*After immigration enforcement officials conducted a raid at a meatpacking plant in Omaha, some Iowa farmers are wondering how to protect their employees without legal status in the U.S.
Joe Henry is the state director for the League of United Latin American Citizens in Iowa.
At a virtual event hosted by the Iowa Farmers Union, Henry said over 40 percent of Iowa’s farm workers are people without legal status. He said there have not been any major immigration enforcement operations in Iowa so far.
“What we’ve seen here is that when people are pulled over for a traffic violation or infraction or maybe going into a federal courthouse, they may get arrested by ICE and then taken to jail. That has happened ever so often in the state," Henry said.
Henry says farmers should ask ICE agents to show them a written warrant signed by a judge if they show up.
*Another busy weekend in the Okoboji tourist area is about to begin. It is possible that some of the high traffic areas could have paid parking spots in the future.
As first reported by Explore Okoboji News, the Arnolds Park City Council members on Wednesday began discussing the possibility of paid parking in a few spots that are routinely packed on summer weekends. Those include the greenspace where concerts are held and Arnolds Park Amusement Park.
Councilman Mitch Watters said the city spends money to rework parking lots that get heavily used, so paid parking would be a way to recoup those expenses.
Also at the meeting, Jon Pausley, the CEO of Arnolds Park Amusement Park, said park officials could support the move to paid parking.
Pausley said it would be important for the amusement park and city officials to begin paid parking at the same time, because if only one entity did that, then drivers would flock to the other option without paid parking.
One option aired was the possibility of $5 for a full day of parking, or higher amounts on days with premium music acts at the greenspace.
*In other news, a federal judge says Job Corps locations across the country can stay open while a lawsuit moves through court.
In May, the U.S. Department of Labor planned to pause operations at the end of June. However, plaintiffs argue that Congress has already approved funding through next June.
There are two locations in Iowa, with one 80 miles from Sioux City in Denison, and also in Ottumwa.
Iowa lawmaker Hans Wilz is part of a task force working to keep a campus in Ottumwa open.
“It's a nice reprieve, but it's not the solution,” Wilz said of the latest legal step.
Wilz says Job Corps in Ottumwa is a success and should be a model for other programs, for how it helps low-income students between the ages of 16-to-24.
*Iowa State auditor Rob Sand kicked off his 100 town hall tour Wednesday in Waukee. The tour is part of Sand’s campaign for governor in 2026.
Attendees brought up issues like agricultural pollution, property taxes and the state’s voucher style Education Savings Account program for students who attend private schools.
Sand, a Democrat, said as governor he would work on improving the state’s mental health system. He says increasing reimbursement rates for medical providers would be a step in the right direction.
“Our reimbursement rates in the state of Iowa for people who provide medical services are abysmal. A lot of people do what it makes sense to do, which is go work somewhere else where you get paid more. If we want to have good mental health services in the state of Iowa, we kind of make sure that we're paying people competitive rates,” Sand said.
The Iowa governor position is open in 2026, as Republican governor Kim Reynolds is not seeking re-election. Many candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties have launched campaigns.
*The Sioux City Public Schools Foundation is sponsoring a prom for the class of 2020 this Saturday.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic that spring caused some school districts to cancel proms, and the Sioux City district was among them.
Prom is for graduates from all three public high schools, and 250 graduates so far have purchased tickets to attend the event. The event is called Rewrite the Night, which will have the band Decoy, a photo booth, and dancing.
The event will be held at the Anthem at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, starting at 7:00 p.m.
