State and Regional News

For mental health and substance abuse therapist Ryan Jensen, offering his expertise to those in need is a personal mission which started as he moved past his only battles with addiction. Jensen is looking to continue to pay forward the help he received...

The 143rd walleye fishing season officially opens May 4 at Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji lakes. “Annual broodstock netting is complete and the walleye spawn is coming to a close,” said fisheries biologist Mike Hawkins. “Walleyes will start the recovery process by consuming a lot of calories. This brings good fishing.”...

The final Eggs and Issues of 2019 brought the Spencer City Council chambers to maximum capacity as politicians and constituents met for the triannual political forum. Six elected officials from the state and federal level were present, including U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron; state Sen. Zach Whiting, R-Spirit Lake; state Rep. Megan Jones, R-Sioux Rapids; state Rep. John Wills, R-Okoboji; and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig...

Public Safety is frequently one of the top things that Iowans identify as something the Legislature needs to address. We have taken this topic seriously, passing many bills this session that will keep students, motorists, and senior citizens safe across our state...

Week 14 of this session is finished and lawmakers are heading home to celebrate the Easter holiday. We are scheduled to adjourn in about two weeks, but most people would like to make a run for the finish line next week. This will be difficult, but it is possible. We have an agreement with the Senate on how much money the State will spend next year, so that is a big step. Budget chairs will most likely reach agreements on individual budgets yet this week...

Iowa law enforcement officials have announced they will conduct a Drug Impaired Driving specialized enforcement campaign throughout the state April 19 and 20. Drive High, Get an OWI is an intensified effort to fight drug-impaired driving in correlation with the 4/20 ‘holiday.’ Similar efforts are occurring across the region in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Up and down the highways of these states, officers will be arresting anyone caught driving impaired...

MidAmerican Energy Company has dispatched dozens of electric line workers, trucks and equipment, including emergency generators, to restore electric service to thousands of customers in northwest Iowa affected by recent intense storm. Extremely high winds, along with snow and ice, downed more than 50 transmission line poles between Rock Valley and Inwood in Lyon County. ...

Officials at the 11,000-square-foot Webster County Museum are weighing whether to try and quickly repair a leaky roof, move the artifacts to another building or disband the collection altogether. Phyllis Stewart, the museum’s volunteer curator, said the former Otho Elementary School building holds all of Webster County’s history. ...

The Spencer ADA Council is offering advice to local businesses in the form of a website and training video aimed at increasing accessibility for persons with disabilities. “By leveling the playing field, it gives all people the opportunity to participate,” ADA Council member Stevie Shively said. ...

The Mid-America Business Conditions Index in February hit its highest level since September, signaling solid economic growth over the next three to six months for nine Midwest and Plains states, according to a report issued Friday. The index rose to 57.9 last month from 56.0 in January, the report said. The September figure was 57.5...

A Clay County Sheriff’s deputy conducted an investigation of a 52-year-old homeless man Recently which resulted in a felony sex offender registration violation charge. The deputy arrested David Wekony after conducting a sex offender investigation and determining Wekony had allegedly been residing in Clay County since approximately March 22 and had failed to register his relevant information with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office within five business days as is required...

It’s time to clear the air on HSB165, the property tax reform bill. Special interests have gone out of their way to misrepresent and in some cases, outright lie about the content of the bill and what it does. While HSB165 is a long and complicated piece of legislation, I will try to summarize the most relevant issues...

On Thursday morning, someone in our caucus asked what the soil temperature was. One member answered it was 44 degrees today, but 53 degrees on Monday. He said when the soil is dry and 50 degrees, planters roll in Jones county. Also, today is April 11 which is the official date set by Crop Insurance to start planting corn in Iowa. So yes, we are moving into the window for planting and it is time to start moving quickly toward adjournment...

U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) are probing the Department of Defense for apparent failure to ask victims of sexual assault if they would prefer their case to be tried in a civilian or military court. Such notifications are required by law, but a recent inspector general report found a widespread lack of compliance and failure to record the victim’s preference...

Storm damage from last fall has caused some American Legion members in Dickinson County to consider giving up their post – close to 100 years after the national organization’s founding. “Our building was damaged beyond repair in that storm in September, so we don’t really know what we’re going to be doing,” Dennis Jackson, officer with the Terril American Legion Walsh Post 432, said. “We may just disband, because there’s not many of us left.”...

The second funnel week is over, so the list of bills eligible for debate continues to shrink. More importantly, by next Monday, we will be past day 85 of a 110 day session, so time is growing short. The good news is that some legislation is being thrown overboard and will not be debated this session. ...

