New London Survives Overtime to Qualify for State

By Slaten Swords · Sunday, February 26th, 2023 at 12:01 am CDT

Solon, IA- Coach Kent Bennett always talks about how the substate game is the toughest matchup on a team’s journey to Des Moines and this Class 1A Substate 4 championship bout against New London and Marquette Catholic proved to be just that. The Tigers entered the game with an 18-6 record having been on the road for their last two playoff games, the championship game would make three in a row. On the other sideline, Marquette Catholic entered the game with a 23-3 record and had defeated their three playoff opponents by an average of 26 points per game. New London has embraced the underdog role,

“Our mentality has been no one gives us a shot anyway, so we’re playing with house money that’s what I tell them we’re playing with house money so you go all out and we lose everyone expected you to. If we win, then everybody’s getting a bit quiet. Our mentality is house money.”

The Tigers were playing with house money all night as they started the night fast and furious, but so did Marquette as both teams exchanged quick buckets and transition points to start the game off. Kade Benjamin ran the show for New London in the first quarter as he scored 10 of their 14 first quarter points. Evan Scott for Marquette would keep his team ahead at the end of the first quarter with a slim 16-14 lead.

The second quarter was an offensive show case as Benjamin and Scott continued their excellence as Benjamin finished with 15 points and Scott cashed in 13 points. Marquette had one of the largest leads of the game at 5 points in the middle of the quarter and that’s when Rylan Martin hit the two biggest shots of the first half by nailing back-to-back three pointers to get New London back into the game. However, Blaise Porter would foul Eli Scott of Marquette with no time left on the clock to give Scott three free throws with no time on the clock. Scott would make two out of the three free throws and give Marquette the 36-33 lead at the break.

Blaise Porter had a quiet first half, but he got things going in the second half and with a quick run the Tigers had a 5 point lead midway through the third quarter. Evan Scott and Caiden Kettmann managed to mitigate the run and tie the game at the end of three quarters at 53 apiece.

The fourth quarter was a defensive struggle as neither team could pull away or make a shot. It all culminated into a tie at 62 and with thirty seconds remaining each team would get their shot. Firstly, Porter would call for the isolation play and with ten seconds remaining he made his move towards the basket and faced a bit of contact, but with no foul call, the ball bouncing off the side of the rim, and Marquette collecting the rebound and calling a timeout with 7.8 seconds on the clock, they would get one more shot to win it. Marquette quickly moved down the court and gave the ball to the hot hand, Evan Scott, would drove down the lane and put up the runner with no avail; nevertheless, he ball would bounce back right to his hands where he would put up another shot as the buzzer rang out. The ball danced along the rim and ultimately fell out. The game was heading to overtime. After the game when asked about that play coach Porter had a simple answer,

“It worked out great for me and that’s all I got to say.”

Porter and Benjamin would keep up the work with Benjamin controlling the paint and Porter getting to the line and knocking down his free throws. The Tigers had a 70-67 lead with 10 seconds remaining in the game when Isaac Brinker made a lay-up to close the gap to 70-69. New London would inbounds the ball to Brenden Richey, which appeared to had won the Tigers the game. However, the referees determined he had been fouled with three-tenths of a second left in the game and with New London in the bonus Marquette was not out of the game. Richey would miss the free throw and with one last full court heave at the buzzer and gasp of breath the Tigers could now finally celebrate the one-point overtime victory. New London was heading back to the state tournament for the first time since 2017 and the second time in school history thanks to Benjamin’s 27 points and Porter’s 27 points.

“I’m just proud of those guys,” said Bryant Porter. “This year they said we are getting there no matter what and they held firm.”

New London grabbed the 8th seed for the tournament pitting them against the #1 seed Grand View Christian, who’s looking to avenge their loss to North Linn in last year’s state championship game, on March 6th at 10:30 am. KILJ will be covering New London’s journey through the tournament.

Smith Hired as Director of Field Operations for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 24th, 2023 at 6:49 pm CDT

Janet Smith has accepted the position of director of field operations with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach serving the southern half of Iowa. She begins the position March 15.

Smith will provide leadership to approximately half of the state’s extension regions, supplying direction to regional directors and supporting county directors and councils. During regional director vacancies, she will be responsible for leading the search to find a new regional director and may serve on an interim basis as supervisor for county staff or will supervise a county director who oversees the county staff. Smith will also oversee program delivery and initiate strategies for county extension councils to meet their legal obligations as an elected body and carry out the roles and responsibilities of an extension district.

