IOWA – United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal, Southern District of Iowa, announced Friday that Assistant United States Attorney Amy Licht will lead the efforts of her office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5th.  AUSA Licht has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer for the Southern District of Iowa, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington. Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. 

IOWA – Senator Chuck Grassley announced $97 million in federal funding will be awarded to Iowa railroads and manufacturers to replace outdated transportation infrastructure, construct new bridges and support Iowa’s locomotive industry. The U.S. Department of Transportation will administer the awards through its CRISI program.  Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway will receive $19,040,000 for railroad tie replacements along 56 miles of main line track from Cedar Rapids to Hills. Iowa Interstate Railroad, LLC will receive $29,883,200 for the design and construction of the Colfax and De Soto bridges in Iowa and Rock River and Atkinson bridges in Illinois. The new Colfax and De Soto bridges will support the rail shipment of large wind energy components. East Erie Commercial Rail will receive $48,412,512 for locomotive remanufacturing. The remanufactured diesel locomotives are made through sourcing components from facilities in Cedar Rapids and then reassembled in facilities in Albia, employing nearly 100 Iowans.