KNOXVILLE — The U.S Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, announces a full road closure to Highway T15 across the Red Rock Dam April 1-3, 2026. The closure is necessary for contractors to continue refurbishing gate components on the dam. Additional partial and full road closures may be needed throughout 2026. For more information, contact the U.S Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Red Rock at 641-828-7522 or email: lakeredrock@usace.army.mil.
TSA pay may be coming, but airport delays could persist and ICE agents may not leave soon
WASHINGTON (AP) — Even after President Donald Trump ordered emergency pay for Transportation Security Administration agents to ease long security lines, major U.S. airports on Sunday were still urging travelers to arrive hours early — and federal immigration officers brought in to help may not be leaving anytime soon.
Trump’s executive order on Friday instructed the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA officers immediately, though it’s unclear how quickly travelers will see an impact. The move comes during a busy travel stretch, with spring breaks underway and Passover and Easter approaching.
Tens of thousands of TSA employees have been working without pay since DHS funding lapsed on Valentine’s Day. The department’s shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, eclipsing the record 43-day shutdown last fall that affected all of the federal government.
Trump deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to some airports a week ago to help with security as TSA callouts rose nationwide — the same officers who may now remain in place if TSA staffing strains continue.
When will ICE’s deployment at airports end?
Making the rounds on Sunday morning news shows, White House border czar Tom Homan said it depends on how many TSA employees would be returning to work after they start receiving their pay.
“ICE is there to help our brothers and sisters in TSA. We’ll be there as long as they need us, until they get back to normal operations and feel like those airports are secure,” he told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Homan said it also depends on how many TSA agents “have actually quit and have no plan on coming back to work.” Nearly 500 TSA officers have left the agency since the shutdown started, according to DHS.
On Saturday night, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a post on X that more ICE agents were being deployed to Baltimore-Washington International Airport to assist at TSA security checkpoints to “speed up the clearance process for passengers — not immigration enforcement.”
When will TSA officers get paid?
Homan, in his CNN interview, said he hopes TSA officers will be paid by Monday or Tuesday.
“It’s good news because these TSA officers are struggling,” Homan said. “They can’t feed their families or pay their rent.”
Also on Sunday, Charlotte Douglas International Airport said in a post on X that backpay could arrive for TSA agents beginning Monday.
“While this action provides critical relief, CLT supports long-term solutions to ensure continued stability for this essential workforce,” the airport said.
Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees’ TSA chapter, said Sunday that he has heard from workers worried they may not receive their full back pay because TSA management was given very short notice to begin processing payments. He also said TSA agents are concerned they could miss pay for time they were unable to work because they couldn’t afford to report for duty.
“It is a disaster in progress,” Jones said.
What’s the current situation on the ground?
Some of the busiest U.S. airports continued to ask travelers to plan ahead in order to get through security lines.
Houston’s main airport, George Bush Intercontinental, warned Sunday evening that TSA wait times could reach four hours or longer. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport also told passengers to arrive at least four hours early for both domestic and international flights.
LaGuardia Airport posted an alert Sunday evening on its website that “TSA lines are currently longer than usual.”
Baltimore-Washington International Airport said Sunday on X that “wait times have greatly subsided on this Spring Break Sunday,” but it still asked passengers to show up several hours early. Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans offered the same guidance.
Also on Sunday, passengers could once again see estimated security wait times at the three main airports serving the New York City area — LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty.
All three had removed that feature from their websites earlier in the week, citing “rapid” changes in passenger volumes and TSA staffing. For the same reason, they cautioned that the restored wait times may not always “reflect current conditions.”
How soon will this help with airport delays?
It’s hard to tell.
Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA officer who runs a travel newsletter called Gate Access, said the staffing crisis won’t improve significantly until officers are confident that they won’t be subjected to more skipped paychecks.
“It has to be an extended pay for them to come back or want to stay there,” he said, estimating longer lines could linger for another week or two.
Jones, the TSA union leader, offered a more optimistic outlook on Sunday, saying he’s hopeful that passengers could see wait times ease closer to typical levels once workers are able to afford basic expenses like gas to get to work.
TSA will also have to decide whether to reopen the checkpoints and security lanes they closed or consolidated at some airports due to inadequate staffing, which led to passengers standing in screening lines that clogged check-in areas or showing up far too early for their flights.
A handful of airports have experienced daily TSA officer call-out rates of 40% or higher in recent weeks.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month; GTSB to Conduct Campaign Next Week
DES MOINES — April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and it’s time to turn awareness into action. The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) is partnering with the Central Iowa Traffic Safety Task Force (CITSTF), and law enforcement across the state April 6-10 to enforce Iowa’s Hands-Free Driving Law. The goal of this project is to educate drivers about the importance of driving distraction-free and to help drivers comply with the law going forward.
