This week’s H & S Feed & Country Store Pet of the Week is “James”. James is a 4 year old domestic shorthair mix, who is housetrained, and loves attention. He has been vaccinated, and would love to meet you!
If you’d like to set up an appointment to meet James or any of the pets at Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter, visit https://www.stephenmemorial.org/ and fill out an adoption application.
Check out our visit about with Terry Gott from Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter here:
A state lawmaker wore jeans on the floor of the Iowa House to draw attention to Republicans’ refusal to mandate masks in the chamber even as they ban members from wearing jeans.
Democratic Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell of Ames wore jeans Tuesday (2/2) during House debate. When the chief clerk asked her to change, she declined.
“I told the chief clerk, jeans aren’t hurting anybody but all the people wandering around without masks on, they are,” Wessel-Kroeschell said Wednesday.
Neither the House nor the Senate allows members or staff on the floor of the chambers to wear jeans or T-shirts, and men must wear a jacket and tie. Republican leaders have encouraged members to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus but have refused to require face coverings.
Democrats have increasingly pointed to the apparent contradiction between enforcing a dress code but not a mask requirement as five people associated with the House have now tested positive for the virus. That number could be higher because Republicans also don’t require people to report a positive test.
House Speaker Pat Grassley has said he couldn’t enforce a mask mandate, arguing his only recourse would be to have an officer remove a member refusing to comply. Grassley said he’s unwilling to do that.
When Wessel-Kroeschell tried to speak during debate Tuesday, Grassley refused to recognize her, saying she had violated House rules. She was allowed to vote.
Wessel-Kroeschell said she’d succeeded in making her point that there is an enforcement mechanism for a mask requirement if leadership chose to use it.
She said at least six Republican House lawmakers are not wearing masks and many others have them underneath their nose. She must attend committee meetings with some of them since Grassley has required members to attend committees in person if they want to speak. She said microphones used in the meetings are shared, a practice she called very dangerous.
“Things are really tense. I’m very concerned and actually I’ve decided I’m going to go home this afternoon and work from home,” she said. “I will come back next week but I am going to be more and more cautious. I am double masking.”
A fifth person working at the Iowa Capitol tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday.
Rep. Amy Nielsen, a Democrat from North Liberty, has confirmed she was one of them, marking the first known case of an Iowa lawmaker contracting the virus during the legislative session. She said she believes she was infected at the Capitol. She has developed COVID-19 symptoms and said Tuesday she was not well.
By ALAN FRAM, BRIAN SLODYSKO and KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will be forced to go on the record, defending or rebuking Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has drawn bipartisan condemnation over her embrace of far-right conspiracy theories, as well as her past endorsement of violence against Democrats.
The politically agonizing vote expected Thursday, which will determine whether the Georgia Republican is stripped of her committee assignments, underscores tension over the best political path forward that has riven the party since Donald Trump lost the White House.
Democrats issued an ultimatum earlier in the week, telling House Republicans to strip Greene of her committee assignments — or they would. Bipartisan pressure built after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Greene’s “loony lies” a “cancer” for the party.
But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Wednesday ruled out taking action. Instead, he accused Democrats of a “partisan power grab” for targeting Greene, who once suggested that a Jewish-owned financial firm may have been involved in a plot to spark California wildfires using a space laser.
“If this is not the bottom, I don’t know what the hell is,” House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said before a resolution was sent to the House floor to strip Greene of her posts.
McCarthy’s decision to back Greene comes at a time when the party has been ideologically adrift after Trump’s loss, struggling over whether to embrace his norm-busting divisiveness or the GOP’s more traditional, policy-oriented conservative values.
On Wednesday, House Republicans blocked an effort by conservative hardliners to oust the No. 3 House Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., from her leadership role. Cheney, a daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, had enraged Trump supporters by voting to impeach him over the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
In sticking by both women, McCarthy was attempting to placate both traditional conservatives and populists, like Greene, who emulate Trump. The moves were typical of McCarthy’s preference to avoid ruffling feathers as he charts his path to someday becoming House speaker.
“You know what that’s going to mean?” he told reporters Wednesday evening. “Two years from now, we’re going to win the majority. That’s because this conference is more united. We’ve got the right leadership team behind it.”
