(Denison, Iowa) – Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today (Monday) released additional information with regard to a helicopter crash that occurred Sunday morning, in Crawford County. The report says a Bell 206 helicopter was conducting an “aerial application” (Crop dusting a corn field ) at around 6:18-a.m. CT, Sunday, when the Aircraft struck a power line and crashed into a dry creek bed” near Denison.

The pilot – whose name was not released – was extricated from the helicopter by mechanical means. The individual and sole occupant of the aircraft,  suffered serious injuries and was flown by Life Flight helicopter to an Omaha hospital.

(Radio Iowa) – A new flight school in Sioux City is just weeks away from starting operations. The former commander of the 185th Air National Guard, retired Colonel Brian Miller will serve as director of aviation for Morningside College, which is partnering with Sioux City, Oracle Aviation, The Siouxland Initiative and Western Iowa Tech. A new 40-thousand square foot building will house the flight school at the Sioux City Airport.

“As part of that facility Morningside University will occupy some of that space and that will be the home of the flight school so we’ll have a combination of on campus classes and down at the airport,” he says. Miller says they have around 15 students signed up for the first class even though they haven’t done any promotion of the program yet. He says they plan to get students up in the air in their first semester, and having the facility at the airport is an added advantage for the students.

“These pilots on day one are going to be down at this new facility and learning to fly interacting with corporate pilots. You know, commercial pilots, air ambulance pilots,” Miller says. “So these students literally right when they get to campus are going to be learning in the very environment they’re going to work in.” Miller says they expect to get the students up in the air in the first semester. He says the area has been lacking in a facility to train graduating high school students and college undergrads in aviation careers.

Oracle rendition of new flight-school.

“That’s one of the main things we’re trying to do is to let everyone know here in the upper Midwest that we now have a world class training program to produce commercial pilots right here in Sioux City, Iowa,” Miller says. Private pilots will teach the courses, and students will get 400 or so hours of flying time while in the program.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department reports four arrests over the past few days. On Sunday, 31-year-old Alejandro Torres, of Horizon City, TX, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault and Disorderly Conduct. There were two arrests Friday, in Atlantic. 27-year-old Megan Magers, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Gathering where controlled substances are used. And, 33-year-old Brett Pryor, of Atlantic, was arrested for Violation of Probation.

On Thursday, 58-year-old Mark Butler, of Kansas City, MO., was arrested in Atlantic for Forgery.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater says there were five arrests during the past week. At around 10:55-p.m. Saturday, 29-year-old Jordanne Rae Beardsley, of Fontanelle, was arrested for Driving While Barred. She was released the following day on a $2,000 bond (Cash or surety). Friday night, Adair County deputies arrested 34-year-old Alejandro Rivas De Armas, of Greenfield, on an Adair County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana-1st offense.  He was released Sunday on a $1,000 bond (C/S).

Thursday night, Adair County Deputies arrested 41-year-old Thomas J. Lovell, of  Creston,at the Greenfield True Value Store. He was arrested on a Colorado warrant for being a Fugitive From Justice, on the charges of Felony Menacing/simulated weapon (two-counts), and additional charges of Assault causing injury, and Child Abuse without Injury. Lovell remains held without bond in the Adair County, pending extradition to Colorado.

On July 23rd, at around 8:15-p.m., Police in Adair arrested 32-year-old Dillon Jonathan Blazina, of Waukee, for OWI/2nd offense. He was released that same evening, on a $2,000 bond. And, 44-year-old Ryan James Cook, of Anita, was arrested July 23rd in Adair, on charges of Criminal Mischief in the 3rd and 5th Degrees, and on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $7,000 altogether. Cook remains in the Adair County Jail.

(Ames, Iowa) –  The Iowa Department of Transportation is seeking the public’s input, with regard to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA’s) Long Distance Passenger Rail Service Study. Section 22214 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) of 2021 tasks the FRA, with conducting an Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study to evaluate the restoration of daily intercity passenger rail service and the potential for new Amtrak long-distance routes. Now is the time to provide feedback on what passenger rail long distance routes could be developed and considered for future development.

Any comments can be submitted via the project email address, contactus@fralongdistancerailstudy.org or online form on the study’s website.

By statutory definition of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, a long distance route is service over 750 miles at endpoints that Amtrak operates. Please consider the endpoints could be located in adjacent states or even multiple states away. Under BIL, the FRA is required to conduct a study to evaluate the restoration of daily intercity rail passenger service along:

• any Amtrak long-distance routes that were discontinued; and
• any Amtrak long-distance routes that occur on a non-daily basis.
• In evaluating intercity passenger rail routes, FRA may evaluate potential new      Amtrak long-distance routes, including with specific attention provided to routes in service as of April 1971 but not continued by Amtrak, taking into consideration whether those new routes would:

o   link and serve large and small communities as part of a regional rail network;
o   advance the economic and social well-being of rural areas of the United States;
o   provide enhanced connectivity for the national long-distance passenger rail system; and
o   reflect public engagement and local and regional support for restored passenger rail service.

The FRA Long-Distance Service Study has developed working groups and will continue to meet around the country to explore all the feedback received, as well as any additional comments submitted via the project email or website links above.

As of mid-March, more than 1,000 comments on potential routes and cities for further study from working group meetings. The study team is currently reviewing and cataloging those comments to help inform the future phases of the study. We want to ensure that every comment is consider so please continue to provide comments with routes regardless if it may already have been suggested. Additional information on the study, meeting schedules, history of passenger rail, and other project details can be found at the study’s website: https://fralongdistancerailstudy.org.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says there were three arrests over the weekend. Late Saturday night, 32-year-old James Michael Rodridguez-Roncka, of Omaha, NE., was arrested following a traffic stop on Interstate 29. He was arrested on a Fremont County warrant for Failure to Appear (FTA). Bond was set at $1,000.

Saturday afternoon, Mills County Deputies arrested 28-year-old Creighton Paul Catlett, of Glenwood, on a warrant for FTA. He was taken into custody at the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, and held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

And, at around 11:36-p.m., Saturday, 27-year-old Tyler William Kennedy, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in the vicinity of 380th Street and Highway 34 in Mills County. He was charged with Driving Under Suspension, with bond set at $300.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says she’s involved in developing legal strategy as her office prepares to ask the Iowa Supreme Court to let the state’s new Fetal Heartbeat Act take effect. “I’ve got a team member that’s working hard on that,” Bird says, “but I’m very involved in that case.” Bird says there have been big changes in the legal landscape since the U-S Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade last year. “We will be arguing to uphold the heartbeat law in Iowa’s Supreme Court in light of that new case law,” Bird says.

Attorneys from outside groups represented the state when Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union successfully blocked a similar 2018 law from taking effect. The previous Attorney General, Democrat Tom Miller, declined to defend the law in court. Bird, a Republican, defeated Miller in last year’s election. “This time around I am defending Iowa’s laws in court,” Bird said. “I am defending Iowa’s heartbeat law in court as well.”

Governor Reynolds asked the Republican-led legislature to meet earlier this month and pass a bill that bans most abortions when cardiac activity can be detected, typically around the sixth week of a pregnancy. The move came soon after a three-to-three vote among the Iowa Supreme Court justices over whether to lift an injunction that had prevented the 2018 law from taking effect.  “They didn’t actually reach any kind of decision,” Bird says. “…There were some very different procedural issues at issue there.”

Bird, a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, made her comment during a weekend appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.