Smith has more than 35 years of experience as an extension professional. She has served as a county 4-H educator, county director, human sciences specialist and regional director. She has served on many state committees. Smith has experience working with complex staffing issues and has collaborated with several internal and external partners on programming that enhanced and expanded extension education.

“Janet’s passion for nurturing and growing others at a grassroots level is ideal in her role as director of field operations. Her ability to coach, problem solve and innovate complex situations is a benefit for us and the organization as a whole,” said Andrea Nelson, assistant vice president with ISU Extension and Outreach. “We congratulate her on her acceptance of this position.”

Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer science education from Iowa State University and a master’s in higher education, planning, policy and leadership from the University of Iowa.

Jim Brooks

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 24th, 2023 at 6:35 pm CDT

Jim Dean Brooks, 80 of Wayland, died Friday, February 24, 2023, at the Parkview Home in Wayland.

His body has been cremated and interment of his cremains will be at a later date at the Center Cemetery. Beatty Peterseim Funeral, Cremation Care, and Monument Services is caring for Jim. A memorial has been established for the Wayland Fire Department.

Jim graduated from Wayland High School in 1960 and attended Iowa Wesleyan College. He was united in marriage to Eloise (Miller) Brooks on October 10, 1965, in Olds, Iowa. Along with his wife he owned and operated the Brooks Meat Plant. He was a former volunteer firefighter for the city of Wayland. He was an over the road truck driver for many years. And, if you knew Jim, you felt you had driven truck right beside him with the many stories he told. He loved to talk and never knew a stranger. After retiring from City Carton Recycling, he could be found watching the Western and Golf channels, as well as keeping up with his grandchildren’s activities. He enjoyed the many trips to the Lake of the Ozarks, fishing, camping, woodworking, trap shooting, and golf. Most of all he loved his family and was so proud of them.

Jim is survived by his wife Eloise, son Greg (Patty) Brooks of Burlington, IA, two brothers: Rod (Charlene) Brooks of Florida, Sid Brooks of Wayland, IA, one sister Nancy Mattocks of Washington, IA, three grandchildren: Heidi (Benjamin) Robinson of North Liberty, IA, Allison (Chelsea) Klein of Kansas City, MO, Jacob (Kayli) Brooks of Valdosta, GA, three great-grandchildren: William Robinson, Noah Brooks, and Oscar Robinson.

Jim was proceeded in death by his parents, son Jeff “Cookie” and grand puppy Murphy.

The Dickey Dispatch

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 24th, 2023 at 3:18 pm CDT

by Senator Adrian Dickey

 

Hello Senate District 44!

I’m happy to say that this was another GREAT week in the Iowa Senate. We passed some very important legislation, many amazing groups were at the Capitol, and my committee meetings set forth some great pieces of legislation. It was a very productive week and I am proud of the legislation we passed. Next week is the first funnel week, which means a very busy schedule is ahead of us.

Some of the groups that found their way to the Capitol were Access Energy Cooperative, Iowa State University, and the Iowa Firearms Coalition for 2A Day on the Hill. As always, I greatly enjoyed visiting with these groups and hearing their comments and concerns over issues and legislation. Iowa State University held a great event on Tuesday to showcase their recent advancements and achievements, particularly in the area of technology. It was very interesting to see all of the innovative student projects.

On Wednesday multiple pro-2A groups showed up to the Capitol and advocated for Second Amendment rights. I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and enjoyed seeing so many Iowans embrace this right of theirs.

Wednesday was a BIG day for me. I started the day with a subcommittee on firefighting training requirements the state has placed on our small volunteer fire departments 13 years ago. I have been a volunteer firefighter for the past 31 years and GREATLY love to serve my community in this manner. However, I have a firsthand understanding as to how the government, even with their good intentions, can be overwhelmingly burdensome. Because of that, I introduced SF 313 which allowed an easement on the training requirements on our veteran volunteer firefighters at the discretion of the fire chief.

Wednesday night the Senate voted on SF 228, tort reform for commercial motor vehicles. I believe this was a vitally important bill due to how much Iowans rely on the trucking industry. Trucking in Iowa is the 2nd largest industry of employment with 1 out of 13 paychecks coming from this industry. Besides being a major employer in Iowa, everything we use in our day to day lives is brought to us by a truck! Simply put, without trucks, IOWA stops! This bill limits the amount of noneconomic damages a jury can award in a commercial vehicle accident lawsuit. Economic damages, such as health care costs, lost wages, and other definable expenses remain uncapped, as well as punitive damages where a driver/company is guilty of extreme negligence in conducting their business. However in the very, very race occurrences where drugs or alcohol might be involved, the limits from this bill are removed. SF 228 creates a balance between awards for those injured in an accident while slowing down many of the erroneous lawsuits that are taking place in this industry.

