It appears that Sioux City Democrat J.D. Scholten will run for the U.S. Senate seat in Iowa that will be before voters in 2026.
The Sioux City Journal reported midday Monday that Scholten will become a candidate for the seat currently held by Republican Joni Ernst. Scholten told Siouxland Public Media News that he will issue a decision about 5:30 p.m.
Scholten is currently in his third year as a representative in the Iowa House. He twice unsuccessfully sought the Iowa Fourth Congressional District position, losing closely in 2018 to Congressman Steve King.
Ernst is running for a third term in the Senate.
There is one other Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, as a few weeks ago Nathan Sage of Indianola said he will compete for the Democratic nomination. Sage held a campaign event in Sioux City on Sunday.
Sage is the executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce. He is a veteran who was deployed to Iraq three times while serving in the Marines and in the Army.
Ernst also could face multiple challengers in the Republican primary, including former state Senator Jim Carlin, of Sioux City.
*Iowa’s Department of Agriculture and Travel Iowa have launched a mobile passport to encourage people to visit farms, shops with locally-sourced products, and farm-to-table restaurants.
The Choose Iowa Passport is aimed at connecting visitors to agritourism experiences and supporting local farmers and businesses.
Users can check in at participating locations on their smartphones to earn points, which can be redeemed for prizes.
Choose Iowa is the state’s marketing program for food, beverages and ag products grown, raised or made in the state. The program includes more than 250 entities.
Travel Iowa offers passports for other attractions, including breweries, state parks and scenic byways.
*Provisional numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control in May showed that drug overdose deaths dropped in Iowa last year.
The CDC found nationally drug overdose deaths dropped 27 percent last year. But in Iowa, they decreased just 7 percent.
Andrea Weber is the assistant director of the University of Iowa Addiction and Recovery Collaborative. Weber said fewer opioid overdoses are driving these numbers, but added that Iowa hasn’t seen a decrease as drastic as other states because it still has a lot of laws and policies that make it harder for people to get help.
Weber says she’d also like to see the opioid-reversal drug naloxone more widely available across the state. She says its increased use in the community has been a major contributor to the decrease in deaths nationally.
*Nebraska has seen a steady increase in calls to 988, a number that connects people to counselors who can provide crisis support for mental health concerns, substance abuse disorders, loneliness and more.
In fiscal year 2023, there were about 19,000 calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline from Nebraskans. In 2024, more than 23,000 Nebraskans called in.
There have been around 20,000 calls in the current fiscal year, representing a 14 percent increase in monthly calls compared to last year.
Dr. Thomas Janousek is the Director of the state’s Behavioral Health Division. He said the increase in calls doesn't necessarily indicate more mental health issues, it could be people becoming more knowledgeable about the crisis line as a place to contact.
