Auto Accident On Highway 3 and K-22 Leaves Two Injured
(Akron) — The Iowa Highway Patrol has released information regarding an accident that occurred Thursday morning at the intersection of Highway 3 and county road K-22. The accident was reported at about 11:40 a.m. causing injuries. 68-year
old Rodney Strand of Sioux Falls, South Dakota was heading westbound on Highway 3 when he failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with 20-year old Brady Moser of Rock Valley. Both Strand’s GMC pickup truck and Brady’s Oldsmobile came to
rest in the ditch, and both vehicles were listed as a total loss. The injured parties were transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare by the Akron Ambulance and the Le Mars Ambulance. Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the accident
scene.
Abdinur Sentenced To Life In Prison For Stabbing Girl Friend
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City man has been sentenced to life in prison for the stabbing death of a 43-year-old woman.
A judge sentenced Isack Abdinur on Thursday, following his conviction of first-degree murder in December.
Prosecutors say Abdinur stabbed Cornelia Stead 23 times in her Sioux City apartment on June 23, 2015. Police say the two were romantically involved.
Defense psychologists had testified that Abdinur is a violent schizophrenic and didn’t know what he was doing when he attacked Stead. A prosecution expert said Abdinur knew he’d done something wrong and understood his actions.
Remsen Chamber To Hold Awards Banquet On Saturday
(Remsen) — The Remsen Chamber of Commerce will host its annual awards banquet on Saturday evening at the Avalon Ballroom. The event is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. Dinner will be catered by Timmy’s Catering, followed by the presentation of the Remsen Business of the Year, and the Citizen of the Year. Entertainment will be provided by James Wedgwood, a ventriloquist.
State Senate Labor Committee Passes Collective Bargaining Bill
(Des Moines) — The Senate Labor Committee debated for nearly 90 minutes Thursday afternoon before a bill to change Iowa’s collective bargaining law for public employee
unions cleared the committee on a party-line vote.
That’s Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig who is chairman of the Senate Labor Committee. Schultz
says local officials tell him “the deck is stacked against” management under the current system. And Schults suggests a silent majority of Iowans back the bill.
Senator Rich Taylor, a Democrat from Mount Pleasant, noted the heavy presence of state troopers in the room and around the capitol as legislators debated the bill.
Senator Bill Dotzler (DOTS-ler), a Democrat from Waterloo, says the billis a “mean-spirited” attack on unions.
Senator Schultz says the state’srules for contract negotiations with government workers are “antiquated.”
Senator Tony Bisignano (biz-ig-NAH-noh), a Democrat from Des
Moines, says the bill is a “massacre” of rights for 180-thousand Iowans.
Schultz says the bill sets up a
system to “reward the best” public workers and provide government services in an
“innovative way.”
The bill is now eligible for debate in
the full senate and key lawmakers expect it to be considered early next week.
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House Bill To Override Counties On Minimum Wage Bill
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A House panel has approved a minimum wage bill that could result in pay cuts for tens of thousands of Iowa workers.
The Local Government Committee on Thursday approved the bill that bans local governments from increasing the minimum wage and cancels higher wages already implemented in Polk, Linn, Johnson and Wapello counties.
All Republicans on the committee supported the bill while all the Democrats were opposed. It now moves to the full House.
The bill, introduced by Johnston Republican Jake Highfill, would force all counties to adhere to Iowa’s minimum hourly wage of $7.25.
Bill supporters say wages should be set by the state. Others argue the legislation infringes on local governments.
Polk and Johnson county officials say they are exploring possible legal action if lawmakers approve the bill.
6,000 Absentee Ballots Not Counted In Last Election
ADEL, Iowa (AP) – Iowa election officials say nearly 6,000 Dallas County absentee ballots went uncounted from the Nov. 8 election because of mistakes by local election officials.
A letter from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office says a total of 5,842 ballots went uncounted, but the office acknowledges the missed votes did not change the outcome of any election on the ballot in the central Iowa county. The office says local officials tallied the votes, but failed to upload those tallies
to software that compiles vote reports.
The omission of the ballots wasn’t discovered until Feb. 1.
In the letter to Dallas County officials, Deputy Secretary of State Carol Olson said while the omissions were due to mistakes, “it is chilling to contemplate the possibility that winners could easily have been affected.”
Pate Calls For Voter Registrations To Be Turned In Earlier
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s top elections official is proposing a law to require political parties and campaigns to turn in voter registration forms they collect within a week.
The measure backed by Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate is a response to the Iowa Democratic Party’s handling of dozens of incomplete forms that were submitted to Johnson County elections officials before the Nov. 8 election, after weeks of delay.
Pate spokesman Kevin Hall says the delay “could have dramatically suppressed those Iowans’ right to vote” and was inexcusable.But Democrats are accusing Pate’s office of exaggerating the impact of the delay, which they said shouldn’t have affected anyone’s ability to cast ballots. They say they were trying to contact voters to have them correct errors on the forms before submitting them.
Iowa Workforce Development Kiosks No Longer Providing Service
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa officials have confirmed that the state has stopped servicing or tracking the more than 700 self-help computer kiosks installed to replace dozens of unemployment offices closed in 2011 as a money-saving effort.
Iowa Workforce Development spokeswoman Courtney Greene told The Des Moines Register that it’s unknown how many kiosks in the virtual access points program are still dedicated to helping the unemployed. Initially the kiosks were placed in public places such as libraries and homeless shelters.
Greene says improved technology that lets Iowans file for weekly
unemployment claims by smartphone has made the kiosks less essential. She says the kiosk system was discontinued as part of the department’s efficiency efforts.
It’s unclear when the department ended the program.
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