Six candidates vying for the Iowa Republican Party’s 2014 U.S. Senate nomination gathered last night (Wednesday) in Des Moines for a discussion of “ObamaCare” and the federal government’s finances. Last night’s forum sponsored by Americans For Prosperity and National Review was the first time the candidates have stood together on the same stage at the same time and faced questions. When asked whether the recent federal government shut-down was a smart strategy for Republicans, David Young was the only one of the candidates to directly defend it.

“I was proud to watch the House of Representatives and the Senate fight ObamaCare — defunding it, delaying it, repealing it,” Young said. “You know, Ted Cruz was on the floor for 21 hours and it was so nice to see, finally, the senate deliberating…We need to do more of that.” Matt Whitaker said he was “disappointed in the solution.” “We cannot continue to manage this government by crisis, going from debt ceilings to fiscal cliffs and doing it all over again three months later,” Whitaker said, “and that’s where we’re heading with this.” Sam Clovis criticized Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s role in brokering the deal that ended the shutdown and Clovis blasted what he called a “carve-out” of two-billion dollars for a project in McConnell’s home state of Kentucky that was inserted in the final compromise.

“Is that compromise?” Clovis asked. “Is it compromise kicking the can down the road? Is that the compromise that Iowans want from their next senator?” Joni Ernst said politicians need to “stand on principles,” but they also need to “work together.”  “I don’t believe any Republican member of congress wanted to see a government shutdown or for us to default on our obligations,” Ernst said. “But I do believe they brought to light what is the tragedy of ObamaCare and what is our $17 trillion debt.” Each of the candidates comdemned the Affordable Care Act. Scott Schaben argued advocates of ObamaCare have a “hard time selling their product.”

“150 years ago those people would have been drug out of D.C. behind a horse,” Schaben said. Paul Lunde, the other candidate on the stage, frequently used the forum to tout some of the books he’s written. “You can go home, you can get it on your computer, you can open up a book and you can see exactly what I’m proposing to do,” Lunde said.

Iowa Democratic Party chairman Scott Brennan notes the phrase “middle class” was not mentioned during the debate, but Texas Senator Ted Cruz was touted as the ideal for Republican senators to follow. Congressman Bruce Braley is the only Democratic candidate who is seeking Iowa’s senate seat in 2014.

(Radio Iowa)

Researchers at Iowa State University’s Bridge Engineering Center are joining with counterparts at a federal accelerated bridge center based at Florida International University to create ways to replace bridges faster. The I-S-U center’s director, Brent Phares, says they’ll get approximately 800-thousand dollars from the U-S D-O-T over the next two years for research.  “It’s not just all about building bridges faster, it’s more about limiting the amount of time roads are closed to the traveling public,” Phares says.

He says high-volume traffic areas in cities and also bridges along interstates in rural areas like Iowa are part of the focus. Phares says the detours are often much longer than the original — causing drivers to use many more resources. “Additional travel time, they use additional fuel which causes additional pollution. Additional miles, which causes additional wear and tear on their vehicles,” Phares explains. One new technique was recently used by the Iowa D-O-T to replaced a 1930 bridge on State Highway 92 just outside Massena in western Iowa’s Cass County. The new bridge was built next to the old one and the old bridge stayed open during construction.

Once the new bridge was done, the old bridge was torn down and the new bridge was rolled laterally into line where the old bridge sat. The construction of that bridge took only nine days. Another idea is to use self propelled transporters so a new bridge can be built some distance away from the old bridge. “They are basically multi-wheeled vehicles, and then you drive the vehicle down the existing alignment and you drop it (new bridge) very carefully in place in the existing alignment,” according to Phares. “And again, the down that you have is pretty minimal.”

He expects their research will be conducted in the lab studying new techniques, but some will also be out in the field. “Also testing existing bridge details and how they function, how they perform in a bridge that is constructed in an accelerated environment. Because there are some differences in the loads that those bridges see,” Phares says. The researchers need to find another 400-thousand dollars in matching grants for a total of 1.2-million dollars of bridge research over the next two years. The University of Nevada-Reno is also a partner in the project.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Court documents say a Marshalltown man accused of killing another man put fingers, teeth and patches of tattooed skin in bags set for curbside garbage delivery. Unsealed search warrants made public Tuesday say 30-year-old Jeremy Gartin carried five trash bags out of his Marshalltown home on October 1st. That’s the same day 59-year-old David Warnell was found dead inside with a gun wound to the head.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Animal control officers in Des Moines used a tranquilizer to capture a Boer goat that had dived into traffic and was on the run for hours. The Des Moines Register reports officers chased the goat around the dealership before using a tranquilizer to stop her. Authorities are now looking for the goat’s owner.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — A Muscatine woman has been given a gold medal and a title from a Chinese group. The Muscatine Journal says Sarah Lande has been dubbed a “friendship ambassador” by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Lande is an old acquaintance of Chinese President Xi Jinping. She and her husband, Roger, hosted Xi for a dinner when he visited Iowa in 1985.

