The Mt. Pleasant Panther Trap Team 10^th Annual Banquet Fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, February 28^th starting at 5:30pm. There will be a silent auction, live auction and gun raffles.  Items for the silent and live auctions are needed, or you have an opportunity to become a sponsor.  A 16-yard sponsor – $250-$499 includes banquet recognition, and your name listed on the team banner.  A 21-yard sponsor – $500 – $699 includes banquet recognition and your name listed on the team banner.  A 25-year sponsor – $700 or more – will receive 8 meal tickets for the banquet, a table reservation, recognized and your name listed on the team banner.  Tickets are available for purchase at $25 each for the banquet at Airport Road Vineyard on February 28^th.  See any trap member to purchase a ticket. If you can help donate items or wish to purchase a sponsorship or need more information, please call Pete Yocum at 319-931-0744 or Alicia Yocum at 319-931-3081, or John at 319-931-4394.

The Danville City Council will meet in regular session on Monday, January 19^th in the Danville City Hall, 105 W. Shepherd Street.  Call to order is at 5:30pm.  Items on the agenda include department reports and the meeting is open to the public.

Mt. Pleasant High School welding students competed in district SkillsUSA solo welding competition this week with Dade Tedrow receiving 1^st place and Cesar Aguilar placing 3^rd.  They move on to state competition held in Des Moines in March.  Aiden Blint and Jonathon Kellogg also represented Mt. Pleasant.  SkillsUSA is a nationwide showcase of America’s most highly skilled career and technical education students.  

The Salem City Council has announced plans to fill a council vacancy following the resignation of Council Member Haley Swinscoe.

Under Iowa law, the council intends to fill the open seat by appointment. That appointment will be considered during a public meeting on March third at five-thirty p.m. at the Salem Community Center, located at two-oh-one South Main Street.

Anyone interested in being considered must meet state eligibility requirements, including being a resident of the City of Salem and a registered voter. Applications must be submitted to Salem City Hall no later than five p.m. on March third.

Applications are available online or in person at the Salem Community Center, the Salem Crew Public Library, or the Salem Post Office.

City officials also note that residents have the legal right to petition for a special election instead of an appointment, as allowed under Iowa law.

Des Moines County Sheriff Kevin Glendening released a report following a traffic stop in West Burlington on Tuesday. On January 13, 2026 at approximately 2:12p.m. Des Moines County Deputies stopped a vehicle for moving violations at 3001 Winegard Dr.

During the traffic stop, a West Burlington Police Department K-9 conducted an open-air sniff around the vehicle and the K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics. One of the passengers in the vehicle ran from law enforcement after being told he was not free to leave.

After a foot pursuit, the subject was detained and a firearm was located where he had squatted down between vehicles while fleeing. The subject was identified as Trayveon Leroy Jefferson, age 20, of Burlington, IA.

Jefferson was placed under arrest for Interference with official acts while armed with a firearm, a class D felony. He was transported to the Des Moines County Correctional Center. A criminal charge is an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The Burlington Police Department reports an arrest following a traffic stop earlier this month.

Police say officers stopped a vehicle January ninth near the intersection of Vine Street and South Tenth Street. During the stop, an open-air K-9 sniff was conducted.

Officers identified one of the occupants as eighteen-year-old Damauri Mitchell of Burlington. A pat-down search later revealed Mitchell was in possession of a stolen firearm. Police say the gun had previously been reported stolen in Burlington.

Mitchell was taken into custody and transported to the Des Moines County Jail.

He is charged with being a person ineligible to carry dangerous weapons and fourth-degree theft. Mitchell remains in custody on bond.

A criminal charge is an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Iowa lawmakers are back at the Capitol as the new legislative session gets underway, and Representative Taylor Collins of House District 95 has put out his first week’s wrap up report. Here are some of the highlights:

State Budget and Taxes

Governor Kim Reynolds has released a proposed $9.67 billion state budget for fiscal year 2027, a 1.9 percent increase over the current year. The largest spending increases go to K-12 education and Medicaid. Schools would see a 2 percent increase in state aid, raising per-pupil funding to $8,148, plus state support to offset declining enrollment.

The Governor is also proposing property tax relief, including:

• A 2 percent cap on revenue growth for local governments
• Freezing property tax bills for seniors 65 and older
• Expanded tax-advantaged savings accounts for first-time homebuyers
• Limits on the use of Tax Increment Financing districts

Education

Nearly 99 percent of Iowa’s full-time teaching positions are filled for the 2025-26 school year—well above the national average. Iowa’s teacher vacancy rate is 1.12 percent, compared to about 3 percent nationally.

The state has invested $96 million in teacher pay raises and expanded alternative pathways into the teaching profession.

Iowa is the first state in the nation to receive federal approval for a new plan allowing education dollars to be redirected from administrative compliance to classroom instruction, potentially saving nearly $8 million over four years.

Agriculture

Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture has introduced the proposed “Farm Bill Act,” aimed at expanding agritourism, supporting beginning farmers, and reducing taxes on farm operations. The bill would provide tax relief for family farms, eliminate certain grain taxes, and strengthen protections during livestock disease outbreaks.

Public Safety and Courts

The Governor’s budget includes additional funding for corrections and public safety, including money for prison infrastructure improvements.

Iowa’s Chief Justice is asking lawmakers for more funding to address pay inequities in the judicial branch and to reconsider how magistrates are distributed statewide.

Public Health and Workforce

Iowa’s unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent in November, below the national rate.

The state added 9,000 jobs over the past year, with growth in health care, construction, and wholesale trade.

Drugs and Regulation

A bill advancing in the Iowa House would classify kratom as a Schedule I controlled substance, effectively banning its sale and possession in the state. Supporters cite addiction and overdose risks; opponents argue for regulation instead of a ban.

Health Care Achievements

The University of Iowa’s neonatal intensive care unit continues to set national records, including saving the most premature baby ever recorded, highlighting Iowa’s leadership in neonatal care.

Representative Collins’ report from the Capitol is comprehensive. To read it in its entirety, please click here.