IOWA LAWMAKERS HAVE SENT GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS A BILL THAT CHANGES ABSENTEE VOTING RULES AND SETS AN EARLY VOTING PERIOD FOR ELECTIONS THAT IS NINE DAYS SHORTER.
REPRESENTATIVE BOBBY KAUFMANN, A REPUBLICAN FROM WILTON, SAYS IOWA’S 2020 ELECTION WAS SUCCESSFUL AND VOTER FRAUD WAS NOT AN ISSUE IN THE STATE.
DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE KRISTIN SUNDE (SUN-DEE) OF WEST DES MOINES, SAYS THE BILL IS THE OPPOSITE OF GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE TO IOWA VOTERS.
SENATE REPUBICANS APPROVED THE BILL TUESDAY AND HOUSE REPUBLICANS PASSED THE BILL WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS IS NOT YET INDICATING IF SHE WILL SIGN THE BILL:
AMONG THE CHANGES APPROVED ARE ENDING ELECTION DAY VOTING AT 8:00 P-M INSTEAD OF 9:00, AND ABSENTEE BALLOTS MUST BE INSIDE THE COUNTY AUDITOR’S OFFICE BY 8:00 P-M ON ELECTION NIGHT TO BE COUNTED.
A PRIVATE COMPANY BUILT THE VACCINATE-DOT-IOWA-DOT-GOV (WWW.VACCINATE.IOWA.GOV) WEBSITE THIS PAST WEEK AFTER REYNOLDS CANCELLED A CONTRACT WITH MICROSOFT FOR A WEBSITE THAT WOULD HAVE HELPED IOWANS SCHEDULE SHOTS.
THE NEW WEBSITE WILL HAVE A “VACCINE LOCATOR.”
IN ADDITION, A CALL-IN SYSTEM IS BEING SET UP TO HELP IOWANS AGE 65 AND OVER WHO’VE BEEN UNABLE TO SCHEDULE VACCINATIONS.
THE GOVERNOR SAYS OPERATORS ANSWERING CALLS TO 2-1-1 WILL BEGIN THAT SERVICE THE WEEK OF MARCH 8TH.
AREA AGENCIES ON AGING HAVE TAKEN CALLS FROM “HUNDREDS” OF OLDER IOWANS WHO NEED HELP GETTING SCHEDULED FOR A SHOT.
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MIDAMERICAN ENERGY IS TAKING STEPS TO INSULATE CUSTOMERS FROM SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER GAS BILLS THAT ARE COMING BECAUSE THE FEBRUARY COLD SNAP.
COMPANY PROJECTIONS SHOW RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS IN IOWA WILL SEE THEIR MARCH BILLS $13 HIGHER THAN IN FEBRUARY.
FROM FEBRUARY 5TH-18TH, MIDAMERICAN RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS USED 50% MORE NATURAL GAS THAN NORMAL FOR THAT TWO-WEEK PERIOD.
FOR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS IN IOWA, THE AVERAGE MARCH BILL WILL LIKELY BE $95 HIGHER THAN IN FEBRUARY.
DESPITE THAT, MIDAMERICAN’S UNDERGROUND GAS STORAGE, LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS STORAGE AND ADVANCE PURCHASE CONTRACTS THAT LOCKED IN PRICES HELPED MITIGATE MARKET PRICE IMPACTS AND SAVED CUSTOMERS $400 MILLION.
WEDNESDAY MIDAMERICAN ASKED THE IOWA UTILITIES BOARD TO SUSPEND A BILLING RULE REQUIRING THE COMPANY TO COLLECT ALL FEBRUARY HEATING COSTS BY AUGUST.
THE REQUEST WOULD HELP PROTECT CUSTOMERS WHO FACE HIGHER NATURAL GAS BILLS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.
IN SOUTH DAKOTA THIS WEEK, MIDAMERICAN ASKED THE SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION TO SPREAD OUT THE COLLECTION OF FEBRUARY COSTS THROUGH DECEMBER.
CUSTOMERS ARE ALSO ADVISED TO SIGN UP FOR THE COMPANY’S “TOTAL 12 BILLING” THAT WILL SPREAD YOUR BILL OUT EQUALLY OVER A 12 MONTH PERIOD.
USD IS OFFERING FREE SALIVA COLLECTION KITS TO STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF FOR TESTING.
