A bid to allow executions for convicted cop killers and those who kidnap, rape and murder children in Iowa has essentially been tabled for the year. Republican Brad Zaun, of Urbandale is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Zaun says he has just two days left to take action on policy bills in his committee — and death penalty legislation will NOT be on the agenda. “I’ve got a full plate and I’m trying to prioritize things and, right now, it’s not my priority,” Zaun says. “It’s my decision to do this.”

Zaun supports giving Iowa courts the option of a death sentence for those convicted of murdering a peace officer or a child who’d been kidnapped and raped. “I’m not a death penalty advocate, but in this very narrowly written bill, I would support that,” Zaun says. “…But as judiciary committee chair, I am putting the brakes on that bill.”

A more than hour-long hearing on the proposal on Monday afternoon sparked a mini-debate among a few senators. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, took issue with many of those who testified against capital punishment. “I look forward to the day when unborn babies are defended with the same volume and strenuous defense as a baby rapist…or cop killer,” Schultz said.

Democrat Tony Bisignano, of Des Moines, was in the state senate in the 1990s when a death penalty bill was soundly defeated. “It does grab us internally to say: ‘We want revenge. This makes me sick!'” Bisignano said Monday. “And then we stop and think: ‘Are we the judge?’ There is only one judge and I’ll leave it to him.”

Earlier this month, a bill that would have allowed a death sentence for first degree murder convictions stalled in the Iowa House. A death penalty supporter in the House or Senate could try to tack the issue onto another bill, but the rules for legislative debate make that a difficult, if not impossible task.

(Radio Iowa)

A public hearing will be held Wednesday evening at the high school in Atlantic, with regard to a five-year extension of the Instructional Support Levy (ISL) for the Atlantic Community School District. The District received $708,671 from the ISL last year. The hearing on its renewal takes place as part of the regularly scheduled Atlantic School Board meeting that begins at 5:30-p.m. in the High School Media Center.

The ISL, as allowed by Iowa Code, may be used for any general fund purpose. As proposed, the levy would be in effect from July 1st, 2019 for a period of five-years. The proposal states: “Additional funding for the ISP for a budget year will be determined annually by the Board of Directors [Board of Education], and will not exceed 10% of the total regular program district cost for the budget year and moneys received under [the Iowa Code] as a budget adjustment for the budget year. Moneys received by the District for the [ISP] may be used for any general fund purpose, but will not be subject to collective bargaining [pursuant to Iowa Code], and will not be used for employee pay or benefits.”

In addition, “The Instructional Support Levy will be funded by instructional state aid and a combination of instructional support property tax levied annually upon the taxable property within the District,” beginning with the collection of property taxes July 1st, 2019, “And an instructional support INCOME SURTAX imposed annually for each budget year,” not to exceed 20%, and to be determined annually by the Board for each budget year, to be imposed on the state individual income tax, effective Dec. 31st, 2019 and each year thereafter.

Following the Public Hearing on the ISL renewal, the School Board will decide on whether or not to take action on adopting a Resolution to continue the ISL for a period not to exceed five-years. In other business, the Atlantic School Board will act on the resignations of: Ginger Bechtold, 6-12 Media Specialist/Teacher; Whitney Hoegh, 4th Grade Teacher; Virginia Jordan, 5th Grade Teacher, and Ben Winford, District Maintenance. They will also act on approving Contracts or Letters of Assignment for the following individuals: Ashley Bollinger, Washinton Level 3 Para; Tracy Purkapile, School Bus Monitor/Driver; Donna Green, Additional driving duties; Cassidy Coenen, and Rebecaa Drake, High School 1:1 Para’s; Kathy Wiebenga, Preschool Para; Martin McCreedy, Substitute Bus Driver, and Karen Vogl, Homebound Instructor.

Discussion items include Summer 2018 Capital Projects planning, which includes: The purchase of a propane bus; Committing $100,000 toward the future HVAC needs; replacing the high school 1:1 computer protective covers, replacement batteries for laptops and some refurbished laptops. (Est. total cost $37,000); Equipping 6th-through 8th grade students with Chromebooks ($145,000); replacement of the middle school bleachers (est. cost $108,000), and converting the high school gym lighting to LED by changing the fixtures, which result in saving of electricity.

And, the Board will act on a Resolution pertaining to improvements of the District’s Athletic Facilities, which calls for the current athletic fields at the Middle School to remain intact, with improvement being made to the current sites without the need to relocate. It also specifies the goals and commitments toward the project, the establishment of a timeline and deadlines within the timeline.

OKOBOJI, Iowa (AP) — Plans by the new owners of an historic golf hotel on Okoboji Lake in northwestern Iowa call for the property’s buildings to be torn down to make way for private lakefront homes.

The Sioux City Journal says plans for The Inn at Okoboji were revealed Monday night at a City Council meeting. The plans would see demolition of all The Inn buildings begin next month. They also call for about 69 acres comprised of the golf course and farmland to be turned into green space and a park with paved trails that the owners would maintain.

