(Radio Iowa) – The number of Iowa casinos that float on a boat will soon be sinking. Iowa Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says plans were approved Thursday for the Casino Queen operation in Marquette to move to land. “So they’re proposing to invest 12 million dollars into a land based facility that would connect with their current barge area. They would add a sports book, a new restaurant,” he says.

The first gambling in the state was at horse and dog tracks, and then the Iowa Legislature approved casinos on riverboats in 1989. The regulations changed quit a bit through the years and the trend now has been for casinos to move to land. “With casino Queen moving gaming to their to a land-based area that will lead just Lakeside and Ameristar Casino (Council Bluffs) as the two remaining gaming licenses that still have casino gambling on on a boat,” he says.

Casinos in Davenport and Sioux City are some of the others to move the move to solid ground. Ohorilkoh says they have seen an immediate improvement in gaming revenue and attendance in operations that move from a boat to a land.  “The reasons for that are very simple — in that it typically on a land base facility –, there is more space to offer, not only additional gaming, but most importantly, additional non gaming amenities,” Ohorilko says.

The Racing and Gaming Commission also approved a 31 million-dollar remodeling plan for Harvey’s in Council Bluffs that he says will include several upgrades. “A new Celebrity Chef Restaurant, a Guy Fierie restaurant, renovation of all of their hotel rooms, some additional space for gaming, just to allow for a more comfortable experience for those guests,” he says.

And the Commission approved phase one of a multi-million dollar renovation plan for the Q Casino in Dubuque. Ohorilko says the upgrades are needed in part due to new competition from others states. He says Harvey’s is a good example of that. “Nebraska has gaming, we’re starting to see some construction there, particularly in the Omaha market. And so, it’s really important for those Iowa facilities to put their best foot forward,” Ohorilko says.

He says the non-gaming amenities have become an important part of the casinos widening their draw and competing with other states.

(Corning, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Adams County have released a report on arrests taking place from January 6, 2023 through the 25th. On Wednesday (1/25), Deputies arrested 67-year-old Jeff Mendenhall, of Corning, for Driving While Revoked, and Failure to have an ignition interlock device. He was being held in the Adams County Jail on $1,300 bond. On Sunday, Deputies responded to a report of a man threatening people at the Cenex gas station, in Corning. Upon further investigation, Denny Moore, of Corning, was arrested for Public Intoxication. He was released from the scene with a summons to appear in court.

A traffic stop last Saturday (1/21) in Adams County, resulted in the arrest of 58-year-old Robbie Allen Dohrn, of Creston, for Driving While Suspended. There were two arrests on the 18th: Deputies responding to a burglary call in the 1200 block of Corning Carl Road arrested 26-year-old Andrew Malloy, of Council Bluffs, for Burglary in the 3rd Degree and Interference with official acts. The Sheriff’s Department was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol and Adams County EMA; and, Adams County Deputies arrested Joey Donald Shires, of Corning, on the 18th of January. Shires was arrested for Simple Assault in connection with an incident that occurred January 15th.

There were two arrests January 17th, in Adams County: 38-year-old Kimberly Bloom was arrested in Corning for Domestic Abuse Assault, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense (marijuana), and Interference with Official Acts. She was being held without bond in the Adams County Jail; And, 62-year-old Marvin Baker and 57-year-old Kathleen Baker, were arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Both were being held without bond in the Adams County Jail.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports 29-year-old Joshua Ghale, of Greenfield,was arrested Jan. 16th, for OWI/1st offense, Driving While Revoked, and Failure to have SR-22 Insurance. His bond was set at $2,000. On the 14th, 54-year-old Ronnie Lee Fuller, of Clarinda, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense and Driving Under Suspension. His bond was set at $2,300. Separately, James Alfredo Sanchez III, and Alexis Emerald Rain Sanchez, were arrested on charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance (marijuana), PCS with the Intent to Deliver (marijuana), Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp, Child Endangerment, and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. They were being held on $13,300 bond.

33-year-old Katherine Coleman, of Corning, was arrested Jan. 8th, for Burglary/2nd Degree, Harassment/1st Degree, Criminal Mischief/3rd Degree, Trespassing, Assault w/intent to inflict serious injury, and Assault on a Peace Office. Her bond was set at $21,300. And, on Jan. 6th, Deputies in Adams County responded at around 10:50-p.m. to a vehicle in the ditch at 190th & Quince, in Prescott. Upon further investigation, 20-year-old Cody Robertson, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, PCS/Marijuana – 1st offense, Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia, and for being a Minor in Possession of Alcohol. His cash bond was set at $2,300.

