DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa residents have a chance to weigh in on the state’s plan to expand low-income health coverage.  A public hearing is scheduled for this (Monday) afternoon in Des Moines on the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. The hearing is part of the process the state must go through to get federal approval for the plan.

Under the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, the state will accept federal dollars offered to states that expand Medicaid under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. That funding will be used to provide health coverage for as many as 150,000 low-income residents by putting some on a new state-run program and to pay the premiums for others to get private insurance on the new health care exchanges.

Another hearing will be held Tuesday, in Council Bluffs.  It begins at 11:30 a.m., at Iowa Western Community College, Looft Hall Auditorium (2700 College Rd.).

(Today’s meeting in Des Moines takes place 2-p.m., at  River Place, Room 1, 2309 Euclid Ave.)

A pickup truck reported stolen from Taylor County over the weekend was discovered Sunday, in rural Union County. According to the Lenox Police Department, the owner of a  pickup reported at 9:30-a.m., he had entered the Casey’s parking lot, parked his vehicle and left the keys in it. When he went to get in the truck, the keys were missing.

The owner called a friend, who picked him up and brought him to his residence in Afton, where he held a spare set of keys. When he returned to the store’s parking lot Sunday morning, the truck was gone. The Lenox P-D notified area law enforcement agencies, and the missing vehicle was found Sunday in rural Union County by Union County Sheriffs Deputies. The truck, a white 2006 Chevy Silverado was believed to have been taken sometime between 1-a.m. and 3-a.m., Sunday. Lenox Police are asking anyone who may have driven by the Casey’s General Store in Lenox during that time frame and noticed any activity, to call the P-D at 641-333-2929.

The Iowa Department of Education has come up with new proposed rules for when schools can start classes in the fall. Current law says schools can start no earlier than the week in which September 1st falls, but most schools get waivers to start earlier in August. Under the new formula, schools could continue to easily get waivers to start between August 19th and 23rd, but it would be tough to start any earlier. The Education Department’s Mike Cormack says the plan will still leave some people unhappy.

“It’s one side that says schools should be able to make whatever decision they want on this and that’s been the defacto status quo,” Cormack says, “and the other side says the law has a date there for a purpose. Why are we not having a September 1st start?”

The new proposal is considered a compromise between educators who want to set their own calendars and the tourism industry which loses money when kids go back to school earlier in August. Cormack says with their current calendars, 30-percent of school districts would be affected by the new formula, but most would miss the new cutoff date by only a few days. The change means it will be harder to start school before the state fair concludes, which will upset some administrators and parents.

“We’ve had people from both perspectives say if we don’t like how this comes out we’ll sue you,” he says. “We’ve heard that from both elements.” If the board approves the new rules this week and a legislative committee signs off, the change would go into effect for the 2014 school year.

(Radio Iowa/9-a.m. News)

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Department today (Monday), released a cumulative report on arrests and incidents which occurred over the past couple of weeks. Most recently, on July 18th, 38-year old Robert Christopher Greenwood, and 41-year old Phillip Lewis Smith, both of Omaha, were arrested on felony charges of Theft in the 2nd degree and Criminal Mischief, and Trespassing, in association with an incident on property owned by the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad.  Smith was being held on $10,000 bond, while Greenwood posted a similar bond July 24th. Both are scheduled to be arraigned on the charges August 12th.

And, on July 17th, 38-year old Rhonda Sue Booher, of Hamburg, was arrested on an enhanced Possession of Marijuana charge.