But the GOP’s wings remain concerned that the other is leading them down the wrong path, and to some, Wednesday’s outcome seemed more an uneasy truce than a full-on peace treaty.
“This is about the direction of our party and whether or not we’re going to be a majority who’s dedicated to just one person or we’re going to be a united Republican majority,” said Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler, R-Wash., who with Cheney was among just 10 House Republicans to back impeaching Trump.
Greene has shown support for calls to violence against Democrats, bizarre fictions about faked school shootings and unfounded QAnon theories about Democrats joining in child abuse rings.
The conspiracy theories she’s embraced came up during a closed-door Republican caucus meeting on Wednesday, which attendants described as spirited with long lines of speakers at the microphones. Some said Greene apologized to her colleagues, though there were conflicting, vague versions of exactly what she’d said.
“She was contrite. And I think she brought a lot of people over to her side,” said conservative Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
That’s at odds with statements she’s made in recent weeks on Twitter, where she has vowed to never back down or apologize and labeled her critics traitors, while using the Democratic push to punish her to raise money for her campaign.
Democrats say it’s politically advantageous to tie some Republicans to the far-right Greene. This week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched a $500,000 ad campaign that attempts to link eight Republicans to her and other adherents of QAnon, which focuses on the false belief that top Democrats are involved in child sex trafficking and cannibalism.
McCarthy condemned Greene’s past endorsements of conspiracy theories — after weeks of saying little critical of her — and said the first-term congresswoman had recognized in a private conversation that she must meet “a higher standard” as a lawmaker.
“I hold her to her word, as well as her actions going forward,” McCarthy said.
She burst onto the national political scene with enthusiastic support from Trump.
Republicans appointed Greene to the Education and Labor Committee, a decision that drew especially harsh criticism because of her suggestions that mass school shootings in Connecticut and Florida could be hoaxes. Greene is also on the Budget Committee.
McCarthy said Democrats turned down his offer to move Greene onto the House Small Business Committee instead.
It’s unusual for party leaders to strip lawmakers of committee assignments, which can help them address their districts’ needs and raise campaign contributions.
In 2019, House GOP leaders removed Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who had a history of racist comments, from the Agriculture and Judiciary panels after he wondered aloud in a New York Times story about when the term “white supremacist” became offensive. He lost the Republican primary for his seat in 2020 and is out of Congress after serving nine terms.
In online videos and through supportive “likes” on social media, Greene has voiced support for racist beliefs, calls for violence against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama and various false theories.
BY MATT KELLEY
Winter weather advisories are blanketing Iowa for Thursday, including a Blizzard Warning for 25 counties across northern and central Iowa.
Meteorologist Cory Martin, at the National Weather Service, says the approaching storm system will bring bitter cold, more snow, and deteriorating road conditions.
“Tomorrow morning, we’re going to see a pretty powerful cold front sweep across the state and behind it, we’ll see rapidly falling temperatures, strong winds — potentially gusting in excess of 45 miles-an-hour, and also some snow,” Martin says. “The combination of all of that looks like it could wreak some havoc on our travel conditions across the area.”
The Blizzard Warning covers cities including: Estherville, Mason City, Fort Dodge, Waterloo, Ames and Grinnell. Snowfall predictions range from one to four inches, but Martin says don’t let those relatively low numbers fool you.
“The amount of snow we receive isn’t going to be the whole story with this system, by any means,” Martin says. “It’s going to be falling temperatures and what it can do to our roads in terms of if roads are wet beforehand and if we get any blowing snow before that sticks to roads and tire tracks and it ices over, like we sometimes see in these types of setups.”
Temperatures peaked in the 30s a few days ago but the next several days could see highs only in the teens and single digits, with below-zero wind chills. Those strong winds could mean drivers will have to deal with greatly reduced visibility and occasional whiteouts.
“It could lead to some pretty icy road conditions and then, with the winds blowing, it could possibly break into the snowpack that we have already in place and blow some of that snow around, and obviously, any snow that falls is going to blow around quite a bit,” Martin says. “We could be looking at quite a messy situation, especially across north-central and into central Iowa.”
The extreme cold is expected to stick around into next week. Over the weekend, high temps may only be in the single digits with sub-zero lows.
