa) – Sioux City is hosting a festival highlighting diversity this weekend and organizers hope other Iowa communities will follow the example. The Sounds of West 7th Festival happens on Saturday with walking tours, food, art, and many genres of music. Semehar Ghebrekidan, Sioux City’s community inclusion liaison, says the fest is historically known as a hub for members of the Jewish, Black, and Asian communities.  “It’s an easy way to be able to connect with people and then hopefully having those conversations that go beyond the fun things,” Ghebrekidan says. “It’s just important to be able to celebrate all the diversity of this community.”

The music is an important aspect of the festival and they aim to please all ears, with a range including rock and roll, blues, gospel, and jazz. “I think we’re all working on engaging with people who aren’t like us, and sometimes it’s hard to know how to,” she says, “and I feel like music is just the way to people’s heart.” Ghebrekidan encourages communities across the state of Iowa to embrace their diversity by organizing similar cultural events. The event runs Saturday from 11 AM to 3 PM.

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents facilities committee has given the go-ahead for several projects on the University of Iowa campus. U-I vice president Rod Lehnertz presented the projects, including one for the children’s hospital. “This as we have mentioned in the write up is a fit out of a shelled space within the Stead Family Children’s Hospital for postpartum rooms, as well as support spaces, family waiting and provider work rooms,” he says. Lehnertz says there’s been an increasing need for services to new mothers.

“A 34 percent growth in the next five years, 63 percent growth in the next ten years in newborn deliveries. And as one of the many services we provide to the citizens of the state of Iowa and beyond, this is an important one and we’re undersized for the demand on that front,” Lehnertz says. Another project involves the modernization of the student union that has had a lot of additions since it was built in 1925. The building was rebuilt in a partnership with the federal government and FEMA following the floods of 2008. “As a part of that deal, we proposed to FEMA to address outdated building systems, it’s a lot of what’s behind the walls in a building of this scale and age and FEMA disallowed it, we would put at risk the federal funds if we did anything other than repair of the building as it was,” he says. They then had to wait for a period of time before doing anything else to the building.

“That period has expired, we’re able to move forward. So we’re going back to fix the things we wanted to fix before,” Lehnertz says. “But a key component of that is tying together public spaces student spaces, so that there is a an easier way to get through and understand your way through the building.” Other projects include the expansion of the CAMBUS maintenance facility and renovating labs in the Bowen Science building.

The full Board of Regents approved the projects at its meeting today (Thursday).

(Radio Iowa) – A film that tells the story of German soldiers who spent Christmas at a P-O-W camp in Algona back in 1944 has won the top movie of the year award from a faith based entertainment and arts society. “Silent Night in Algona” was nominated for six of the group’s first-ever “Red Letter” awards. The film won the Red Letter award for Best Picture and D.J. Perry won the Best Writer award for the Silent Night in Algona screenplay. The film will be released on D-V-D and streaming platforms on December 1st.

(Harlan, Iowa)-  Here is the full list of candidates and public measures that will appear on the November 7th ballot in Shelby County:
City of Shelby-Mayor
RON KROLL
Shelby City Council—
KAREN SCHLUETER
OPEN
OPEN

City of Tennant -Mayor
JAMES BRANTNER
City Council-
MARK TEARNY
PAULA CAMPBELL
TOM EWOLDT

City of Harlan-Mayor
JAY CHRISTENSEN
Council-Ward 2
RICHARD PETERSEN
AT LARGE Lincoln-           
TROY SCHABEN
JAMES SHEEHAN
Council-Ward 1- to fill a Vacancy
KYLE LINDBERG

