(Radio Iowa) – With one month to go before the federal tax filing deadline the I-R-S is offering a day Saturday where you can visit the Des Moines office to get tax questions answered. I-R-S spokesman Christopher Miller says it’s a chance to speak with someone in person. “Normally at the Des Moines Taxpayer Assistance Center, the office is only open during the weekend by appointment. So this Saturday event is a chance for people that maybe work during the week and can’t get away the opportunity to sit down with someone without an appointment and talk about their tax account.” he says. Miller says there’s a variety of issues that can be addressed.

“They may want information about a refund, they may want a copy of their tax transcript, or perhaps they got a letter or a notice from the I-R-S and they need some guidance on what to do next,” Miller says. “We also expect to see people who need to verify their identity with the Internal Revenue Service.” Miller says you should bring in any pertinent documents.”You may want to bring in a copy of last year’s tax return or any tax return that is in question. Bring in a copy of the letter or notice you receive from the I-R-S. You should also bring along a copy of your identification. Bring two copies of identification if you’re verifying your I-D,” Miller says. He says there is one thing they can’t do.

“The I-R-S Taxpayer Assistance Center does not prepare tax returns. We will offer people information if they haven’t done their taxes yet on where they can get help within the community at volunteer sites that prepare taxes for free,” Miller says.

The Taxpayer Assistance Center in downtown Des Moines on Walnut Street will be open from nine to four this Saturday to answer questions.

MASON CITY, Iowa – March 15, 2024 – Traveling between Lansing, Iowa, and Crawford County, Wisconsin, will become a bit easier on Monday, March 18, 2024 with the implementation of a free water taxi. The Iowa Department of Transportation says the service will be in place until repairs are made to the existing bridge connecting the two states.

The water taxi will travel between the Lansing Marina and Big Slough Landing and will be available seven days a week on the following schedule.

• 7 to 10 a.m.
• 11 to 1 p.m.
• 3 to 6 p.m.

A one-way trip is estimated to take about 30 minutes.  All riders will be required to get off the water taxi at each stop.

On the Iowa side, parking and a shuttle is available at the Lansing City Hall and  Middle/Kee High School in Lansing.

Lansing City Hall
201 John Street
Lansing, IA  52151

Middle/Kee High School
269 Center Street
Lansing, IA  52151

Travelers on the Wisconsin side will need to park at the DeSoto Community Center and take a shuttle to the water taxi. Parking is not allowed at Big Slough Landing.

De Soto Community Center
57 Crawford Street
De Soto, WI  54624

(Radio Iowa) – Updated population estimates from the U-S Census Bureau show growth in four of Iowa’s metropolitan areas. The Census Bureau estimates there was a three-point-one percent increase in the number of residents in the six counties that are part of the Des Moines metro over the past three years. Iowa City’s metro grew two-point-seven percent and Sioux City saw a very small uptick in its metro population of four-one-hundredths of a percent. Council Bluffs is part of the Omaha metro, where the population expanded by one-point-seven percent over the past three years.

The Census Bureau estimates indicate Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and the Waterloo/Cedar Falls metros all had very small population losses. The population in the Quad Cities dipped one-point-three percent over the past three years. Among all Midwest metros, Des Moines ranked as the fastest growing, ahead of Indianapolis and Madison, Wisconsin.

(The actual losses for Cedar Rapids was 0.3%, the Dubuque metro was down 0.4% and the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area was down 0.2%.)

(Radio Iowa) – It was five years ago this week that a flood devastated the northwestern Iowa town of Hornick and the final repairs still aren’t complete. The West Branch of the Little Sioux River couldn’t be held back by a levee after a late winter rainstorm, and the high water forced the evacuation of all 250 residents in the Woodbury County community. “It’s been a long road to recovery,” according to Hornick Mayor Scott Mitchell, who says a new berm now protects the town. Mitchell says it’s difficult to finalize funding from FEMA to fix roads that were damaged by the flood. The cost has increased in the past two years from two-million dollars to as much as four-million, with FEMA covering 75% of the price. The mayor says the paperwork was a real chore.

“Their process is very difficult for a small town to do,” he says. “We don’t have anybody to do that on a full-time basis, where your larger cities do.” Mitchell says it’s been a difficult journey to put everything back in place. “Lots of ups and downs, maybe more downs than ups,” he says. “And it’s still pretty amazing how a community and the surrounding areas can come together to help out a small community that they don’t even have any ties to.”

Mitchell says he is still thankful for the support his town received in cleaning up after the natural disaster. He hopes to have the final repair work done by the end of this year.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI]— A Des Moines man who was convicted of abusing his infant son more than a decade ago was taken into custody Thursday for allegedly violating his parole. Jonas Neiderbach, 34, was found guilty in 2011 of abusing his six-week-old son in 2009. The infant suffered brain trauma, a broken arm and broken ribs.

Neiderbach was convicted of six counts of child endangerment, but in 2013, the Iowa Supreme Court threw out two of the convictions. He was sentenced to up to 50 years in prison, with no mandatory minimum. According to the Iowa Department of Corrections, Neiderbach was released on parole in 2022. New court documents say he violated his parole at least seven times in the last six weeks. His next court date has not been set.

DES MOINES, Iowa — U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, announced new legislation in Washington, D.C., that would help replace lead water pipes in Des Moines, across the state and across the country. It’s called the Safe Drinking Water for Disadvantaged Communities Act. Nunn announced it during a press conference Thursday morning in Des Moines.

The bill would put $15 billion of federal money toward forgivable loans — local water utilities would then be able to apply for loans to replace lead water service lines. In Des Moines, Water Works says the city still has 20,000 lead lines in commission, and they need to be replaced. Water Works officials say without the federal loan, replacing the lead pipes would force them to impose a 30% increase on customer’s water bills for the next 20 years, in order to pay for the project.

Water Works is already replacing some of the lead lines as part of a pilot program.

Iowa (KCRG) – The American Library Association announced a new report on Thursday showing a 92% increase in books targeted for censorship. The group says it’s the highest levels they’ve ever documented in its 140 years of existence. The report shows Iowa is one of 17 states that saw attempts to censor more than 100 titles in 2023. In total, the new numbers released show efforts to censor 4,240 unique book titles in schools and libraries throughout 2023, easily overcoming the previous high from 2022, when 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship.

Specifically in Iowa, the American Library Association documented 16 attempts to restrict access to books. Those efforts challenged 259 different titles. Former Iowa Library Association President Sam Helmick says book bans and challenges may teach people what to think, instead of how to think.  Currently the Community & Access Services Coordinator at the Iowa City Public Library, Helmick says they welcome conversations about concerns over library materials, because those conversations are important to maintaining trust within the community.

An Iowa law banning some books from school is on pause after a district court issued an injunction last December. The Iowa State Education Association and book publisher Penguin Random House joined together to challenge SF 496 and file that litigation last fall. That law makes it illegal for school libraries to offer books that contain “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act.” It also restricts teaching about sexual orientation.

The state has appealed – leaving schools in limbo as they wait for a decision, and continuing worries for teachers. As librarians and teachers navigate the increase in challenges to books in Iowa and across the country, Helmick says the best way to advocate for local libraries is to use them. The Library Association say it’s also important to be aware of any legislation targeting tax levies and funding for libraries, saying “Funding is an access issue. We can’t even debate the books if we can no longer afford to purchase them because of the pricing of digital materials or because we are disadvantaging and disarming public libraries, school libraries and the staffing.”