(Radio Iowa) – State, county and city snow plows are gassed up and ready to roll as a winter storm arrives. Hamilton County engineer Ryan Weidemann says their snow patrol is ready to tackle the roads, though the heavy snow and strong winds could create a challenge.

“It looks like a good chance for some blizzard conditions Thursday and Friday,” Weidemann says. “We have to take into account the safety of our operators and so if the visibility were to get to a point where it reduced to zero, there may be times where we’re not able to be out on the road.”

DOT Snowplow cam

Tim Zahn, the Hamilton County Emergency Management director, says Iowans need to heed the warnings and cancel or postpone their travel plans. “They really should stay home probably until Saturday,” Zahn says. “If you can’t stay home, check the weather, check the 511 app, and just go super slow. Part of the danger is, it’ll be white-out conditions and that bitter, extreme cold. You’re not gonna last long if you have to get out of your car.”

Make sure to have the appropriate winter gear in the car in the event of a roadside emergency. The kit should include things like: blankets, water and snacks, a flashlight with fresh batteries, tools, a shovel, an ice scraper, jumper cables, sand and a first aid kit.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans try to combat the bone-chilling cold of winter with space heaters, but they can also bring an increased risk of house fires. Le Mars Fire and Rescue Chief Dave Schipper says space heaters can provide much-needed warmth to an icy room, however, they can also be very dangerous if they’re misused.

“We want those plugged directly into an outlet and not onto an extension cord, they draw a lot of juice,” Schipper says. “We want at least three feet of clearance around them of combustibles. A couple of the recent fires we’ve had, those space heaters were too close to bedding, blankets, combustible material.”

The more modern space heaters have been manufactured with better safety features, yet they’re not foolproof, especially if you set a load of laundry down next to one. “A lot of the newer ones have safety tip-over switches, meaning, if they get knocked over, they’ll shut themselves off,” he says, “however, even those, if they’re too close to combustibles, will ignite a fire.”

A house fire in Mason City last month that killed four brothers, ranging in age from three to 12, is blamed on an overloaded power strip. Schipper says portable heaters can be a real hazard if they’re left unattended. “Space heaters should never be running when you’re not around,” he says. “So, whether you have it at home or work or wherever, the only time it should be operating is when you’re with it. Otherwise, those should be shut off.”

The chief strongly recommends smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in all homes.

(Radio Iowa) – State Ombudsman, Bernardo Granwehr, says while a majority of the complaints his office handled in the last fiscal year were from inmates in state prisons and local jails — there were a wide variety of other concerns. “Human services type complaints are probably the second most, but from a percentage standpoint, they’re really all over the board,” he says. “Anywhere from complaints about snow removal, or that kind of thing, or, it could be child welfare related type type stuff.” He says anything to do with state and local government agencies can end up generating complaints. Granwehr says his office does what it can to help.

“If it turns out that there’s something, you know, a process that could be potentially improved, that people are sticking on a little bit, or running into problems with, we can we can work with that agency,”Granwher says. He says Iowa’s Ombudsman is unique when it comes to others across the country. “There’s a variety of ombudsman offices across the nation, but Hawaii is the only office along with our office, they are only two in the nation that have such a broad jurisdiction,” he says.

Granwehr encourages you to be sure you’ve tried all your options for resolving your situation before calling his office.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Business Council is asking the legislature to enact limits on what judges or juries can award when businesses are sued in civil court. Joe Murphy is executive director of the Iowa Business Council, which represents the state’s 20 largest employers. “For the first time in our organization’s history, we are going to join the coalition to support tort reform efforts in our state,” Murphy says. “This is an economic issue. This is a workforce issues and we stand proud with a broad coalition that has worked on this issue for many, many years.” The Iowa Business Council is calling for limits on non-economic damages in civil lawsuits against businesses. The group also supports caps on medical malpractice claims, something Iowa’s medical community has sought for years.

Brett Altman, the C-E-O of Cass Health and its hospital in Atlantic, is a trustee of the Iowa Hospital Association.

A bill that would have limited non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits was introduced in the legislature this past spring, but failed to become law. The governor’s proposal for a one million dollar limit on non-economic damages in lawsuits against commercial trucking companies also stalled during the 2022 legislative session.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Secondary Roads Department is encouraging residents to be prepared, and avoid travel during the forecast storm, and for 48 hours to follow. Shelby County Engineer Brandon Burmeister says plows will be unable to maintain clear roadways during rapid snow accumulation or high winds. For your safety and ours, Shelby County advises against travel in blizzard conditions.

“Our operations will be most effective as the accumulation and winds subside and visibility is restored. Snow removal operations may take up to 48 hours after the storm subsides. Please consider the timing of the storm and our ability to respond; Christmas travel will likely be difficult in the rural areas.”

