(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says her four percent flat tax plan would make Iowa’s income tax system simpler and might one day lead the way to zero percent — no state income tax. “I think we’re working our way there,” Reynolds says. “…Every year, we’ll take a look at the revenues, we’ll take a look at expenditures, see where we’re at and then see what those next steps look like.” During an interview with Radio Iowa Wednesday afternoon, Reynolds made it clear zero percent isn’t something she’s proposing this year. She’s set four percent as the goal to reach by tax year 2026.

“If it drives revenue like we believe that it will, then we’ll be able to maybe look at it again in the next several years and see if we can even go further,” Reynolds says, “but this is a big jump from where we were in 2018.” Five years ago, Reynolds signed a bill that was, at the time, the largest tax cut in state history. It reduced the top income tax rate to six-and-a-half percent and got rid of a deduction that made Iowa’s top income tax rate appear higher than it actually was when compared to other states. The plan Reynolds has released this week retains current deductions, like the one for charitable donations, and tax credits.

“So what we are going to do, though, is at some point take a look at our tax credits and really put some metrics in place, we can start to understand maybe the value and as we continue to lower the income tax rates that’s something we’re going to have to take a look at before we go completely to zero,” Reynolds says, “because if you look at other states that have zero individual income taxes there are other mechanisms that they’re getting their revenue from.” Ten other states have a so-called flat tax, including Illinois and Michigan.

“When I took office we had the sixth highest income tax rate in the country and if we get the done or when I get this done, we’ll be the fifth lowest,” Reynolds says. “That is significant.” Iowa does not tax Social Security benefits, but another component of the Republican governor’s tax plan calls for no longer charging the state income tax on other types of retirement income. Reynolds says Iowa loses many retirees to other states that don’t tax pensions.

“They could be volunteers, the money that they would generate in our economy that we’re losing,” Reynolds says. “I mean, they’re even jumping over to Nebraska, so give me a break. It’s not any sunnier or warmer over in Nebraska, but we’re losing them, so I’m really, really excited about the impact that could have.” Farmers would get a tax break, too, in the Reynolds tax plan. Reynolds says it’s written in such a way so that out-of-state investors who own farmland couldn’t be able to claim it. Iowa residents who’ve retired after being actively engaged in farming for at least 10 years would be able to receive cash rent on their land without paying taxes on that income.

“We didn’t want somebody coming in, buying a bunch of land and then claiming an exemption,” Reynolds says. Reynolds has for weeks promised she’d reveal her tax cut plans during the annual “Condition of the State” address to legislators and the governor says it was clearly a surprise to some lawmakers. “I loved the gasp that I heard when I said a 4% flat tax…It was noticeable…They didn’t know. We worked on it right up to the end and I wanted to be the first to present it at the Condition of the State,” Reynolds says, “so I was thrilled.”

The governor’s fellow Republicans occupy 92 of the 150 seats in the legislature. While G-O-P leaders haven’t guaranteed passage of the governor’s flat tax proposal as is, they’ve made it clear the plan is the basis for their tax policy debate this year. Democrats say a flat tax is unfair and would provide a big tax break to wealthy Iowans while forcing some low income Iowans to pay more.

(Radio Iowa) – The state Health Department reports COVID-19 hospitalizations and test positivity rates continue to surge. The report today (Wednesday) shows hospitalizations increased to 923 — the most since December 2020. The 14-day test positivity rate has spiked to 21-point-two percent, with more than 31-thousand new infections confirmed in the past week. State Public Health Department director Kelly Garcia says demand for testing remains very high.

“We need you to be strategic about when you’re testing. We want to follow best practices here. But we really don’t have nationwide the capacity to be testing for every exposure all the time,” Garcia says. She’s asking Iowans to be strategic about testing as demand remains very high.

“So are you actively sick? Have you been exposed, somebody else in your household has it and you’re trying to figure out, you know, do I send my child to school or not? If they’re asymptomatic, which is what we’re seeing a lot of right now, this is a space where that P-C-R test can be incredibly helpful,” Garcia says. The state has confirmed an additional 182 deaths this past week. Fifty-six percent of all Iowans are fully vaccinated against the virus.

(By Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

AMES, Iowa – Jan. 12, 2022 – The Iowa Transportation Commission, meeting in Ames, Wednesday, approved an amendment to the highway section of the 2022-2026 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program (Program). Among the projects included in the program, are those in Guthrie, Shelby and Pottawattamie Counties.

The amendment is possible due to additional highway funding expected to be available later this fiscal year from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. In order to put this funding to work quickly across the state, the Commission approved this amendment to add projects to..

