(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa House are proposing joint training of state nursing home inspectors and nursing home staff. The twice-per-year training would have to include a review of the most frequent complaints about care from the previous year. Republican Representative Ann Meyer of Fort Dodge says she wants nursing homes to stay open and the policy would build a more collaborative relationship between inspectors and facilities.

“Making sure that complaints in the nursing home are going to be addressed,” Meyer says. “And (with) the training, we want to make sure that both entities are on the same page, the nursing homes and the inspectors.”

Democrats in the Senate have been calling on state officials to hire more nursing home inspectors. Senate Democrats have also proposed more state funding to raise direct care workers’ pay and an increase in Medicaid’s allowance for things like hair cuts, toiletries and clothing for nursing home residents.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill to make changes in Iowa’s early voting process for this year’s elections has cleared initial review in the Iowa House and will be considered in the House State Government Committee today (Wednesday). For the past two years, absentee ballots had to be in a county auditor’s office by the time polls closed on election day. The bill moves that deadline up, to the day BEFORE the election, and adds new requirements for absentee ballot envelopes. Adams County Auditor Becky Bissell, president of the Iowa State Association of County Auditors, says the group opposes the bill.

“Due to the unnecessary changes to the voting process and for making it more confusing and difficult for our voters along with the increased financial burden this would put on our counties,” Bissell said, “especially this year, when we are making cuts.” Amy Campbell is a lobbyist for the League of Women Voters of Iowa and A-A-R-P. “I also work with an organization that does turnout for voters with disabilities,” Campbell said. “The continual changes that happen every two years are adding to a lot of confusion for voters.”

The bill also wades into the national debate over attempts by officials in Colorado and Maine to bar Donald Trump’s name from the ballots in those states. The bill says federal candidates cannot be disqualified from Iowa’s ballot if they’ve been convicted of a felony. Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton, is the bill’s floor manager. “Individual states don’t get to play left or right wing politics with the ballot access,” Kaufmann said. “…It is not our job to decide who is on the ballot. It is the voters’ job and it’s arrogant, frankly, for us to think we should overrule what they choose to do.”

Representative Adam Zabner, a Democrat from Iowa City, asked Kaufmann if he’d checked with the Trump campaign on that part of the bill, since Kaufmann worked on Trump’s Iowa Caucus campaign, then Zabner raised concerns about the absentee ballot changes. “Are you concerned that on Election Day, voters won’t be able to turn in their ballots?” Zabner asked. Kaufmann replied: “Do you think they’re stupid? Because I don’t.” Representative Amy Nielsen, a Democrat from North Liberty, spoke next.

“I really resent you telling that to Representative Zabner asking him if he thinks voters,” Nielsen said and at that point in her sentence Kaufmann said: “He can defend himself.” Nielsen replied: “Stop interrupting me,” and Kaufmann replied: “I didn’t interrupt you and this is my subcommittee and I’ll refer to anybody I want to refer to whenever I want to refer to it.” Nielsen then walked out of the meeting and Zabner followed her out. Kaufmann spoke with reporters a few moments later.

“If they can’t stay in the room and have an adult conversation, then good riddance,” Kaufmann said. Zabner told reporters the bill makes perverse changes in early voting. “At the same time that we’re putting barriers in the face of Iowans who just want to exercise their basic rights, we’re making it easier for felons to run for president,” Zabner said.

A similar bill cleared a Senate subcommittee on Monday.

DES MOINES – Today, Gov. Kim Reynolds requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for eighteen Iowa counties due to significant snowfall during the January winter storms.  

The governor requested funding under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Program for Adair, Black Hawk, Cedar, Clinton, Davis, Delaware, Dubuque, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Lucas, Montgomery, Polk, Scott, Story, Wapello, and Washington counties for the significant record-breaking snowfall that occurred between January 8 through January 14, 2024. 

Following a joint federal, state, and local damage assessment of the affected counties, it was estimated the significant snowfall resulted in more than $8 million worth of damage that could be eligible under the Public Assistance program. Funding from this program is used to recoup costs related to snow removal, de-icing, salting, sanding of roads and other eligible facilities, and other emergency protective measures including but not limited to search and rescue and sheltering.  

The letter can be read in its entirety here. 

(Radio Iowa) – The director of the Iowa Department of Transportation says it took millions of dollars to clear the roadways from the double dip of blizzards in early January.

Director Scott Marler says the storms also generated millions of clicks on the 511ia.org road conditions site. “We had over 32 million hits on five on one during those back-to-back winter storms. We also had nearly 12 million impressions on our social media,” he says. The storms the second week of January dumped more than 24 inches of snow in some areas to go along with double-digit negative temperatures, and wind gusts of 45 to 50 miles an hour that created whiteout conditions.

