A Red Oak man was arrested late Thursday night. According to Red Oak Police, 23-year old Devin Alexander Davis was taken into custody at the intersection of west Valley and north Broadway Streets at around 11:35-p.m.  Davis was wanted on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Revoked charge. He was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $2,000 cash bond.

The Internal Revenue Service has opened up tax filing early for some individuals. I-R-S spokesman Christopher Miller says those who qualify for free filing can get a jump on the process. “If you make 58-thousand dollars or less, you can sit at your computer and use brand name tax software and get your taxes done early with free file,” Miller explains. Miller says all you have to do is go online at I-R-S-dot-gov (www.irs.gov) to begin the process. “It’s a great program for first-time filers, students, families wanting to save money — even seniors — because it is so fast easy and free,” Miller says. He says they believe not everyone who is eligible is taking advantage of the free filing option.

“Last year in Iowa, around 26-thousand people used free file out of some one-point-four million filers,” according to Miller. “So, a a lot of people used free file in Iowa last year — but a lot more could.” Other filers have to wait until January 31st to send in their returns, but qualified free filers can now do it anytime. “As long as you have your W-2 in hand from your job, you can be in your pajamas and get your taxes done right now. All you need is an internet connection at a computer,” Miller says. Miller says the returns from the free filers will be entered into the system now and will be the first ones processed once that step begins after January 31st.

(Radio Iowa)

Senate Democrats intend to push for more state spending on preschool programs, but Republicans are expressing concerns about the idea. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs says far too many Iowa four-year-olds are not enrolled in preschool. “Some district describe this as they have a waiting list,” Gronstal says. “It’s not a waiting list, it’s an exclusion list because the next year you’re five.” And you start kindergarten. Senate President Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque, says there are “thousands” of four-year-olds who aren’t in preschool today, but would be if there was an opening in the state-funded programs run by Iowa school districts.

“It has proven itself to be an incredibly successful program in closing that achievement gap, especially among children who are right now living in families that are having a very difficult time just meeting their basic needs,” Jochum said. The legislature’s top Republicans says he “does not anticipate” agreeing to spend more taxpayer dollars on preschool. In 2007, during Democratic Governor Chet Culver’s term in office, the state began sending Iowa public schools the money to finance voluntary preschool programs.

When Republican Governor Terry Branstad took over in 2011, he tried to turn it into a voucher program just for low-income preschool parents, but Democrats objected. Democrats would ultimately like to have mandatory preschool for all four-year-olds. House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, a Republican from Hiawatha, says it’s not an issue Republicans are considering. “To the best of my knowledge, they’re the only ones talking about it,” Paulsen says. “…Nobody’s approached me on it.”

Under current law, state-funded preschool programs are to offer a minimum of 10-hours of instruction per week. Officials estimate about two-thirds of the four-year-olds in Iowa are enrolled in state-funded preschool programs.

(Radio Iowa)

It appears there’s another statehouse stand-off ahead over state funding for public schools. Iowa law requires the legislature to set the level of general state aid for each school year about 18 months before classes start. But House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, a Republican from Hiawatha, says Republicans won’t take that vote in 2014. “The expectation would be in 2015 we’ll address it for the ’15/’16 school year and the ’16/’17 school year,” Paulsen says. Republicans passed a two-year state budget plan last year and Paulsen says that’s their intention in 2015.

Senate Democrat Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs says within two weeks Democrats in the Senate will pass a bill outlining their state spending pledge to schools for the 2015/2016 school year.”We believe it’s important to obey state law,” Gronstal says. Republicans want to repeal the law that requires the state funding decision for schools to be made a year and a half in advance. And Paulsen — the top Republican in the legislature — says there’s another reason Republicans will reject the Democrats’ proposal on school aid.

“Because their proposal actually increases property tax,” Paulsen says. Since the 1970s, the traditional way of calculating general state aid for schools has allowed school districts to collect more local property taxes if state aid increased. Republicans want to make a different calculation, one that would forbid an increase in local property taxes if state support goes up.

(Radio Iowa)