(Elk Horn, Iowa) – The Exira-EHK School District’s Board of Education met Monday and approved four action items on their agenda. Superintendent Trevor Miller said one of them was a Resolution approving a Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS)

The RPS allows the District to have access to SAVE and PPEL funds. It must be updated by 2029.

The measure will be on a ballot in March. Additional information is forthcoming to stakeholders, community members, to explain how the funds will be used. The Exira-EHK Board also discussed a facilities planning proposal in cooperation with Boyd Jones design and construction services.

The Board approved a renewed Human Resources Sharing Agreement with IKM-Manning, and the 2022-23 Early Notification Incentive Plan.

And, the Board approved a request to the SBRC (School Budget Review Committee) for At-Risk Dropout Prevention, in the amount of $159,127, which helps to pay for guidance counselor nurses, multi-tier systems of support for At-Risk students, and more. The request is made each year, in a varying amount, depending on enrollment.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Rising and volunteers could be seen out delivering food boxes on Thursday, December 15th in the evening. The organization began collecting donations and nominations in early November and completed another successful program. Atlantic Rising Social Chair, Kelsey Beschorner said “We anticipated to see a continued increase in nominations due to the sustained challenges of COVID-19. We were over-joyed to see the constant support of our community in both donations and volunteers.”

This year, Atlantic Rising was able to provide a holiday meal to over 180 individuals and families all throughout Cass County. The donations received from the community totaled over $6,200, which allowed each box to contain more items and each nomination to be fulfilled. Atlantic Rising teamed up with the Washington G.E.M, a local 4-H group, who helped assemble, pack, and load the vehicles with the Christmas boxes which made the process run smoothly.

Photo & info. courtesy Kelsey Beschorner

“Atlantic Rising is proud to carry on and continue to grow this tradition of the Christmas Box program. We are so thankful for our volunteers and the ability to partner with Hy-Vee who makes this big project a huge success,” Beschorner added.

If you are interested in joining Atlantic Rising and finding out what they are involved in throughout the year, you can contact Kelsey at 712-243-3017 or kelsey@atlanticiowa.com. The membership application can also be found at www.atlanticiowa.com.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau reports a Washington, Iowa man, 46-year-old Thomas Stephanie, received a deferred judgment on December 19, 2022 and was placed on probation for five years following a guilty plea on October 26, 2022, to one count of Presenting False Information, a class “D” Felony, following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. Stephanie was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,181.60 and a civil penalty in the amount of $1,025.

The charges against Stephanie stem from an investigation which began in June 2022. According to criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, Stephanie provided false statements to an insurer in connection with a workers’ compensation insurance claim. Stephanie received insurance benefits due to these false statements. Stephanie was arrested on August 10, 2022.

Thomas Stephanie. Photo courtesy of the Jefferson County Jail.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

DES MOINES, IA – A Judge has sentenced a man from Des Moines to serve 20-years in prison, on drug and weapon charges. The sentence was handed down Monday, against 34-year-old Michael Joseph Wilson, for his role in crimes that include: conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and MDMA; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; attempt to possess contraband in prison; and violation of supervised release.

In May 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Wilson’s Des Moines residence. Officers found methamphetamine, heroin, MDMA, and a loaded revolver. At the time, Wilson was on federal supervised release for an Indiana firearm conviction. While in the Polk County Jail awaiting sentencing, Wilson worked with others in an attempt to get contraband, specifically K2, into the jail by imitating legal mail.

At sentencing, the Court sentenced Wilson to: 120 months for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, 60 months (5-years) for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, 12 months for attempting to possess contraband in prison, and 48 months (2-years) for violating his supervised release. Each sentence must be served consecutively, for a total of term of 240 months in prison.

The investigation was conducted by the Des Moines Police Department, United States Marshals Service, and Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – With a winter storm moving into the state, officials at the Des Moines International Airport are advising travelers to keep a close watch on flight delays and cancellations. Airport spokeswoman Kayla Kovarna says ground crews will be taking time to prevent ice buildup on planes and that’s what often causes delays.  “Aircraft have to be pushed back to a special area on the ramp so that we can collect that chemical,” Kovarna says. “So they get pushed back, then the aircraft is de-iced, and then it has to be cleared by air traffic control to take off.”

Kovarna says the quickest way to get news of delays and cancellations is through a specific airline’s mobile app. The airport expects to see an uptick in passengers this holiday season with up to 70-thousand people departing from Des Moines over the last two weeks of December.

LED Display – Airport flight status board

Kovarna says travelers can expect to wait longer getting on and off their flights as ground crews clear ice from the planes. “Ground crews, they are responsible for both that de-icing and de-planing,” she says, “so, give them some grace, pack that ‘Iowa nice’ and just be patient because it might take you a little bit longer to get to the gate and de-planed.”

Kovarna says airport staff are in charge of clearing snow from runways, but it’s the airlines that make the call to delay or cancel flights. She says the Des Moines airport has never closed completely for weather since the Airport Authority took over management in 2011.

(reporting by Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)