We are at that time in the session when the Legislature slowly makes the turn away from policy bills and begins to concentrate on the budget. The second funnel is this Friday. Policy bills need to have passed in one chamber and been approved in committee in the opposite chamber, in order to remain alive. ...

Though no confirmed cases of African swine fever have been found in the United States, efforts are increasing to prevent the disease from entering U.S. borders. Local swine experts emphasized the dangers of an ASF outbreak and the potential ripple impact it could have on the agricultural economy. ...

“Everything is bad today,” Renee Evans said, as she loaded some of her belongings into a van Monday morning. A fire heavily damaged portions of her Okoboji apartment building mid-Sunday, and officials say the extensive damage displaced all of the residents. The cause of the fire was found to be improperly discarded smoking materials, according to Okoboji/Arnolds Park Fire Chief Chris Yungbluth. The fire department said five of the building’s six units were occupied at the time...

Iowa State Patrol officials say an area ambulance driver will be charged with Failure to Maintain Control after apparently falling asleep at the wheel recently. The driver was transporting a patient from Cherokee Regional Medical Center to a facility in Ottumwa last week when the ambulance veered off Interstate 35 and into a ditch near Ames during the early morning trip, striking an exit sign in the process. ...

The Catholic School Foundation of the Diocese of Sioux City is pleased to announce Ennie Hickman as the keynote speaker for the 23rd Annual Bishop’s Dinner for Catholic Schools. This dinner will take place Sunday, September 22, 2019 at the Delta Hotels Center. The theme for this year’s dinner is “Set Your Faith on Fire!”...

Some Democratic presidential candidates expressed support Saturday for the Nevada political candidate who alleged former Vice President Joe Biden kissed her on the back of her head in 2014. But they didn’t say it disqualifies Biden from joining the race...

The Storm Lake City Council Chambers isn’t a place you would expect to see young children scampering around and chattering, but that was the atmosphere at Monday’s council meeting, where a request for an official letter of support from the city government had been requested by a local day care provider...

The phrases “mostly sunny” and “partly cloudy” are common on the National Weather Service’s seven-day forecasts — and that’s good news for Dickinson County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Ehret. “Mike is keeping tabs on things minute-by-minute, almost,” Dickinson County Emergency Management Commission President Bill Maas said. “We’re within 5 inches of where the 5 miles per hour speed limit would kick in automatically.”...

Hunzelman, Putzier & Co., PLC today released an audit report on Buena Vista County, Iowa. The county had local tax revenue of $35,399,043, for the year ended June 30, 2018, which included $2,085,383 in tax credits from the state. The county forwarded $25,397,270 of the local tax revenue to the townships, school districts, cities, and other taxing bodies in the county...

Roadways can turn hazardous and deadly during winter’s wrath, and a project under way in Iowa is looking at one possible solution: Heating the pavement. The Iowa Department of Transportation and Iowa State University are working together on heated pavement technology, the Ames Tribune reports...

Wednesday, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Washington-based Food & Water Watch filed a lawsuit against the State of Iowa claiming that the state has violated its obligation to protect the Raccoon River for the use and benefit of all Iowans...

Next Friday is the second funnel so both chambers were busy this week moving legislation through the process. With the weather finally starting to warm a bit, everyone is itching to finish the session and return home. That could happen in another month...

Today is Pioneer Lawmaker’s Day at the Capitol. Pioneer Lawmakers are those who have reached the 20th anniversary of their first election to the Iowa House or Senate. Many former legislators will return for the ceremony in the House chamber this afternoon and other scheduled activities around the Capitol. ...

After Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro introduced a bill in February to oppose President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley said he was leaning toward support for the declaration, should the bill come before the Senate. ...

Careful attention to everyday interactions may mean the difference between a cybercrime’s success or failure. A new scam which impersonated an area employee’s email requesting to change direct deposit information prompted a social media post from the Spencer Police Department last week warning the public of the danger...

March Madness is upon us, and this weekend, Des Moines is host to some opening round games. On Wednesday, Wells Fargo Arena was open so fans could come watch all eight teams who are competing this weekend practice. It was FREE, and I couldn’t believe how many people showed up. ...

Arnolds Park Amusement Park this week announced the addition of a new thrill ride, The Wild Mouse. The roller coaster features small individual cars that take many sharp, flat 90-degree and 180 degree turns at moderate speed, creating high “G force” for riders. Arnold Park plans to open the ride by Memorial Day, and will locate it near the go-kart bridge...

While being in the majority and passing legislation is our primary focus, having the majority is also important when it comes to stopping bad legislation. Every bill that is filed has to be assigned to a policy committee and then assigned to a subcommittee. There are hundreds of bills that are filed that never make it beyond the committee process for various reasons...