Iowa’s Hands-Free Driving Law went into effect with a warning period on July 1, 2025, and citations began being issued by law enforcement on January 1, 2026. Since January 1, 2026, over 2,400 citations and over 1,900 warnings have been issued. The law prohibits the use of electronic devices beyond a single touch while driving unless they are used in a hands-free mode. The passing of this law is a key factor that contributed to the historic low number of traffic fatalities recorded in 2025.
With so many ways to go hands-free, there’s a solution for every device and every vehicle. Some of the options to go hands-free include using voice commands, speaker phone, AUX cords, Bluetooth, or phone mounts.
Now a moving violation in Iowa, penalties for violating this law (Iowa Code 321.276) include a fine of $170. By enforcing this law and bringing awareness to the dangers of distracted driving, we hope to save lives and increase safety on Iowa roads.
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau works with city, county, state, and local organizations to develop and implement strategies to reduce death and injury on Iowa roads using federally funded grants.
This Week Spring Cleanup Week in Pella
PELLA — Spring cleanup week, scheduled for March 30th to April 3rd, is a means for Pella residential customers to conveniently dispose of bulky items that do not fit inside a garbage tote.
Pick up of bulky waste items will take place on your normal garbage/recycling collection day only. Acceptable items should be placed at curbside no later than 7:00 a.m. Please keep all items at least four feet from your garbage/recycling totes.
Although most household bulky waste items may be set out for collection, certain items will not be picked up including appliances and electronics.
If you have questions regarding what items are accepted, contact Public Works at 628.1601 or Midwest Sanitation at 628.2610.
Chamber Scholarship Applications Available Through April 1
OSKALOOSA — High school seniors living in Mahaska County and attending any high school are eligible to apply now for a Chamber Scholarship sponsored by the Mahaska Chamber & Development Group. Information is available from one’s school counselor or the web at https://www.mahaskachamber.
The application requests information such as participation in school and community activities and a short essay. Be prepared with a PDF of your transcript. Online applications and school transcripts are due no later than Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
“Area businesses and individuals are encouraged to contribute to the Chamber Scholars program to provide deserving students with financial support as they pursue their academic and career goals. This program would not be possible without the generous contributions we receive annually from local business leaders and individuals. We encourage more community members to get involved, as this program continues to strengthen the partnership between education and community,” Michelle Kent stated. “Another way to contribute to this special program is by participating in the annual Chamber Golf outing on Friday, May 15. Teams of four and hole sponsorships raise additional funds for the Chamber Scholars program.”
The Chamber Scholars program, now in its 30th year, continues to partner with the “52577 Scholarship.” Contributions to the program are tax deductible and can be made in any amount. If one chooses to donate $1,000 it will be awarded this year. If one wants to contribute to the perpetual scholarship fund through “52577”, any amount may be donated to be used in future years.
For further information to apply or to contribute to the fund contact the Mahaska Chamber at 641.672.2591 or email finance@mahaskachamber.org
Senate approves funding for TSA and most of Homeland Security, but not immigration enforcement
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate early Friday morning approved Homeland Security funds to pay Transportation Security Administration agents and most other agencies, but not the immigration enforcement operations at the heart of the budget impasse that has jammed airports, disrupted travel and imposed financial hardship on workers.
The deal, which the Senate approved unanimously without a roll call, next goes to the House, which is expected to consider it Friday.
“We can get at least a lot of the government opened up again and then we’ll go from there,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “Obviously, we’ll still have some work ahead of us.”
With pressure mounting to resolve the 42-day stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, the endgame emerged in the final hours before TSA workers miss another paycheck Friday. President Donald Trump said he would sign an order to immediately pay the TSA agents, saying he wanted to quickly stop the “Chaos at the Airports.” The deal did not include any of the restraints Democrats have demanded as they sought to rein in Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the outcome could have been reached weeks ago, and vowed that his party would continue fighting to ensure Trump’s “rogue” immigration operation “does not get more funding without serious reform.”
What’s in and out of the funding package
Senators worked through the night on the deal that would fund much of the rest of the department, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and TSA, but without funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Customs was funded, but Border Protection was not.
The package puts no new limits on immigration enforcement, which has remained largely uninterrupted by the shutdown. The GOP’s big tax cuts bill that Trump signed into law last year funneled billions in extra funds to DHS, including $75 billion for ICE operations, ensuring the immigration officers are still being paid despite the lapse.
Next steps in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a slim majority, are uncertain. Passage will almost certainly require bipartisan support, as lawmakers on the left and right flanks revolt.
Conservative Republicans have panned their own party’s proposals, demanding full funding for immigration operations. Many have vowed to ensure ICE has the resources it needs in the next budget package to carry out Trump’s agenda.
“We will fully fund ICE. That is what this fight is about,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said as he tried to offer legislation to fund the agency. “The border is closing. The next task is deportation.”
