Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau said Thursday, 32-year old Stephanie Lynn Rink, of Remsen, has been charged with one Class-D Felony count of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information, following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.

Photo courtesy of the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office.

The charge against Rink stems from an investigation which began in March of 2020. According to a criminal complaint filed by the Iowa Insurance Fraud Bureau, Rink was involved in a motor vehicle collision in June of 2019. Rink was later involved in a second collision in August of 2019. After the August 2019 collision, Rink provided false information to her insurance company indicating damage from the June 2019 collision had been repaired, when it had not, in order to obtain additional insurance benefits to which she would not have otherwise been entitled.

On February 25, 2021, Rink was arrested and booked into the Plymouth County Jail and later released after posting a $5,000 bond. Trial will be set for a future date. No additional details will be provided at this time.

(Radio Iowa) – Two California men are behind bars in Marshall County after a high speed pursuit in a stolen vehicle and the discover of two pounds of meth. Late Wednesday afternoon, a Marshall County Deputy located the stolen vehicle from California on Highway 330. A pursuit reached speeds of 100 miles per hour onto a county road and into Story County, where the driver lost control and the car ended up in a ditch. That wasn’t the end of it, according to Marshall County Sheriff Steve Hoffman.

Uriel Ruelas, the driver, and passenger Rueben Magallenes face multiple drug charges as well as theft and other traffic citations. Ruelas is wanted on felony warrants in the state of Nevada.So how did the men end up on Highway 330 in Marshall County?

Authorities in Story County, the Iowa State Patrol and the Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force are also assisting in the investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Legislative Black Caucus is calling on Republican Governor Kim Reynolds to intervene on so-called “back the blue” legislation. In January, Reynolds proposed a package that included enhanced penalties for those who riot and who harass and attack police as well as provisions to address racial profiling by police. Representative Ras (like “Ross”) Smith, a Democrat from Waterloo, says the Republican majority in the legislature is leaving a key part out.

Smith says after the police reform package that passed unanimously last June, the G-O-P controlled legislature appears to be taking Iowa backwards.

Smith cites bills to prohibit the teaching of a New York Times project on slavery in Iowa public schools and to get rid of voluntary diversity plans in five Iowa school districts.

Four other black members of the Iowa House joined Smith for an online news conference this (Thursday) morning. All five are Democrats. A spokesman for the governor has not responded to a request for comment.

(corrected positive case count) The Iowa Department of Public Heath at 10-a.m., Thursday, reported an additional 615 positive COVID-19 test results returned from the lab, for a pandemic total of 365,491. There were also 35 additional deaths reported, for a total of 5,536. In our area, Adair County had one more death, for a pandemic total of 29. Pottawattamie County had three more deaths, for a total of 146. Long Term Care facility deaths account for 2,181 of the State’s total number of deaths.

The number of Long-Term Care facility COVID-19 Outbreaks remain at a dozen. Hospitalization data show 184 Iowans are hospitalized with COVID, compared to 191 in the previous report. COVID patients in an ICU amount to 39. There were 30 patients admitted to hospitals over the 24-hour reporting period (compared to 28 previously), and 11 patients remain on a ventilator.

Hospitals in Western & Southwest Iowa report: 13 people are hospitalized for COVID; six COVID patients are in an ICU, three patients with COVID symptoms were admitted over the past 24-hours, and one person remained on a ventilator.

Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate is 4.1%, while the seven-day rate is 4.0%.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

• Cass, 1,356 cases; {+1}; 51 deaths
• Adair, 921; {+0}; 29
• Adams, 325 {+0}; 4
• Audubon, 490 {+2}; 9
• Guthrie, 1,167 {+1}; 28
• Harrison County, 1,796; {+3}; 69
• Madison County, 1,552; {+4}; 18
• Mills County, 1,632; {+2}; 20
• Montgomery, 1,043; {+0}; 36
• Pottawattamie County, 10,803; {+12}; 146
• Shelby County, 1,223; {+6}; 33
• Union County,  1,263; {+0}; 31

(Radio Iowa) – If you’re going to threaten someone, especially a high-ranking government official, don’t do it on their voicemail. A southwest Iowa man is charged with first-degree harassment after leaving a profanity-laced voicemail at the office of Governor Kim Reynolds. The Iowa State Patrol says 48-year-old Harvey Eugene Hunter of Stuart left the voicemail in January. In the recording, troopers say Hunter calls the governor a “treasonous dictator,” calls COVID-19 a scam, and says everyone involved, including Reynolds, should be “hung for treason” or “face a firing squad.” Hunter was arrested February 3rd and released on bond. In his court appearance this Wednesday, he entered a plea of not guilty.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – For the first time since they started tracking the data, the Better Business Bureau says more young people are getting scammed than older Americans. The bureau’s Bao Vang says consumers between the ages of 18 and 24 suffered the highest median losses — about 150-dollars — to scams last year. Before 2020, Vang says older age groups consistently lost more money to con artists.  “More than 46,000 reports were submitted into Scam Tracker in 2020,” Vang says. “That’s a 25% increase from the previous year.”

