(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says the second administration of President Donald Trump will be different from the first. “What I see in the second Trump administration is the experience that was taken from the first four years and much more finessed moving into the second administration,” she says. Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak says she looks forward to having the President, Senate and U-S House all in the majority. “It’s going to be an exciting time, and this will be a change, a wave of change through federal government, which is, in my opinion, long, long overdue,” Ernst says.

Ernt says John Thune is a good choice to be the Senate Majority Leader. “He’s from South Dakota, so he understands our rural issues, our ag issues, and I think he is going to be a very effective leader. I think he’s he’s going to reach out and continue to reach out with the Trump administration. They will have an exceptional working relationship,” Ernst says. “So I’m excited about our potential in the new Congress, and look forward to John Thune’s leadership.”

Ernst missed out on bid for a Senate leadership position and will be chair of the Senate Small Business Committee.

(Radio Iowa) – A report from the Iowa Attorney General’s Office concludes a Sioux City police officer was justified in shooting and killing a man on October 20th. The report says Jamie Orozco refused repeated commands to stop when officers arrived and then pulled a silver handgun from his waistband, pointed it at the officers, and ran off. He fired at the officers as he fled, and officers eventually lost sight of him. A SWAT team entered the home where Orozco was believed to be hiding around 10 p-m. An officer found Orozco in a crawl space and told him to stop when he reached for a cloth bundle. The officer fired a single shot when Orozco ignored the warning, and Orozco died seven days later.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two men from Montgomery County were arrested today (Monday), on separate warrants. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, 40-year-old Cory Ross Smith, of Elliott, was arrested at around 3-p.m. in Elliott. Smith was taken into custody on a warrant for failure to appear on an original charge of driving while barred. Smith was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

And, a man from Stanton was arrested at around 1:15-p.m. Monday (11/18), on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Authorities say 31-year-old Tylor Daniel Fine was arrested in Stanton. He was also being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Natural Resources Commission approved construction projects in Franklin, Cerro Gordo, and Poweshiek County at their recent meeting. Travis Baker of the D-N-R says one of the projects is replacing the lagoon wastewater treatment system at Beeds Lake State Park northwest of Hampton. “The lagoon can no longer meet discharge effluent limits, and so this project will convey wastewater to the City of Hampton by constructing a three-and-a-half mile long, four-inch P-V-C force main. In addition to that, work will include the construction of approximately 15-hundred feet of gravity sewer and a lift station,” he says.

The lagoon system services the park office, campground, and a 39-house subdivision located on the north side of the lake.  “The existing lagoons will be decommissioned. Involved in that decommissioning, the contract will be responsible for removing the sludge, treating that,” Baker says. The homes will be hooked into the system and eventually pay a rate for the sewer treatment. The project will cost around one-point-seven million dollars, and be completed in May of 2026.

The N-R-C approved improvements to the Clear Lake Campground in Cerro Gordo County. Baker says the campground was built in 1941 with 176 sites that were fairly close to each other. The upgrade will rebuild 61 sites. “And includes seven full hookup sites, with pull through 50 amp electric sites and 12 back in 50 amp electric sites. In addition, along with this project, we will have installed three new A-D-A accessible concrete sites,” he says. The work is expected to be completed in September of 2025.

Commissioners approved a clean up plan for Diamond Lake in Poweshiek County. “The  Lake was constructed in the 1950s and had the 20-thousand-672 acre watershed. The lake suffers from periodic algae blooms that lead to poor water clarity,” Baker says. “This project will clean out approximately 32-thousand cubic yards of deposited sediment to existing ponds. Well, it’s constructing new sediment pond.”

The D-N-R lake restoration fund will pay for 75 percent of the nearly 710-thousand dollar cost and the county will pay the rest. The work is expected to be completed in September of 2025.

(Radio Iowa) – Information from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office shows three recounts have been requested in three legislative races. Republican Mark Hanson requested a recount in his Senate District 14 race against Democrat incumbent Sarah Trone Garriott as he trails by 24 votes.

Democrat incumbent Senator Nate Boulton trails Republican Mike Pike by 44 votes in District 20 and wants a recount.

Republican Nathan Ramker asked for a recount in House District 98 where results show Democratic incumbent Monica Kurth winning by 45 votes.

County election workers are aiming to complete the recounts before December 2nd when state officials will meet to certify the results.