(Radio Iowa) – Three lawmakers have given the green light to a bill that would limit the length of trains passing through Iowa, but all three say it could get stopped in a House committee. The bill would make it illegal for trains to be more than one-point-six miles long. That would be up to 130 rail cars according to Chris Smith of Tama, a Union Pacific conductor and engineer. He’s a local leader in the SMART T-D union that represents railroad workers.

“Currently, there is no legislation that restricts the length of trains,” Evans says. “Right now they’re operating up to 15,000 feet, which is three miles. Infrastructure in this state was never designed to handle that…It blocks crossings in towns for extended periods of time.”

Mike Triplett, a lobbyist for Union Pacific, says train traffic is regulated by the federal government because it’s interstate commerce — and the proposed eight-thousand-500 feet limit on trains running through Iowa is unconstitutional. “If this bill were to pass and Nebraska says I’d like to do one better and we’re going to go 8000 and then Illinois goes 6000, the supply chain gets wrecked,” Triplett says.

Brad Epperly, a lobbyist for B-N-S-F Rail, says states can’t preempt federal law when it comes to regulating trains.  “It would be something along the lines of nullification,” Epperly says, “and that was decided by the Civil War.” Republican Representative Brent Siegrist of Council Bluffs has some concerns about the bill, but voted in subcommittee to keep it alive for further debate. “I’ve been stuck like we all have at rail crossings,” Siegrist says.

He said “Once it gets to 100 cars..” he starts getting irritated. Republican Representative Tom Determann of Camanche says lawmakers need to gather more information before taking action on the bill.

“We have some problem in eastern Iowa with the CP/KCS thing and especially so I’m inclined to take it to committee for more discussion,” he said. The merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads is expected to increase train traffic between Sabula, Iowa and Kansas City according to the Iowa D-O-T.

(Radio Iowa) – Relatives of Alexander Jackson reacted after he was found guilty by a Linn County jury Wednesday of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents and sister. The jury didn’t believe Jackson’s claim that an intruder killed his dad Jan, mom Melissa, and sister Sabrina. Jackson’s cousin, Danielle Jackson-Parsons, didn’t either and spoke with KCRG TV after the verdict.

”Alex wanted everyone to think that he was a victim in this case and we’re very glad today that that was proven to not be true,” she said. She says the pain of the family’s loss will never go away.

Relatives say they will not forget slain Cedar Rapids family

”We just want everyone to know that Jan, Melissa, and Sabrina were incredibly loved, and they have a family who loves them and a family that will keep them in our hearts,” Jackson-Parsons said.  Alexander Jackson’s defense attorney, Tyler Johston, tells KCRG TV the defense team believes he didn’t do it, and they plan to appeal.

”Alex is 22 years of age and is going to spend the rest of his life in prison for a crime that he didn’t commit,” Johnston said. “We’re just very sorry for Alex, I feel very bad for him and hopefully we’ll prevail on appeal.” They have 45 days to appeal. Jackson will be sentenced on March 3rd to a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would let Iowans pay extra for a license plate that bears the message “don’t tread on me” has cleared a Senate subcommittee. If the bill becomes law, a specialty Iowa license plate in the image of the yellow Gadsden Flag would be created, with a three inch tall coiled rattlesnake on the left side of the plate and the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me” along the bottom.

Republican Senator Scott Webster of Bettendorf said he voted to advance the bill out of a subcommittee to continue discussing the proposal. “I have a lot of veterans in my district that I think may be supportive of this,” Webster said.

Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, opposed the bill. “I do want to emphasize there’s no disrespect in my comments, but it has become a different symbol,” Bisignano said. “It’s become an extreme right symbol, an aggressive symbol, a challenging symbol.” Senator Mike Klimesh, a Republican from Spillville, said he’s not sure whether the bill will get approved in the Senate Transportation Committee, but it’s now eligible for debate there.

Missouri has a license plate similar to what is being proposed in Iowa. (photo from Missouri DMV website)

About a dozen states sell Gadsden Flag specialty license plates, including Missouri and Kansas. The Gadsden Flag design dates back to the Revolutionary War. More recently, Libertarians have used the flag as a symbol of limited government. It was flown at tea party protests against President Obama’s health care law and it was among many banners carried into the U.S. Capitol during rioting two years ago on January 6th.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has been called in to review the death of a child from Emmetsburg.

The DCI says Emmetsburg Police received a 911 call on January 19th about an unresponsive child. Police and EMT’s performed life-saving measures before transporting the child to the Palo Alto County Hospital.

