(Radio Iowa) – Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says President Biden should focus tonight’s (Tuesday’s) State of the Union speech on federal spending plans. “The Biden Administration must change course and move away from the fiscal insanity and partisan politics that dominate Washington,” Grassley says. Resetting the federal budget to pre-pandemic spending levels would be the place to start, according to Grassley.

“During 2020, there was about $3 trillion spent to get us back on track after the government shut down the economy,” Grassley says. “Then we go back to that level of spending in 2020 and add to it whatever needs to be added to it, but we don’t use the present baseline to continue spending.” As lawmakers craft the next federal budget, Grassley says more should be spent to replenish U.S. stockpile of weapons that have been shipped to Ukraine.

Grassley says Medicaid and Social Security benefits need to be restructured, but that should be a separate conversation. “You’ve got to tackle our entitlement programs by themselves and when we do tackle them, we’re got to make sure that people who are on retirement or close to retirement don’t get cut,” Grassley says. Grassley cites the reforms adopted 38 years ago as a guide, suggesting any changes for younger Americans’ Social Security and Medicare benefits be slowly phased in over several decades.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports a woman from Lenox faces a Possession of Contraband/Weapon – inside a Correctional Facility. 44-year-old Cassandra Marlena Davis, who is serving time in the Adams County Jail on other charges, was assessed the additional charge Monday evening. Davis’ bond was increased to $12,000 (cash or surety).

(Ottumwa, Iowa)  – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 36-year-old Ross Thomas Cobler, who was convicted of Domestic Abuse Assault-3rd or Subsequent Offense, in Wapello County, failed to report to the Ottumwa Residential Facility as required Friday.

Cobler is a white male, height  5′ 10″, and weighs 203 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on 10/26/22.  Persons with information on Cobler’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Ross Cobler

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Board of Education for the Atlantic Community School District will meet in a regular session beginning at 6:30-p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2023, in the High School Media Center. Discussion items during their meeting include:

• Washington Playground – Present Final Plans & Specifications.
• Proposed District Calendar for 2023-24
• FY23-FY25 Audit Services.

Action items on their agenda include:

• Bus Driver Appreciation Day – Feb. 22nd
• Set Public Hearing for 2023-2024 School Master Calendar
• FY23-FY25 Audit Services Contract
• Extra-curricular activities (MS Girls Softball/Girls Swimming)
• Out-of-State Trip: High School Track
• Disposal of Vehicles
• A Resolution Authorizing Bid Letting & Setting Public Hearing
• Pay App #2, re: the HS Air Quality Project.

ACSD Superintendent Steve Barber will remind the Board about the following dates of interest to the Board:

• Day on the Hill – Feb. 14th
• ISL Public Hearing & Board Work Session – Feb. 22nd at 5:30-p.m.

Immediately following the regular meeting, the Atlantic School Board will move into an exempt (Closed) session, for the purpose of negotiations with the Atlantic Education Association, representing the District’s Certified & Non-Certified Staff.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University researchers are part of an effort led by Purdue University to diversify the cornbelt. I-S-U sociology professor J. Arbuckle says farmers once planted many different crops on their land. “The long rotations with lots of different crops, spread risk, all around the farm, but they also took care of, you know ecological processes, agro ecological processes that took care of a lot of the, you know, the pest cycles and the weed cycles and that sort of thing,” he says.  The crops became less diversified with the advent of chemicals to deal with the pests and weeds, and the use of mechanized farm machines. Arbuckle says farmers started specializing in soybeans and corn.

“We’re seeing a lot of problems stemming from that specialized system, right? So we’ve got a lot of tillage going on that results in reduction of soil health and soil erosion. We also have herbicide resistant weeds, we’ve got pesticide resistant insects,” Arbuckle says. There’s also a boom and bust pattern for the price of those commodities. He says this project is looking at ways to add some diversity back into the system. “To number one, provide more market opportunities for farmers, more ways to have more resilient cropping systems that use more agroecological processes to deal with those pest and weed cycles,” Arbuckle says. “But also to deal with some of the more extreme weather that we’re having.”

They hope to find some of the answers with the ten million dollar U-S-D-A grant. “This is a five-year project. So we don’t have any illusions that we’re going to change the system in five years,” he says. “So really, what we’re doing is looking at different options and pathways and potential creative visions for ways that we might open doors for diversification.”

The team includes more than 30 investigators who are working with farmers and other agricultural stakeholders in Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois to envision and evaluate more diverse agricultural systems for the Midwest.

(Radio Iowa) – A state senator who’s proposed five different bills in response to proposed carbon pipelines says the current regulatory process is unfair to landowners. Senator Jeff Taylor says the bill most likely to pass would require that developers get voluntary access to 90 percent of the land along the pipeline route before state regulators could grant permission to seize the rest through eminent domain.

“The Iowa Farm Bureau has endorsed the 90% bill,” Taylor says. “It’s probably seen as more of a reasonable compromise by Republicans who are leery of interfering for various reasons into the existing process.” Taylor is a Republican from Sioux Center — in Sioux County — where the proposed Summit pipeline would pass through. Taylor says since Summit is owned by major G-O-P donor Bruce Rastetter and former Governor Terry Branstad has been an advisor to the project, it’s been political uncomfortable to raise concerns.

