State and Regional News

In a major milestone for Iowa’s hemp program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the state’s production plan, which will allow farmers to plant and produce the crop. Starting this year, Iowa farmers will be allowed to grow up to 40 acres of hemp with THC levels of 0.3% or less, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture. Hemp crops produce a fiber that can be made into textiles, paper and rope, while hemp grains can be made into seed oil and protein powder...

The Iowa Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday a first Clay County resident tested positive for COVID-19. The individual, an adult female in the age range of 18 to 40, is recovering in isolation at her Clay County home. “With community spread of COVID-19 first confirmed in Iowa mid-March, we anticipated it was a matter of time before one or more cases would be confirmed in northwest Iowa,” commented Dr. ...

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, this week is calling for stringent oversight of federal programs administering more than $2 trillion in coronavirus relief – the largest aid package in U.S. history. “All across our country, people are hurting. ...

With foot traffic severely limited in long-term care facilities in order to protect residents from the spread of COVID-19, a group of community members answered a call through social media and traveled to Longhouse-Northshire in Spencer to offer a supportive gesture. ...

Iowa-Join Prevent Child Abuse Iowa and wear blue on Friday, April 3, to show your support for children and families during National Child Abuse Prevention Month and reinforce the message that “everyone plays a role in making great childhoods happen-especially you.”...

Looking for a way to get involved? Meals on Wheels is in need of some volunteers to take food around to the over-60 homebound. Many of the normal volunteers are elderly and in the high-risk group that needs to shelter. The need for home delivery meals has increased since the COVID-19 precautions have begun, currently with 28 meals being ordered daily...

The U.S. Senate late Wednesday night approved a $2 trillion spending bill that aims to provide economic relief for workers and businesses and to aid hospitals and states reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. The chamber voted 96-0 to pass the bill in an unusual display of bipartisanship...

Four 4th Congressional District Republicans will remain on primary ballots after being judged to have demonstrated substantial compliance in meeting necessary requirements on Tuesday. The State Objection Panel, comprised of Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, Attorney General Tom Miller and State Auditor Rob Sand, convened via teleconference Tuesday afternoon to address a number of filed objections to candidate filings and spent the majority of the meeting on the objection regarding 4th District candidates U.S. ...

Iowa confirmed 34 more COVID-19 cases Thursday for total of 179 positive cases so far, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported. Thirty-one Iowans are currently hospitalized; 15 are discharged and recovering, and 81 have never been hospitalized. One Iowan has died...

All Iowa Workforce Centers have been converted into call centers only, according to Bob Becker of the Spencer Workforce site. Aa COVID-19 related layoffs pile up, the centers can’t take in the displaced workers. People are being advised to file or report claims online at www.iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov...

Western Iowa Congressman Steve King is accusing Congressional Democrats of “sick and twisted” strategy. “In the midst of this worldwide crisis that threatens our lives, the Democrats are attempting to sneak their Marxist agenda under the radar,” King said Wednesday in a message to supporters, as negotiation was nearing completion on a COVID-19 relief bill...

Gov. Kim Reynolds on Sunday defended her decision not to close child-care centers, even as schools have closed. She called on schools, community organizations and churches to make their spaces available for emergency child care centers for essential workers...

Effective immediately and until further notice, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA), will temporarily suspend all routine inspections of hotels, home bakeries, and food establishments, including restaurants, bars, and food trucks. DIA Food and Consumer Safety Bureau staff will limit inspections to those for complaints, follow-up inspections, and pre-opening inspections for new businesses...

When Kevin Costner’s character Ray Kinsella had dreams of building a baseball diamond in the middle of Iowa, no one believed in his “Field of Dreams” aspirations. But, when Brett Hetland had a real-life dream of bringing hockey to a chain of lakes near the Minnesota border, people have lined up to lend a hand...

The story is a common one in the Upper Midwest: The dollar-per-item retail chain arrives in town and soon the town’s family-owned grocery store locks its doors. That’s not happening in Lake Park, although local shoppers will see a more gradual transition...

Before the first case of COVID-19, the economic fallout of the pandemic is already being felt in the Storm Lake community. Downtown Lake Avenue looked more like a Sunday night than a weekday afternoon. Where people normally circle blocks trying to find a parking place, entire streets were empty...

During their meeting Wednesday afternoon, the Northwest Iowa Regional Housing Authority Board gave an update in response to the presence of COVID-19 in the state, starting with the closure of its office at 2016 Highway Boulevard in Spencer to the public with business by appointment only...