Rapid City, South Dakota-based Whitecap LLC bought the property at auction in a $5.7 million deal that closed in December without identifying the corporation’s principals. San Francisco hedge fund manager William Duhamel and his wife, Katharine, were the only principals identified Monday night.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has released a tax plan that her staff says would reduce individual income taxes in the state by $1.7 billion by 2023.

The Republican governor released a 107-page bill Tuesday. It’s unclear when it will move through the GOP-controlled Legislature, though House GOP lawmakers offered initial support.

The plan would lower tax rates over several years and reduce tax brackets from nine to eight. It would also phase out a system that has allowed Iowans to deduct what they pay in federal income taxes from state tax liability.

Reynolds’ staff says the cuts will be partially offset by expanding the state’s sales and use tax for some online sales and other changes. Preliminary data shows the state will need to address shortfalls in future years.

Democrats say they’re reviewing the bill, which comes amid ongoing budget constraints that have led to agency cuts.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office is asking for your help in locating a teen who’s believed to have run away from home and may be in the company of a person unknown. 15-year old Cheyenne Rose Fahey, of Clarinda, was last seen in the Shenandoah area. Authorities think she may have left the area.

Cheyenne Fahey

Cheyenne is a white female, five-feet three-inches tall. She weighs about 125-pounds, has light to medium brown hair and blue eyes. She was reported missing at around 5:20-p.m. Monday.

Anyone with information about Cheyenne’s where abouts is asked to contact the Page County Sheriff’s Office at 712-542-5193 or their local Law Enforcement agency.  She has been entered nationwide as a run-a way.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) today (Tuesday) jointly issued a consumer advisory for chicken salad sold at Fareway stores. The chicken salad, which is produced and packaged by a third party for Fareway, is implicated in multiple cases of salmonella illness across Iowa. Preliminary test results from the State Hygienic Laboratory (SHL) at the University of Iowa indicate the presence of salmonella in this product.

Fareway voluntarily stopped the sale of the product and pulled the chicken salad from its shelves after being contacted by DIA. “The company has been very cooperative and is working with IDPH and DIA in the investigation of the reported illnesses,” said DIA Food and Consumer Safety Bureau Chief Steven Mandernach, who noted that no chicken salad has been sold to the consuming public since last Friday evening (2/9/18).

IDPH is investigating multiple cases of possible illness associated with the chicken salad. “The bottom line is that no one should eat this product,” said IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk. “If you have it in your refrigerator, you should throw it away.”

Salmonella infection is a common bacterial disease that can cause illness and rarely, it can be severe. Usually, people who get salmonella infection develop symptoms within 12 to 36 hours after ingesting the bacteria, but symptoms can appear as early as six hours and as late as three days after ingestion.

Symptoms of salmonella infection generally last four to seven days and include:

• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Fever
• Nausea
• Abdominal pain
• Dehydration
• Vomiting
• Muscle pains
• Bloody stools

Most people get better without treatment, but in some cases, the diarrhea associated with a salmonella infection can cause dehydration, which can sometimes result in hospitalization. It is important whenever you have diarrhea to make sure you drink plenty of fluids. If you are ill, you should contact your health care provider.

Consumers who have purchased chicken salad from Fareway should throw it out and not return the product to the store.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports an Atlantic man died when his pickup struck a house in Treynor this (Tuesday) morning. The driver was identified as 79-year old Francis “Gary” Symonds.

Authorities say Symonds was driving a 2012 Chevy Silverado pickup northbound on 300th Street at around 8:15-a.m., when the vehicle left the road to the right and then left before traveling through three residential yards and striking a residence near the intersection of Countryside Drive.

Pottawattamie County deputies and Treynor Rescue personnel arrived about 10-minutes after the crash was reported. The pickup truck had struck the residence and partially destroyed the foundation.  Francis Symonds was deceased by the time rescue crews arrived. The homeowner was in the residence at the time of the accident, but no one in the home was injured.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope said Tuesday (today), that Jamie Behrends (RN), Director of Home and Community Based Services for Southwest Iowa Home Health providers, have been instrumental in helping the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office provide public safety to the citizens of Fremont County. Jaime and her team work on Emergency Preparedness Grants for local law enforcement. Today (Tuesday) Behrends presented the Sheriff 10 Ballistic Response Kits, and 10 Tourniquets for his deputies.

Pictured is Sheriff Kevin Aistrope and Director of Home and Community Based Services Jamie Behrends (RN).

The kits contain valuable first aid items to combat major wounds such as gunshots and major lacerations that may occur in active threat situations. Behrends was able to get a kit for each deputy on the Sheriff’s Office. Jaime Behrends and Southwest Iowa Home Health are also the ones who provided the AEDs last year that have played a vital role in service to the citizens. The AEDs alone have been used numerous times in life saving situations.

Sheriff Kevin Aistrope wants to thank Jaime and her amazing team for all their hard work in helping provide these services!!!!!