(Radio Iowa) – The six Republicans who represent Iowa in the U-S House and Senate are calling on the Biden Administration to reopen rail crossings in Texas. The U-S Border Patrol suspended rail operations in Eagle Pass and El Paso on Monday to shift agents to process migrants crossing the border. Congressman Zach Nunn of Bondurant says those two rail crossings are critical to getting Iowa grain and agricultural exports to Mexico.  “That’s a third of all ag export coming out of the country to Mexico, our number one trading partner,” Nunn says. “…So at the same time we have a dumpster fire on immigration, now we’ve poured gasoline on it by saying we’re not going to allow Iowa corn to leave the country, but we’re going to allow unfettered access to illegal immigrants coming into the country.”

Iowa’s congressional delegation sent a letter to President Biden and the U-S Secretary of Homeland Security yesterday (Wednesday), calling the situation at the southern border grave. Nunn says the Biden Administration’s failure to secure the border is making things tougher for law enforcement in Iowa. “There is no strategy for curbing the amount of crime coming across the border,” Nunn says. “With the border incursion comes crime, comes fentanyl, comes human trafficking.”

Nunn met with local officers at the Davis County Law Enforcement Center in Bloomfield on Wednesday.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says he will withdraw from the Colorado Primary if former President Donald Trump isn’t on it. The Colorado Supreme Court this week declared Trump ineligible for office, citing Trump’s role in the January 6th, 2021 riot at the U-S Capitol. Ramaswamy says the Colorado ruling is based on a misinterpretation of the U-S Constitution.

“Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was made for people from parts of the Confederacy from being re-elected to a post-Civil War government,” Ramaswamy says, “so I always stand with the Constitution, not with a fake set of Democratic un-elected cabal of judges in a partisan vote in the state of Colorado interpreting our Constitution in a way that no federal judge would.”

Ramaswamy made his comments yesterday (Wednesday) during a stop in Hampton. He’s making stops in eight Iowa cities today (Thursday) and has said he’ll have visited each of Iowa’s 99 counties twice by early next year.

(Elk Horn, Iowa) – The Exira-Elk Horn/Kimballton School District’s Board of Education met in a regular monthly session, Tuesday night. The Board discussed updates with regard to the Exira weight room renovation. Superintendent Trevor Miller said they’re looking at other school districts offer their students and the community.

The total cost estimate is $421,000. Mr. Miller said the goal is to get construction started in about a year or so. During the facilities discussion, Superintendent Miller shared with the Board an update on potential projects at both the Elk Horn and Exira campuses.

Invision Architecture and Boyd Jones are working to provide anticipated costs for the projects. Miller says they hope to get going on those projects by next Summer. In other business, the Board approved the Fiscal Year 2022 Audit as presented. Mr. Miller said the audit revealed typical issues faced by many districts and government entities, but nothing substantial.

The FY23 audit just wrapped-up this week. The results won’t be available for several months. The Exira-EHK Board approved a snow removal bid from Duane Christofferson in the amount of $275 per snow incident. They also approved a MSA (Modified Supplemental Amount) for At-Risk/Dropout Prevention request to the SBRC of $160,211. And, the 2023-24 Early Notification Incentive for Early Retirement was approved as presented.

The Board approved the purchase of a used, 12 passenger van from Bob Brown Chevrolet, for $42,705. And, as we’ve previously mentioned, the Exira-EHK Board, Tuesday, approved a Superintendent Sharing Agreement with the Audubon Community School District. The Audubon School Board approved the agreement during their meeting Monday evening. The agreement means Trevor Miller will oversee both districts effective July 1, 2024.

The Board approved the resignations of a Food Service employee (Cindy Gries) and an Associate (Dee Hill-Gorger). They also approved the hiring of an Elementary Special Education Teacher (Riley Simpson).

Their regular next meeting is 5-p.m. January 16, 2024, in the High School Conference Room in Elk Horn.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County say two separate arrests took place, Tuesday morning (12/19/23). 43-year-old Renee Lynn Adams, of Hastings, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear. Bond was set at $1,000. And, 39-year-old Joshua Dean Cooney, of Villisca, was arrested in Fremont County, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $10,000.

(Radio Iowa) – A big celebration is planned for a central Iowa state park that is turning 100. Pete Hildreth of the Iowa D-N-R says things get underway today (Thursday). “Iowa D-N-R staff and members of the Friends of the Ledges will host a 100th anniversary kickoff event at the Boone City Hall Auditorium,” he says.  The park is near Madrid and has four miles of trails that include sandstone ledges that are 100 feet above the Des Moines River. That kickoff begins at 6 p-m.

“That event will be highlighted by a program on how Ledges became one of Iowa’s first state parks, as well as information and displays on events projects and changes coming to Ledges in 2024,” Hildreth says. He says everyone is encouraged to take part in the celebration. )”The Friends of the Ledges members will present details on how to get involved in the year-long celebration, as well as the creation of an endowment fund to help preserve the resources of the park in the next century,” he says.

The park also features several structures built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police have arrested a man wanted on an active Red Oak P-D warrant for a Controlled Substance Violation and Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp. 53-year-old Joshua Norman Fuller was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon, and was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $30,000 cash-only bond.