Author, activist and clean technology entrepreneur Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will deliver the keynote address Saturday, Aug. 8, as part of the 2020 Okoboji Blue Water Festival. Organizers made the announcement Saturday. The Blue Water Festival will be held in and around the Promenade at Preservation Plaza near Arnolds Park Amusement Park...

The U.S. House early Saturday approved an emergency stimulus package to combat the coronavirus pandemic after President Donald Trump signaled his support for the bill. The multibillion-dollar package aims to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by a new coronavirus, and mitigate its economic effects as fears of recession loom...

Week nine of the session is over, which means we are right at 60 days completed with 40 to go. This was another busy week as we are passing around 15 bills per day. Next Friday will be the last funnel, so I hope floor debate will slow and we can focus on the budget. As the weather warms up, people are ready to finish up here and go home. Golf courses are starting to open, and there are plenty of robins around, so I guess it is time to finish the State budget and wrap things up...

Prior to the beginning of the session, House Republicans met several times to decide our priorities and set the agenda for the 2020 session. Two of the primary focuses that came from those meetings were: how do we grow the workforce in Iowa and the lack of affordable child care. These issues are integral to one another, especially in rural areas...

A petition aimed at maximizing the sale of the current Okoboji Middle School in Arnolds Park has resulted in fewer dollars for the Okoboji School District in the short term. The district announced Thursday local businessman Neil Slater was the high bidder for the property at $1.1 million. ...

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Friday that his organization will continue to discuss ways to minimize problems during the presidential nominating process. The Michigan Advance asked Perez if caucuses should be done away with after myriad problems in Iowa...

Worries about a new virus first detected in China that’s infected tens of thousands of people globally are making a mark on the economy of a nine-state region in the Midwest and Plains. The Mid-American Business Conditions Index sank in February to 52.8 from 57.2 in January, according to a survey report issued Monday...

What a difference a week makes. There were floor debates every day this week. The bills we are passing now are the bills that survived last week’s first funnel. We are getting House bills every day now. They will need to go through the same process that was required for Senate bills before the first funnel. ...

Dori Patrick, a full time artist from Cedar Rapids, will be exhibiting her work at the Witter Gallery this month. A collection of her colorful abstract paintings will be on display at the gallery from March 2-27, and a meet and greet with Patrick will be held on March 21 from 1-2 p.m...

One Iowa teacher resigned from her job because of the anxiety from chronic classroom assaults. Another questioned how his family would financially survive after he was injured by a student, resulting in him leaving work. Stories such as those prompted state lawmakers to take a major step toward approving a bill intended to curb violence in Iowa’s classrooms — although some Democrats who supported it say they still have reservations with it...

Tears and pleas with lawmakers filled the Iowa Legislature on Tuesday as women shared deeply personal stories as to why they support or oppose a resolution stating abortions are not protected under the Iowa Constitution. Over and over again, supporters and opponents of the resolution shared their testimony with the House Judiciary Committee, asking lawmakers to take their experience into consideration...

The amount of water being released into the Missouri River from Gavins Point Dam will be increased again to free up more space in the reservoirs upstream before spring. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday that the amount of water flowing out of Gavins Point on the Nebraska-South Dakota border will be increased later this week to 41,000 cubic feet (1160.99 cubic meters) per second. That is up from the current 35,000 cubic feet (991.09 cubic meters) per second...

Authorities in northwestern Iowa have identified a man whose body was found nearly two weeks ago inside a burning home. Larry Classon, 70, died on Feb. 13 in a fire at his Spencer home, Spencer Fire Department Deputy Chief Mark Stover said Tuesday. Stover said Classon’s died of smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the Sioux City Journal reported...

On February 24, Jill Kelly, age 53 of Fort Dodge, had her probation revoked in the Iowa District Court by the Honorable David Lester. Kelly was on probation to the Third Judicial District Department of Correctional Services for the crime of forgery, a class D felony. Her probation was revoked and a five year prison sentence was imposed...

The University of Iowa’s student-led Dance Marathon raised more than $2.8 million for the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital in its 26th year. Dance Marathon is the UI’s largest student organization. It has raised more than $30 million since its first event in 1995...

If you can’t move the bridge, move the city. That’s the strategy for Buena Vista County as it seeks to replace the landmark Linn Grove Bridge. An application for city bridge funds from the state last October has been denied after it was found that the bridge is not touching city limits, as County Engineer Bret Wilkinson had believed at the time...

We just finished the first funnel week for this legislative session. This week was very busy attending last minute subcommittees and attending standing committees. Here are some of the significant bills that made the deadline. Human Resources: SF 2084: This is a bipartisan bill sponsored by myself and Senator Greene to mandate health benefits for families who have children with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders (PANDAS). ...

