(Radio Iowa) – Speaker Pat Grassley says if Republicans retain control of the Iowa House after the November election, they’ll push to limit tuition increases at the three state universities. This spring, House Republicans proposed a three-percent cap on future tuition increases, but it did not pass the Iowa Senate.

(as said) “I think in the past we’ve looked at tuition freezes and the problem is we’ve done those in such short increments that the institutions of higher education have enough reserves that they can withstand it,” Grassley says. “What we wanted to do is look at a more long term freeze which really should decrease the cost to deliver the education if you have to really sit down and think: ‘Well, over the next five years we’re limited to 3% growth,’ which our bill did, they’re really going to have to make sure they’re more efficient in delivery of education.”

Grassley says it’s about providing a level of financial certainty to students and parents. Tuition is covering a larger share of spending at Iowa, Iowa State and U-N-I as state support of the public universities has been declining. Grassley says legislators are providing adequate resources to the universities. He also cites shifting money from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs on the campuses, which are being shut down, to scholarships for students earning degrees in high demand fields.

(as said) “We want to put our money into creating the next workforce. We know that’s an issue across the state,” Grassley says. “…That was a better use of the tax dollars.”

Grassley made his comment during taping of “Iowa Press” which airs tonight (Friday) on Iowa P-B-S.

(Radio Iowa) – (Note: “The Cass County Library Association launched an affiliation in 2021 to serve children under 5 who live in Cass County. While the actual number of books sent fluctuate from month to month, we will send 350 books in May.” – Atlantic Library Director Michelle Andersen.) There are currently 61 active affiliates in Iowa. You can see a map at https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/find-my-program/

A library in southwest Iowa is among the first in the state to partner with a reading program that’s being funded by a famous country music performer that will provide free books to area kids. Andrew Hoppmann, director of Clarinda’s Lied Public Library, explains how the new initiative will work.

(As said) “The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a program where everyone in the designated ZIP codes that we serve — which there’s five of them and Clarinda’s the main one — those from zero up to five years of age will receive a book a month sent directly to them,” said Hoppmann.

The initiative was started in 1995 by the iconic singer-songwriter from Tennessee with the aim to foster early childhood literacy. Hoppmann says the goal is to plant the seeds of reading in children before they even enter school.

(As said) “They will build their own library, and they will hopefully become readers and library users,” said Hoppmann. “Because one book really isn’t enough per month for many kids, at least I know with my own. We’re excited to launch that program. We launched it about a week ago, and we already have close to 100 kids signed up.”

Parents in the 51632, 51656, 51631, 51651, and 51637 ZIP codes can enroll their kids for the program for free through the library’s website: clarindapubliclibrary.org

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Transit agencies across the country have been battling a major shortage of available new buses to replace aging fleets. Officials with the Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) in Atlantic, say record ridership combined with a lack of replacement vehicles has put SWITA at the top of the list for oldest fleets in the state and near the top nationwide. SWITA says this month has brought some good news to help alleviate the problem, with the arrival of five new buses.

SWITA recently took delivery of five 2024 Ford Glaval 18-passenger cutaway buses from Hoglund Bus Company. The vehicles were originally ordered in 2021 but have only now just arrived. A multitude of factors have contributed to this bus shortage and delay nationwide, but the issue was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of bus manufacturers in the country had already started to dwindle with consolidation but the pandemic caused the industry to shrink to two major manufacturers. Supply chain issues combined with reduced capacity further delayed production. Starting from the lack of available chassis to start with all the way up to high demand for competing products like campers. An added layer that has slowed things down is manufacturing requirements for the Build America, Buy America legislation. Stakeholders in the transit industry have been working with legislators and manufacturers to try to break through the logjam.

The pandemic also resulted in record investment in public transit infrastructure, so it’s been a bit of a catch-22 to see results. Cost is another factor that has made procurement a big challenge. Back in 2021 these buses would have cost about $86,000, but continued cost increases and inflation have ballooned that figure all the way up to over $160,000 per bus today. Cost adjustments require contract changes, further slowing the process. That’s why SWITA says it is a big deal to see some new vehicles show up on the lot. Ideally, officials say, SWITA should take delivery of 10 new vehicles a year to keep up with wear and tear. Until that pace returns SWITA will continue to invest heavily in maintenance of existing buses and purchasing used buses where they make sense.

SWITA officials say they are excited to get the new vehicles rolling, and will continue to put effort into improving the bus ecosystem.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has reversed a multi-million dollar judgment in a dispute involving the construction on the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports.

(as said) – Modern Piping was awarded nearly 13 million dollars after alleging the U-I wrongly benefited from an injunction to delay arbitration in a construction dispute so they could gain early access to the Children’s Hospital. The Iowa Supreme Court says Modern Piping led the district court astray when it convinced the court the wrongful injunction entitled it to recover all the money made by the U-I after taking over the building early. The Supreme Court says the nearly 22 million dollars awarded Modern Piping in costs and fees to fight the temporary injunction is all they can collect.

(Radio Iowa) – Starting July 1st, police won’t have to get a warrant to enter vape shops and stores that sell tobacco products AND let customers use the products in the store. The change is included in a bill that passed the legislature and has been signed into law by the governor. Representative Taylor Collins of Mediapolis says lawmakers heard concerns about potential underage drinking in lounges in the Iowa City area that do not have a liquor license, but do have a license to sell tobacco products.

Representative Eric Gjerde of Cedar Rapids says the law will provide a new measure of safety to neighbors of these shops.

A warrant would still be required for a police search of private records, the shop’s office or any living quarters that might be attached to the business.

Harlan, Iowa — A former Harlan Community School District sixth grade social studies teacher charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and with the purchase/possession of a depiction of a minor in a sexual act, has plead guilty to lesser charges. 32-year-old Eric Robert Croghan, of Harlan, also served as the 7th Grade Boys’ Basketball Coach and Middle School Girls Cross Country Coach. He entered his voluntary/negotiated plea March 29, 2024, to charges that include Nonfelonius Misconduct in Office (A Serious Misdemeanor) and Purchase/Possession Depiction of a Minor in Sex Act 1st Offense (An Aggravated Misdemeanor). He was sentenced to time served, and received a suspended prison sentence, along with two-years probation. Eric Croghan was also placed on Iowa’s Sex Offender Registry April 1st, and must pay fines amounting to $1,285, and a Civil Penalty of $260.

The original charges against Eric Croghan were filed May 8, 2023. According to court documents, a search warrant had been issued February 20, 2023 on Croghan’s person, property, and vehicles. The warrant stemmed from online contact Croghan had in December 2022 via private message on Kik Messenger with an Online Covert Employee (OCE) who was a member of the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in Jacksonville, FL.

Eric Robert Croghan (IA Sex Offender Registry photo)

Harlan Community School District officials initially placed Croghan on administrative leave in 2023, but then he submitted his resignation for all teaching and coaching positions within the district. The school board approved his resignation.