Sheriff’s officials in Union County say a Madison County man was arrested Wednesday night at the Union County Jail. 31-year old Joshua James Koder, Winterset, was arrested on a Department of Corrections warrant for probation violation. Koder was being held in the Union County Jail without bond until he appears before the Magistrate.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says she was aware of the landing of the gyrocopter on the west lawn of the U-S Capitol Wednesday. “This was just a very, very odd situation,” Ernst says, “and so we were tracking it of course. We were moving about the capitol throughout the day.” Ernst says she did not feel that she was in any danger. “It was very unfortunate and it does raise some different issues on security, which I think the capitol police did do a good job of handling this situation. But again, we have lots of visitors who come to the capitol every day. We have our lawmakers busy at work, we have a number of administrative workers who come to the capitol, and we must make sure that they are secure,” Ernst says.

A 61-year-old postal worker from Florida piloted the gyrocopter onto the capitol lawn in what he says was a way to draw attention to campaign finance corruption.  “I think that could have been done in a much better forum. I am anxious to see what the fallout is with the actions he took,” Ernst says. She says the man’s ability to fly through protected airspace raises some questions that she hopes will be answered in the follow up.

“I know that the capitol police are going to be doing after-action reviews on this incident — and again I will have to wait and see what their response to the situation is — but that does give me concern,” according to Ernst. The Republican from Red Oak has just finished her first 100 days as a U-S Senator.

(Radio Iowa)

A southwest Iowa man was arrested on kidnapping and other charges, following an incident that occurred Wednesday evening in Page County. Authorities say 26-year old Shaun Michael Savala, of New Market, faces charges that include 2nd Degree Kidnapping, 1st Degree Harassment, and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.

Shaun Michael Savala. (Photo courtesy Page County Sheriff’s Office)

His arrest followed a report to authorities that Lacey Malson, of Page County, was being held against her will in a vehicle driven by Savala. A knife was allegedly used during the incident. Malson was later found safe in Clarinda.

Savala was located and taken into custody without incident in Taylor County, with assistance from the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office. He was being held in the Page County Jail on $25,000 cash bond.

Clarinda Police and the Iowa State Patrol also assisted Page County authorities in handling the incident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Legislature has passed a bill that would expunge the records of people with not-guilty verdicts and dismissed criminal charges. The Senate voted 42-0 Thursday for the bill. The chamber already had approved the bill but had to vote again after the House made changes, including adding a 180-day waiting period for the records to be expunged. The House approved its version 96-0 Tuesday.

Current law allows such information to remain on a person’s records indefinitely. Supporters say the bill would help people applying for a job or renting a home, since those actions often require some type of background check. The bill now heads to Gov. Terry Branstad. A spokesman says the governor will review the bill.

Whether you need to find immediate shelter in a flash flood, you need to know what to do in an earthquake or you want to learn how to give a dog C-P-R, a new all-encompassing emergency smart phone app is available. Kara Kelly, spokeswoman for the Iowa office of the American Red Cross, says the free application aims to answer just about every possible question you’d have about urgent situations, from fires to first aid.

“The great thing about this app is it really is an all-in-one emergency app,” Kelly says. “It has preparedness information, weather alerts, safety tips for 14 different emergencies. It’s really a great tool to have on your phone.” Life-saving information is just a few taps away on your mobile device with the app, which Kelly says is designed so you can familiarize and prepare yourself ahead of time for a host of emergencies, or to use during the real thing. It also lets users customize more than 35 emergency alerts so they will know what to do no matter where they live or travel.

“If you have a smart phone or a tablet, this is a really easy thing you can set up for yourself,” Kelly says. “What’s really cool about this app is you can actually monitor your friends and family members who maybe don’t live by you. You can set up alerts and there’s a ‘family safe’ feature so you can keep track of folks in your family who don’t live nearby.” The Red Cross has released several apps in recent years and Kelly says this new one can replace them all.

“The emergency app is free for Android and Apple devices, either on iTunes or the Google Play store,” she says. “You don’t necessarily need to get rid of all the other Red Cross apps if you have them, but this certainly could free up some room on your phone as it truly is all-in-one.” There’s also a “Make a Plan” feature to help families plan what to do and where to go if a disaster strikes. Learn more at: redcross.org/apps

(Radio Iowa)

Both lanes of Interstate 80 westbound in Cass County were closed for several hours this (Thursday) morning, following a fiery, semi tractor-trailer accident. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Freightliner semi driven by 31-year old Fernando Hernandez, of Montebello, CA., was westbound on I-80 near the Wiota turn off (exit 64), when the left front tire on the tractor blew out, causing the semi to go out of control. The accident happened just after 3:30-a.m.

All photos courtesy Richter and Sons Towing.

When the rig hit a concrete bridge barrier, the semi exploded into flames that destroyed both the tractor and trailer. Anita Fire and Rescue and Wiota Fire responded to the scene. The State Patrol was also assisted by deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

Hernandez, and a passenger in the cab were not injured. Both lanes of traffic were officially re-opened as of 8:30-a.m. today (Thursday). Traffic caught between the 64-and 70-mile markers waited for about 3 1/2 hours until it was allowed to proceed slowly in the left lane through the scene. The remaining flow of traffic was re-routed off I-80 at exit 70, south to Anita, west to Wiota, and back north to I-80, around the crash scene. The Exit 64 exit ramp westbound is currently, temporarily closed.