SPM News

021820 304 Officials at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha say they have received 13 people from a cruise ship in Japan where coronavirus has spread. The people are part of a larger group of American citizens brought back to the U.S. The executive director of the Global Center for Health Security at the medical center, says Monday that 12 of the people are in quarantine. They currently have no symptoms of the coronavirus. One man is in a bio-containment unit to receive a higher

An official says results from new tests for the Coronavirus on 13 people evacuated to an Omaha hospital from a cruise ship in Japan await confirmation from federal experts. Officials with Nebraska Medicine says results aren't expected for several days. The 13 were part of a larger group of American citizens who'd arrived back in the U.S. Monday. One of the 13 was placed in a biocontainment unit at Nebraska Medical Center to receive a higher level of care because he had a cough and other symptoms

021720 404 Today, Gov. Reynolds announced the appointment of Scott Marler to serve as Director at the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT). His appointment is effective today. Marler says he is looking forward to serving the citizens of Iowa. Interim Director Stuart Anderson will return to his role as Director of the Planning, Programming, & Modal Division. In December, Governor Reynolds asked the current DOT director Mark Lowe to resign. Reynolds said she “decided to seek a change in

021720 304 A proposal to legalize syringe exchange programs in Iowa has bipartisan support, but it’s unlikely to pass for the third year in a row as it fails to get traction with Republican leadership. Sarah Ziegenhorn (zig-in-horn) is the executive director of the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition, which has been lobbying for syringe exchange legalization. “That means for every year this bill does not pass, that is another several million dollars that our state Medicaid program will spend. That is

It’s funnel week for the Iowa Legislature. The end of the week is the deadline for bills to clear legislative committees in the Hour or Senate. Some of the proposals include strengthening the laws concerning sex crimes in the state. South Dakota lawmakers say they are turning their focus to the state budget, though Republicans and Democrats have laid out different visions of how to use that money. Legislators have settled on revenue projections that are $19 million more than Gov. Kristi Noem's

021420 504 The National Weather Service says there's an elevated flood risk along the eastern Missouri River basin this spring. That's because the soil remains wet and significant snow is on the ground in North Dakota and South Dakota. Communities along the lower Missouri River already were bracing for the prospect of more flooding this spring because many of their levees remain in poor shape after last year’s massive flooding. Nearly everywhere that flooded last year in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas,

The National Weather Service has released the first of its three spring flood forecasts. David Pearson is a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Omaha. He says the outlook is “grim” for western Iowans who live along the Missouri River below Sioux City. The soil in the Missouri River basin is saturated. Pearson says for the second year in a row, the risk of major flooding along the Mississippi River on the eastern side of Iowa is high. A National Weather Service Hydrologist says there

021420 304 Iowa Democratic Party officials say they are hiring two high-profile lawyers to investigate the factors leading to a meltdown in the state's lead-off presidential caucuses and how the party responded. The party's State Central Committee voted last night to spend up to $50,000 to retain Nick Klinefeldt, a former U.S. attorney, and Bonnie Campbell, a former Iowa attorney general. The Des Moines Register reports that officials hope the review will be completed within 45 days. The party

021420 noon Iowa Democratic Party officials have agreed to hire two high-profile lawyers to investigate the factors leading to a meltdown in the state's lead-off presidential caucuses and how the party responded. The party's State Central Committee voted last night to spend up to $50,000 to retain Nick Klinefeldt, a former U.S. attorney, and Bonnie Campbell, a former Iowa attorney general. The Des Moines Register reports that officials hope the review will be completed within 45 days. The party

021320 504 State Representative Mark Smith of Marshalltown is the first candidate to announce he’s running to be the next chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party. Current chair Troy Price announced his resignation yesterday, after more than a week of confusion about the process and results of the Iowa caucuses. Smith announced in September he would not seek reelection to a tenth term in the Iowa House. Smith served as Democratic Leader for five and a half years, leading the effort to recruit and