(Radio Iowa) – Republicans on the House Education Committee have voted to require Iowa’s three public universities to explain terms and concepts used in courses taken by students who plan to be teachers. Republican Representative Skyler Wheeler of Hull says if the bill is approved by both the House and Senate, the report would be due at the end of this month. “I could see why they don’t want to talk to us about what anti-racist and anti-oppressive teaching and learning is,” Wheeler said as he read other phrases in the bill aloud. “…Equitable science teaching — I’m actually very curious to know what that is.”

The bill also calls for a new legislative committee to be established this summer to review the reports from the Colleges of Education at Iowa, Iowa State and U-N-I. Democrats opposed the bill. Representative Mary Madison of West Des Moines says the bill is hostile toward teachers. “It’s hard to recruit people who will stay because just as a teacher, it’s like you don’t believe (and suspect): ‘They must be up to something,'” Madison said. Representative Art Staid of Cedar Rapids accused Republicans of going on a witch hunt. “There was a guy by the name of McCarthy that did similar things and looked into everything everywhere,” Staid said, referring to televised hearings U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy led in the 1950s to question people he accused of being communists. “…Is this the road we’re going to continue to go down?”

Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, says college students complain to him they’re being indoctrinated with liberal concepts. “Can’t wait to hear the definition of compulsory sexuality and how that is used in an educational setting. Can’t wait,” Holt said. “Not a witch hunt, just interested.”

In 2021, Holt and other Republicans accused the dean of the University of Iowa Dental School of suppressing comments from conservative students in a group email about diversity training. The dean publicly apologized and retired a year earlier than planned.

(Radio Iowa) – A Delhi church is supporting the Amish community following a deadly crash last week that left four members dead. Pastor Keith Pitts of the Delhi United Methodist Church, says he was notified of the accident right away. “Over the course of the two few days, I received multiple calls from people in Delaware County in the community, saying, ‘Pastor, what can we do? How can we help? ‘,” Pitts says. Twenty-two-year-old Ervin Borntreger of Delhi died in the crash on Highway 20 in Grundy County, along with his one-year-old son Marlin Borntreger. Two other family members, two-year-old Rebecca Borntreger and four-year-old Emma Borntreger, also died, while nine other passengers were injured. Pitts was a friend of Ervin Borntreger and says he went to the head of the Amish community to see what they could do to help.

“They’d been inundated with food and all kinds of other things they can they told me that even though they wouldn’t come out and actually say it, they can definitely use some financial support and help. And so they had gotten permission for our church to do some fundraising,” he says. They raised more than five-thousand dollars in less than 24 hours. Pitts says he attended the wake on Monday and met with the family, letting them know that help was coming their way – and they’re very grateful.

“They’re all doing fine. They’re all recovering. But obviously, this is a pretty traumatic, has a pretty traumatic impact on the Amish community and on our community here,” Pitt says. “It’s eye-opening, you know, about how fragile life is.” Pitts says as of Tuesday, one person still remained in the hospital, but everyone else had been released – including Ervin’s wife, who was able to make it to her husband’s wake. He says the church hired Ervin when they needed new windows put in. “He was just a very, very kind man, you know, for 22 years old. He’s a very mature man, a man deeply rooted in his faith and his cultural beliefs, but very committed to working hard, and just being kind to everyone, and being a friend to everyone. I’m gonna miss him a lot,” Pitts says. Donations have been coming in from all over the state. Pitts says that the outpouring of love has been heartwarming to witness. He says it is important to continue the support.

“The most important thing we can do is pray for these families and just pray for their homes and, in their healing, both physically and emotionally. This is a huge, huge tragedy, and no parent should have to outlive their child, especially so young,” he says. Pitts says there are several ways you help out the family. Monetary donations can be made at the Delhi United Methodist Church, Heritage Bank in Delhi, and the Delhi Thrift Store.

There is also a Go Fund Me page at: https://gofund.me/508e9175

(Radio Iowa) – House Republicans are proposing a 106 million dollar increase in general state aid to public schools for the next academic year. That’s a three percent increase and it’s higher than Governor Reynolds and Republicans in the state senate have proposed. Margaret Buckton, a lobbyist for the Urban Education Network AND the Rural School Advocates of Iowa, says it would be the second highest increase for public schools in 14 years. “So good that it’s the second highest,” Buckton says, “but you’re still going to hear from school leaders that it doesn’t meet what they need to continue to do the work of schools without some rearrangements of budget and rearrangements of staff.”

