Sioux City Fire Chief Tom Everett says he’s concerned about the impact on smaller departments in the wake of charges against the former state fire training manager for allegedly issuing improper certifications to thousands of firefighters. He says it could be a big problem for smaller rural departments, many who depend on volunteers. “Unfortunately I think it does give the fire service in Iowa a black eye,” Everett says. “I do think there are a lot of departments that depend on those certifications and depend on the training that they receive through the bureau. And unfortunately they are going to have to wait through how to fix what’s happened.”

He says Sioux City provides its own training, testing, and evaluation to all firefighters. He says they do have some firefighters who get certified through the state, but says the number of hours they train on the required subjects far exceeds the state standards for certification. He says each member of the Sioux City Department has hundreds of hours of local training. Everett says they train 31-thousand-455 hours, which gives each firefighter 289 hours of individual training each year.

Former State Fire Services Training Bureau certification manager John McPhee was arrested Tuesday on charges of misconduct in office and tampering with records. The Iowa Department of Public Safety revealed that the state bureau issued nearly 23-hundred improper certifications to one-thousand-706 firefighters and emergency personnel between 2012 and 2016.

(Radio Iowa)

Members of the Exira-Elk Horn Kimballton School Board will gather during a Special Meeting this evening at the Elk Horn Building Conference Room. The meeting begins at 5:30-p.m. and includes discussion and/or consideration of Financing Proposals that have been opened and reviewed by Superintendent Trevor Miller and other administrative officials, along with the Placement Agent.

The Board will also discuss and likely take action on, approving a Resolution Directing the Sale of $1-million, 5-thousand dollars in School Infrastructure Sales/Services and Use of Tax Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2017.

Their final discussion and action item is with regard to approving a Bond Counsel Engagement Agreement with Ahlers and Cooney, P.C.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican lawmakers have proposed legislation that would add about $40 million to Iowa’s K-12 education spending, an amount that Democrats say is inadequate. The GOP plan proposes increasing the amount spent per student in Iowa by about 1.1 percent for the budget year that goes into effect in July. The state uses roughly $3 billion from its general fund on K-12 education.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State University has agreed to rescind the 2015 firing of its student counseling director, who alleged he was let go after warning about potentially dangerous shortages in mental health services. An agreement signed by President Steven Leath settles allegations of retaliation, defamation and age discrimination that Terry Mason had made. The deal avoids a lawsuit by changing Mason’s dismissal to a retirement, which makes him eligible for health benefits and a payout for sick leave.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican lawmakers are expected to approve legislation to patch a shortfall in the state’s $7.2 billion budget. The GOP-controlled House is scheduled Monday evening to vote on a bill that would cut about $117 million. The reductions require Iowa departments to cut about $88 million from the budget that began last July. An additional $25 million would be taken from various funds and about $4 million would be saved from unused tax credits.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State University says a graduate student, a postdoctoral researcher and a visiting scholar have been blocked from entering the country due to President Donald Trump’s restrictions on travel. ISU President Steven Leath says the university has been in touch with all three and hopes that “they will be able to continue their work and studies with Iowa State in the near future.”