(Radio Iowa) – Key backers of the gun rights amendment Iowa voters have just added to Iowa’s Constitution say they’ll introduce a series of gun-related proposals in the 2023 Iowa Legislature. House Republican Leader Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley has been involved in gun-related issues since he was elected to the House in 2006.

“There are multiple different things we’ve been trying to get done to restore freedoms in Iowa and we’ve not been able to get across the finish line on some of those things,” Windschitl said this afternoon. “I’m not at a point right now where I’m going to discuss publicly what all of those items are, but you can expect us, after this victory, and restore freedoms to Iowans that never should have been taken away.”

Windschitl and others gathered in the statehouse this  afternoon for a ceremony to mark passage of the amendment. “Iowans now have the best protections for their fundamental right to keep and bear arms of any state in the nation,” Windschitl said.

The amendment got a majority of votes in 97 of Iowa’s 99 counties. “Iowans have made their voice loud and clear,” Windschitl said. “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.”

That last sentence is the state motto, adopted in 1847, the year after Iowa was recognized as a state. Secretary of State Paul Pate said the gun rights amendment was added to the state constitution on December 1st when statewide election results were certified.

Secretary of State Paul Pate reads the amendment. (RI photo)

“On November 8, Iowans voted overwhelmingly to amend the Constitution, enshrining in it the right to bear arms,” Pate said. “In fact, 65% of Iowans supported the adoption. Congratulations to all of you for your hard work and the efforts to secure its passage.”

Richard Rogers of the Iowa Firearms Coalition lobbied for the amendment as well as recent state laws on the use of weapons and gun permits.

“However, each and every improvement in the law was subject to being reversed, or worse, by the next or any future legislature,” Rogers said during the ceremony. “Now, with the ratification of this freedom amendment, as we call it, such a course will be much more difficult.”

This is the 49th amendment added to Iowa’s Constitution. It goes beyond the wording of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and says Iowa courts must evaluate any lawsuits challenging Iowa gun laws by the toughest legal standard.

(Radio Iowa) – Sioux City firefighters remain on the scene today (Friday) of a fire that forced some 40 people out into the cold and rain last night. Deputy Fire Marshal, John Nelson says there are still several hot spots. “With the roof membrane falling down and on top of where the attic space was consumed by the fire — you know we have tendency to get flare ups,” he says. Some of the residents fled without coats or shoes and a city bus was used for a temporary shelter from the weather until a nearby church opened its doors.

Most residents may not be able to retrieve their belongings from the building, which is believed to be a total loss. “The building has been red tagged now deemed imminent danger to anyone who goes inside. There’s just been so much water poured on the building to suppress the fire and that it’s just not safe for us even as Sioux City Fire to enter the structure anymore,” Nelson says. “We don’t want residents going back in and trying to get their things unfortunately, I know they’ve lost a lot, but at this point we can’t risk them getting hurt or getting trapped inside.” Lieutenant Nelson says the fire may’ve started on the third floor in the attic, but an exact cause won’t be know for some time.

“Inspection services had their drone out and got some aerial coverage for us. We haven’t had time to really go analyze any of the photos quite yet — obviously we’re here trying to help the people that have been displaced,” he says. The Red Cross, Salvation Army and other local agencies are helping the residents left without a home by the fire.

(Glenwood, Iowa) (Update:Corrected by Glenwood PD) – The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest this (Friday) morning, of 33-year-old Ashley Ring. The Glenwood woman was arrested for OWI/2nd offense. Her cash bond was set at $2,000.

(Radio Iowa) – A report finds Iowa detains black youth at a higher rate than any other state in the county. The Sentencing Project says to address racial disparities in juvenile detention, Iowa should grow diversion programs that deal with criminal conduct without sending young people to court. Deb VanVelzen, youth coordinator for the Des Moines Police Department, says they’re trying to reduce the numbers by making it easier to take part in the agency’s diversion program. “We took away the barrier of having parents’ permission,” VanVelzen says. “Every child that qualifies for our diversion program automatically gets enrolled, whether they want to or not. They don’t have to admit guilt.”