CITY OF IRWIN–MAYOR
JAMES BORCHER
COUNCIL MEMBER–
RICHARD WIIG
JONNA WILLADSEN

CITY OF WESTPHALIA-MAYOR
CHRISTOPHER G. VON AHSEN
Council-           
BRANDON ECK
OPEN

CITY OF DEFIANCE-MAYOR
MARY JO SCHABEN
COUNCIL–
MAX POWERS
BRIAN KLOEWER
COUNCIL TOFILL A VACANCY–
BRUCE FESER

CITY OF PANAMA-MAYOR
LARRY KEANE

COUNCIL-
KATHLEEN ANN SCHAFER
LINDA COGDILL

CITY OF EARLING-MAYOR
JANICE A GAUL
COUNCIL–
BRANDON BOGER
JILL SCHILTZ

CITY OF ELK HORN-Mayor-
STAN JENS
COUNCIL–
RICK SLOTH
DANNY PETERSEN
KAYLA CREEK
KENDALL PETERSEN

CITY OF KIRKMAN-MAYOR-
OPEN
COUNCIL
OPEN

CITY OF PORTSMOUTH-MAYOR VOTE FOR ONE
DONALD KENKEL
COUNCIL-    
LORETTA KLEFFMAN SWANSON
DARCI PAXTON

HARLAN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS DISTRICT 5 DIRECTOR                                 
JENNIFER ANDERSON
HARLAN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS DISTRICT 6 DIRECTOR         
JENNIFER ARKFELD
HARLAN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS DISTRICT 7 DIRECTOR         
ROGER KENKEL

IKM-MANNING-DIRECTOR AT LARGE-          
ZACHARY MEINERS
SARA FERNEDING
MIKE BLUM
IKM-MANNING-DIRECTOR DISTRICT-1A                                                      
BRIDGET GORE
T.J. STERK
IKM-MANNING DIRECTOR DISTRICT 2A VOTE FOR ONE                                                           
DAVID HELLER
EMMALIE RASMUSSEN
IKM-MANNING SCHOOLS-DIRECTOR AT LARGE TO FILL A VACANCY                                                         
JEREMY PUCK

SHELBY COUNTYWIDE PUBLIC MEASURE TD
Shall the Shelby County Board of Supervisors, upon recommendation by the Shelby County EMS Advisory Council, for the purpose of funding Emergency Medical Services in Shelby County including, but not limited to, ambulance service, personnel, and equipment be authorized, for a period of fifteen (15) years, to (1) levy and impose a local option income surtax of One Percent (1.00%) upon the state individual income tax of each individual taxpayer who is a resident of Shelby County on December 31 for each calendar year commencing with the calendar year 2024, and (2) levy and impose an ad valorem tax not exceeding Seventy Five Cents ($.75) per One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) of assessed valuation on all taxable property within Shelby County commencing with the levy of property taxes for collection in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025?
IKM MANNING COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLIC MEASURE TE
Shall the Board of Directors of the IKM-Manning Community School District in the Counties of Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, and Shelby, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $18,600,000 to provide funds to construct, furnish, and equip an addition for classrooms/support space, to the Middle/High School building; and to renovate, remodel, repair, improve, furnish and equip existing portions of the Middle/High School building?
TRI CENTER COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PUBLIC MEASURE SB
To adopt a Revenue Purpose Statement specifying the use of revenues the Tri-Center Community School District will receive from the State of Iowa Secure an Advanced Vision for Education Fund.
In the Tri-Center Community School District, the following Revenue Purpose Statement which specifies the use of revenues the Tri-Center Community School District will receive from the State of Iowa Secure an Advanced Vision for Education Fund shall be adopted. To provide funds to acquire or install information technology infrastructure (including improving buildings or sites for the purpose of accessing broadband digital telecommunications) and school safety and security infrastructure. To provide funds to build and furnish a new school building or buildings; to build and furnish addition(s) to school buildings in the District; to remodel, reconstruct, repair, expand, and improve the school buildings in the District; to purchase and improve grounds; for demolition work; to furnish and equip district facilities. To provide funds for the purchase, lease or lease-purchase of buildings, equipment (including transportation and recreation equipment), or technology and to repair transportation equipment for transporting students as authorized by law, to implement energy conservation measures, sharing or rental of facilities including a joint infrastructure project for the purposes of offering classes under district-to-community college programs as authorized in Iowa Code Section 423F.3(3)(c), procuring or acquisition of libraries, or opening roads to schoolhouses or buildings. To provide funds to purchase land as part of start-up costs for new student construction program or if the sale of the previous student construction was insufficient to purchase land, and to purchase construction materials and supplies for a student-constructed building or shed intended to be retained by and used by the District.  To provide funds to make payments to a municipality or other entity as required under Iowa Code Section 403.19(2). To provide funds for demolition, cleanup, and other costs if such costs are necessitated by, and incurred within two years of, a disaster. To provide funds to establish and maintain public recreation places and playgrounds; provide for supervision and instruction for recreational activities; or for community education purposes. To provide funds for the payment of principal and interest or retirement of general obligation bonds issued for school infrastructure purposes, energy improvement loans, loan agreements authorized by Iowa Code Section 297.36, sales, service and use tax revenue bonds issued under Iowa Code Section 423E.5 or Iowa Code Section 423F.4.To provide funds for property tax relief; and To provide funds for other authorized expenditures and purposes as now or hereafter permitted by law and designated by the Tri-Center Community School District. It being understood that if this proposition should fail to be approved by the voters, such failure shall not be construed to terminate or restrict authority previously granted by the voters to expend receipts from the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education Fund. If approved, this Revenue Purpose Statement shall remain in effect until replaced or amended by the Tri-Center Community School District.
TRI CENTER COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLIC MEASURE SC
Shall the Board of Directors of the Tri-Center Community School District, in the Counties of Pottawattamie, Harrison, and Shelby, State of Iowa, for the purpose of purchasing and improving grounds; constructing schoolhouses or buildings and opening roads to schoolhouses or buildings; purchasing of buildings; purchase, lease or lease-purchase of technology and equipment; paying debts contracted for the erection or construction of schoolhouses or buildings, not including interest on bonds; procuring or acquisition of libraries; repairing, remodeling, reconstructing, improving, or expanding the schoolhouses or buildings and additions to existing schoolhouses; expenditures for energy conservation; renting facilities under Iowa Code Chapter 28E; purchasing transportation equipment for transporting students; lease purchase option agreements for school buildings or equipment; purchasing equipment authorized by law; or for any purpose or purposes now or hereafter authorized by law, be authorized for a period of ten (10) years, to levy annually, a voter-approved physical plant and equipment property tax not to exceed One Dollar Thirty-Four Cents ($1.34) per One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) of the assessed valuation of the taxable property within the school district commencing with the levy for collection in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, or each year thereafter?

