(Radio Iowa) – The state Transportation Commission has adopted some new driver’s license rules to reflect changes recently made by the Iowa Legislature. D-O-T Motor Vehicle Division director, Melissa Gillett says one of the changes involves the length of license for drivers over 72 years old. She says the rules will allow those drivers to get an eight-year license that will be good up until they hit the age of 80.

She says the license length will drop for those close to 80. “A driver’s license with a two-year expiration date will be issued beginning at age 78 and beyond,” Gillett says. Gillett says they also updated the rules to make it easier for younger drivers to upgrade their licenses.

“To expand that online service to individuals who are subject to the graduated driver’s license program. So those are teenager upgrading — from an intermediate to a full license for example — to allow that transaction to happen online,” according to Gillett. Young drivers were previously required to go to a driver’s license station to upgrade their license when they hit a birthday and their previous license was still valid.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Wednesday afternoon on a drug charge, of a man from Red Oak. At around 3-p.m., Deputies arrested 23-year-old Anthony Allen Charles Rohner for possession of marijuana. Rohner was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer, Wednesday, said no injuries were reported following an accident last Saturday, north of Clarinda. The accident involving an Iowa DOT snow plow and a pickup happened at around 10:50-a.m., on Highway 71, north of the intersection with 140th Street.

An investigation determined 16-year old Jarod Lee McNeese, of New Market, was driving the 2021 Ram 1500 northbound on Highway 71.  The snowplow, driven by 73-year old William Curtis York, of rural Essex, was traveling northbound with its emergency lights activated, while it was clearing snow from the roadway.

McNeese said that he failed to see the plow due to blowing snow. York said he too, was unable to see McNeese due to the snow coming from the snow plow. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were snow / blowing snow. The pickup sustained $10,000 damage. The Iowa DOT 2010 International snow plow sustained $300 damage. No citations were issued.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — A 37-year-old man has been charged in a shooting in Marshalltown that left a man dead and another injured. Robert Thomas was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the March 2020 death of 22-year-old Johnqwez Deanthony Lewis. Another man, 27-year-old Devonte Allen Brooks, was injured. Thomas was charged with attempted murder in Brooks’ shooting.

Police said Thomas was already being held in the Marshall County Jail on unrelated charges. He remains in custody pending an initial court appearance. Police said the investigation into the shooting is continuing.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office, Wednesday released information about a personal injury accident that took place Tuesday afternoon, about four-mile west of Clarinda. Authorities say the accident happened on Highway 2, near M Avenue, when a 2005 Pontiac Gran Am driven by 39-year old Stacy Lynn Hale, of rural Clarinda, was rear-ended by a2018 Chevy 3500 pickup, driven by 30-year old Dustin Donal Paul Thompson, of Villisca.

The crash happened as Hale was slowing and signaling to turn left (south) onto M Avenue. Thompson told authorities he was distracted by one of the rear seat occupants in his vehicle, and didn’t see the Hale vehicle slowing prior to turning. Hale was almost stopped due to oncoming traffic eastbound on Highway 2 when the collision occurred.

After the impact, the rear driver’s side portion of Thompson’s vehicle then went to the south and struck a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica driven by 74-year-old Judith Kay Clark, of Clarinda. Hale’s vehicle traveled across the eastbound lane of Highway 2 and came to rest in the ditch southwest of the intersection of Highway 2 and M Avenue.

Thompson’s vehicle came to rest on the north shoulder west of the intersection. Clark’s vehicle came to rest on the south shoulder just east of the intersection. Hale was transported to the Clarinda Regional Health Center for possible injuries by Clarinda Ambulance Service. None of the other persons involved claimed to be injured. Thompson was issued a citation for Following to Closely.

Damage to the vehicles amounted to $22,000 altogether. Clarinda Fire Department and Clarinda Ambulance Service assisted the Sheriff’s Office at the accident scene.