Marler reported on the DOT’s costs for the storms today for the state Transportation Commission. “We spent nearly 104,000 in labor, $4.1. Our equipment hours were more than 63,000 hours and that was 2.3 million (dollars) in costs,” Marler says.”We spread nearly 30,000 tons of rock salt, nearly 6 million gallons of brine. That was 4 million dollars in our materials cost. So all in it was about a $10.4 million effort by the department fighting those back-to-back winter storms.”

Marler says there’s one surprising stat after reviewing the storms. “There were zero fatalities from those back-to-back winter storms, which was a miracle in and of itself,” he says. Marler says he traveled the interstate days after the storm and was surprised at the aftermath. “Many portions of the median were just like a litter ground of jackknifed semis and vehicles that had gone in the ditch. I shudder to think some of the conditions that these customers as well as the people working out on the road must have been under,” he says. “But zero fatalities is a wonderful story to tell after winter storms, like we experienced.”

Trucks in the ditch along I-80 after January blizzards. (RI photo)

Marler says many motorists did heed the warnings and stayed off the roadways during the storms. He says the amount of trucks caused problems because once things got slick and they couldn’t move, all traffic backed up and plows couldn’t get in to treat the roadways.

(Radio Iowa) – Senate Democrats are calling for a state minimum wage just for direct care workers in nursing homes. By July of next year, all nursing home direct care workers would have to be paid $15 an hour and Senate Democrats propose that it ratchet up to $20 an hour by the middle of 2030.

Senator Claire Celsi of Des Moines said staffing shortages are a huge issue in the nursing home industry and it’s led to tragic circumstances for some residents. “There are many good facilitis and we applaud them for the hard work they do every day,” Celsi said during a statehouse news conference, “but there are simply some facilities and some situations that just beyond the pale that we need to fix.”

According to state data, the average pay for direct care workers in nursing homes was $13 an hour in 2022. Republicans in the Iowa House say they’re concerned agencies supplying temporary employees to nursing homes are exploiting recently boosted state funding for nursing home care.

Senator Claire Celsi (D-Des Moines) (Official Photo)

Celsi and the 15 other Democxrats in the Iowa Senate are also calling for an increase in the allowance nursing home residents get if their care is covered by Medicaid. It’s called the Medicaid personal needs reimbursement rate, to cover things like hair cuts, clothing and toiletries. “This amount has not been raised in Iowa since 2002,” Celsi said, “and by doing so we can provide a greater level of self-sufficiency in these care settings.”

Senate Democrats say they support raising the state’s Medicaid reimbursement rate for nursing home care to cover these expenses as well as the hike in the minimum wage for direct care workers. It’s unlikely these proposals will be considered by Republican-led committees in the senate, but the proposals could be introduced during Senate debate of bills that outline state spending.

(Early, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in northwest Iowa’s Sac and Ida County are investigating an alleged threat of possible violence intended to take place later this week at a school dance. According to a press release, on Monday morning (Feb. 12th), Sac County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the Ridge View Middle School in Early, following a reported fight between two male students. One student was from Holstein, while the other was from Schaller.

During an investigation, authorities learned there may have been a threat of undisclosed violence at a dance scheduled for this coming Friday night (Feb. 16), in Holstein. After several students were interviewed, it was determined that the threat of violence involved the two male students who had been fighting. One of the students had planned on fighting with the other student Friday night at the dance, however, he had learned that this student was not going to the dance and decided to assault him at school. The altercation is alleged to have occurred over a TikTok video that one of the two males made.

Later in the evening, deputies were dispatched to a residence near Schaller, Iowa. It was learned that the student from Holstein, who had been the primary aggressor in the earlier incident, had sent a threatening message to the other male student. The rumor was that someone had sent a Snapchat photo of a gun. School staff were made aware of this concern from several parents. Deputies from both the Sac and Ida County Sheriff’s Offices interviewed several more students. Nothing was found that corroborates the threat of violence with a gun.

The Sac County Sheriff’s Office says “Law enforcement takes these types of threats very seriously. As a precaution, a law enforcement presence will be seen in and around the Ridge View Middle School. Authorities are asking the public, “If you have any information about this incident or had seen this alleged Snapchat photo of a gun…” contact the Sac County Sheriff’s Office at 712-662-7127, or the Ida County Sheriff’s Office at 712-364-3146.

(Lewis, Iowa) – One person was injured during a single-vehicle, rollover accident east of Oakland this (Tuesday) morning, near the Cass-Pottawattamie County line. Griswold Fire & Rescue, Cass EMS, the Iowa State Patrol and Sheriff’s Deputies from Cass & Pottawattamie Counties responded to the scene. According to a report from the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office, a 2022 Ford Edge SUV driven by 74-year-old Linda Ann Jahnke, was traveling east on Highway 6 at around 9:09-a.m., near 510th Street, when according to Jahnke, she felt her vehicle move. When she attempted to correct the SUV’s course, it entered the south ditch and struck a large mound of dirt, causing the vehicle to roll several times through a fence and land on it’s passenger side in a field.