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowan who had a leadership role in the Farm Service Agency a decade ago says a federal government shutdown would delay Conservation Reserve Program payments, which are issued in October. President Obama appointed John Whitaker as Iowa State Executive Director of the Farm Service Agency in 2009 and Whitaker was in that role when the federal government shutdown for 16 days in October of 2013.

“CRP payments and other payments are due October 1. The more that we delay making those payments, the more likely it is the federal government will have to pay interest on those payments,” Whitaker says. “That adds to our cost, the cost of doing government.” If Conservative Reserve Program or C-R-P payments aren’t made by October 31st, the federal government is required to pay a penalty and add interest onto those checks. Whitaker says even a week-long federal government shutdown in October would create issues with C-R-P payments.

“It’s going to be more and more difficult to get them all certified and all through the system and the staff is stressed because they know the cost of not getting the payment made and they also know those producers are waiting on those payments,” Whitaker says. “They expect that payment to be paid in early October, not the end of October or in November or later than that.”

Whitaker made his comments during an online news conference organized by the Iowa Democratic Party. Two years ago, the federal government paid 382 million dollars on C-R-P contracts that keep the land out of corn and soybean production for up to 15 years. Farm Service Agency offices will be closed if congress does not pass a spending plan for the next federal fiscal year, which begins Sunday. Whitaker says that means farmers will not be able to submit required reports to the U-S-D-A about cover crops that are being planted this fall.

“You know, Iowa’s agricultural areas are heavily dependent on the USDA and USDA programs,” Whitaker says. Whitaker served on the Van Buren County Board of Supervisors for 10 years. Whitaker served seven years in the Iowa House before he was appointed to lead the Farm Service Agency operations in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has denied a new trial for a former Independence High School art teacher found guilty of sexual exploitation of a student. Kari Schwartz was convicted in 2021 after a former female student claimed inappropriate conduct back in 2009. A couple of key points in Schwartz’s appeal were there was insufficient evidence she wanted to engage in sexual conduct with the student. And the jury should not have been instructed that hugging constituted sexual conduct.