ATLANTIC, Iowa – Thanks to a partnership between Cass Health and Methodist Physicians Clinic, patients in and near Atlantic no longer need to travel far for vascular and pulmonary care. Officials with Cass Health, Wednesday (Jan. 12) said vascular surgeons John Park, MD, and Anjan Talukdar, MD, as well as pulmonologists Sumit Mukherjee, MD, and Palvannanathan (Paul) Ganesan, MD – all with Methodist Physicians Clinic – will now see patients at the Cass Health
Specialty Clinic in Atlantic.

Methodist Physicians Clinic, which is based in Omaha, also has clinic locations in Fremont and western Iowa. “We understand that traveling to see a specialist can be challenging,” Dr. Park said. “It’s our goal to eliminate barriers to health care. We look forward to getting to know the patients in Atlantic and surrounding communities while being a part
of their health care journey.”

Dr. Park graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and completed his general and vascular surgery residencies at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati. Dr. Talukdar graduated from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. He completed his general surgery residency at Creighton University Medical Center and received fellowship training at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

Dr. Mukherjee, who also specializes in critical care medicine, graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He completed his pulmonology internship and residency at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Dr. Ganesan, who also specializes in sleep medicine, internal medicine and critical care medicine, graduated from Stanley Medical College in Chennai, India. He completed his residency at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and received fellowship training at the Creighton University School of Medicine.

“One of our overarching goals at Cass Health is to have timely access to quality healthcare professionals locally,” said Brett Altman, CEO of Cass Health. “Partnering with Methodist and these high caliber specialty physicians is helping us to bring the best of the best to our own doorstep to provide the best care close to home.”

The Cass Health Specialty Clinic is located on the main Cass Health site at 1501 E 10th St. Atlantic, IA. Dr. Park is seeing patients on the first Friday of each month, Dr. Talukdar is seeing patients on the second Monday of each month, Dr. Mukherjee is seeing patients the third Wednesday of each month, and Dr. Ganesan is seeing patients the second Wednesday of each month. Appointments with all four physicians can be scheduled by calling (712) 243-7590.

The Cass County Republican Central Committee recently made donations of $100 to the Atlantic Food Pantry and the Cumberland Care and Share Food Pantry.

The Atlantic Food Pantry was established in March, 1982 in the old Presbyterian Church, but moved to its current location at 19 West 4th Street in 1989.  It is open Thursday as a drive-through from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, or until the line ends.  Delivery is available within the city limits.  The pantry has 30 volunteers and has seen an increase of three times the former need of their supplies.  Due to limited storage at the pantry, cash donations are most in need, but any donation is accepted and appreciated.  The pantry served approximately 3,500 households or about 7,700 individuals in 2021.  Pictured delivering the donation is Cathy Zimmerman, Cass County Republican Central Committee Treasurer (center) to volunteers Ken Burkhart (left) and Sheryl Jensen (right).

The Cumberland Care and Share program was started in 2017 and is located at the Methodist Church in Cumberland.  The program is independently operated and has 10 volunteers.  The pantry is open for drive-though pick-up on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays each month from 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm.  This past year they served about 450 individuals which is almost double the normal supplemental food need.  All donations are accepted and appreciated.  Items now needed include paper products, personal hygiene products and cold foods.  Foods especially needed in the summer would be fresh produce.  Pictured delivering the donation is Cathy Zimmerman, Cass County Central Committee Treasurer (center) to volunteers Julie Brown, Katie Greenwalt, Becky Pelzer and Steve Pelzer (left to right).

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Larson Christensen is asking the Iowa legislature to approve an 11-point-six percent increase in the court system’s budget. Christensen delivered the annual “Condition of the Judiciary” speech this (Wednesday) morning in the Iowa House. She did not make a budget pitch, but instead focused on court operations and promised a review of the juvenile court system will be done in November.

Christensen wore a face covering in the House until she was recognized to speak and put it back when she finished and left the room. Christensen says Covid had an abrupt and brutal impact on the judiciary.

Christensen says the covid storm continues to rage. The chief justice issued 30 orders since the beginning of the pandemic, but replaced those with one order in December that keeps some changes in place.

Christensen says some of the changes might never have been envisioned if the courts hadn’t been forced to innovate during the pandemic. Republican Representative Gary Worthan of Storm Lake is chairman of the subcommittee that drafts the court system’s budget. Worthan says there are a lot of good things happening in the courts.

At least 90 percent of the court system’s budget is for salaries and Worthan says it’s a House G-O-P priority to maintain staffing levels and courtroom hours, especially in the courthouses in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.

Worthan says he believes it’s important to add another four district court judges to handle the volume of cases in the system.