Jeneary Comments On New Redistricting Maps
(Le Mars) — Last week the Iowa legislature met in special session to approve the second proposed redistricting maps as submitted by the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency. State lawmakers overwhelmingly approved of the second plan. However, Dr. Tom Jeneary, a Republican state house representative from Le Mars was one of two state lawmakers to turn thumbs down on the proposal. Jeneary tells why he was opposed to the new district plan.
The newly approved district splits Plymouth County in half with the northern half joining the southern half of Sioux County to become state house legislative district 3. The communities of Akron, Craig, Struble, and Le Mars fall into the new state house district 3. However, the towns of Remsen, Kingsley, Merrill, and Hinton will now be located in the new House district 13, which involves the southern half of Plymouth County, the eastern third of Cherokee County, much of the rural regions of Woodbury County, and the entire area of Monona County. Jeneary explains which townships will make up of legislative district 3.
Those Sioux County towns that do fall within the new District 3 include: Orange City, Alton, Maurice, Ireton, and Hawarden. Sioux Center, Hull, Boyden, and Rock Valley would be in the new House District 4. Many people are wondering as to what happens next, and when will the newly approved legislative districts go into effect? Jeneary says lawmakers will resume the legislative session in January of 2022 under the current existing maps, but the new district maps will begin in January of 2023.
Jeneary says next November of 2022 will be the general election as to when state legislative candidates will be elected to serve the new districts. In many instances, the new legislative districts have two current lawmakers within the same district. That is the case with Jeneary and fellow Republican House Member, Skylar Wheeler of Orange City. If both legislative lawmakers decide to seek another term, Wheeler and Jeneary would first face each other in a primary election. Jeneary offers an additional explanation about the number of people that contacted him, all with comments urging him to vote “no” on the second proposed redistricting maps.
Jeneary adds more to his comments.
Jeneary says each of the 100 state house legislative districts consists of approximately 35,000 constituents. Jeneary says he was pleased with the new configuration for the Congressional Districts, saying Congressman Feenstra, or who ever, will have a nice Congressional district for western Iowa.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law the new legislative districts on Thursday.
Two Teen Suspects Charged In Death Of High School Spanish Teacher
(Fairfield, IA) — Two 16-year-old suspects have been charged with the death of a Fairfield High School Spanish teacher. Authorities in Jefferson County say the body of Nohema Graber was found under a tarp at Chautauqua Park. Graber had been reported missing Wednesday. Investigators say she was suffering from a head injury and the suspects had items with blood on them. Willard Noble Chaiden Miller and Jeremy Everett Goodale face a charge of first-degree homicide. They are being charged as adults. Friday classes were called off at the school.
Reynolds Vows to Take Legal Action Against Employer COVID Vaccine Mandates
(Des Moines, IA) — Governor Kim Reynolds says the state will take immediate legal action to challenge the Biden’s Administration vaccine mandates for companies with more than 100 employees. The Republican governor said in a statement, “President Biden is taking dangerous and unprecedented steps to insert the federal government even further into our lives while dismissing the ability of Iowans and Americans to make health care decisions for themselves.” Reynolds warns the mandate will only worsen the existing workforce shortages and supply chain issues that hinder our economic recovery. More than seven-thousand Iowans have died of COVID-19 complications since the pandemic began.
Iowa Small Business Start-Ups and Expansions Rise During Pandemic
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa office of the U-S Small Business Administration is reporting the just-ended fiscal year saw upturns in both the amount of money lent and the number of loans made. District director Jayne Armstrong says the Iowa S-B-A made 263-million dollars in loans, an increase of almost 30-million, while the number of loans rose to 476, a boost of 43 loans over the previous year. Armstrong says it’s a sign that the economy is really rebounding and those loans created more than two-thousand Iowa jobs, while retaining another 34-hundred. Armstrong says she’s thrilled with the work of her staff in providing so many traditional business loans, while at the same time administering all of the federal pandemic programs, like P-P-P and the Economic Injury Disaster loans. She says those programs helped a lot of businesses get through the tough months of the pandemic.
