(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on Wednesday to hear arguments over U.S. Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer’s appeal of a district court judge’s decision that has thrown her off the June 7th Democratic Primary ballot.

The ruling issued Sunday night declared three signatures on Finkenauer’s nominating petitions invalid, due to errors in the section of the signature line where a date is to be listed. With the three signatures thrown out, Finkenauer does not meet the minimum threshold in two counties where her campaign had to collect at least 100 signatures. Finkenauer says the ruling is “outrageous…deeply partisan and a massive gift to Washington Republicans who support Chuck Grassley’s reelection to the U.S. Senate.

Two other Democrats — Mike Franken and Glenn Hurst — have been competing with Finkenauer for the chance to face Grassley in the General Election.

Saturday, April 23rd is the deadline for county auditors to begin sending Primary ballots to Iowans who are overseas. That makes end of this week the printing deadline for the ballots, according to the secretary of state’s office. It means Finkenauer is hoping for a ruling from the Iowa Supreme Court in the next few days if she hopes to have her name printed on the Democratic Primary ballot.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa students of any age can access free, live tutors online through a program called Brainfuse HelpNow, which is marking its first full year in the state. Any day of the week, between the hours of 2 and 11 P-M, the program’s Jack Rothstein says tutors are available to help answer practically any question ranging from basic reading skills all the way to university physics courses.

“HelpNow provides access to live tutors for kindergarten up through adult learners,” Rothstein says. “If I live in the state of Iowa, I have access to Brainfuse HelpNow. That means if I’m working on my math homework and I’m stuck, I can log on and connect with a live tutor for free.” The program employs more than three-thousand tutors nationwide who are available through the Online Classroom where there’s a Whiteboard and a chat window.

“So many kids today, they don’t even like to talk on the phone and many prefer to text and chat and that’s the preferred method of communication,” Rothstein says. “With the Whiteboard, students can copy and paste or upload assignments or papers that they’re working on.” There’s also a Writing Lab where students can upload virtually any sort of writing assignment and get a critique within 12 to 24 hours.

“The Writing Lab is very popular,” Rothstein says. “It can be used for the proverbial ‘What I Did Over Summer Break’ paragraph when I start a new school year, up to maybe I’m applying for college and as part of my application I need to do an essay.” There are also practice tests, electronic flashcards and other study tools available for free. Through funding provided by the Iowa State Public Library, there are several other online programs designed to help Iowans.

“JobNow provides access to live job coaches, interview coaches, resume coaches and unemployment benefit navigators,” Rothstein says. “VetNow provides access to VA benefit navigators, college-level tutoring and career transition support for veterans.” All you need to take part is an Iowa library card and the ability to log on to: https://home.brainfuse.com/iowa/

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports two arrests from last week. On April 6th, 50-year-old Jason Edward Caldwell, of Stuart, was arrested by Deputies for Driving While Barred, Reckless Driving and having defective tires. His arrest was the result of an investigation into a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup that had crashed into a ditch at 190th Street and the Stuart Road, at around 8:50-p.m. on Dec. 25th, 2021.

At the time, Caldwell has a temporary restricted license (TRL) with multiple withdrawals in effect. His license was barred for Habitual Offender until 11/11/24. When speaking to the investigation deputy, Caldwell claimed he was working at a bar in Stuart, which turned out not to be true, and meant he was in violation of his TRL.  He was cited for the offense and released.

And, on April 4th, 25-year-old Layne Douglas Ruby, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While License Denied/Revoked or Suspended. When he was pulled over for speeding, Ruby did not have his required Ignition Interlock Device installed in his vehicle, and his TRL was invalid. He was released later the same day on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report four arrests from the past few days. Saturday afternoon, 60-year-old Mark Alan Schmahl, of St. Joseph, MO., was arrested for OWI/1st offense and Possession of a Controlled Substance ($2,000 bond). And, 36-year-old Nicholas Lynn Wolfe, of Malvern, was arrested at around 1:50-a.m. Saturday, for OWI/2nd offense ($2,000 bond).

