(Radio Iowa) – U-S Senate leaders are calling for three briefings on artificial intelligence this summer — including one briefing that’s classified — and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s told his scheduler to put him down for all three briefings. Grassley says he’s “concerned” about A-I and all of the applications it may have, including its uses in the military and how America’s adversaries may be using it.

“I read about it and it’s really mind-boggling to me,” Grassley says. “I hear that it can be very dangerous and that’s something to take into consideration.” Grassley, a Republican, says he wants to educate himself further on the topic of A-I, learning about its benefits and risks. A-I is working its way into all sorts of industries, from communications to education to manufacturing, and some critics fear it will end up eliminating a significant number of jobs.

“It’s kind of hard for me to buy into that argument,” Grassley says, “because I find a lot of changes in manufacturing and new equipment, new appliances, that I think the advancement of technology actually enhances job creation.” Grassley says he can fall back on the old story about buggy whip manufacturers bemoaning the development of automobiles, and he notes that revolutions in technology often bring accompanying advances in our quality of life.

“You always heard about robots going into factories and losing jobs,” Grassley says, “but you find out that, yeah, a job is lost at a factory if they have a robot, but there’s a lot of jobs created in making the robot and doing research and all that area.” In a letter calling for the briefings, Senate leaders say they need to “deepen our expertise in this pressing topic,” adding that “A-I is already changing our world, and…will have a profound impact on everything from our national security to our classrooms to our workforce, including potentially significant job displacement.”

DES MOINES, IOWA – On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, James Hughes, age 73, was arrested at his residence in Cresco, Iowa, by officers with the Cresco Police Department and agents with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) on several warrants related to a historical sex abuse investigation.  The arrest was a result of a joint investigation involving the Cresco Police Department, DCI, Howard County Attorney’s Office, and the Office of the Attorney General of Iowa, Statewide Prosecutions Section.

On March 18, 2021, a report was filed with the Cresco Police Department regarding historical sexual abuse that had occurred between Hughes and a juvenile Boy Scout troop member over the course of several years.  After this initial report, the Cresco Police Department requested the Iowa DCI to assist in the investigation.  During the investigation, agents learned of several other instances of historical sexual abuse involving Hughes and other juvenile Boy Scouts who had been in his troop.

James Hughes (booking photo)

Some of those instances spanned more than a decade. As the investigation progressed, the Howard County Attorney’s Office requested that the Office of the Attorney General of Iowa assist with the investigation and prosecution.

As a result of the investigation, Hughes was charged with four counts of Sexual Abuse in the third degree (Class C Felony) and six counts of Lascivious Conduct with a Minor (Serious Misdemeanor), involving five separate victims. Warrants were issued for his arrest, and he was subsequently taken into custody.

Hughes is currently being held at the Howard County Jail on a $46,000 cash/surety bond.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.   

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — June 7, 2023 – East- and westbound West Broadway will be closed Saturday morning, June 10, through early Monday morning, June 12, at Interstate 29 for bridge demolition work. This is the final bridge demolition for the I-29/I-480/West Broadway interchange project. The closure will begin at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 10, and will remain in place until 5:00 a.m. Monday, June 12, weather permitting. Contractors will be working throughout the duration of the closure; however the noisiest demolition operations will only occur between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

CRESTON, Iowa – June 7, 2023 – If you are driving on Interstate 80 in Dallas County in the coming weeks you may notice some nighttime construction work taking place on the roadway between U.S. 169 and West Des Moines.

Nighttime ramp closures will occur from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday nights to Friday mornings beginning on Sunday, June 11 to Thursday, June 29, weather permitting. For construction crews working on hot-mix asphalt milling and resurfacing work to get work done they will need to close the I-80 ramps at Dallas County Road R-22 (exit 117), Dallas County Road R-16 (exit 113) and at U.S. 169 (exit 110). Marked detour routes will be in place to assist motorists as the ramp closures occur. Only one ramp location will be worked on at a time.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – One person was injured during an accident on W. 7th Street in Atlantic early this (Wednesday) morning. According to the Atlantic Police Department, the crash happened at around 3:43-a.m., in the 1000 block of S.W. 7th Street (US Hwy 6). Authorities say a vehicle driven by Myson Kovac, of Atlantic, was traveling southbound on SW 7th, when it entered the west ditch and continued until the vehicle jumped a gravel driveway, and came to rest after striking multiple combine corn/bean head carts owned by Lindeman Tractor. (UPDATE): Damage to the ag equipment was estimated at $12,500.

Kovac was transported to Cass Health in Atlantic, for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Police say the vehicle is suspected to have been stolen. It sustained damage amounting to an estimated $6,000. The accident remains under investigation.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors’ will hold a special meeting Thursday at 1-p.m., to set the date for a public hearing on a recommended zoning change. According to Auditor Kathy Somers, the Board will acknowledge receipt of the Zoning Commission’s recommendation to change a zoning classification from General Agricultural District to Business District, for Schmidt & Sons Properties, LLC, as allowed under the Cass County Zoning Ordinance.

The Board will then set the date of a Public Hearing on the Commission’s recommendation, as June 13, 2023 at 9-a.m. The Hearing will be held during the Supervisor’s regular meeting in their Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse.

Thursday’s special meeting is available via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2899195216?pwd=R0hSa2FOOTh0NUdra1ZSdVhVWHpMUT09. Meeting ID: 289 919 5216
Passcode: 012064
Call In:
312-626-6799, press *9 to indicate you wish to speak.