On-again, off-again talks collapsed
Earlier Thursday, Thune announced he had given a “last and final” offer to the Democrats. But as the day dragged on, action stalled out.
Democrats argued the GOP proposals have not gone far enough at putting guardrails on officers from ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and other federal agencies who are engaged in the immigration sweeps, particularly after the deaths of two Americans protesting the actions in Minneapolis.
They want federal agents to wear identification, remove their face masks and refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places. Democrats have also pushed for an end of administrative warrants, insisting that judges sign off before agents search people’s homes or private spaces — something new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said he is open to considering.
Trump had largely left the issue to Congress, but warned he was ready to take action, threatening to send the National Guard to airports in addition to his deployment of ICE agents who are now checking travelers’ IDs.
The White House had floated the extraordinary move of invoking a national emergency to pay the TSA agents, a politically and legally fraught approach. Instead, Trump’s order would pay TSA agents using money from his 2025 tax bill, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly.
If the Senate package is approved by the House and signed it into law, the action Trump announced to pay TSA agents may be temporary or unneeded.
Airport lines grow as TSA workers endure hardships
The funding shutdown has resulted in travel delays and even warnings of airport closures as TSA workers missing paychecks stop coming to work.
Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers and nearly 500 of the agency’s nearly 50,000 transportation security officers have quit during the shutdown. Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, according to DHS. That is more than 3,120 callouts.
Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the union is grateful the TSA workers will be paid, but said Congress must stay in session to pass a deal “that funds DHS, pays all DHS workers, and keeps these vital agencies running.”
At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Melissa Gates said she would not make her flight to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after waiting more than 2½ hours and still not reaching the security checkpoint. She said no other flights were available until Friday.
“I should have just driven, right?” Gates said. “Five hours would have been hilarious next to this.”
Iowa’s governor predicts a property tax relief bill will pass in ’26
By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)
Republican lawmakers have yet to strike a deal that would revamp Iowa’s property tax system, but Governor Reynolds says she’s confident an agreement will be reached.
“It’s a priority of Iowans that are paying those taxes,” Reynolds said yesterday during a news conference at the Iowa Capitol. “They expect us to get it across the finish line this year and I believe that we will.”
There have been discussions among legislators for the past couple of years on a variety of options, but for the first time Reynolds unveiled her own plan in January. She met privately this week with House Speaker Pat Grassley and Senate Republican Leader Mike Klimesh to discuss what’s next. “Our conversations continue to be very positive and very productive,” Reynolds said. “We’re putting in the effort that Iowans deserve and I have every reason to believe that we’ll ultimately have a bill that will get through both chambers and get to my desk and will work for Iowans.”
It appears GOP lawmakers are prepared to pass a limit property tax revenue growth and provide some sort of reduction in property taxes paid by older Iowans. The outlier in discussions appears to be a proposed gas tax increase outlined in the plan from Senate Republicans. Reynolds said she’s in the middle of negotiations and she’s not going to say whether she supports or opposes that. “I want to tell you,” Reynolds told reporters, laughing, “…but I want to reduce the tax burden on Iowans. I think that’s where we’re all coming from.”
Reynolds did offer some of the reasoning behind the idea of raising the state gas tax, which hasn’t been raised for over a decade. “We continue to see declining revenue for meeting the needs with the roads and bridges out in the counties, especially, and then some of the cities. And so the thought is that would help address that as we move forward,” Reynolds said.
Mahaska County Farm Bureau Hosts 3rd Annual Breakfast Battle
By Sam Parsons
The Mahaska County Farm Bureau hosted its 3rd annual breakfast battle yesterday in honor of National Ag Week. The battle took place at the Hy-Vee and Fareway in Oskaloosa and featured participants from 6 area businesses who teamed up to fight food insecurity.
Mahaska County Farm Bureau President Sherwin Plate explained that this year’s battle was similar in structure to those in the past two years.
The event was held in partnership with Love Inc of Mahaska County, who selected 6 families who are food insecure to receive the food that was gathered on Thursday, and the Ecumenical Food Cupboard in Oskaloosa.
Oskaloosa Schools Condemn Racial Slur Incident
Below is a press release from the Oskaloosa Community School District in response to an incident that occurred on Wednesday at the Lacey Recreation Complex.
OSKALOOSA, Iowa – The Oskaloosa Community School District is aware of an incident involving four individuals in a vehicle from outside our community that occurred Wednesday afternoon during a soccer practice at our athletic complex.
During the incident, these individuals drove around Drost Field at the Lacey Athletic Complex while coaches and student-athletes were engaged in practice and directed racial slurs at high school and middle school students and staff. Law enforcement was immediately contacted, and the situation was turned over to the Oskaloosa Police Department.
