Two of the five Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate have signed a pledge supporting “full repeal” of the president’s Affordable Care Act and they promise to vote against any bill that “provides funding to implement or enforce any part of it.” Matt Whitaker says if elected, he’ll join the “new movement” two rookie Republican senators have launched to “defund” ObamaCare. “We have forces in this country that very clearly want us to be a social democracy like we have seen in Europe where if we just spend a little more money on a problem or come up with an omnibus solution for all our problems, then all of our problems will be taken care of,” Whitaker says. “It doesn’t work. History shows us it doesn’t work.”

Whitaker, a former U.S. Attorney, was the Republican Party’s 2002 nominee for Treasurer. Sam Clovis is the other 2014 G-O-P candidate for the U.S. Senate who has signed the pledge to “defund” ObamaCare.  “You must have courage to go to the floor of the senate and stand there and look (Senate Democratic Leader) Harry Reid and (Senate GOP Leader) Mitch McConnell in the eye and say, ‘No more,'” Clovis says, “‘If this is not in the interest of the people of the United States, it shall not happen on my watch.'” Clovis has taken a sabbatical from his post at Morningside College and quit his job as a talk show host on a Sioux City radio station to run for the senate.

None of the three other Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate have signed the pledge to defund ObamaCare. David Young, former chief of staff to Senator Chuck Grassley, says he has not heard of it. Joni Ernst, a state senator from Red Oak, says the group of Republicans in congress threatening a government shutdown over ObamaCare this fall need to be sure they have the votes or failure could put all Republican candidates at “risk” in 2014. “I’m really tired of the back and forth and Republicans going after Republicans,” Ernst says. “We need to work out our differences and then be unified, so if it’s going to happen, it needs to be a unified voice and they need to explain what the end game is.”

Scott Schaben, a former soldier and car salesman from Ames, joined the race last week. Mark Jacobs, a retired utility company executive, has formed an exploratory committee, but is not actively campaigning with the five other Republicans who are “officially” in the race. Iowa Congressman Steve King is among a group of 80 House Republicans who have signaled support for the effort to threaten a government shutdown this fall in order to stop implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Tom Latham, Iowa’s other Republican congressman, did not sign the letter.

(Radio Iowa)

One person was hospitalized Monday evening after a motorcycle and a car collided in western Iowa’s Monona County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 25-year old Chad Noble, of Onawa, was transported by helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Sioux City, after the 1994 Yamaha he was operating collided with a 2009 Chevy Impala, driven by 41-year old Craig Beedle, of Onawa. The accident happened at around 6:25-p.m. at the intersection of Monona County roads K-45 and E-54.

Officials say the Impala was traveling south on K-45 and slowing to make a left turn onto E-54, as the Yamaha was traveling north on K-45. Beedle told authorities he didn’t see the cycle approaching and proceeded to make the turn. When the motorcycle struck the front of the car, the impact sent Noble airborne. He landed in a corn field on the north side of the intersection. Officials say he was wearing a helmet, but the extent of his injuries were not released.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Two Sioux City residents have been accused of robbing and torturing a man at their apartment. Police say 33-year-old Melissa Lowe and 32-year-old Brandon Keleher were arrested Saturday morning. Online court records say they’re both charged with two felonies: willful injury and robbery.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Juvenile Home has been given 15 citations for violations in its substance-abuse treatment program. The Des Moines Register says the violations found in a new inspection included a lack of oversight and failure to track whether some children were making progress in their treatment. Public health officials say the most recent inspection occurred July 29th.

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A Coralville man has been accused of being drunk and falling asleep in his car while his foot was on the driver’s brake pedal. Police for the University of Iowa say they found 22-year-old Jon Roupe asleep and covered in vomit early Sunday morning at a parking ramp. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports Roupe failed a field sobriety test. He has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City leaders have deferred a final vote on eliminating curbside glass recycling. The Sioux City Journal reports the City Council met yesterday and deferred the decision for two weeks. The proposal would end the glass recycling part of the city’s solid waste contract with Gill Hauling. Plastic, aluminum cans and paper still would be accepted.

The Danish Immigrant Museum broke ground for its $3 million curatorial expansion on Monday afternoon, followed by a coffee and kringle reception for the community.

Pictured from left: Gordon Roesler of Meco-Henne Contracting, Scott Fero of Midwest Storage Solutions, Todd Wanninger of Carroll Control Systems, Jim
Wolz of Meco-Henne Contracting, John Mark Nielsen of The Danish Immigrant Museum, Mardy Holst of AHTS Architects, and Angela Stanford of The Danish
Immigrant Museum. (Photo courtesy Nicky Christensen)

The extra 8,000 square feet will provide compact artifact storage, office space, and exhibit preparation areas. Scheduled to be completed by the Danish Villages’ Tivoli Fest on Memorial Day weekend, the addition will be located mostly underground and will have an environmentally-friendly green roof.