Scams related to pets and also to P-P-E spiked during the pandemic, although she says they weren’t the worst categories.  “The number-one riskiest scams for consumers was online purchase scams,” Vang says. “Perhaps that’s no surprise to some, that’s because the COVID crisis shut down many stores, people were home and spending more time online.”

Online purchase scams made up just over 38-percent of all scam reports.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds and Secretary of State Paul Pate have announced a new interagency partnership with Iowa Workforce Development to assist Iowa businesses with the reinstatement process through the Iowa Secretary of State’s Fast Track Filing system. Business owners whose companies have been dissolved are now able to utilize an online system that is shared by the Secretary of State’s Office and Iowa Workforce Development. This will reduce the reinstatement period from 2-4 weeks to just a few days.  

The Governor says “Iowa small businesses always look for ways to be innovative and dynamic in how they serve their customers, and state government should be no different. This partnership makes the reinstatement process more accessible, efficient, and significantly reduces wait times from 2-4 weeks to just 1-2 business days. I commend Secretary of State Paul Pate and IWD Director Beth Townsend for their collaborative approach to improving the reinstatement process.”  According to Sec. Pate, “This is another important step in providing Iowa’s business community with the service it deserves. Our Fast Track Filing System has greatly reduced processing time for businesses filing with our office. Now, by partnering with other state agencies, we can help entrepreneurs cut through the red tape even faster. This will help more businesses succeed.”  

 The Secretary of State’s Office collaborated with Iowa Workforce Development to develop the interagency system. Both agencies must review and approve applications to reinstate Iowa businesses. Under the previous system, reinstatements were processed solely on paper, which necessitates data entry, cashiering and correspondence be handled manually by State of Iowa staff in separate agencies. Now those functions are handled jointly online and correspondence is via email instead of postal mail.  Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development, says “Iowa businesses will benefit greatly from the new system because reinstatement applications will be processed in just a few days compared to several weeks under the old paper-based process. With reinstatement wait times significantly reduced, businesses can re-open their doors faster, which is good news for employers, employees, and Iowans across the state.”

The two agencies process about 2,500 reinstatements per year. Reinstatements are required when an Iowa business entity is dissolved after missing a deadline for a required filing or failing to maintain a registered agent. The Secretary of State’s office worked with a local vendor, QCI, to bring Fast Track Filing online in 2018. Since its inception, more than 500,000 filings have been processed through Fast Track, including nearly 57,000 new Iowa business formations. 

Des Moines, Iowa (March 4, 2021):    The Des Moines Airport Authority has partnered with Exemplar Care to provide travelers the convenience of onsite COVID testing at the Des Moines International Airport. Beginning March 4, 2021, Exemplar Care will offer three types of COVID tests at the airport: PCR, Rapid Antigen, and an Antibody test. International travel, as well as some domestic travel destinations, require a PCR test. Exemplar Care can test travelers at the airport or their West Des Moines location to meet this requirement. Exemplar Care is in the closed Berk & Chesters restaurant space. To book an appointment, visit www.FlyDSM.com and click the button at the top of the page.

Kevin Foley, Airport Authority Executive Director, says “As more people choose to travel, adding onsite testing helps us to provide convenience and safety in a rapidly changing travel environment. Wearing a mask and washing hands frequently remain critical in traveling safely, however through this partnership, travelers will also have the ability to monitor their health at the beginning of their trip as well as upon their return.”

All three tests are offered at low rates to the Des Moines metro: the PCR test is $90, Rapid Antigen $65, and the Antibody test is $25.  It is recommended appointments be scheduled online before travel, especially for the PCR test. However, for returning passengers, walk-in services for Rapid Antigen tests and the Antibody test are offered onsite. PCR test results are back within 24 hours, whereas the other two tests provide results within sixty minutes.

All ticketed passengers within 72 hours of travel are eligible to be tested at the easy-to-access airport testing site. Appointments and walk-in testing are available to anyone at Exemplar Care’s West Des Moines location at 7300 Westown Parkway, Suite 330.  For more information on test options or to book an appointment at either location, visit www.exemplar.care.

All travelers opting for the tests should continue to observe CDC recommendations to mask, social distance and regularly wash hands.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:07-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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