Buckton says schools with decreasing enrollment will be able to keep classroom teachers, but may have to cut the most expensive programs, like apprenticeships and fine arts. Dave Daughton, a lobbyist for the School Administrators of Iowa, says a five percent increase would maintain services. “A 3% increase for districts with declining enrollment is not a 3% increase because of the way the funding formula works,” Daughton says. “It means they may get some additional funding, but it won’t be 3% and in some cases it will be less than the prior year.” Over half of Iowa school districts have declining enrollment. Republican Representative Craig Johnson of Independence says the bill will be approved soon, to give school boards time to complete budget plans by April 15th.

“I know there’s a lot of ‘this and that’ that goes on with the funding for schools, but the important thing is it comes down to the bottom line,” Johnson says. “We are increasing funding.” The House G-O-P’s proposed funding increase for Iowa’s public school districts is roughly equal to the amount of money lawmakers expect private school parents will get in the coming year. The state-funded Education Savings Accounts will be available to low income parents who enroll a child in private school this fall.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday (today), approved the hiring of Gwendi Rice as Dispatcher/Jailer, at a rate of $18.50/hour. They also appointed Kaye Klemish as Summitt Township Trustee, and they accepted the resignation of Brad Wilson, Grand River Township Trustee. In other business, the Board authorized the Chair to sign a Child Abuse Prevention Grant Drawdown, and they acknowledged receipt of the Southern Iowa Trolley FY21 & FY 22 Audit.

Adair County Auditor Mandy Berg explained a proposed FY23 Maximum Tax Levy to KJAN News.

A public hearing on the FY 23 Proposed Maximum Tax Levy, was set for 9:15-a.m. February 22^nd.

The Adair County Supervisors approved County Engineer Nick Kauffman’s request for Wage Progression, with regard to Dave Spieker. And, they set the date and time of a Public Hearing to change the level of service on Elk Avenue in Summit Township and Kent Avenue in Richland Township, as Feb. 22^nd, at 9:20-a.m.

(Radio Iowa) – There’s been a rash of mass shootings nationwide lately, including last week in Des Moines where two teenagers were killed and an adult was wounded in what police say was a gang-related incident. Five shooting rampages in Iowa, California and Washington left 24 people dead in less than a week. Iowa U-S Senator Chuck Grassley calls the slayings tragic.  “This sort of violence is just indisputably wrong. We can’t tolerate this sort of thing. We’ve got to concentrate on the people doing the killing, and protect the constitutional right to own firearms.”

On Tuesday, police say a man carrying an A-R-15-style rifle and 13 full clips of ammunition walked into an Omaha Target store and started firing. Law officers responded quickly, shot and killed the suspect and miraculously, no one else was even injured. Grassley was asked if he sees any possible solutions coming at the federal level that could curb the killings. “It’s very important that we take advantage of all the things that were in the bill that passed last year to stop gun violence,” Grassley says, “particularly the emphasis upon making sure that people that have mental health issues, that their name is in the databank and they can’t legally buy a gun.”

Grassley says significant efforts are being made to prevent people who might be a threat from getting a firearm, at least legally. “When people illegally get guns, I don’t know how you pass a law against people just breaking the law,” Grassley says, “and I’ll bet you in most of these killings, people have their guns illegally.”

There were six homicides in Des Moines during January, all six involved guns.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Two Glenwood women were arrested Tuesday on separate Mills County warrants. The Glenwood Police Department reports 35-year-old Nicole Spracklin was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order. She was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail, until seen by a magistrate judge.

And, 55-year-old Brenda Long was arrested on a Mills County warrant for OWI/1st offense. Her bond was set at $1,000. Long has since posted bond, and was released.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Board of Supervisors met in a SPECIAL session at 9:00 A.M. Tuesday (Jan. 31). Auditor/Clerk Mark Maxwell reports in his minutes of the meeting, that the Board set the stipend for the Dam Inspection purpose at $3,500.00 for fiscal year 2024.

Taryn Knapp, Shelby County IT Coordinator, was present to ask for consideration and ask approval of an internal IT Audit of the County IT system to work on recommendations going forward.  A vote was held and the motion was approved unanimously.