A jury in Madison County, Tuesday, convicted a Union County man on 1st Degree murder and 1st Degree robbery charges. The murder charge carries a term of life in prison. According to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, 42-year-old Gerald Steve Parker, of Creston, after just eight days of testimony and evidence. Trial information filed by the State of Iowa alleged that on July 21, 2020, Parker killed 39-year old Jonathan Michael Hoffman, of Macksburg, in Madison County. Court documents show a woman riding in a truck with Hoffman and Parker told investigators Parker shot Hoffmann after the two men got into a fight about who should drive.

Gerald Parker (Madison County S/O photo) FILE PHOTO

Hoffman’s body was found by a delivery driver in the intersection of Macksburg Road and Grandview Lane in rural Madison County. Hew had been shot multiple times and left on the side of a road.

The State said Parker did so “Having malice, aforethought, willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation.

(Radio Iowa) – While there’s a near-constant focus on COVID-19, state health officials say flu activity is very low in Iowa this year. Epidemiologist Dr. Caitlin Pedati, the state medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health, says the state’s low flu numbers are due, in large part, to the measures the public is taking to slow the spread of coronavirus.

“If you think about the fact that if we really do these good things, keep that distance, use a face mask, wash your hands, stay home when we’re sick, that can really keep a variety of viruses from moving among us,” Pedati says. At the start of flu season last year, public health experts expressed concern about the strain the respiratory virus could have on a health care system already dealing with many coronavirus cases, but COVID-fighting efforts ended up providing a dual benefit.

She says, “If you think about it, all of those good public health practices help protect you from a variety of similar viruses that can move that way, which includes flu.” Pedati says the number of Iowans who have received a flu shot this season is comparable to previous years, while those who have not yet received a flu shot are still able to do so.

(By Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – The state has selected Microsoft to develop a website for Iowans statewide to schedule vaccinations and Governor Reynolds says it should be up and running in two weeks.  “The biggest problem of all of this has been the amount of vaccine that we receive,” Reynolds says. “…I don’t care what kind of system you had in place. That’s just not enough vaccines to really do what we needed to do.”

Reynolds describes the central website for scheduling Covid shots as a “front door” for Iowans. A call center for Iowans who don’t use the internet is still under development. “We’re going to continue to look for ways that we can streamline it, make it more efficient,” Reynolds says, “where we can help counties that need it, where we can set up mass clinics.” State officials are evaluating which counties are not able to dispense at least 80 percent of their weekly allocation of vaccine doses.

Starting next week, any county that cannot meet that threshhold will see their share of doses sent elsewhere.  “We’ve tried to take the infrastructure that we have and make that available,” Reynolds says, “and some of the problem is, really, a lot of our systems are just so antiquated and they’re siloed and they’re not operating in the capacity that we need them to do.” Federal officials are increasing each state’s allotment by five percent. Reynolds says that means about 49-thousand total doses will be delivered to Iowa next week.

“As we have more vaccines become available, as we have more providers be a part of the mix, we need to continue to look for ways that we can streamline it,” Reynolds says, “and so that’s what we’re doing.” In addition, the governor says Walgreens has agreed to schedule appointments for 10-thousand unused doses for Iowans yet this week. Walgreens and C-V-S should be done giving second doses of the Covid vaccine to residents and staff of Iowa nursing homes by February 21st.

Once completed, nearly 20-thousand doses of vaccine will be available to other Iowans each week.

A call late Tuesday night about an assault resulted in the arrest of a Glenwood man. The Glenwood Police Department says 27-year old James Maschka was taken into custody early Wednesday morning, after a brief foot pursuit. Maschka was charged with assault, two counts of criminal mischief in the 5th degree, and interference with official acts. He was being held in the Mills County Jail on a $31,000 bond.

Authorities say when a search warrant for his apartment was obtained and executed, narcotics and paraphernalia were seized. Maschka was additionally charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance (PCS) Methamphetamine, Possession of cocaine with the intent to deliver (a Class C Felony), Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Deliver (a Class D Felony), two counts of child endangerment, and possession of drug paraphernalia.