*The first Afrikaner refugees from South Africa arrived in Iowa this week. President Trump has claimed without evidence they faced “genocide” in South Africa. Many are white descendants of Dutch colonizers.
Renee Hardman is the President and CEO of Lutheran Services in Iowa. She says the organization helped one of two families who now call Iowa home.
“While there is, you know, lots of dismay about who's coming over, why they're coming over, how they came over, we get that. But the nonprofits that are resettlement agencies don't get to pick and choose refugee status. That is a decision that's made at the federal level,” Hardman said,
Hardman says the Afrikaners will require minimal assistance since they will live with other relatives already in Iowa. Her focus is on helping other refugees already here with housing, jobs, and English-language skills.
Officials with LSI also say they are concerned about the refugees from other countries who had been screened and vetted but had travel plans canceled when President Trump took office.
*Additionally, education advocates say proposed federal funding cuts would eliminate programs that help college students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Since the 1960s, TRIO programs in Iowa and across the nation have served first-generation and low-income students, as well as students with disabilities.
Morgan Bear, a member of the Meskwaki Nation, says TRIO helped her become the first in her family to graduate from college. She is now pursuing a doctorate in education at the University of Iowa.
“It really gives students a reason to feel that they belong at the college that they're attending and that they can really see through that degree,” Bear said.
A preliminary budget proposal from the Trump White House would cut the program from the U.S. Department of Education. Bear has advocated for TRIO programs in Washington, D.C., and hopes Congress continues to provide financial support.
Last fiscal year, TRIO programs received nearly $1.2 billion in funding and served over 880,000 students.
*The South Dakota Legislature wrapped its session in March, and Iowa lawmakers did the same on Thursday. Now, the Nebraska Legislature is slated to be in session through June 9, and lawmakers appear to have solved a way around a $432 million budget deficit.
The state senators gave final approval to the budget package for the next two years into 2027, despite criticism that it is unsustainable.
The budget plan includes what some state senators are calling sweeps, or short term tapping, of some state fund accounts that have positive balances.
One example of sweeping is using $1 million from a Nebraska Department of Education cash fund, which some senators noted is intended to hold down certification fees to help attract and retain teachers
Appropriations Committee Chairman Rob Clements defended both the cash sweeps and the budget as a whole.
“We have transferred money from cash funds that are still sustainable," Clements said.
"They have revenue coming in and expenses going out, but they've built up extra funds over the years, and we just took some of the excess…So I think for two years we're in good shape."
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has until midnight Wednesday, May 21, to issue any line item vetoes, which the Legislature could then attempt to override.
*Additionally, a former president of Wayne State College has died.
Curt Frye, who was president of the college from 2011 to 2015, died Tuesday, at age 77, at a hospital in Yankton.
Frye began his career at Wayne State College in 1985, and continued in several other roles, including two stints as interim president. Frye was a native of the state of Nebraska, and was the 12th president at Wayne State College.
*In other news, gas prices are dropping in Iowa, a trend that has moved into a second calendar month.
Self-service unleaded gas prices reported by AAA had been below $3 since late August 2024, until a surge of prices in mid-February. They fell over the next month, then another price surge took them above $3 again in late.
As shown in the latest weekly report, Iowa prices have dropped for six weeks in a row through the second week of May. Most weekly drops were a few cents, and the Iowa unleaded price has decreased by a combined 23 cents from April 2 to May 14.
The current average Iowa price of $2.90 per gallon is 35 cents lower than one year ago, and also below the national price of $3.18.
*A special community meeting will be held in Le Mars, Iowa, at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the city’s fire hall.
The mayor has started setting a series of quarterly meetings, in order for Le Mars residents to discuss any topics they want. Mayor Rob Bixenman sees that as a good format to hear key things on the minds of people.