Another large piece of legislation that is moving forward is the Governor’s Realignment Bill. A longstanding goal of Governor Reynolds is to make government smaller, smarter, and more efficient by eliminating needless obstacles that burdens Iowans. This week, the Senate State Government Committee passed SSB 1123, which works to improve the alignment of the State’s government functions and departments. The bill combines 37 executive branch cabinet agencies and reduces the number to 16. At the moment, Iowa has more cabinet agencies than all of our neighboring states. This reduction in cabinet agencies will bring departments with similar functions together, and in doing so increase efficiency and communications. Over the next four years, this bill is estimated to save Iowans $214 million. There is still work to be done on this bill, but it is a great step forward in the right direction of making Iowa’s government smaller, smarter, and overall more efficient. The end goal – for the government to work better for Iowans.

Next week is sure to be an interesting and busy week, but one I look forward to. If you happen to find yourself at the Capitol please feel free to send a note into the Senate chamber and I will do my best to find time to meet with you. Thank you for your continued support!

Mount Pleasant School Board Work Session Agenda

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 24th, 2023 at 3:14 pm CDT

Mount Pleasant Community School District School Board Work Session

Date:  February 27, 2023 6:00 PM

Mount Pleasant Community School District: High School Media Center

Mount Pleasant, Iowa 52641

 

  1. Call to Order
  2. Roll Call
  3. Approval of Agenda
  4. Update on District Technology Program – Brandon Ridinger, Director of Technology
  5. Review 23-24 PPEL Spending Considerations
  6. Adjournment

 

Following adjournment the Board will move to an exempt meeting pursuant to Iowa Code 21.9 to discuss matters of strategy related to collective bargaining.

From Representative Taylor Collins

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 24th, 2023 at 2:34 pm CDT

To the People of House District 95

 

The seventh week of the 90th General Assembly has come to a close and it has been a busy one. I serve on four different policy committees so my week was packed with meetings pushing as many bills out of committee as possible before we hit the first funnel deadline next Friday. I apologize for not getting my newsletter out yesterday, but I did not get back to Mediapolis until late last night!

 

Sexually Explicit Material in Schools

Over the past week I started receiving questions about republicans in Iowa supposedly trying to ‘ban books’ – this is far from the truth, so let me provide some background as to the conversations / hearings that have been going on at the capitol. This month, the Government Oversight committee brought in five Iowa moms to share their experience challenging age-inappropriate books in their child’s school library or curriculum. The parents cited graphic sexual images, explicit sexual content, and disturbing accounts of violent sexual assault, rape, and pedophilia. There are a couple of takeaways I want you to get from reading my newsletter:

1. This is a serious issue.

We’re not talking about books with a couple of swear words or romantic scenes. We’re talking about material that is pornographic. I don’t feel comfortable sending the images or text of some of the passages of these books to your inbox, nor would it even be allowed to be printed in your local paper – which I hope would prove our point that these books should be no where near a child. Nevertheless, if you would like more information, I can send you some excerpts from these books or I am happy share some of the images with at one of my next forums. To illustrate, all three of these books below were found in school districts across Iowa:

Let’s Talk About It is a graphic novel described as “The Teens Guide to Sex, Relationships and Being a Human.” The book contains sexually explicit illustrations with instructions, tips and suggestions on how to perform various sex acts, and also suggests ways to consume pornography.

Gender Queer is a graphic novel about gender identity and sexual orientation written to relate to others who are struggling with gender identity. The book explores the use of pronouns and hormone-blocking therapies. It contains graphic illustrations of different sexual acts.

Push is described by Booklooks.org as a “heavily sexually abused teenager’s life circumstances change when a new mentor teaches her to read.” The book contains detailed and disturbing instances of incest and sexual molestation.

2. We’re not banning books. 

This isn’t about banning books. This is about ensuring sexually explicit materials aren’t available in public schools without parental knowledge and consent. Whether these books are removed from school libraries or given a parental consent restriction, parents are still able to allow their children to read whatever books they’d like. The child may just not be able to get sexually explicit material from school.

3. The system is broken. 

You would assume that once those books I mentioned above were objected to by parents that they would be immediately removed or placed under restriction, right? Wrong.

The process to challenge a book is a bureaucratic mess and gives little to no power to parents. One parent from this month’s meeting described the book reconsideration process in her school district which required her to go through an eight-step process that included at least four different administrator-selected committees and other boards. Eventually, she hired an attorney to help guide her through the process. She lost at every step along the way.  The book Gender Queer is still available in the school without restriction. This issue must be addressed, and legislators are discussing many proposals as far as how to handle it.

