The U.S. Senate voted 92-7 yesterday to confirm Tom Vilsack as U.S. Agriculture Secretary. The 70-year-old former Iowa governor spent eight years leading the same department in the Obama Administration. In his confirmation hearing, Vilsack endorsed boosting climate-friendly agricultural industries such as the creation of biofuels. He faced minimal opposition throughout the confirmation process.
Ag groups and anti-hunger organizations are pushing the Biden administration to continue a program launched by President Donald Trump that spent $6 billion to prevent farmers from plowing under food and instead provide it to millions of Americans left reeling by the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Department of Agriculture began the Farmers to Families Food Box program last April after many people were shocked to see farmers destroy crops even as food banks were being overwhelmed by demand. If the USDA extends the program, it will be a rare example of the new administration retaining rather than dismantling a Trump initiative.
A Republican lawmaker and a man later charged with participating in the Jan. 6 disturbance at the U.S. Capitol riot were among thousands of people who criticized Iowa’s attorney general for refusing to seek to overturn Donald Trump’s electoral defeat. Trump supporters who believed the election was stolen called Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller a coward, stupid, blind, lazy, pathetic, and worse. Several vowed to work to defeat the Democrat if he runs for reelection in 2022. GOP state Sen. Ken Rozenboom and Capitol disturbance participant Leo Kelly were among those who pressured Miller to get involved.
One person was killed during a house fire Monday night in Mason City. Fire officials responded just before 9 p.m., and were on the scene around five hours. The cause of the fire appears to be smoking material.
The risk of flooding generally remains low across most of Iowa and Nebraska because the snow across both states is expected to melt gradually in the coming days. This week’s forecast for temperatures somewhat above freezing during the day and below freezing at night with no significant new precipitation should allow the snow to melt gradually without causing too many problems. But the amount of ice on some rivers remains a concern because chunks of ice can create ice jams that block the channel of the river and lead to localized flooding.
The Black Hawk County budget for the next fiscal year got unanimous approval yesterday from the five-person Board of Supervisors. Residential property owners in the county’s incorporated areas will pay 3.1% more in taxes, while rural residential owners in unincorporated areas will pay 1% more. Agriculture land owners will pay 1.8% more. The new fiscal year begins July 1.
The Cedar Rapids Community School District has been gathering input from students, staff, family and community members on new names for two of the district’s elementary schools, Coolidge and Jackson. Name recommendations were revealed at this week’s school board meeting; Coolidge will be renamed West Willow Elementary, while Jackson will be renamed Maple Grove Elementary.
Meanwhile, Marion Independent School District teams will soon be known as the Mavericks…last summer, school officials said they were retiring Indians as the teams’ name, despite a survey of parents and citizens wanting to keep the name.
Three individuals were indicted in federal court last week, accused of rolling back odometers in cars and selling them. Jerret Schreiber, David Strangeland, and Dustin Arends have been charged with conspiracy to commit odometer fraud and odometer tampering. Prosecutors say the three worked together to change the mileage readings on odometers in order to sell vehicles at higher prices through Craigslist or other online vehicle marketplaces.
A former employee of the Floyd County Attorney’s Office is accused of misspending more than $1,500 from an account established to help crime victims, according to a report from the State Auditor’s office. Janelle Herrmann is accused in the report of the “improper disbursement” of money she collected in her role as Victim/Witness Coordinator for the Floyd County Attorneys Office. The special investigation by the Auditor’s Office found Herrmann misspent more than $1,000 on “entertainment purposes” including ATM withdrawals, including one at a casino. Herrmann says she accidentally used the wrong debit card and has repaid $640 to the county.