The child was then transferred to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, where it died on January 24th. The DCI was called in after an autopsy was conducted the next day by the State Medical Examiner. No other details on the investigation are being released at this time.

Officials with the Glenwood (IA) Police Department report the arrest on Wednesday (1/25/23), of 22-year-old Desean McVay, of Glenwood. McVay was arrested on a Mills County Warrant. He posted a $2,000 bond and was released from custody.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by the staff and board members of New Hope on Thursday, January 26th, 2023, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Bargain Shoppe location in Atlantic.

New Hope originally began in 1978 with a group of parents that had children with disabilities getting services from organizations throughout the state. The parents decided to open a thrift shop in Carroll to raise money to purchase land that would eventually become a campus for their children to receive the care they needed while being close to home.

Today, New Hope has five Bargain Shoppes in Carroll, Coon Rapids, Perry, Jefferson, and Atlantic. The organization has evolved beyond thrift stores, and now offers day programs and services, residential services, home support, employment services, and are working to add childcare to the long list of services. 100% of the proceeds from the donations and purchases at the New Hope Bargain Shoppe help support New Hope’s mission of enriching the lives of individuals with disabilities.

(Photo submitted)

The Atlantic store is located in the Hy-Vee Plaza in the building previously known as the Salvation Army. New Hope is open to shoppers on Tuesday-Friday 10AM-7PM and Saturday & Sunday 10AM-5PM. Donation items are accepted Monday – Friday 10AM-5PM and Saturday & Sunday 10AM-4PM.

New Hope Bargain Shoppe is located at 1600 E 7th Street in Atlantic. Their number is 712-250-8310.

For more information about the services New Hope provides, how to get involved, or to donate, visit http://www.newhopevillage.org.

(Radio Iowa) – Pro football fans in Iowa who’d like to see the Super Bowl in person in Arizona next month need to roll up their sleeves and donate blood. Josh Murray, spokesman for the American Red Cross in Iowa, says a special promotion between the agency and the N-F-L runs through the end of January — that’s next Tuesday.  “Anyone who comes to give blood, you’ll be entered into a chance to win two tickets to the Super Bowl,” Murray says. “We also will take care of your airfare, hotel accommodations for three nights, and we’re also going to give you a gift card for $500 for other expenses that you might have while you’re there.”

One in seven patients who go to a hospital need a blood transfusion, but only three-percent of Americans give blood. If you’ve never donated a pint before, Murray says it’s an easy procedure — and it’s vital to saving lives. “The whole donation process from door-to-door is going to be about 45 minutes, but the donation itself takes less than 10 minutes,” Murray says. “We have to ask some questions and check your blood pressure, things like that, before we get you situated. The donation will be quick, then we’ll get you some snacks and get you on your way.”

Wintertime is the slowest time of the year for blood donors, so Murray says they’ve tried to make it as simple as possible to sign up to give. “It’s really easy. You can go 1-800 Red Cross or you can visit RedCrossBlood.org,” Murray says. “Both those places will ask for your ZIP code, you put that in and it’ll come up with all the opportunities to give over the next several weeks in your area. You find one that works for you or your location and you’re able to make an appointment right there.”

The Super Bowl is scheduled for February 12th.

DES MOINES – Governor Reynolds today (Thursday) announced that 23 communities have been awarded a total of $9 million in grants to advance water quality projects. Among those communities is Farragut, Harlan, Mondamin, Shenandoah and Treynor. (See a link to the complete list at the bottom of this report) The funding is made available through the Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Financial Assistance Program, which was created as a part of Senate File 512, the first legislation signed into law by Governor Reynolds in January 2018.

The 2022 program received 60 applications requesting more than $24 million in water quality grants. A committee consisting of designees from the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship judged the Wastewater and Drinking Water Financial Assistance Program applications based on the program’s priorities.

Priorities for grant awards include: Disadvantaged communities; Projects that will significantly improve water quality in their watershed; Projects that use alternative wastewater treatment technologies; Communities with the highest sewer or water rates; Projects that use technology to address nutrient reduction; and projects to address improvements to drinking water source waters.

The program receives a portion of the tax on metered water and had more than $9 million available for allocation in 2022. Grants will be awarded through the program on an annual basis through 2039. The Wastewater program has assisted a total of more than 50 communities through a total of nearly $18 million in water quality grants since the first awards were granted in 2019. The program is expected to have approximately $6 million in available funds in 2023 based on the portion of tax that will be allocated to the program.

The award list is available HERE.