 

Maternal Health Bill Advances Through HHS Committee

This week the House Health and Human Services Committee advanced House Study Bill 91, the Governor’s Maternal Health bill, with bipartisan support.

This makes the following changes expand access to maternal health care in Iowa:
•    Doubles the number of Regional Centers of Excellence Programs in Iowa
•    Adds four annual family medicine obstetric fellowships every year
•    Creates a statewide standing order to allow pharmacists to dispense initially 3-months of an oral hormonal contraceptive, hormonal vaginal ring, or a hormonal contraceptive patch, and then subsequent year supplies, to patients 18 years and older. The woman must complete a self-screening risk assessment and blood pressure check prior to being dispensed the contraceptive. At least 12 states allow women to get their birth control prescription directly from a pharmacist. This language was modeled after Utah’s law.
•    Adds $1.5 million to the More Options for Maternal Support Program and allows for funds to be used to support fatherhood initiatives
•    Increases the allowable expense for nonrecurring legal fees from $500 to $1000 per child for reasonable, necessary costs directly related to the legal adoption of a child eligible for Iowa’s adoption subsidy program
•    Expands opportunities for foster care students under the All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship Program

Additionally, the Governor has already signed House File 161 addressing unpredictably high damage awards jeopardizing OB/GYN care in Iowa. The legislature will also address access to rural hospitals by establishing licensure for Rural Emergency Hospitals in House File 144 / Senate File 75.

 

Education Committee Bill Gives Schools More Flexibility

This week the House Education Committee passed House Study Bill 119 which is a bill that comes as a collaboration between legislators, the Governor’s office, and superintendents and administrators being asked what could be done to help their schools and allow more flexibility.

The bill removes the requirement that schools must submit a Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP). This does not mean districts aren’t tracking and reporting what is in that plan, it simply means they don’t have to re-input the same data and submit it again. This helps free up administrative time and resources. It also eliminates the requirement that a school librarian must have a Masters degree and allows a district to employee a librarian who was previously employed by a public library. The bill also allows for up to five school days to be virtual. This would be used for things like snow days, flooding, or other reasons why students cannot be in the physical building. The legislation also allows more flexibility for teachers when it comes to classroom space by allowing teachers to teach sequential courses in the same classroom whether it’s AP, regular courses, or community college courses as long as they meet the certification requirements.

 

Iowa’s Bond Debt Situation – The End Is Still A Long Ways Away

Just like home mortgages, payments on bonds issued by the state seem to go on forever.  And while the state of Iowa has a significantly-lower amount of outstanding bond debt when compared to other states, the cost of these bonds still has a big impact on what can be done to address state infrastructure needs of today and tomorrow.

In 2009, Governor Chet Culver and legislative Democrats believed it was wise fiscal policy for the state to borrow $800 million for a variety of state and local infrastructure projects. The I-Jobs program, as it was called, ended up primarily financing the repairs to the University of Iowa in the aftermath of the floods of 2008.

Perhaps the biggest ongoing impact of the I-Jobs program is the continual debt service payments for this ill-fated scheme.  The state issued $695 million of bonds backed by the state’s gaming tax revenue.  Here in 2023, the state still owes $354.1 million of the bonds’ principal alone. The state will pay approximately $55 million this year from state gaming tax collections to the holders of these bonds, instead of using the funds for needed repairs and new construction at state facilities.  The payments on all the I-Jobs bonds will not end until Fiscal Year 2034.

Another portion of the I-Jobs program was the issuance of $115 million academic building revenue bonds by the Iowa Board of Regents. The Legislature authorized this series of bonds to fund construction projects at the three state universities. While the bonds are backed by tuition revenue from each school, the state actually makes the payment via the Tuition Replacement line item in the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund (RIIF).

The I-Jobs bond and other previous academic building revenue bonds are still being paid off today. In Fiscal Year 2023, the state appropriated $27.9 million from RIIF for the year’s payment on these bonds. And still, there is $240.5 million of principle owed on the outstanding 18 bond series, and interest too. The last payments on these bonds will not be made until the end of Fiscal Year 2036.

The other major bond payment made by the state pays for the construction of the state’s maximum security prison.  In 2007, the Democrat-led Legislature authorized the selling of bonds to finance the building of a new Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison. Today, the state is still making annual payments on the 20-year bonds. In Fiscal Year 2023, the state will pay $13.8 million of judicial revenue for this bond. The state still owes $48.9 million in principle that will finally be paid off at the end of 2027.

