(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, Monday evening, released a report on recent arrests. Saturday night, March 5th, 44-year-old Lisa Marie Overton, of Menlo, was pulled-over in Stuart by Stuart Police, for having an expired registration plate. Overton admitted to not having a driver’s license or insurance. She was arrested for Driving While Barred, and then released from the scene with a citation.

At around 2:25-a.m., Saturday, 35-year-old Jonathan Paul Calhoun, of Adair, was pulled over by Adair Police for running a stop sign, in Adair. He was subsequently arrested for OWI, with a BAC of .140.  Calhoun was cited for OWI/1st offense and later released with the citation.

Friday morning (March 4th), 38-year-old Christopher Anthony Ford, of Greenfield, was arrested by Greenfield Police, for Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order – Contempt of Court. Ford was released that same afternoon on a $300 cash/surety bond.

And, on March 1st, 35-year-old David Spencer Reeves, of Des Moines, was arrested in Greenfield on Adair County warrants charging him with Tampering with a Witness/Juror, and Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd offense. Reeves was being held without bond in the Adair County Jail, pending an appearance in District Court.

(Radio Iowa) – A 15-year-old boy has died and two young women — a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old — were critically injured in a shooting outside a Des Moines high school. Des Moines Police say potential suspects have been detained for questioning. The shooting happened just before 3 p.m. Monday and investigators say the gunshots came from a vehicle passing by the East High School campus. The Iowa Capitol is less than a mile to the southwest of the school.

Representative Ruth Ann Gaines led the Iowa House in a moment of silence shortly after the shooting. “Not only was East High School my home for 40 years, I look at school students as all of our students,” Gaines said. Gaines, a Des Moines native, was a drama teacher at the school. “I would like this moment of silence for all of those students,” Gaines said. “Even though you may not know them and they may not be related to you, they are all God’s children.”

In a written statement, Gaines said the shooting has to be a wake up call for every single lawmaker and the governor. The president of the state teachers’ union said violence of any kind against our precious children is unacceptable. The high school will be closed today (Tuesday), and grief counselors will be available to students and staff all week.

Des Moines Police say the 15-year-old boy who was killed was not a student at the high school, but the two other shooting victims were students at Des Moines East. Governor Reynolds issued a statement, saying she is praying for the victims of this senseless act of violence and is heartbroken for the families and the pain felt across the entire community.”

(Radio Iowa) – Thirty-seven states license midwives and, if a bill that cleared the Iowa House becomes law, Iowa would join that group. Bethany Gates of Vinton is a certified professional midwife, one of about a dozen working in Iowa. “Midwives are leaving the state because there are a lot more states that offer licensure, which allows us to practice within our full scope, which makes births safer,” she says. The maternal mortality rate in Iowa has nearly doubled in the past 20 years and Gates says the time has come for Iowa to start licensing midwives.

“We rank 49th in the nation in terms of the number of maternity care providers to the number of women in the state,” she says. A recent study found mothers and babies in states which have integrated midwives into the health care system had better outcomes compared to the states that have the most restrictions on midwives. Without a state license, Gates and other midwives cannot administer certain medications while assisting in a birth, and in most instances midwives cannot order an ultrasound or lab work for a client.

“There’s about five that I can send those orders into without a license,” Gates says, “so this will allow our clients access to those screening procedures that are standard of care in Iowa.” Representative Ras Smith, a Democrat from Waterloo, says the bill responds to the need for access to health care. “Iowa is ranked as the third worst state for people of color, specifically African American people, in the nation. One of the reasons is there’s a six-to-one ratio for black women who die in childbirth compared to their white counterparts,” Smith said. “I think this bill goes a long way in solving those problems.”

Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton, says the bill helps bring an established profession out of the shadows. “This bill does serve as the single-most diverse bill in terms of the levels of support — from the far left to the far right — that I have personally worked on,” Kaufmann says.

The bill passed with 93 yes votes and only two House members voted against it. The bill to license midwives now goes to the Senate for consideration. Iowa’s major medical groups have opposed similar legislation in the past.

(Radio Iowa) – There’s a fierce debate between appraisers and the insurance industry over a bill that would adjust some rules for the evaluation of damaged property in Iowa. The Iowa House has unanimously approved the changes, but the bill is in limbo in the Senate. Republican Senator Zach Nunn of Bondurant says he and others want to review the arguments before deciding whether to advance the bill.

“This past weekend we had horrific disasters across our state,” Nunn says. “…I want to make sure that we have a bill that really takes care of the property owner first, specifically those who have been impacted by catastrophic loss.” Iowa Insurance Institute lobbyist Brittany Lumley says the bill is necessary because a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling gave appraisers too much leeway.

“It’s just making sure the appraisers stick to the loss and the cost of the damage as opposed to the coverage causation disputes, which are best left to the courts,” she says. Tim Johnson is the Cedar Rapids attorney who handled the court case that’s at the center of this dispute. He says it the bill becomes law, lawyers like him will make a lot of money taking insurance companies to court.