The Iowa Supreme Court elected Justice Susan Christensen as its next chief justice on Monday, making her only the second woman to rise to chief of the seven-member court. Appointed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2018, Christensen is part of a new more conservatively constituted court. Reynolds has named three justices to the court since becoming governor and will name a fourth after acting Chief Justice David Wiggins retires next month...

A pair of Newell - Fonda students shared an oversized hoodie on Thursday night during the pajama night theme.

The first funnel week is behind us, and it has been a very busy week. House bills needed to pass from a House committee by the end of the week in order to remain eligible for debate on the floor. Anything that failed to clear a committee is most likely dead for the session. ...

Currently, the House and the Senate are in negotiations over Supplemental State Aid to our K-12 school districts. The House and the Governor are currently proposing an increase of $101 million, while the Senate is at $91 million. Based on House number, the General Fund ending balance would be $390 million, which is more than adequate to cover any contingencies outside of a major recession. ...

North Dakota regulators on Wednesday unanimously approved expanded capacity for the Dakota Access pipeline, saying they believed the project had met exhaustive state and federal requirements. The 3-0 vote by the all-Republican Public Service Commission came after the body signaled last month it was likely to approve a permit to expand the capacity of the pipeline, despite objections from opponents who said it would increase the probability of a disastrous oil spill...

The Buena Vista University Board of Trustees announced a number of changes during its recent meeting in San Antonio. Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Norman Nielsen is set to complete the term of leadership service he’s held for nearly a decade on June 30. Nielsen, a 1961 BVU graduate, became a BVU Trustee in 2006 and was named Chair in 2011...

Week five of the session has been hectic as we have had both committee work and floor debate. Next week is the first funnel, so sub-committees and standing committees are pushing bills forward in order to beat the deadline and threat of elimination for the session. As I mentioned, it can be hectic, but good committee produces the best legislation in the end...

The primary focus for the fifth week of the Legislature has been our K-12 school system. Local school districts are required to certify their budgets for the 2020-2021 year by April 15, so it is incumbent upon the legislature to set Supplemental State Aid (SSA) early in the session. ...

It was only a two-mile trip from the Milford Fire Station to a structure fire northeast of the city Monday morning, but crews from Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire and Rescue were soon headed south to aid their neighboring department. Milford fire fighters were called at about 11:08 a.m. to one of Oak Hill Marina’s storage buildings in the 2100 block of 230th Avenue. Milford Fire Chief Jim Carpenter said the call for assistance went out even before his crew arrived at the fire...

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds wouldn’t comment Wednesday on accusations made against state officials in a federal lawsuit involving sexual arousal experiments performed on residents of a state care center for people with intellectual disabilities. Two doctors and other former employees of Glenwood Resource Center filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Monday against a state agency and several officials alleging a conspiracy to silence complaints about sexual arousal research they claim exploited fragile and dependent residents.. ...

The Iowa House on Tuesday approved a K-12 education funding plan that would spend about $16 million more than a version approved by the state Senate. The House voted to increase state spending by nearly $108 million, for a total of about $3.4 billion. Lawmakers approved the funding after first rejecting a proposal by Democrats to spend an additional $20 million...

Western Iowa Congressman Steve King thinks Republicans should target control of the U.S. House of Representatives. “Can you imagine what we can accomplish if we have a Republican majority in both chambers of Congress? And with President Trump in the White House, nothing could ever stop our conservative agenda!” King wrote to supporters...

Congratulations to all the Kansas City Chiefs fans in the district. They say football is a game of inches measured in yards. The legislature is a game of parties measured in votes. I hope you showed up for your local caucus last week and cast your vote for the candidate of your choice. It is a tradition that I hope Iowa will be able to continue for along time...

Both statewide precipitation and temperatures were above average in January, according to the latest Water Summary Update. “January 2020 was another wetter than normal month, making the last 24 months the wettest on record in Iowa,” said Tim Hall, DNR’s coordinator of hydrology resources...

The fourth week of the session was a short week due to the Iowa presidential caucuses. Since Legislators from the far corners of the state may have a four-hour drive to Des Moines, the Legislature was not in session on Monday to allow your elected representatives to participate in their local caucuses. ...

The Iowa caucus season is over except for the shouting and, this year, the counting. As of midafternoon on Wednesday, the Iowa Democratic Party was still tabulating results; this is too bad. Voting and counting should be a simple process. I am a Republican, but I really do feel bad for those Democrat candidates who have campaigned here in Iowa for the last 1-2 years, and now have to wait two days to learn the outcome. ...