Capitol Notebook: Iowa police officers honored in memorial service

Two Iowa police officers who died in the line of duty last year were honored in a memorial ceremony on Friday.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens spoke at the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony to honor Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram and Des Moines Police Officer Phoukham Tran.

Their names were added to nearly 200 others at the Iowa Peace Officers' Memorial at the Iowa State Capitol.

"Today’s ceremony is an intentional act of remembrance," Bayens said. "It is a time designed to give pause. It is a time to put aside that which may divide us and focus on what unites us.

Reynolds and Bayens presented the families of the officers with folded flags to honor their service during the ceremony.

"Today we pause to honor the strength of character and sense of duty that drives our law enforcement officers through every shift," Reynolds said. "Public servants, who out of love for their community and state, put their lives on the line every day for each and every one of us."

  Buy Photo

Kevin Cram, an officer with the Algona Police Department, was fatally shot by a suspect while serving an arrest warrant on Sept. 13, 2023.

Cram had served on the department since 2015, the Department of Public Safety said. He is survived by his wife, Lara Cram, and three sons.

Phoukham Tran, a former officer with the Des Moines Police Department, died at MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines on Nov. 2, 2023, from injuries sustained 12 years earlier while on the job.

Tran was directing traffic outside the Iowa State Fair in 2011 when he was struck by a drunken driver, the department said. Through months of physical therapy, Tran had to relearn how to talk, walk and do other daily tasks.

He medically retired after the incident, after 30 years with the department. He is survived by his wife, Chalouaiphone Tran, two sons, six siblings, and grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Iowa to receive $107,000 in settlement with wireless companies

Iowa will receive $107,041 from a multistate settlement with several wireless companies, Attorney General Brenna Bird announced this week.

The lawsuit resulted in a $10.25 million settlement nationally after dozens of state attorneys general accused the phone companies of deceptive advertising practices.

The companies named in the lawsuit include AT&T, Cricket Wireless, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and TracFone Wireless.

“This settlement will hold phone companies accountable and ensure Iowans have the information they need to pick the best phone plan for themselves and their families," Bird said in a news release.

As part of the settlement, the companies will be required to do the following:

AG joins lawsuits challenging EPA fossil fuel rule

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined lawsuits with two dozen other Republican-led states challenging new Environmental Protection Agency rules over fossil fuels and coal-powered plants.

One lawsuit, led by West Virginia and Indiana, challenges a rule finalized by President Joe Biden's administration last month that will require certain new natural gas and existing coal plants to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent over the next eight years.

Another lawsuit, led by North Dakota and West Virginia, challenges a new EPA rule that requires coal plants to reduce their levels of air toxins.

Both lawsuits argue the agency overstepped its rule-making authority without an act of Congress.

“Biden’s attack on fossil fuels threatens the mass shutdown of electricity industries, such as coal and natural gas, kills jobs, and compromises our power grids to cause power outages," Bird said in a news release. "I’m suing to hold Biden to the law and ensure Iowans have affordable electricity that they can count on.”

Gazette-Lee Des Moines bureau