“The citizens of Iowa cannot afford to not have a cheap resolution process that gets these claims resolved without needing somebody like me,” Johnson says. Johnson is urging lawmakers to preserve the current process that lets a property owner ask a neutral umpire to resolve a dispute over insurance claims when appraisers for the insurance company and the property owner do not agree. The insurance industry’s lobbyist says that option will remain, but appraisers will no longer be able to judge what caused the damage if the bill becomes law.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Monday (Today), was the first day candidates for the June Primary Election could begin filing their nomination papers. On the first day of filing, the Cass County Auditor’s Office reports Mary Ward has filed for re-election as County Recorder.

The filing deadline is March 25^th, 2022. If you have any questions about the nomination and/or filing process, contact the Cass County Auditor’s Office or see the Iowa Secretary of State’s website .

Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday), reports an adult and two juveniles were arrested on burglary and other charges, Friday evening.  Authorities say that on March 4^th, at 6:45 p.m., the Mills County Communications Center received a 911 call about a burglary in progress at Vinton Equipment, in Pacific Junction. Law Enforcement responded to that location where the reporting party saw one person with a flashlight run behind some equipment. The reporting party stayed on the phone with the Communications Center to give updates to responding units.

When law enforcement arrived on scene, K9 Deputy Evan Ruse gave multiple loud verbal commands to come out with hands up prior to releasing K9 “Danken.” K9 Danken then started barking and was released to do an area search. Almost immediately after K9 Danken was released, three suspects came out with their hands up. All three were taken into custody without further incident.

Jeffrey Greene

During the investigation, law enforcement located burglary tools on all three suspects and a bucket full of copper wire and other parts that were removed from different tractors. Two of the three suspects were juveniles, the third suspect was identified as Jeffrey Greene of Malvern. Law enforcement was able to locate their vehicle, which was parked in the Martin Chapel Cemetery.

Both juveniles were charged with Burglary 3^rd Degree of a Vehicle, Possession of Burglary Tools, and Criminal Mischief 2^nd Degree. Greene was charged with Burglary 3^rd Degree of a Vehicle, Possession of Burglary Tools, Criminal Mischief 2^nd Degree, and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Glenwood Police Department and the Iowa State Patrol.

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

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Adams County was arrested Friday evening on drug and other charges. 36-year-old Breeanna May Fallin, of Corning, was arrested at 330th and Highway 34, for: A Controlled Substance Violation; 3 counts Possession of a Controlled Substance; Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia and Interference with Official Acts. Bond for those offenses was set at $25,000. Fallin was also taken into custody on a Woodbury County warrant for Failure to Appear. Bond on the warrant is $600.

And, Sunday morning, 26-year-old Dakota John Allen, of Hastings (IA), was arrested for Driving Under Suspension. His bond was set at $300.

DES MOINES – Today (Monday), Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for nine additional counties in response to the March 5 severe weather. The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather in Adair, Benton, Decatur, Jasper, Lucas, Polk, Tama, Warren, and Wayne counties.

In addition, the proclamation activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program, for the aforementioned nine counties, as well as Madison County. The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Human Services website at https://dhs.iowa.gov/disaster-assistance-programs. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim.

The Disaster Case Management Program addresses serious needs related to disaster-related hardship, injury, or adverse conditions. Disaster case managers work with clients to create a disaster recovery plan and provide guidance, advice, and referral to obtain a service or resource. There are no income eligibility requirements for this program; it closes 180 days from the date of the governor’s proclamation. For information on the Disaster Case Management Program, contact your local community action association or visit www.iowacommunityaction.org.

On Saturday, March 5, the Governor issued a disaster proclamation for Madison County in response to the severe weather.

Council Bluffs, Iowa – The open burning ban in Pottawattamie County will be lifted later today and residents may resume open burning beginning Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

Pott. County Emergency Management Coordinator Doug Reed reports open burning is now allowable throughout the county EXCEPT in any municipal city limits where there is a standing ordinance prohibiting open burning on a regular basis. Before burning, check with your local fire department or city clerk to determine whether your community has such an ordinance.

Residents are to continue using extreme caution whenever burning. The recent rain and snow cover will provide temporary and likely short-term relief of dangerous fire conditions. The county is still significantly below precipitation averages, and it won’t take long for fuels to become extremely volatile under the right atmospheric conditions as we approach spring and planting season

(Radio Iowa) – Higher natural gas prices are bringing Iowans higher winter heating bills, as energy companies warned last fall. Bill Marquess, program planner for Iowa’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LI-HEAP, says he’s seen about a 20-percent increase in applications from last winter. Thanks to new federal funding, he says they provided an extra boost to participants.

“In addition to what individuals would normally get, which is determined by a benefit matrix that looks at different categories, types of fuel, do you own, do you rent, things like that,” Marquess says. “In addition to that, we just issued out supplemental payments at 40% of what that first payment was.” Marquess says the program can help people make ends meet when money is spread thin.

“When households are already struggling and facing hardships, and then you do put in this extreme weather that we’ve been having, which forces usage to go up, and then because of these other issues, the cost of usage is that much higher,” Marquess says. “It has definitely, I think, had a stronger impact for households, maybe than what they’re used to.” He says they also have financial assistance for crises, like when a furnace needs to be replaced.

In October, MidAmerican Energy told customers to expect natural gas bills to rise anywhere from 50 to 100-percent. A MidAmerican spokesperson says customers’ natural gas bills did rise this winter. The average heating bill this past December rose 108-percent.

(by Catherine Wheeler, Iowa Public Radio)