The appeals court ruling says the text messages and emails she sent to the student were not as numerous as in other cases — but were enough to support the jury’s finding. It also says teachers should not be prohibited from hugging students for reassurance, comfort, or congratulation — but hugs can be sexual exploitation when the context and circumstances surrounding the contact show the hugs were for the purpose of sexual gratification.

Kari Schwartz (IA Sex Offender Registry photo)

Schwartz moved from the Independence District in 2010 and was a teacher with Peet Junior High School in Cedar Falls when the investigation began.

(Creston, Iowa) – A collision in Creston Tuesday afternoon caused $8,500 damage, but no one was injured, and no citations were issued. Creston Police report a 2014 Ford Explorer driven by 75-year-old Linda S. Castillo, of Creston, was traveling South on Elm Street at around 3:46-p.m. A 2022 Ford F-150 pickup driven by 18-year-old Scotty Robert James Giles, of Afton, was stopped at the intersection of Elm and Howard Street.

Authorities say Giles didn’t see the SUV and when he proceeded through the intersection, his vehicle struck the Explorer broadside.

(Radio Iowa) – The State of Iowa has nearly five-and-a-half BILLION in unspent tax dollars that the governor’s promising much of it will be the fuel for tax cuts. The final report on the state fiscal year that ended June 30th shows the state
collected one-point-eight BILLION more in taxes than was spent. Another 900 million is deposited in reserve funds, but the so-called Taxpayer Relief Fund has two-point-74 billion in it.

Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, says some see that surplus as government not spending enough. Reynolds says she views it as an over collection of taxes from Iowans. Reynolds has previously said she wants to get rid of the state income tax by the end of her current term as governor. In the written statement issued today (Wednesday), Reynolds says she looks forward to cutting taxes again next legislative session and returning this surplus back to the people of Iowa.

The budget surplus from the last state fiscal year will be deposited in that Taxpayer Relief Fund in January. The 900 million dollars will stay in the state’s economic emergency and cash reserve accounts. Senator Janet Petersen of Des Moines, the top ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, says the governor’s tax plans favor corporations and special interests. Petersen says while Governor Reynolds is promising more giveaways to come, middle-class Iowa families still aren’t getting ahead.

(Radio Iowa) – Low-income Iowa families who rely on the Women, Infants and Children — or WIC — program for putting food on the table may need to make other arrangements — if — the federal government shuts down this weekend. Shelby Kroona, Hamilton County’s public health director, issued a warning to the county’s board of supervisors about the looming shutdown on Saturday.

“I want to highlight that 324 families in Hamilton County are served by our WIC program,” Kroona says, “and they are saying that that program will potentially shut down in days.” WIC is administered through the U-S Department of Agriculture and Kroona says it’s important to many thousands of families statewide.

“This is a program specifically for food-insecure individuals,” she says, “so the demand on our food pantries may see a significant increase if the government does shut down.” The six food pantries in Hamilton County are bracing for an upturn in demand, though demand has been setting repeated records since the onset of the pandemic.

Reports show WIC program services are used in all 99 Iowa counties and reached more than 64-thousand participants in 2020.

Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced the State of Iowa will end Fiscal Year 2023 with a balance of $1.83 billion in the General Fund, $902 million in reserve funds and $2.74 billion in the Taxpayer Relief Fund.

“Some see a surplus as government not spending enough, but I view it as an over collection from the hard-working men and women of Iowa,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “We’ve seen what the powerful combination of growth-oriented policies and fiscal restraint can create, and now it’s time for Iowans to directly receive the benefits. I look forward to cutting taxes again next legislative session and returning this surplus back to where it belongs – the people of Iowa.”

“As a result of the Governor’s great budget management, we are in an extremely strong financial position, making it possible to meet the needs of Iowans while leaving more money in the pockets of Iowa taxpayers,” said Kraig Paulsen, Director of the Department of Management.

Last week, Gov. Reynolds announced that Iowa’s corporate tax rate will drop to 7.1 percent from 8.4 percent for Tax Year 2024 due to corporate tax receipts exceeding $700 million.