We have since learned the individuals involved are from neighboring communities and not affiliated with Oskaloosa Schools. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement as the investigation continues. The Oskaloosa Leadership Team is pursuing all available actions, including criminal charges, no-trespass orders, and any additional remedies allowed under Iowa law and school board policy to ensure these individuals are not permitted on our property again and ensure the safety of all our people.
We want to be clear: there is no place for this kind of behavior in our community. Not on our fields. Not in our schools. Not in our community.
Our expectation is that everyone treats one another with respect. When someone chooses to use hateful language toward our students or our staff, they are not just breaking rules – they are violating the basic standard of our vision culture that we expect from everyone.
In this instance, our coaches and student-athletes responded in a safe, healthy, and kind way. They stayed focused, they reported the situation, and they trusted it would be handled. The Oskaloosa Schools Leadership Team and our entire organization have their backs, and we always will. The safety, dignity, and health of our students and staff come first, and we will not hesitate to act when that value is threatened.
At Oskaloosa Schools, our Vision Culture calls us to Love, Empower, and Inspire People. That is not just a slogan. It is the expectation we live by. Loving people means standing up when someone is harmed. Empowering people means ensuring our students and staff know they are safe and protected. Inspiring people means showing, through our actions, the kind of people we strive to be.
TSA boss warns of airport shutdowns, but no deal yet on day 40 of Homeland Security funding fight
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration may have to shut down operations at some airports if the budget impasse drags on, the agency’s acting head said Wednesday, even as record wait time for travelers did little to end the standoff over the funding fight in Congress.
The TSA’s Ha Nguyen McNeill described the mounting hardships facing unpaid airport workers — piling up bills and eviction notices, even plasma donations to make ends meet — and warned that lawmakers must ensure “this never happens again.”
“This is a dire situation,” she testified at a House hearing, warning of potential airport closures. “At this point, we have to look at all options on the table. And that does require us to, at some point, make very difficult choices as to which airports we might try to keep open and which ones we might have to shut down as our callout rates increase.”
Yet on the 40th day of the standoff involving the Department of Homeland Security, there was no easy way out in sight. Neither Republican senators, who made the latest offer, nor Democrats, who countered by reiterating their demands for changes to President Donald Trump ‘s immigration enforcement operations, appeared closer to a compromise.
Trump, who initially appeared to have given his nod to the deal, has declined to lend it his full support or put his political weight behind making sure it is approved.
Top officials at agencies under the DHS umbrella spoke for more than three-hours before the House Homeland Security Committee about the potential risks of security lapses unless the partial government shutdown comes to an end.
A deal teeters on collapse
DHS has gone without routine funding since mid-February. Democrats are insisting on changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations after the killings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by federal officers during protests.
The latest GOP proposal would fund most of DHS except for the enforcement and removal operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that have been central to the debate. The plan would provide money for other aspects of ICE as well as Customs and Border Protection.
While the offer added some new restraints on immigration officers, including the use of body cameras, it excluded other policies that Democrats have demanded, such as requirements that federal agents wear identification and refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said they needed to see real changes. “We’ve been talking about ICE reforms from day one,” he said.
Republican leaders said Democrats are putting the country at risk.
“They know this is crazy,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
But conservative Republicans also panned the proposal, demanding full funding for immigration operations and skeptical of the promise from GOP leaders that they would address Trump’s proof-of-citizenship voting bill in a subsequent legislative package.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said late Wednesday that if Democrats put a “more realistic offer on the table, we’ll be back in business.”
Airport lines grow as TSA workers endure hardships
McNeill, the acting TSA administrator, told lawmakers that multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates and more than 480 transportation security officers have now quit during the shutdown.
She cited the growing financial strain on the TSA workforce.
“Some are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet, all while being expected to perform at the highest level when in uniform to protect the traveling public,” she said.
McNeil also said TSA officers working at the nation’s airports have experienced a more than 500% increase in the frequency of assaults since the shutdown began.
“This is unacceptable and it will not be tolerated,” McNeill said.
The top executive overseeing Houston’s airport said security lines that have travelers waiting four hours or more could get longer if the political impasse was not soon settled.
Lines that twist and turn across multiple floors at George Bush Intercontinental Airport have been the result of TSA only being able to staff one-third to one-half the usual number of checkpoint lines, said Jim Szczesniak, aviation director for Houston’s airport system.
Trump’s decision to send ICE agents to the airports risks inflaming the situation, lawmakers have said. Video footage of federal officers detaining a crying woman at San Francisco International Airport drew outrage Monday from local officials, although it was unrelated to Trump’s order to deploy immigration officers.
FEMA also at risk
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund is “rapidly depleting,” Victoria Barton, a FEMA external affairs official, told lawmakers.
FEMA is able to continue its disaster response and recovery work as long as that fund has money, and about 10,000 of its disaster workers continue being paid through it.