Diversion programs often connect youth with social services or require them to attend classes or service learning. The Iowa Department of Human Rights recommends reforms like setting a minimum age of 12-years-old for juvenile court defendants, and requiring diversion programs for first-time, low-level offenders. Steven Michael, at the D-H-R, says justice advisory groups recommend starting all cases involving juveniles in juvenile court. Michael says charging youth as adults disproportionately affects black Iowans. “Black youth are 11-and-a-half times more likely to be direct file than white youth,” Michael says, “which means if you’re 16 and you commit a forcible felony, or allegedly commit a forcible felony, you start in the adult court system.”

The Sentencing Project found black youth are 21-percent less likely to participate in diversion programs than their white peers. Michael says the recommendations will be shared with the governor and state legislators. VanVelzen and Michael spoke at the Iowa Summit on Justice and Disparities.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Board of Supervisors met in a regular session, Tuesday morning. According to the meeting minutes from Auditor Mark Maxwell, Nick Preston was present at the meeting, to discuss the West Nishnabotna Water Trail memorandum of agreement. Preston informed the Supervisors that Brandon Burmeister, Shelby County Engineer, has some responsibilities regarding the agreement as well as the State department of transportation. River boat ramps are to be installed in Harlan as well as at Nishna Bend. Parkhurst introduced a motion to authorize the Chairperson to sign the memorandum. The motion received a second, and was passed. The Board also approved a Utility permit for Nishnabotna Valley REC.

A Department of Transportation resolution was then considered by the Supervisors. Brandon Burmeister presented an amendment to the current five year plan. The amendment was approved unanimously. Todd Valline was present at Tuesday’s meeting. He gave an update on a few of the holiday activities the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry is involved in. The cities and volunteers in Tennant, Portsmouth, Panama and Irwin were thanked for assistance in the Santa Clause visits last weekend. The Harvestfest festivities included some filming for a promotional video being focused on the Omaha Council Bluffs area. The two videos give a chance for Shelby County to show off some of the reasons to live here or even visit. The initial stats for the videos show over 14,000 views and it is only a month old.

The Supervisors found it prudent to make Shelby County taxpayers aware and make sure that the current high pressure Liquified carbon dioxide pipeline legal matters were presented at an open meeting. Chairperson Kenkel presented a timeline of events leading up to the current date. Shelby County’s liability insurance carrier is covering most of the legal fees.

Supervisor Haake wanted to make known also, the Board intends to expand the Supervisors from three members to five members. Prerequisites must be fulfilled including a Supervisor Resolution or Petition requirements fulfilled. The Supervisors requested input from the public to see if Shelby County voter support would make the transition prerequisites of going from three to five Supervisors worth investigating further.

Auditor Maxwell presented a Building and Grounds use application for the annual Roar into Harlan events. They take place once a month on a Thursday in the summer months. Maxwell noted that there have been few issues with this event during the years these events have been held. The application was approved. Maxwell then notified the Supervisors that the due date for payroll change sheets and evaluation completion for the 2.5% merit raise are due this Friday December 9th.

Mark Maxwell notes, that in order to accommodate the county owned farm ground rent auction for the crop year 2023, the regular Board of Supervisors meeting will be on December 20th, this meeting will be held at the Therkildsen Center. A recess will be called at the end of the business session of the meeting and the meeting will reconvene at the Supervisors room at the courthouse to hold budget sessions with departments heads, to accommodate the County owned farm 2023 crop year rent auction will be held at that meeting also.

Tentative dates are December 27th and 28th at 9:00 AM in the Supervisors room at the Courthouse for the remaining budget sessions.

(Radio Iowa) – The Republican who’ll lead the tax policy committee in the Iowa House next year says property tax relief will be his primary focus. Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton says property taxes have exploded over the last decade. “It’s one of the top things I hear, not just on the campaign trail, but also back home when I’m around constituents, particularly when it comes to seniors who are on a fixed income who see skyrocketing property taxes,” Kaufmann says. “They have to start making incredibly difficult choices about what to pay for.”

Kaufmann says he’s interested in making substantial changes that lead to property tax relief. “For me, everything’s on the table,” Kaufmann says. “I’m open ears. I am willing to listen to any option and I am willing to listen to the detrators of every option, but we’re going to be aggressive in our approach.”

Senator Dan Dawson, the Republican from Council Bluffs who’s chairman of the SENATE Ways and Means Committee, has also said property tax changes will be the top priority for Senate Republicans in 2023. Last month at the Republican Governors Association meeting, Governor Kim Reynolds said her priority in the next four years is eliminating the Iowa income tax. She did not mention property taxes.