“These pipelines, carbon capture, helping the ethanol industry, it’s a priority for a lot of my Republican colleagues,” Taylor says. “I’m not against the pipelines per se, but it matters how we do things and I think we’re going about this the wrong way.” Taylor says there’s no guarantee the legislature will take any action on the issue. “I think some of my colleagues would just like us to sit back and let the process take its natural course, but that’s what I object to,” Taylor says, “because I don’t think the natural course is constitutional or fair to the landowners who are affected.”

Dan Tronchetti lives near Paton in Greene County. The Summit pipeline would pass through one of his fields and be within 12-hundred feet west of his front door. He’s frequently at the Iowa Capitol, outlining his objections to having his land seized for the project. “I’ve been forced to come out of my comfort zone and become a political activist,” he says. Tronchetti says the contract Summit presented him suggests he could be sued if his combine or farm equipment damages the pipeline buried four feet below ground.

“Bottom line is that I don’t feel like I have liability protection,” he says, “and that if the pipeline company says that I caused an issue that I could end up losing the farm either by a court judgment or to pay attorney fees to defend myself.” Tronchetti says if the pipeline passes through his farm, he may make the 75 foot wide strip of land on top of the underground pipeline a no-go zone rather than plant corn or soybeans on it.

(Radio Iowa) – Five women who say there are dozens of inappropriate books in their local schools are questioning the process of trying to require parental permission before students may have access to some school library books. The women are members of a group called Moms for Liberty and they were invited to testify at a hearing in the Iowa Capitol last (Monday) night. Amy Dea has challenged a book that’s been required reading in a Carroll High School class. “No student should have access to this filth in their school,” Dea said.

Pam Gronau says she believes 55 books in the Urbandale School Library contain obscene material.  “We have looked up other school districts all across Iowa,” she said, “and there are dozens of inappropriate books found in many of them.” House Government Oversight Committee chairwoman Brooke Boden, a Republican from Indianola, convened last (Monday) night’s hearing. Boden says lawmakers need to make sure Iowa schools aren’t arming children with pornography.

“We need to sit down and figure out a way that we can work together with our school administrations and figure out how this does not get into the hands of our children,” Boden said. Representative Lindsey James, a Democrat from Dubuque, says there’s been a reemergence of book challenges in public schools.  “Long before we had Moms for Liberty challenging the Absolute True Diary of a Part-time Indian, we had the Daughters of the Confederacy…challenging Uncle Tom’s Cabin which aimed to expose the evils of slavery,” James says.

Representative Sean Bagniewski, a Democrat from Des Moines, says his constituents want lawmakers to focus issues like population loss and crumbling infrastructure. “I have not heard from anybody who thinks that the number one priority for the state of Iowa is banning books or going through the school curriculum,” he says.

Governor Kim Reynolds spoke at a Moms for Liberty event last week and said if a book is banned in one school district, state law should require that all other Iowa schools get a parent’s permission before letting a student see it.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa District Court judge has granted the state’s motion for a temporary injunction and issued a consent order requiring the cleanup of hazardous waste from the C6-0 facility in Marengo.

C6-0 and its owner Howard Brand agreed to pay $330,000 to a consultant to get rid of the soil and water contamination left from the December explosion and fire at the plant that recycled shingles. The order also requires the company to keep paying until it has reached compliance with state law.

The company has until February 17th to implement a site assessment plan required by the DNR and until March 3rd to submit a remedial action plan. It must also provide the DNR with a list of chemicals present during the explosion, and allow DNR representatives to visit the site.

(Radio Iowa) – Abortion opponents say it’s time for a ban on all abortions in Iowa. Republican Representative Luana Stoltenberg of Davenport spoke at a prayer service in the Iowa Capitol. “My prayer is that Iowa will pass a life at conception bill to protect our most vulnerable and defenseless citizens and our women and children,” Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg had three abortions as a teenager and has become an outspoken critic of the procedure. “I stand before you to say abortion is not a good option and we need to end it in our state,” Stoltenberg said.

Maggie DeWitte of Pulse Life Advocates said the goal is to make abortion “unthinkable” in our society. “Now is not the time to stand on the sidelines,” DeWitte said. “Roe was the first step, but we have much much more that we need to do.” DeWitte cited self-administered abortion pills, for example, as a target as well as legislation to ban all abortions.

Republican Senator Kevin Alons of Salix said the six-week abortion ban Governor Reynolds approved in 2018 spurred similar action in other states and he’s urging the Iowa Supreme Court to quickly let that law take effect. “There is a lot more to do and obviously the goal is a life at conception (law), to preserve every life,” Alons said.

Governor Kim Reynolds addressed the crowd, but did not directly mention passage of a state law to ban all abortion. Reynolds said after a five year court fight, her focus is on getting the six-week abortion ban she approved in place, as well as more state spending on groups that support pregnant women and at-risk fathers. “It’s up to us to not only dismantle abortion’s culture of death, but to build a culture of life,” Reynolds said.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird also addressed the crowd at the prayer rally. “As your attorney general, my job is to uphold the law and to protect the rights and freedoms of all Iowans, born and unborn,” she said.

Republican legislative leaders have said they’d hold off on considering new abortion restrictions until after the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling on the six-week abortion ban is issued. House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst has been predicting Republican lawmakers “can’t help themselves” and would not be able to wait until 2024.