State Court Of Appeals Vacates 62-Year Prison Sentence In Home Invasion Case
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has vacated a 62-year prison sentence in a home invasion case from 2018. Luis Cruz was 16 years old when the crime was committed. He and two others were charged with breaking into an 82-year-old woman’s home in Kelley, Iowa, and beating her so badly she suffered a brain bleed. In its Wednesday decision, the appeals court concluded a Story County District Court abused its discretion when sentencing Cruz. He will be re-sentenced by a different judge.
Governor Reynolds Signs New Congressional, Legislative Boundaries Into Law
(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has signed the state’s new congressional and legislative boundaries into law. They will be Iowa’s new political lines for the next 10 years. Iowa lawmakers accepted the second version of the redistricting map last week. Both the Iowa Senate and House gave the plan near-unanimous approval. It was drawn by members of the Legislative Services Agency.
Mistrial Declared In Murder Case Against Cass County Childcare Operator
(Atlantic, IA) — A mistrial has been declared in the murder case against a childcare operator in Cass County. The defense attorney for Alison Dorsey says he expects prosecutors to seek a second trial. Dorsey still faces charges of child endangerment and first-degree murder. The baby boy who died two years ago was one of 11 children she was caring for on the morning he quit breathing. Dorsey testified that 11-week-old Luka Hodges started gasping for air about three hours after his father had dropped him off. Shaken Baby Syndrome was initially identified as the cause of death, but the autopsy report was inconclusive.
Animal Rescue League of Iowa Gets $100K Grant For Helping Rescue 514 Dogs
(Des Moines, IA) — The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is getting a 100-thousand dollar grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) after helping rescue more than 500 dogs from a licensed breeder. The dogs were taken from multiple facilities across Iowa owned by Daniel Gingerich. Seventy-five people with 18 transport vehicles rescued dogs from facilities near Seymour, Lamoni, Davis City, Promise City and Hazelton. U-S-D-A inspectors found 190 animal welfare violations at the facilities. Gingerich is now permanently banned from breeding and selling dogs. Animal Rescue League C-E-O Tom Colvin says dogs at facilities connected to Gingerich clearly were in distress for months. Colvin says we will continue to push for Iowa lawmakers and federal lawmakers to do right by these animals.
Midwest Governors Send Letter To EPA Administrator Requesting Documentation To Allow E-15 To Be Used All Year Round
JOHNSTON, IOWA –A bipartisan group of seven Midwest governors, led by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan inquiring about the steps necessary to implement a state-level solution to ensure E15 can be sold all year long.
“In the wake of the court decision, we are exploring all of our options to ensure retailers are able to sell E15 to consumers all year long without interruption…While we are not formally submitting the notification required under [the CAA] today, we do want to express our interest in potentially pursuing this approach,” the governors wrote. “We look forward to speaking with you soon about our options for protecting the substantial investments our states have made in clean fuels, and ensuring consumers in our states can continue to purchase E15 all year long.”
In Thursday’s letter, the governors request guidance from Administrator Regan on what documentation is necessary for them to exercise their rights under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to end the E10 volatility waiver in their states, thereby ensuring gasoline blendstocks could be used to produce either E10 or E15 year-round.
“Our states lead the nation in the production of low-carbon ethanol, and we have witnessed first-hand the important environmental, economic, and social benefits generated by a healthy and thriving renewable fuels industry. Thus, we were extremely disappointed by the recent D.C. Circuit Court decision overturning the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2019 regulation that finally facilitated year-round sales of E15 (gasoline blended with 15% ethanol) in conventional gasoline markets,” the governors wrote.
The CAA sets a cap on fuel volatility during the summer driving season that begins June 1 of each year. Due to the recent court case brought by oil refiners, E10 continues to receive a small waiver, but E15 does not. This allows oil refiners to supply only the higher volatility gasoline that can be used to blend E10 but would not be legal to use for blending E15 without a volatility waiver.
Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw says, “We all hope either Congress or EPA will take action to preserve nationwide access to E15 on a year-round basis. But if no timely national solution is found, governors have the authority to implement a state-by-state solution. We heartily applaud the Midwest governors for putting oil refiners on notice that their market obstructionism will not stand. The oil refiners may have created this problem, but all 50 governors can fix it. We’re proud that Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is leading the way for a bipartisan Midwest solution.”
