(Radio Iowa) – Waterloo’s crime rate fell six-percent last year, and an annual report credits the police department’s community engagement efforts. Violent crime is down nearly four-percent in the past year, property crime plummeted 17-percent, a for the first time since the pandemic, the city’s police department is fully staffed. Police Chief Joe Liebold (LY-bold) says that increase of about 15 officers enables the department to engage with the community more meaningfully. The chief says it’s easy to see the connection as it’s clearly making a difference to have more officers interacting with more citizens every day. Liebold also partially credits the drop in the crime rate to ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training for his officers.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a traffic stop at around 9:15-p.m., Tuesday, resulted in the arrest of a woman on a drug charge. Deputies initiated the stop in the 2300 block of Highway 48. During their investigation, the Montgomery County K-9 Unit was deployed. Deputies arrested 43-year-old Alexandria Dawn Lasley, of Shenandoah, for Possession of Methamphetamine/2nd offense. Lasley was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

And, at around 2:30-a.m. today (Wednesday, Feb. 7), a traffic stop in the area of Q Avenue and 110th Street in Montgomery County resulted in the arrest of 27-year-old Brittany Marie Asay, of Atlantic, for Driving While Barred. Asay was also being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop at around 5:20-p.m. Tuesday in Montgomery County resulted in the arrest of a man on a felony, OWI charge. Red Oak Police report the traffic stop was conducted at the intersection of Highway’s 34 and 48. Upon further investigation, 42-year-old Anthony Thomas Germann, of Villisca, was arrested for OWI/3rd or subsequent offense – A Class D Felony.

Germann was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on the $5,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans on a House Committee have approved Governor Kim Reynolds’ bill that would put definitions of man, woman, mother and father in Iowa law and require changes in how the state issues new birth certificates to transgender residents. House Education Committee chairman Skyler Wheeler of Hull says he asked to have the bill assigned to his committee. “The bill is simple. We’re just defining what a woman is because under today’s society I think 95% of Iowans know what it is, but we have some people that try to disorient the issue and we’re just going to get back to the basics,”

Wheeler says “…It’s just definitions. It’s thinks that everybody knows, but we feel like we have to put it into law because of some of the crazier things that are happening out there.” Democrats on the committee voted against the bill. Representative Sue Cahill of Marshalltown says the bill puts transgender Iowans in danger. “To me it seems we are not protecting our transgendered,” Cahill says. “We are not protecting those who view themselves differently.” Representative Sharon Steckman of Marshalltown says the bill feeds on fear.

“I’m appalled that the governor would put this discriminatory piece of legislation forward targeting 0.29% of our population in Iowa,” Steckman said. “Shouldn’t we be working on something more important in education?” A large crowd of opponents rallied and chanted outside the room where a subcommittee hearing on the bill was held at noon yesterday (Tuesday). After the committee vote last (Monday) night, a couple of dozen people booed lawmakers after the bill passed the committee.

Protesters lined a statehouse hallway to boo lawmakers after tonight’s committee vote. (RI photo)

The committee did remove part of the bill that would have required transgender Iowans list their sex at birth on their driver’s license or government-issued I-D.

(Radio Iowa) – The four Republicans who represent Iowa in the U-S House voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, but the impeachment effort fell four votes short. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion released a video statement hours before the vote.

Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull says Mayorkas is unwilling to close the southern border and that’s a dereliction of duty with catastrophic consequences. Congressman Zach Nunn of Bondurant and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of LeClaire, also voted to impeach Mayorkas, but did not issue statements after the vote.