(Radio Iowa) – Iowa has one of the nation’s worst rates of children being hit by trains, according to a study by a non-profit group that works to protect kids from preventable injuries. Nadji  Kirby, senior program manager at Safe Kids Worldwide, says Iowa has the country’s third-highest percentage of railroad-related accidents involving kids. “In Iowa, between 2010 and 2019, there were 54 children injured in rail-related incidents,” Kirby says. “Of those, 12 were fatal and 42 were non-fatal.”

Those accidents accounted for 16-percent of all rail-related injuries in Iowa, ranking the state behind only Indiana at 20-percent and Idaho at 19-percent. The study found many parents don’t realize the importance of addressing railroad safety, with fewer than half of parents surveyed saying they’ve talked with their kids about it — and half of parents admit to taking risks around railroads. “The majority of parents don’t consider children being hit by trains to be a big problem, despite the fact that we found that every five days a child is killed in a train collision,” she says.

Safe Kids Worldwide and Omaha-based Union Pacific Railroad are working to increase awareness and educate families about how to be safe around train tracks. Kirby says railroad crossing accidents often occur when a driver isn’t paying attention near the tracks, when drivers or walkers choose to go around a safety barrier, or when they race to cross the track before the train passes.  “Talk to the kids about only crossing at designated crossings that are marked by signs, lights and gates,” Kirby says. “Always wait for the train to completely pass because trains can take up to a mile to stop, so once a train sees you, it might be too late. Also, the importance of not being distracted around tracks or trains, because distraction is a big issue, driving and/or walking.”

For motorists, allow plenty of space when stopped at railroad crossings, as trains are at least three feet wider than the tracks on either side.

Full report: https://www.safekids.org/research-report/railroads-often-overlooked-danger-children

The New Year is almost upon us, and while COVID has put a damper on many parties or large celebrations, it’s still important to remember not to drink and drive. Iowa State Patrol Trooper Ryan DeVault with District 3 in Council Bluffs, says you might think the New Year’s holiday is the most deadly time on the road for motorists, but that’s not the case.

Taking a nap for a few hours after drinking and then getting back on the road again, he says does not guarantee you’re sober enough to get behind the wheel.

When you’re on the road, keep an eye out for drivers displaying erratic behavior, such as weaving between lanes or crossing the center line, driving too slowly, or speeding up and slowing down for no reason.

(Radio Iowa) – Congresswoman-elect Ashley Hinson of Marion says she would favor more targeted federal assistance rather than stimulus checks to most Americans in the next round of pandemic relief. “I definitely support the direct payments to people who need them,” Hinson says. “I think the real issue here is the fact that it took months and months to even start negotiating this relief package and they pushed it clearly to the last minute, which is very frustrating.”

Hinson, a Republican, will be sworn in as a member of the U.S. House on Sunday, to represent Iowa’s first congressional district. She calls the 600-dollar payments that HAVE begun arriving in the bank accounts of some Americans a start. “For some families that’s not enough right now,” Hinson says. “I know there are families who need it, but I also had someone message me they wanted to send theirs back, so I think that there’s a way that maybe we could better target some of that and narrowly focus relief going forward.”

President Trump has called on congress to pay most Americans two-thousand dollars. That proposal passed the Democratically-led House on Monday. Hinson says she hasn’t read the proposal, which has stalled in the Republican-led U.S. Senate. “As you know, things change very quickly, but I said the $600 payment is a good start and we can go from there,” Hinson says.

President-elect Joe Biden has called the current round of stimulus checks a down payment on a larger relief bill he plans to introduce once he takes office. “For me, the priority in the first quarter is going to be looking at all of that, figuring out how those payments, you know, if they were effective, if they were enough,” Hinson says. “And then we do need to be responsive and we do need to take a next step, if that’s needed.” Hinson says when she becomes a voting member of the House next week, she’d like to see a package that not only provides direct federal payments to financially-stressed individuals, but to industries that have taken a hit during the pandemic.

(Iowa News Service, DES MOINES, Iowa) — More than half of Iowans surveyed say new federal stimulus payments will provide immediate financial help. The Treasury Department is issuing the payments after President Donald Trump signed the latest COVID relief bill. As Congress debated the issue through the fall, nearly 3,000 people responded to a survey commissioned by the United Ways of Iowa. Fifty-one percent said a second stimulus payment would make “an important difference.” That number was 72% for those living in poverty.

Dennis Parker, executive director of the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, said the results show the country has ignored the plight of marginalized workers for too long.  “We’re in this position now because we didn’t do it before,” Parker asserted. “And having seen it, it would be criminal not to take steps to make changes that end the prospect of these kinds of problems.” Parker thinks the changes should go beyond providing livable wages, since health-care access in the pandemic has revealed racial and economic disparities.

