(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa House have released an overall state spending goal for the next budgeting year that’s 82 million dollars higher than Republicans in the Iowa Senate have proposed. It’s also slightly higher than Governor Reynolds proposed in January. Republican Representative Gary Mohr, of Bettendorf, is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Mohr says the plan spends substantially less than projected tax revenue in the coming year, leaving room to — perhaps — adopt deeper cuts in the state income tax. Mohr says just because there’s more tax money that COULD be spent means it SHOULD be spent.

Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver says he’s optimistic the Republican-led legislature will do more for the taxpayer before the 2024 session ends. Democrats say Iowans deserve more information about the tax and spending plans Republicans are developing — and public schools deserve more state support.

Earlier this week the governor signed a bill into law that sets the general level of state spending on K-12 students in public and private schools. It also raised pay for public school teachers and other school staff. Mohr, the Republican who leads the House Appropriations Committee, says a majority of state funding is spent on Iowa’s education system, so that’s a major milestone.

April 16th is the 100th day of the 2024 legislative session. That’s the date daily expense payments for lawmakers end and it’s considered the target date for adjourning the annual legislative session.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Page County say a man from Braddyville died early Thursday morning, in a single-vehicle accident southeast of Shambaugh. According to the report, the accident happened a little before 8-a.m., in the 2700 block of Teak Avenue.

The Page County Communications Center received a call about a vehicle in the East Nodaway River. When Deputies arrived, they found a 2005 Subaru Baja SUV upside down in the river. The driver of the vehicle, 25-year-old Chay David Potts, of rural Braddyville, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Clarinda EMS, fire departments from Clarinda and Braddyville, New Market Rescue, the Midwest Regional Dive Team and the Page County Emergency Management Agency assisted the sheriff’s office at the scene.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Auditor Jill Ozuna reports the Auditor’s Office will be closed Wednesday, April 3rd (2024), so that she and her staff may attend out-of-town training and conferences.

If you need services at the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office on or about April 3rd, please call the office at 712-623-5127 and leave a voicemail (message), or e-mail auditor@montgomerycountyia.gov.

Someone from the office will respond to as quickly as possible.

(Radio Iowa) – The top Republican in the U-S House says he’ll push for approval of wartime funding for Ukraine when the House reconvenes in April. Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says she hasn’t seen details of the package yet. “My stance remains the same, that I do not think we can let President Putin win the war. He is a thug and a dictator and I am very, very concerned about the long term impacts of potential conflict with NATO,” Hinson said, “so I will review any package that’s presented to us.”

Hinson says aid to Ukraine should be limited to military assistance. “I actually just met with the ambassadors from Ukraine and Poland last week, so I’m looking forward to continuing work on these packages so we get the resources they need,” Hinson says, “but I think that’s military resources and I’ll work my colleagues to make sure we get a package we can come to consensus on.”

Hinson is NOT part of the small group of Republicans who joined with Democrats to try to force a House vote on the foreign aid package approved by the Senate in February. Both of Iowa’s U-S Senators voted for the bill, which includes military support for Ukraine and Israel, as well as humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine.

March 29, 2024 (DES MOINES) — Officials with the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) today (Friday) awarded approximately $125,000 in Certified Local Government Grants to nine communities around the state, including Creston, Manning and Sioux City. The Certified Local Government program encourages governmental partnerships, provides training and technical assistance, and supports preservation of historic resources at the local level. Iowa’s program is one of the largest in the nation and is administered by the State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service. Funding for the Certified Local Government grants comes from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service.

The grant awards will support projects including:

• The development of Uptown Creston District’s National Register of Historic Places nomination.
• The creation of a Historic Structure Report for Sacred Heart Catholic Church that will establish a roadmap for rehabilitation and reuse for this vacant property in Fort Dodge.
• The completion of a survey of the Overman Park Neighborhood, one of the early residential neighborhoods adjacent to Historic Downtown Cedar Falls.

The City of Creston received a grant of $10,655 after they completed an intensive survey and identified a potential historic district. Creston will hire a consultant to complete a National Register nomination of the downtown district, known locally as Uptown Creston including the heart of our Uptown, Maple Street. The City will provide a local match of $7,104 toward the total project cost of $17,759.

The City of Manning received a $12,900 grant from IEDA for a redevelopment and reuse plan will be created for the building at the prominent corner of Main Street & 3rd Street in Manning. Originally a bank and the Manning Telephone company, these two distinct buildings were later joined on the inside. The property has been vacant for years and have seen significant deterioration. The city acquired them so they can again contribute to the vibrant downtown. The City’s local share of the estimated $21,500 is $8,600.