 

Legislative Forums

Tomorrow, Saturday, February 25th, at 8:30AM I’ll be attending the Mount Pleasant Legislative Breakfast hosted by the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce on on Iowa Wesleyan’s campus in the International Room in the University’s Library. On Saturday March 4th, I’ll be attending two forums – the first one at 9AM at Muscatine Community College, and the second one being at 11AM at Wapello City Hall. I’d encourage anyone in the area to attend!

Sincerely,

Rep. Taylor Collins
Iowa House District 95

From Senator Mark Lofgren

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 24th, 2023 at 2:08 pm CDT

Week 7

Dear Senate District 48

Week seven is the last week before funnel week. This is the first of two major deadlines for legislation during the legislative session. As we wrap this week up, we are also preparing for another busy week next week at the Capitol as we work on preparing bills for floor debate in the Senate. Next week will be full of subcommittees and committee work as we move forward in the legislative session and ensure our focus remains on the most important issues.

Fixing  an Error for Property Owners
On Tuesday, Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 181 into law. The bill fixed an error in how taxable values were calculated for property owners. Fixing this mistake will automatically save Iowa taxpayers up to $120 million. If local governments decide they need those funds in their budgets, they need to justify the levy increases to their constituents. In the Iowa Senate, property tax reform is a top priority this legislative session and we are happy with the progress made so far. We look forward to continuing the hard work to provide tax relief for Iowans.

Innovate @ Iowa State Day!
Tuesday was Innovate @ Iowa State Day at the Capitol.  The second of our major universities to visit the Capitol this session, definitely made a presence and did themselves proud. Students, Faculty and Staff from ISU were available in the First Floor Rotunda to share what the various programs have to offer and how the university is making a difference for Iowans across the state. Iowa Senators are proud to see how great our universities are doing and the opportunities they provide Iowa students.

Commercial Vehicle Liability Reform
This week the Iowa Senate passed SF 228, tort reform for commercial vehicles. I was not in favor of this legislation and attempted to, once again, protect human life, by drafting an amendment to this bill. This amendment would have added an exception to this cap in the instance of death. My amendment did not pass. I understand that the trucking industry is a major employer in Iowa. Beyond the jobs it creates, it is also vital to the success of the state’s economy. With that being said, I also believe that the 7th Amendment to our Constitution, which guarantees all citizens the right to a trial by jury should be upheld, and that those citizens called to be jurors should be allowed to do the job they are called to do.

Proponents of this legislation made claims of high liability insurance costing Iowans more for goods transported by commercial vehicles and promises of “big pay days” for those injured in car accidents with commercial vehicles. The truth of the matter is that no one injured or suffering loss of a family member due to a tragic accident is looking for a “big pay day”. Also of note, liability insurance rates for Iowa’s commercial trucking companies are already the 4th lowest in the country.

Accidents happen. And when negligence is the reason, someone should be liable for that negligence, and commercial trucking companies, like medical providers in our state, should not be held to a lower standard than anyone else. Another issue with this legislation is the fact that we have many interstate trucking companies crossing our state with no other state capping noneconomic damages like we will be doing if this bill passes out of the House. This will provide protections for out of state trucking companies, but not protect our Iowa trucking companies if an accident should occur while in another state. This legislation is now in the hands of the Iowa House.

Visitors to the Capitol this Week
Along with the Red and Yellow and the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association on Tuesday, visitors to the Capitol throughout the week included representatives from NAIFA, National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors of Iowa, the Iowa Fire Arms Coalition, and Eastern Iowa Light & Power Company (REC).

Bringing Iowa’s Stories to Life: Statewide Guide Training Workshop Enrolling Now
Have you ever thought about sharing your talent for talk with tourists in your community? With funding provided through a collaborative partnership among ISU Extension and Outreach, Central Iowa Tourism, the Iowa Arts Council/Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts, individuals across the state can become trained as tour guides and volunteers to tell their local stories. This one-day workshop will take place on April 18th in Earlham, Iowa. Follow the link below to learn more, or share with someone you know who might enjoy this opportunity.

As always, please feel free to contact me with questions as legislation is introduced and moves through the legislative process.

Best regards,
Mark

 

 

Merle Clark

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 24th, 2023 at 1:31 pm CDT

Merle Melvin Clark, 89, of rural Fairfield passed away on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at the Mahaska Partnership Hospice House in Oskaloosa.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 2, 2023 at the Howard Grove Cemetery west of Pleasant Plain with Pastor Danny Cary officiating.  Friends may call from 2 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant. A memorial has been established in his memory.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for his arrangements.