When the vehicle rolled, all of its airbags deployed. Jahnke called 9-1-1 from the vehicle, telling authorities she was hanging sideways from her seat belt, but was unable to unhook it. When a Pott. County Deputy arrived on the scene, a State Trooper and another deputy were attempting to remove the SUV’s windshield to extricate the woman. The arriving deputy entered the SUV through the rear hatch and held Jahnke up until rescue arrived to assist in removing the woman.

Jahnke was transported by helicopter from the scene to Nebraska Medicine. The owner of the field/fence (Colby Schueman), was notified about the accident and damage. Authorities said Jahnke will be issued a citation for failure to maintain control.

(Radio Iowa) – The operator of a floral shop in Grinnell says some people scaling back their Valentine’s Day purchases this year.

Stephanie Latimer says they’re trying to save a little money. “We’ve seen a little bit of a shift, not huge, but a little bit with the changes in our economy. A lot of people are choosing not to do the large one or two dozen red roses that we’re used to seeing every year for Valentine’s Day and they’re going to the smaller more compact things,” she says. She says they may buy some add-ons like balloons to go with the smaller flower bouquets.

Latimer is involved in the National Alliance of Florists Association and sees similar purchase trends in other states. “It seems to be the trend all over the U-S and not just here in the Midwest,” Latimer says. She says business will hit its peak today and tomorrow. “We have typically a store full of people and phones ringing off the hook, and if we don’t we’ve got order streaming in from our shoppable website. So I think probably everybody’s the same,” Latimer says.

She says a lot of people likely shifted their focus to the need to get a Valentine’s Day gift after the football season ended Sunday.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office has released the following report on arrests and citations:

1/29/2024 Matthew Steven McClarnon (53) of Braddyville Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for threats of terrorism, interference with official acts and disorderly conduct.
1/30/2024: Sayj Elizabeth Martin (25) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for failure to appear; A 15 year old juvenile cited into juvenile court for theft. Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office.
1/31/2024 Mark Andrew Devine (31) of College Springs Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for an active Missouri warrant and an active Iowa warrant. Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office.
2/1/2024 Lisa Ann Foster (56) of Shambaugh Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for
Simple assault. Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office
2/1/2024 A 17 year old juvenile. Arrested at the Juvenile Detention Center Booked into the Page County Jail for theft in the second degree and criminal mischief.
2/2/2024: Chaize Marie Foulks (24) of Moline Illinois. Booked into the Page County Jail for failure to appear. Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office at the Douglas County Nebraska Jail; Tiffany Elizabeth Travis (42) of Shenandoah Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for possession of a controlled substance; Richard Dean Stubbs (68) of Coin Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for criminal mischief. Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office.

A charge is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Citations
1/29/2024 Jodi Alexis Andrews of Clearmont Missouri. Highway #2 stopped and cited for speed.
2/1/2024 Maria Jean Mullenberg of Imogene Iowa. Forbes and California in Essex Iowa. Cited for failure to maintain control and violation of a restricted license.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would have required state-issued serial numbers on so-called “ghost guns” has been permanently tabled in the Iowa House. Republican Representative Phil Thompson of Boone says the bill will not be considered by the House Public Safety Committee. “As much as I would like to trust and operate in good will with the ATF or (Iowa) Department of Public Safety, setting up the logistical framework for the registration frankly terrifies me,” Thompson said. Gun rights groups opposed the bill, saying registration has led to gun confiscation in other countries. Richard Rogers is a lobbyist for Iowa Firearms Coalition. “The real goal is registration of all firearms,” Rogers said. “Governments throughout history have found it much easier to control an unarmed populace rather than an armed one.”

The bill was sponsored by six Democrats in the Iowa House. Trey Jackson, a lobbyist for March for Our Lives Iowa, urged legislators to pass the bill as a one way of preventing teen suicides. “They are more and more getting in the hands of teenagers as they discover that they can build these ghost guns and they can 3D print these ghost guns,” Jackson said. Joe Gorton, an emeritus professor of criminology at the University of Northern Iowa, says having registration numbers on guns helps police investigate crimes.  “If you’re an investigator and you show up on a crime scene of an armed robbery where the gun is there and the suspect is gone and it’s a ghost gun, you cannot trace that gun in a way that’s helpful to the investigatory and prosecutorial processes,” he said.

Ghost Glock gun

Opponents of the bill object to the term “ghost” gun. Craig Swartz is executive director of the Iowa Sportsmen’s Federation and a member of the National Rifle Association’s board of directors. “There are no ghost guns folks…There are only firearms,” Swartz said. “The term is an obvious attempt at creating fear and confusion. Just like assault weapons was the watchword 20 years ago. Before that it was Saturday Night Specials.”

Lobbyists for the Iowa Catholic Conference and the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa urged legislators to pass the bill to regulate guns made from a kit or a 3-D printer the same way guns produced by a licensed manufacturer are regulated.