Friday afternoon, 35-year-old Daniel John Vornbrock, of Glenwood, was arrested for Driving While Barred ($2,000 bond). And, at around 10:30-p.m. Thursday, 35-year-old Danis Marita Brown, of Omaha, was arrested for Poss. of Contraband in a Correctional institution, and Trespass in the 1st Degree (Bon $5,300).

Sheriff’s officials said also a man from Pottawattamie County was transported to Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha, following a motorcycle accident Sunday afternoon, in Mills County. 43-year-old Brian Deyo, of Council Bluffs, was operating a 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle eastbound on Highway 34 at around 4:30-p.m., when he locked-up the brakes as he was preparing to turn north onto Hilman Road.

The cycle cut in front of a car in the turning lane and crashed at the intersection at slow speeds. Deyo was unconscious and bleeding from the right side of his head before he was flown from the scene to the hospital.

Des Moines – Iowa Democratic Candidate for Governor Deidre DeJear will meet with Audubon County residents April 20th at 5:30 at the Barn Burner Restaurant in Brayton, Iowa. The event is a part of her campaign’s 99 County Tour and will offer local residents an opportunity to hear directly from DeJear about why she is running to represent Iowans.

It will also be an opportunity for DeJear to hear directly from Audubon County residents, about the issues and policies that matter most in rural Iowa.

CRESTON, Iowa – April 11, 2022 – The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston construction office reports, repairs to the Iowa 83 bridge over the East Nishnabotna River 1.1 miles west of the junction with U.S. 6 in Atlantic requires closing Iowa 83 between Iowa 173 and U.S. 6 from 8 a.m. Monday, April 18 until 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, weather permitting.

DES MOINES – Secretary of State Paul Pate’s Spring 2022 Iowa Youth Straw Poll takes place Tuesday. Thousands of students across Iowa will cast ballots for their preferred candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and Iowa Governor. More than 170 schools have registered to participate so far. The Iowa Youth Straw Poll is open to any K-12 school in the state, as well as civic organizations and youth groups. Candidates were asked to provide a short video with a personalized message for Iowa students. The videos are available on the Elections 101 website and on Secretary Pate’s YouTube page.

Students, teachers, and organizations can register for the Iowa Youth Straw Poll by clicking here. The full list of schools that have registered so far is available here.

The Youth Straw Poll is part of the Elections 101 curriculum developed by Secretary Pate for use in Iowa schools. Live results will be published at this link starting Tuesday morning and updated throughout the day. You can also view past results at that link. A news release with results will be distributed late Tuesday afternoon, with a likely follow-up on Wednesday with updated numbers. Teachers and schools are encouraged to post photos of their Youth Straw Poll events on social media, using the #BeAVoter hashtag.

Every congressional and gubernatorial candidate who qualified for Iowa’s 2022 primary or general election ballots is included in the Youth Straw Poll.

*The Iowa Youth Straw Poll is about involving students in a hands-on civics activity and getting them interested in voting, not particularly about the candidates themselves. Over the weekend, a Polk County District Court Judge found that U.S. Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer did not have enough valid signatures to appear on the June 2022 primary election ballot. The decision may be appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court. Youth Straw Poll ballots have already been provided to teachers with Mrs. Finkenauer’s name appearing on them. Students may vote for her if they wish, and all those results will be included in the tally.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Police in Council Bluffs say two people suffered life-threatening injuries during a rollover accident that occurred at around 10:11-a.m. today (Monday), in the 4100 block of Veteran’s Memorial Highway (Vets Hwy). A preliminary investigation revealed that a 2005 Chevy Suburban was eastbound on Vets Hwy, when it veered off the road to the right. The SUV struck a light pole and rolled multiple times down an embankment before coming to rest.

Two adult occupants of the vehicle were ejected when it rolled. They were transported to an area trauma center for treatment of their injuries. No names were immediately released. The incident remains under investigation by the Council Bluffs P-D Traffic Unit. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call 712-328-4948.