(Radio Iowa) – Temporary housing for flood victims is now available on the Clay County fairgrounds in Spencer. Kevin Robinson, the deputy city manager in Spencer, says R-Vs have been set up in the camping area of the fairgrounds. “There’s one complete row of trailers in there right now — RV trailers,” Robinson says, “and then once all of those fill up, there’s room to put another row to the east of that.”

In mid-July, federal officials approved Iowa’s request for FEMA’s Temporary Housing Program, which can provide assistance to residents in Iowa counties that have been declared presidential disaster areas. Some of those property owners may be waiting to see if their home might be part of a buy-out program. FEMA provides 75 percent of the money to buy homes and businesses in floodplain areas — and the state and city must provide the rest.

“The city will go through a process of determining which areas make sense to acquire from a maintenance standpoint, from an adjacency standpoint to the river,” Robinson says. “There’s lots of different variables.” The program has been used in several other Iowa cities in the past 30 years. Officials in Cedar Rapids approved the first batch of 28 property buyouts 18 months after flooding in 2008 wrecked many areas of Cedar Rapids. Ultimately 14-hundred properties in Cedar Rapids that were flooded in 2008 were voluntarily sold, cleared and cannot be redeveloped.

(Radio Iowa) – A restaurant that’s been operating in Cedar Rapids for more than 100 years was destroyed by a fire this (Wednesday) morning. Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner tells K-C-R-G T-V that a fire was reported at the Lighthouse Inn Supper Club on the southeast side of the city around 5:15 a-m when someone noticed smoke and flames coming from the roof.
There was no one inside at the time.

The Linn County Sheriff’s Office is trying to determine the cause of the fire. The Lighthouse Inn celebrated its 112 year anniversary in July. The restaurant’s website says it was a common stop for Chicago-based mobster Al Capone and bank robber John Dillinger during the prohibition era.

As of Wednesday evening, the GoFundMe has raised a little more than $3,000 for the Lighthouse Inn. You can find the link to donate here.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday (today), approved a request from County Treasurer Brenda Wallace, to open a Certificate of Deposit (CD) at Farmers and Merchants State Bank, but there are some guidelines she must follow.

The Board also passed a Resolution naming Depositories for incoming funds.

The Adair County Supervisors received an update from Jayne Lents, with Don Carlos Insurance, with regard to ICAP (The Iowa Communities Assurance Pool) insurance changes. They also received a report from representatives of Crossroads Behavioral Health, and agreed to allot $45,000 from the Opiod fund for Crossroad school projects.

County Engineer Nick Kauffman presented a Resolution, which was approved by the Board, with regard to Bridge Weight Limit Postings. Kauffman also provided a report on Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – A man from Boone County escaped injury during a rollover accident early this (Wednesday) morning, in Guthrie County. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, 19-year-old Kolby Fogarty, of Madrid, was driving a 2009 Nissan Titan pickup truck westbound on Highway 44 at around 2:15-a.m., when he swerved to avoid a deer on the road. The pickup entered the north ditch and rolled-over before coming to rest on its wheels.

Fogarty complained of pain but was not transported to the hospital. His pickup sustained $15,000 damage according to the report, and was declared a total loss. Fogarty was cited for Failure to Maintain Control and OWI/1st offense.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say a man was arrested on drug charges Tuesday afternoon. 56-year-old Jeffrey John Lusk, of Creston, was arrested at around 3:30-p.m., and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Marijuana 1^st Offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Other Scheduled Class 1^st Offense, and Possession of a Controlled Substance, Methamphetamine 1^st Offense. Bail for Lusk was set at $3,000 cash or approved surety.

Tuesday evening, Creston Police cited 22-year-old Jazmine Kimberly Louise Stow, of Creston, for allegedly allowing an animal to run at-large. And, at around 8:40-p.m., Creston Police arrested 24-year-old Erik Alberto Garza, of Creston, for Driving While Suspended. Garza was cited and released from the scene on a Promise to Appear in court.