Prevent Child Abuse Iowa invites people across the state to wear blue on Friday, April 5, to show support for children and families during National Child Abuse Prevention Month. “‘Wear Blue Day’ is an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to collectively and unequivocally draw attention to effective programs and policies that help children and families thrive,” said Liz Cox Director at Prevent Child Abuse Iowa. ...

In response to Governor Reynolds’ disaster declarations for many Iowa counties, the Iowa Department of Revenue has granted a 30-day extension and suspension of any penalty or interest for taxpayers whose principal residence or business is located in the disaster areas and whose payment or return is due on or before March 31. This includes all tax types...

University of Iowa officials are still grappling with the aftermath of a promotional social media campaign co-opted by students. The Twitter-based campaign aimed to showcase what the Hawkeye community loves about the University of Iowa, utilizing the tag #iloveUIowa. Early on, most responses lauded the sense of family and community found on campus...

Enjoy those easy-to-see large flocks of turkeys feeding in the fields while you can. In the next few weeks, the winter flocks will break up, and where you saw them last weekend is not where they’ll be when spring turkey season opens in April. Bagging a wild turkey is a challenge for even the most experienced hunters. Of the 50,000 licenses sold each spring, about 20 percent are placed on a bird...

On Friday, March 8, the annual GRiT Conference was held at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. One-hundred youth from Storm Lake, Storm Lake St. Mary’s, and Fort Dodge school districts came together for a day of Getting Real Together through leadership, college exploration and cultural awareness. Nationally renowned author Angela Duckwall’s work also provided a philosophical foundation for this event in her definition of grit as perseverance and passion for long-term goals...

DES MOINES — Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law a bill designed to prosecute people who get hired at a farm in order to work undercover to report on animal living conditions. The bill was approved by the Senate and House on Tuesday and signed into law by Reynolds on Thursday. It creates a trespass charge for undercover investigators...

SIOUX CITY — A magistrate says critical letters a Sioux City schoolteacher sent to her superintendent and others are free speech, not harassment. The Sioux City Journal reports that Woodbury County Magistrate Jessica Noll dismissed the six counts of misdemeanor harassment filed against West Middle School teacher Julie Fischer. Fischer had been placed on paid leave last summer after she was charged...

There was a lot of tension inside the State Capitol this week and it was not because of any legislation. It was because of heavy rain and melting snow which has rivers and streams all over the state overflowing. Most of the rain fell in Western and Northwestern Iowa, so lawmakers from our area were on the phone frequently throughout Wednesday checking on conditions back home. ...

More than 40 inches of snow fell in parts of northern Iowa in February, while temperatures fell as low as 20 degrees below zero, according to the latest DNR Water Summary Update. Streamflow was returning to normal levels until the recent March rain and snowmelt. Soil moisture is high, and frost remains in the ground across the state...

As data breach incidents proliferate, a new AARP survey finds that that an alarming number of Iowa residents have failed to take the basic precautions against identity fraud. In response, AARP/Iowa and the AARP Fraud Watch Network today launched a campaign to raise awareness of identity theft risks and educate consumers on how to enhance the safety of their personal information...

Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and former Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) called on the Department of Healtb and Human Services inspector general to investigate reports of sexual abuse against unaccompanied minors in HHS facilities...

Clay County Heritage is seeking items to display in its next exhibit, Conflict, Tension, and Prosperity: The Cold War Experience, opening June 18. If you lived through the Cold War (mid-1940s until early 1990s) and have a unique item, photograph, document, piece of clothing, or story you would like to share with the public, you are encouraged to call the Heritage Center at 712-262-3304 anytime Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. ...

Congressman Steve King continues to take unusual steps in preparing for a primary battle for his Fourth District seat. Last weekend. King launched an online petition, railing against “swamp-dweller D.C. lobbyists” that he said are supporting one of his three opponents for a primary that King terms “RINO” - that is, Republican In Name Only...

After being purchased by the Nebraska-based Thurston Manufacturing Company in 2013 and reopening, Simonsen Iron Works is closing its doors a second time. Approximately 35 employees will be affected by the closure of the 130,000-square-foot facility at 1701 38th Ave. W. in Spencer...

We finished up our work in Natural Resources and Human Resources committees by Wednesday afternoon. I then went to Ames to join my son for Ash Wednesday services at Memorial Lutheran Church next to the ISU campus. For me this does more for my mental health than anything else I could do. ...

OMAHA — The Mid-America Business Conditions Index in February hit its highest level since September, signaling solid economic growth over the next three to six months for nine Midwest and Plains states, according to a report issued Friday. The index rose to 57.9 last month from 56.0 in January, the report said. The September figure was 57.5...