One person from Wapello County and one from Marion County have died from coronavirus. They are among 58 deaths from COVID-19 reported Thursday (2/4), bringing the state total from the pandemic to 5033. There were also another 977 Iowans testing positive for COVID-19 Thursday, bringing the state total to 322,513. 21 new positive coronavirus tests have been reported in Poweshiek County, 14 in both Wapello and Marion Counties, 12 in Mahaska County, five in Jasper County, three new positive tests in Keokuk County and two in Monroe County.
Taylor Swift surprised everyone late last year with her second surprise album “Evermore,” but she may live to regret picking that name for the record.
TMZ reports that Taylor is being sued by the owners of the Utah-based park theme park Evermore, citing trademark infringement. They insist they own the trademark to the name and she doesn’t have the right to sell merch with the name on it.
The park owners say they’ve been selling “Evermore” branded merchandise since they first had the idea for the park in 2014, and when it opened in 2018, and now say they’ve been losing money ever since Taylor dropped her album last year, due to confusion in the marketplace.
The owners, who are seeking millions of dollars, insist Taylor’s people knew of their trademark but didn’t care, something Taylor’s team denies. They call the lawsuit “frivolous” and claim the park owners are just out for money especially since they owe millions in construction fees.
Source: TMZ
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s top infectious disease expert doesn’t want the Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, says when it comes to Super Bowl parties during the pandemic, people should “just lay low and cool it.”
He said during TV interviews Wednesday that now isn’t the time to invite people over for watch parties because of the possibility that they’re infected with the coronavirus and could sicken others.
Big events like Sunday’s game in Tampa, Florida, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are always a cause for concern over the potential for virus spread, Fauci said.
“You don’t want parties with people that you haven’t had much contact with,” he told NBC’s “Today” show. “You just don’t know if they’re infected, so, as difficult as that is, at least this time around, just lay low and cool it.”
The NFL has capped game attendance at 22,000 people because of the pandemic and citywide coronavirus mandates.
A bill that would make contraceptives like “the pill” available to adult women without a prescription is now eligible for debate in the Iowa House.
Governor Kim Reynolds announced her support of the move in 2018 and the Republican-led Iowa Senate endorsed it two years ago, but key Republicans in the House opposed the idea.
If this year’s bill becomes law, Republican Representative Ann Meyer of Fort Dodge says women who show a photo ID to a participating pharmacist could get a three-month supply of contraceptives from behind-the-counter, then another year’s worth after that.
“It requires consultation with a primary care or a woman’s health care practitioner after the initial 27 months,” Meyer says.
Today, Iowa women must go to a doctor and get a prescription for birth control patches and pills. Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell of Ames, a Democrat, says the bill will help women who can’t afford frequent doctor’s visits.
“This is a good step forward,” Wessel-Kroeschel says. “Since we lost the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver, many women have been really struggling to find birth control.”
Contraceptives wouldn’t technically be over-the-counter medications, so they’ll still be covered by insurance if the bill becomes law. It passed the House Human Resources Committee on a 15-2 vote Tuesday afternoon.
A couple from Illinois is in custody in Wapello County after leading law enforcement on a chase that ended when the suspect’s vehicle hit two vehicles belonging to law enforcement. Around 9am Tuesday (2/2), Bloomfield Police responded to a burglary and theft report. It was determined the suspect left a vehicle there that was reported stolen in Missouri…and took the homeowner’s vehicle. About a half hour later, Ottumwa Police spotted the newly stolen vehicle parked near Highway 63 and River Road. Officers contacted the occupants, who refused to cooperate and then fled the scene. Then around 9:35am, Wapello County Sheriff’s Deputies spotted the stolen vehicle near 97th Avenue and 90th Street in Agency. The driver took off and hit a Davis County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle. Spike strips were set up outside Ottumwa’s eastern city limits. Deputies were able to stop the vehicle at Highway 63 and 90th Street. But the stolen vehicle struck a Davis County and a Wapello County patrol vehicle, causing minor damage to both. 48-year-old Jeffery Penca of Collinsville, Illinois was arrested for eluding, two counts of possession of stolen property, assault on a police officer, interference with official acts, criminal mischief and leaving the scene of an accident. 40-year-old Alicia Moesner of Collinsville was arrested for interference with official acts. Additional charges from Bloomfield and the states of Illinois and Missouri are pending. Penca and Moesner are being held in the Wapello County Jail without bond.
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