Authorities said also, a Clearfield man reported to Creston Police on Monday, that someone had stolen items from his side-by-side at the Creston Walmart, sometime between 4-and 5:30-p.m., Monday. Missing items included yellow and green tow straps, and a receiver hitch with a 2” ball. The loss was estimated at $60.

POLK COUNTY, Iowa — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victim killed in a fiery crash that occurred Sunday, as a woman from Carlisle. WHO-TV reports the crash happened in the 5700 block of SE Vandalia in Pleasant Hill. When first responders arrived on scene they found a single vehicle on its side and fully engulfed in flames.

According to the sheriff’s office, after firefighters extinguished the flames they found an adult female dead inside. Tuesday afternoon the sheriff’s office identified the victim as 35-year-old Emily Ora Woolsey, of Carlisle.

A preliminary investigation found that Woolsey was traveling eastbound on SE Vandalia when she lost control of the vehicle, hit a guardrail, and rolled into the ditch. An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowans using wheelchairs through the state Medicaid program will no longer need a prescription and in-person doctor visit to get their wheelchairs repaired after a policy change by Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports State Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, said that the measure proves advocacy can make a difference. Previously, Iowa Medicaid members were required to get a prescription and have a meeting with a health care provider in order to repair wheelchairs — a requirement Turek said was unnecessary, as wheelchair users have already been prescribed the equipment when they received it.

“This was just an unnecessary barrier that was causing an enormous amount of harm and suffering to the disabled population, delaying the process weeks or months for people to just be able to get a wheelchair repair,” Turek said. These delays caused by the prescription requirement kept some Iowans with disabilities homebound for significant periods because they did not have a working mobility device, he said. Turek, who uses a wheelchair, sponsored a “right to repair” bill in the 2024 legislative session that would remove the prescription and doctor’s visit requirements for wheelchair repairs under Medicaid. While the legislation had unanimous support in the House, he said, it was not discussed by the Senate.

Though the legislation did not advance, the measure was still implemented. Beginning July 1, Iowa HHS changed its policy to no longer require a prescription for wheelchair repairs. Turek linked the HHS administrative policy change with the discussions during the legislative session. The repair delays caused by prescription requirements “really wasn’t on on their radar” for HHS, he said, but advocacy by lawmakers and members of the disabled community prompted action by the state department.

State Rep. Josh Turek at work in the Iowa Capitol. (Photo courtesy of Rep. Turek)

While the prescription and face-to-face visit requirements were lifted, wheelchair users on the state Medicaid program still need prior authorizations for equipment repairs — pre-approval from the managed care organization (MCO) or private insurer that is providing Medicaid coverage. This process can also take several weeks, Turek said — time in which the Medicaid recipient will not be able to get the needed repair.

In future sessions, Turek said he plans to advocate for ways to reduce the wait time for the repair process through measures like requiring MCOs to respond to authorization requests within seven to 10 days, or lifting the authorization requirement for repairs that cost under $700.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A detention officer with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) has found himself on the other side of the law, charged with four felony counts of possessing contraband in the county jail. KCCI-TV says according to the sheriff’s office, detectives arrested 26-year-old Mario Antonio Rocha, of Des Moines, just before noon on Tuesday (Aug. 13, 2024). Rocha had been employed with the PCSO as a detention officer at the Polk County Jail for just over a year. Court documents show the PCSO received a tip on Aug. 2 that Rocha had allegedly been bringing the narcotic K2 into the jail for an inmate “on multiple occasions.”

Polk County Sheriff Kevin Schneider specified that Rocha admitted to smuggling the drugs in on four occasions. The PCSO says Rocha submitted his two-week notice of resignation on Aug. 4, but when he was interviewed by investigators on Aug. 5, he was told the two weeks were not necessary. Court documents show Rocha admitted to using his personal cellphone to communicate with an inmate’s significant other. The Sheriff said there was no indication anyone else was involved in alleged smuggling. There are roughly 230 detention officers working at the Polk County Jail, and more than 1,000 inmates.

Schneider did not specify exactly how Rocha allegedly smuggled in the drugs. Rocha was released from custody on a surety bond early Tuesday afternoon. All four charges Rocha faces are Class D felonies, each carrying up to five years in prison.