The Iowa survey, released this month, was conducted between late September and early November. Pro-business groups contend higher wage requirements would lead to fewer workers, especially in smaller companies. But Parker said paying workers more is feasible for a lot of businesses, and can produce a more stable workforce. When considering prosperity, he said the U.S. needs to move past the traditional measuring sticks. “The fact that the stock market is doing well is little consolation for people who are facing eviction, having trouble feeding their kids,” Parker argued.

A report from the Pew Research Center released just prior to the pandemic said upper-income households in the U.S. are seeing most of the income growth, as the middle class erodes.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A winter storm moving across parts of Texas and Oklahoma could dump up to 18 inches of snow in places before moving eastward and possibly spawning tornadoes. The National Weather Service says 12 to 18 inches of snow in southwestern Texas is possible by Thursday. Some snow is also expected in northwest Arkansas. Forecasts say the storm then will move eastward, creating a threat of tornadoes across Louisiana and southern Mississippi on New Year’s Eve as the colder temperatures are met with moisture and warmer air. The storm produced what forecaster Jeremy Grams said was likely a brief tornado in Corsicana, Texas, on Wednesday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Majority Democrats in the U.S. House say they intend to allow an Iowa Republican to take office while they review her opponent’s contest claiming the six-vote race was wrongly decided. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “yes” when asked at a news conference whether Mariannette Miller-Meeks will be sworn in with other members of the House on Sunday. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said later that Democrats “intend to provisionally seat” Miller-Meeks pending a review of the challenge filed by her Democratic opponent. Rita Hart asked the House to investigate and overturn the state-certified results. The House Administration Committee is reviewing the matter.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Spread of the coronavirus may be increasing again in Iowa as the positivity rate ticked higher in recent days. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say the 7-day average of the positivity rate in Iowa has risen over the past two weeks from 35.38% on Dec. 15 to 36.21% on Dec. 29. The state reported about 1,600 new cases and 10 deaths on Wednesday. Hospitalizations fell slightly, though the number of people in intensive care was up.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A 22-year-old Kalona man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for creating and storing child pornography. Federal prosecutors announced that Jackson Yaro Young was sentenced Tuesday. Officials said investigators found child pornography on his phone and evidence that he had coerced several minors into sexually explicit conduct. Young pleaded guilty in 2017 to third-degree sexual abuse for having sex with a child. He was placed on probation. He violated his probation in 2018. After serving his current sentence, Young will be on supervised release for 10 years.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A 22-year-old Kalona man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for creating and storing child pornography. Federal prosecutors announced that Jackson Yaro Young was sentenced Tuesday. Officials said investigators found child pornography on his phone and evidence that he had coerced several minors into sexually explicit conduct. Young pleaded guilty in 2017 to third-degree sexual abuse for having sex with a child. He was placed on probation. He violated his probation in 2018. After serving his current sentence, Young will be on supervised release for 10 years.

The Atlantic Rotary Club recently donated $500 to the Washington Elementary Library and $500 to the Schuler Elementary Library, to help update the nonfiction section at each school. Atlantic Rotary is a long time supporter of local schools and supports education as one of their key pillars of community service.

Atlantic Rotary President Brian Harris presenting a check for $1000 to Atlantic Elementary Librarian Janice Dickerson. (Photo submitted)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Majority Democrats in the U.S. House say they intend to allow an Iowa Republican to take office while they review her opponent’s contest claiming the six-vote race was wrongly decided. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “yes” when asked at a news conference whether Mariannette Miller-Meeks will be sworn in with other members of the House on Sunday.

Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said later that Democrats “intend to provisionally seat” Miller-Meeks pending a review of the challenge filed by her Democratic opponent, Rita Hart. Hart asked the House to investigate and overturn the state-certified results. The House Administration Committee is reviewing the matter.

(Radio Iowa) – State roadways are starting to improve as Departement of Transportation crews are out again cleaning up from the snowstorm. D-O-T Winter Operations Administrator, Craig Bargfrede, says they did some prep even before the storm hit.

Bargfrede says the pre-treatment helps keep the snow from sticking to the pavement — but in Tuesday’s storm, the biggest issue was the amount of snow. He says they are now working to scrape away what they didn’t get.

He says there were a lot of drivers who went into the ditch during the storm.

Snowfall ranged from four to 12 inches and Bargfrede says the day after involves making room along the roadways.

Bargfrede says one ally in the clean up is the sun heating up the pavement and melting snow.

A majority of the roadways were listed as partially covered with snow early this (Wednesday) morning — with a few completely covered. That situation has improved. For more information on the road conditions go to the Iowa D-O-T’s 5-1-1 travel information page.