Budget issues were presented by Budget Director Mark Maxwell, then was asked questions directed at the Budget Director as why the County is experiencing low reserves in several funds as he claims. Some answers were discovered that an unbudgeted transfer was made in December 2022. Mark Maxwell, Budget Director, failed to budget that amount into the next fiscal year to make up for the loss. Also amendments reduce reserves and not all of the reserves were replaced by the next years budget. This continues to reduce reserves. The estimated budget for the current fiscal year is being done to make sure the predicted fund balances at the end of the fiscal year are not predicted to be too low. Some cuts in planned spending in fiscal year 2024 may be needed. No further discussion or action was taken.

An update was presented to the Supervisors by Chairperson Kenkel on the many activities he has been involved with recently. With no other action or discussion for the Supervisors. The meeting was then adjourned.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports a man was arrested Tuesday night on multiple drug charges. 39-year-old Jaime Nam Torres, of Creston, was taken into custody at 301 New York Ave and charged with: Possession Controlled Substance, 3rd offense (marijuana); Conspiracy with intent to manuf/deliver other I, II, III CS; Failure to affix drug tax stamp- forty-two and one half grams or more; attach a used drug tax stamp- 10 or more dosage units, and, conspiracy w/intent deliver false marijuana under 50 kg. Torres was being held in Union County Jail on $27,000 cash or approved surety bond.

About 90-minutes earlier, Creston Police arrested 18-year-old Meadow Rae Cruickshank, of Osceola, Iowa, for Failure to Appear. She was taken into custody at 302 N. Pine Street and transported to the Adams County Jail, where her cash-only bond was set at $300.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A Red Oak man was arrested for OWI/1st offense, Tuesday. According to Red Oak Police, 27-year-old Bradley Clark Perry was arrested in the 600 block of E. Hammond Street, at around 6:30-p.m., Tuesday. Perry was booked into the Montgomery County Jail, and held on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Seventeen Iowa nursing homes closed last year. Iowa Health Care Association C-E-O Brent Willett says all but two were in rural communities. In our area, facilities that closed include the Good Samaritan Society in Fontanelle, and  Westmont Care Center in Logan (See a list of other facilities at the end of this story)

“These facilities are closing as a result of financial strain, primarily related to the cost of staffing facilities,” Willett says. “Year on year wage inflation of more than 15% has bitten into the sector. Medicaid rates have not moved in those two years and facilities in these smaller communities have found it impossible to continue to operate.” The Medicaid program pays for the care of over half of Iowa nursing home residents.

Governor Reynolds is recommending an increase in Medicaid daily rate for nursing home care. Willett says he’s optimistic legislators will increase that reimbursement rate. “It’s going to be a question of where to find those dollars and whether we can find enough to kind of stave off this wave of closures that we’re currently experiencing,” Willett says. Medicaid reimbursement rate currently covers about 80 percent of the daily cost of care for a nursing home resident.

“Identifying ways to close that gap rapidly are of a significant level of urgency for everyone involved,” Willett says. About seven out of 10 Iowa nursing homes are holding beds open as a way to deal with the staffing shortages and budget shortfalls according to a recent Iowa Health Care Association survey. In the past two years, 39 Iowa nursing homes have closed — reducing the number of nursing home beds in the state by more than 800. Facilities are required to provide 60 days notice of a closure and help residents find care in another nursing home. Willett says it means residents have had to move farther away from family and friends — and they often have to adjust to a new primary caregiver.

“It’s created challenges both logistically and in terms of just the experience of those residents,” Willett says. Nationally, 129 nursing homes closed in 2022 — 13 percent of them were in Iowa.

(According to the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, the following Iowa nursing homes closed in 2022: Patty Elwood Center in Cresco, , Good Samaritan Society in Postville,  ABCM Rehabilitation Centers East Campus in Independence, Greene County Medical Center in Jefferson, Sunnycrest Nursing Center in Dysart, Dumont Wellness Center in Dumont, Grinnell Health Care Center in Grinnell, Jefferson Place in Pella, Big Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Community in Polk City, Touchstone Health Care Community in Sioux City, Morningside Care Center in Ida Grove, QHC Humboldt South in Humboldt, Good Samaritan Society in Newell, Nelson Manor in Newton and Heritage Care Center in Iowa Falls.)