ONCE COLLECTED, SPECIMENS WILL BE MAILED TO VAULT HEALTH FOR TESTING AND THEN TEST RESULTS WILL BE PROVIDED TO USD AND SENT VIA EMAIL TO EACH PERSON TESTED.
ALL STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF ARE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE THIS P-C-R TEST, EVEN IF THEY HAVE PREVIOUSLY TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.
THE TESTING WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE MUENSTER UNIVERSITY CENTER PIT LOUNGE MARCH 1-5 FROM 9 A.M. TO 4 P.M., IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS MARCH 1-3 FROM 5-9 P.M., AND IN THE GREEK CHAPTER HOMES MARCH 1ST.
A SIOUX CITY WOMAN WHO CONSPIRED TO DISTRIBUTE METH HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO MORE THAN 18 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON.
33-YEAR-OLD DELFINA TORRES-PEREZ RECEIVED THE PRISON TERM AFTER PLEADING GUILTY LAST SEPTEMBER TO CONSPIRACY TO DISTRIBUTE METHAMPHETAMINE.
SHE HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED IN FEDERAL COURT FOR A SIMILAR CRIME IN 2012.
PROSECUTORS SAY TORRES-PEREZ AND OTHERS CONSPIRED TO DISTRIBUTE MORE THAN 22 POUNDS OF METH FROM NOVEMBER OF 2019 THROUGH MARCH OF 2020.
SHE ALSO TRAVELED TO CALIFORNIA AND BROUGHT 20 POUNDS OF METH BACK TO NORTHWEST IOWA, HIDDEN IN THE GAS TANK OF HER VEHICLE AND ADMITTED TO INVOLVEMENT IN AN ADDITIONAL 30 POUNDS OF METH DISTRIBUTION IN NORTHWEST IOWA.
TORRES-PEREZ WAS SENTENCED TO 204 MONTHS’ IMPRISONMENT, CONSECUTIVE TO 18 MONTHS’ IMPRISONMENT TO BE SERVED FOR VIOLATION OF HER PREVIOUS FEDERAL SUPERVISED RELEASE.
25-YEAR OLD SILAS BUI (BWEE) WAS SENTENCED TO FOUR AND A HALF YEARS IN PRISON AFTER PLEADIBNG GUILTY TO DISTRIBUTING METHAMPHETAMINE LAST OCTOBER.
PROSECUTORS SAY BUI HAD DISTRIBUTED METH TO AN INDIVIDUAL COOPERATING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.
BUI HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED OF HARASSMENT, 1ST DEGREE AND DOMESTIC ABUSE ASSAULT; SECOND DEGREE THEFT AND POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE 2ND OFFENSE IN WOODBURY COUNTY DISTRICT COURT.
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FRIDAY, THE U.S. HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE WILL MEET TO CONSIDER SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI’S $1.9 TRILLION RELIEF BILL.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS HAVE PROPOSED AN AMENDMENT TO STRIKE A PROVISION BY IOWA REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN RANDY FEENSTRA THAT WAS PASSED IN THE HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE PROVIDING RELIEF FOR VICTIMS OF NATURAL DISASTERS, INCLUDING LAST YEAR’S DERECHO THAT TORE THROUGH IOWA .
FEENSTRA SAYS HE WILL KEEP FIGHTING TO GET THE AMENDMENT INCLUDED IN THE STIMULUS BILL:
FEENSTRA SAYS HIS PROPOSAL WAS THE ONE LAST HOPE FOR BIPARTISANSHIP IN THIS ENTIRE RECONCILIATION PROCESS,
FEENSTRA SAYS HIS AMENDMENT WOULD HELP MANY STATES, NOT JUST IOWA:
BUT HE SAYS INSTEAD OF HELPING NATURAL DISASTER VICTIMS, HOUSE DEMOCRATS WOULD RATHER USE THIS BILL TO PAY FOR ABORTIONS WITH TAXPAYER MONEY AND FUND THEIR PET PROJECTS, LIKE A $100 MILLION TRAIN TO SILICON VALLEY.
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SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR KRISTI NOEM HAS SIGNED INTO LAW A BILL REQUIRING DOCTORS IN HER STATE TO PROVIDE EQUAL CARE TO ABORTION SURVIVORS AS OTHER BABIES.
GOVERNOR NOEM SAYS SHE HOPES TO SEE MORE PRO-LIFE LEGISLATION REACH HER DESK IN THE FUTURE.
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