And, Sioux City received a $15,973 grant from IEDA to undertake Phase IA Archaeological Reconnaissance Surveys at two sites: War Eagle Monument and Park and an agricultural land parcel north of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. This project will provide a report and archaeological record containing data and information that can be used to determine each site’s historical significance and integrity for a potential nomination form to list each site in the National Register of Historic Places. The City’s share of the estimated $26,622 project cost is $10,649.

You can download a spreadsheet featuring all of Friday’s awards, here.

IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham says “Each of these projects represent the growing momentum for community revitalization through historic preservation. This investment in projects across Iowa will have a significant economic impact and demonstrates our commitment to local preservation in partnership with our state’s 90 Certified Local Governments.”

The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa State Historic Preservation Office. The funding will be distributed in the form of matching grants to the selected Certified Local Government projects.

PELLA, Iowa – One of the best storytellers in broadcasting will return to Iowa to share his knowledge at his Alma Mater. Central College in Pella announced on “X” (formerly known as Twitter), that they “Are absolutely ecstatic to announce Harry Smith (Class of ’73) will be returning to Central College as an executive in residence Fall 2024.”

College officials say “We can’t wait for our students to learn and benefit from his heart for others and extensive experience at NBC News.”

Smith announced his retirement from broadcast journalism, and filed his final story for NBC Nightly News Thursday night. On Friday morning’s NBC Today Show, Smith said he will teach a course on curiosity at Central College. He also plans to write a few books.

Harry Smith (Central College photo from “X”)

At Central, Smith studied communications and theater. He also played on the Central Dutch football team and was a letter-winner all four years. He graduated in 1973. Before working at NBC News, Smith hosted “The Early Show” and did other reporting for CBS for many years.

(Radio Iowa) – A small team is reporting huge success with a program that helps University of Iowa Health Care patients save money on their prescriptions. Last year, the U-I-H-C Medication Assistance Center saved thousands of uninsured or underinsured patients more than 69-million dollars. Wendy Ostrem is one of the center’s pharmacist financial counselors. “I work with a team of other pharmacists and social workers,” Ostrem says, “and as patients are identified here at University Hospitals as having financial concerns with their medications, we work to utilize the resources that we have to help them try to lower their costs.”

Some patients may not be able to afford co-payments of 50-dollars a month, and Ostrem says the center may find a grant to cover all or most of that cost. “We might be saving that patient over the course of a year $1,000 to $2,000,” she says, “but then there are these patients who need the expensive chemotherapy infusions that run $30,000 a month. We might be saving those patients over a quarter of a million dollars a year by getting that medication for them at no cost.” It’s an exceptionally rewarding job, Ostrem says, knowing you’re helping people financially while the medications help them physically.

“We’re not saving the hospital any money. We’re not receiving any money from any of these programs. It’s all completely patient savings,” Ostrem says. “At the end of the day, it’s a feel-good job. Patients are very appreciative of what we can do for them. You know that people are cutting down on doses or not taking their doses or trying to decide if they’re going to pay for food or they’re going to pay for medicine.”

The center is able to save money through free drug programs offered by pharmaceutical companies, as well as copay assistance programs and grants. Ostrem says there’s also SafeNet R-X, based in Grimes, a non-profit that’s main goal is to help Iowans to afford their medications. “The main way that they do that is by accepting donated medications,” she says. “They do have to be in date. They have to be sealed. They don’t do anything refrigerated and no controlled substances. And then they work with a network of partner pharmacies in the state of Iowa to dispense those medications to patients at no charge.”

Ostrem, who graduated from the U-I College of Pharmacy in 1986, says she’s seen remarkable changes in health care since she was a student on the Iowa City campus. While the program saved patients almost 70-million dollars last year, the savings was just under eight-million dollars a decade ago. She says much of that is due to the rising cost of pharmaceuticals.

PERRY, Iowa [KCCI] — Tyson has officially announced how many people will be laid off when its pork processing plant closes in Perry. They say 1,276 workers are being let go, and PSSI, the sanitation service that cleans the Tyson Plant, says they’re laying off 76 workers.

The state is sending resources to help folks who will lose their jobs. Iowa Workforce Development plans to launch a temporary IowaWorks location, hold meetings and host job fairs. The plant is scheduled to close in late June.