WAVERLY, Iowa (AP) — A state group has approved a $78,000 grant to partially fund an amphitheater in a Waverly park. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports Vision Iowa’s Enhancement Community Attraction and Tourism program has awarded the grant for the amphitheater in the northeast Iowa city’s Kohlmann Park.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says some Texas cases in a severe stomach bug outbreak last summer have been linked to Mexican cilantro. The CDC said Wednesday that the cilantro came from Puebla, Mexico, and was served at “Mexican-style” restaurants and sold in a single grocery store. The CDC did not identify the Mexican producer, the restaurants or grocery store.

All told, 278 people in Texas were sickened by cyclospora. Not all those illnesses were traced back to the cilantro. There were two separate cyclospora outbreaks last summer, sickening 643 people in 25 states. The other outbreak was linked to salad mix served at Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants in Iowa and Nebraska.

The CDC said the outbreaks are finished and the products are out of stores.

A fire in Harrison County caused two businesses to be shut down on Monday afternoon. According to the Missouri Valley Times, the Pisgah Fire Department responded to a called to 309 First Street around 12:30pm Monday for a structure fire. A second page was issued for Mondamin and Little Sioux fire departments to assist with the blaze. Crews were able to go on both the west and east side of the building and eventually extinguish the fire. However city officials were brought in for traffic control on Highway 183 through town.

The structure had substantial damage to it and the two businesses, Chiropractic Office of E. Drew Howard and Loess Hills Massage Center, are not allowed to return to normal business until the building is deemed safe. The paper states the fire departments were on hand for two hours before returning to their stations. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports a 14-year old male was arrested Tuesday. The unnamed teen was taken into custody for allegedly assaulting his mother. He’s been charged with assault causing bodily injury.

Brothers said also, a 12-year old male reported to authorities last Friday, that he had allegedly been assaulted by another 12-year old male. That incident, along with a reported incident of vandalism, remain under investigation. The vandalism report came today (Wednesday), from a woman who told authorities two tires on her vehicle had been slashed while it was parked in the 500 block of East Main Street, in Clarinda. The damage was estimated at nearly $180.

Shelby County Emergency Management officials say a bridge replacement project in Shelby County will require the closing of a portion of 22-hundredth (2200th) Street, beginning Monday. The bridge over an unnamed tributary of Moser Creek is in the 700th block of 2200th Street, west of County Road M-16 and east of 726 2200th Street. It is located between Union townships 18 and 19. Residents in the Earling area should pay special attention to the closing.

Work on the bridge deck replacement project that begins Monday, will continue for about 2 weeks. If you have questions regarding the bridge closure, contact the Shelby County Engineer’s Office at 712-755-5954.

Mills County Attorney Eric C. Hansen, Wednesday, released additional details about the arrest of a North Carolina man arrested on sexual abuse charges. As reported earlier, 64-year old John Robert Schondelmeyer faces charges that include two felony counts of Sex Abuse in the 2nd degree, and two felony counts of Lascivious Acts with a Child. Hansen says the charges were filed following an investigation by the Mills County Sheriff’s Office.

Schondelmeyer recently resided in Bellevue, NE., but he now has a residence in Fayetteville, NC. He’s accused of committing various sex acts with two girls, ages seven and eight, over a period of time. Some of the alleged incidents occurred in Mills County, others in different jurisdictions.

If convicted of the offenses, Schondelmeyer faces 25-years in prison on each of the Sexual Abuse in the 2nd degree charges (for a total of 50-years), with a mandatory 70-percent of the time to be served before he is eligible for parole. Lascivious acts with a child is punishable by up to 10-years in prison on each count.

Schondelmeyer, who was arrested Tuesday morning at the Sarpy County, NE., Jail,  was being held in the Mills County Jail on $70,000 bond. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 1.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office will be participating in a “Drug Take Back Day” on Saturday October 26, from 10-AM to 2-PM, at the Treynor Community Center. Citizens can drop off any legal or Illegal prescription or non-prescription drugs, with no questions asked. Authorities say nothing sharp (such as needles), pressurized inhaler canisters or thermometers, will be accepted.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reser’s Fine Foods in Topeka, Kan., is recalling about 22,800 pounds of potentially bacteria-tainted chicken, ham and beef products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Tuesday that the meat products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The meat was shipped to retailers and distributors in 27 states including Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin. .

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service listed various “sell by” dates for the recalled products. There have been no reports of illness. Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon and potentially fatal disease. Symptoms can include high fever and severe headache.