Le Mars FFA Chapter To Host Soup Supper
(Le Mars) — Prior to the start of the Le Mars Bulldogs and Bishop Heelan Crusaders basketball games scheduled for Tuesday evening, January 25th, the Le Mars FFA chapter along with the Le Mars FFA Alumni organization will hold a soup supper fund raising event. Calla Langel serves as the local chapter’s reporter and tells us the details of the soup supper.
Langel says the proceeds from the free-will offering will go towards providing scholarships to the Le Mars Community FFA seniors wanting to pursue higher education at colleges or universities.
The soup supper will be held at the Le Mars Community High School cafeteria and will start at 5:00 p.m. and continue through 7:00 p.m. Langel says the local FFA chapter did not set a specific goal as to how much money they hope to raise. Langel has some parting words for those people planning to attend the basketball games.
House Republicans Introduce Exempt Pension Tax Plan
(Des Moines) –– Fifty-five Republicans in the Iowa House are co-sponsoring a bill to immediately exempt retirement income from the Iowa income tax. The idea is part of the tax plan Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has presented to lawmakers. Representative Gary Mohr is the bill’s lead sponsor.
Mohr cites Iowa Public Employees Retirement System data showing benefits are sent to 19-thousand Iowans who’ve retired and moved to out of state. Mohr says many have moved to states like Florida, where their retirement income is not taxed.
Mohr, who is from Bettendorf, says retired people in his area often move to the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, since Illinois doesn’t tax pensions.
And Mohr says that means less support for Iowa civic and non-profit organizations as long-time Iowans shift their attention to similar groups in the state where they’ve moved. It’s unclear whether this retirement income exemption will remain a stand-alone proposal in the House or may be incorporated in a larger bill addressing some of the goveronr’s other tax proposals. Mohr says it’s perfectly understandable some Iowans want to spend time in a warmer climate during the winter, but he sees this proposal as one way of keeping them from establishing a permanent residence in another state.
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Iowa Lawmakers Focused On Cutting Personal Income Tax Rate, Not Corporate
(Des Moines, IA) — Key Iowa lawmakers say the Legislature is focused on cutting personal income taxes right now. They say the corporate income tax cut Governor Kim Reynolds has proposed isn’t part of the plans at this point. State Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs says there is no interest in reducing the corporate rate in Iowa without making changes to exemptions and credits. Some of the current tax credits are so lucrative some corporations get a tax refund from Iowa. Republicans in the Legislature are focused right now on setting up a flat rate of four percent on individual income taxes.
63-Year-Old Woman Dies In Cedar Rapids Home Fire
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — Authorities report a 63-year-old woman has died in a Cedar Rapids home fire. Firefighters from four stations say they arrived on the scene Sunday just before 4:00 p-m to find smoke and flames pouring from the roof. The fire was contained in the room where it started. Rescue crews say that’s where they found Mary Jo Carlson. She died before she could be taken to a hospital. No other injuries were reported.
Murder Charges Filed 4 Months After Victim Died
(Des Moines, IA) — Des Moines police say a new forensic examination led them to upgrade the charges connected to a man’s death to murder. Sixty-two-year-old Timothy Thacker died last September after a fight. A Polk County deputy saw the men fighting and pulled over to intervene. Fifty-two-year-old Tony Hyde of Missouri has been charged with first-degree murder. Police spokesman Sergeant Paul Parizek says both men were homeless and the fight appears to be over a homeless camp. Thacker had suffered serious head injuries in the fight. He was taken to a hospital where he died four days later. Hyde is being held in the Polk County Jail.
Iowa Drug Overdose Rate Rising Rapidly – Still One Of Lowest In US
(Des Moines, IA) — The results of a new study show Iowa has one of the nation’s lowest drug overdose death rates – but the number is still rising rapidly. Well Being Trust President Ben Miller says almost 92 thousand Americans died of overdoses in the most recent measurements. Miller says Iowa’s figures were far lower than other states but still included a 25-percent increase. The 432 Iowa overdose victims represent an almost six-fold increase over the last 10 years.
