Union County Court: 3/11 – 3/22/24

Following are two weeks worth of cases that have been disposed in the Union County courts. They include everything from traffic to trucking/transportation to criminal cases.

Included is a guide to one case that looks on the surface as if it has a high number of charges. But everything is not always as it appears at first glance.

There are also a couple of high fine amounts for truckers in this round of court activities. How high can they go? Continue reading Union County Court: 3/11 – 3/22/24

Clay County Sheriff’s Incident Report

The following are summaries of incidents reported to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office between Feb. 14 and March 14, 2024. 

For instance: A caller reported a stray pig and dog on a rural road near Meckling. A deputy responded to a report of a dog at a rural residence biting a bicyclist. A deputy assisted Vermillion police officers with a response to a fight outside of a downtown bar in Vermillion.

Also, the School Resource Officer investigated a report of a high school student in Vermillion having possession of a vape device in school. A caller reported suspicious activity involving two people in a car on a dead-end rural road.

And more are inside the story.

Continue reading Clay County Sheriff’s Incident Report

Your guide to which bills survived the first legislative ‘funnel’ (and which didn’t)

Most of the priority bills proposed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican legislators made it through the first major deadline for the 2024 legislative session. But the details of many of those major bills are still subject to change in the coming weeks.

In her Condition of the State speech in January, Reynolds laid out goals to make significant changes to Iowa’s Area Education Agencies and the state’s mental health care system. She also announced plans to merge or cut many of the state’s boards and commissions.

Lawmakers moved bills on these issues, and many more, through the committee process in the past week. Most legislation had to be passed by a committee in at least one chamber by the end of “funnel week” to remain eligible for consideration during the session.

Here’s a rundown of some of the notable bills that survived – and some that did not – during the first funnel week: Continue reading Your guide to which bills survived the first legislative ‘funnel’ (and which didn’t)