A traffic stop at around 1:47-a.m. today (Thursday), in Adams County, resulted in the arrest of a man from Wisconsin. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports 21-year old Trenton Clark, of Hillsboro, WI., was stopped for having unlit taillights. After further investigation, Clark was arrested for felony OWI/3rd offense, and Driving While Revoked. Clark was additionally cited for Expired license, Operating without insurance, and defective tires. He was transported to the Adams County Jail, where his bond was set at slightly more than $6,924.

(Radio Iowa) — This past Tuesday marked the one-year countdown to the federal regulation that requires you to have your driver’s license certified as a “REAl I-D” to be able to use it as identification for flying. Iowa D-O-T Director Mark Lowe says the requirement came out of rules developed at the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
“What they did for states was establish common standards that apply to all states to help protect against identify theft and fraud,” Lowe says. “And those standards really went to the things like the systems, materials and machines we use to make sure the licenses and I-D’s are secure. The physical cards themselves are secure and resistant to alteration and counterfeiting. That we have secure and accurate processes for identifying people who apply for licenses and I-Ds.”

SAMPLE of a “Real ID” w/the required gold star

You can tell if your driver’s license is a REAL I-D by looking into the right corner and seeing if it has a gold star there. “If you don’t have a REAL I-D marked license or I-D on or after October one 2020 — you have to show a federally accepted form of I-D like a passport or military I-D card,” according to Lowe. He says there won’t be any exceptions once the deadline is here.  “You will be denied access and won’t be allowed to fly if you don’t either have a REAL I-D marked license or I-D or another accepted form of federal identification,” Lowe says.

You will need bring documents to the driver’s license office that prove your identity to get your license approved for REAL I-D. “You can always get one whenever you renew your license. If you do it when you renew, there is no additional cost to do so,” Lowe explains. “One thing we like to point out is if you are due to renew before October one 2020, you don’t need to rush in, you can just come in at that time and bring the necessary documents. But if you are not due to renew you can also come in at any time and get what we call a duplicate license that is marked for REAL I-D.”

Lowe says with eight-year licenses many people may not be due to come to renew licenses before the deadline next year and should find time to get a REAL I-D. If you already have the gold star on your license then you are set.  “If you look at your license and it’s got that gold star marking on it — then you don’t have to do that again. Once we put your through that process and you’ve got that, you will continue to maintain that as you renew and replace your license over time,” he says.

Lowe says around 36 percent of Iowans with licenses already have gotten the REAL I-D upgrade. He isn’t sure where we stand in comparison to other states for getting people switched to the REAL I-D. He says there has been a lot of range of when states got started with the REAL I-D and Iowa was one of the early ones in 2013. Lowe says Oregon won’t get started until next July. You will also need a real I-D to get into federal buildings after the October 2020 deadline.

You can see the list of documents you need to bring with you for a real I-D on the D-O-T’s website.

(Radio Iowa) — The State of Iowa is getting a 10-MILLION dollar federal grant to develop new strategies for improving maternal health. Dr. Stephen Hunter, a University of Iowa professor of obstetrics and gynecology, says 39 pregnant Iowa women died in the past three years.

“I think we need to worry about it,” Hunter says. “We’re talking about mothers and babies in our state. We don’t want to lose them through pregnancy. That’s a terrible tragedy for a family to go through and I think the general population needs to become more aware of the issue.”

Iowa’s maternal mortality rate has nearly doubled in the past three years. The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any industrialized nation. “And our rate is going up, whereas most other nations are still lower than us,” Hunter says, “and still dropping.”

Hunter suggests a variety of factors are contributing to the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. and in Iowa. Eighteen of the Iowa women who died in the past three years during a pregnancy died from factors “associated” but not directly related with the pregnancy, according to Hunter. “Things like suicide, mental health issues, drug overdoses, unrestrained motor vehicle accidents, homicides — all of those things are more common with pregnant women,” Hunter says, “so we need to deal with those.”

The number of obstetricians in Iowa, per capita, is lower than any other state.  “Thirty-four rural hospitals have quit doing labor and delivery since the year 2000 in our state,” Hunter says. “We lost eight just in 2018, so access to care is starting to be a real concern.”

Hunter will lead the team working on the five-year project and they plan to establish new training programs for doctors, nurses and midwives who agree to serve pregnant patients in rural areas.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — California Sen. Kamala Harris is looking to revive her presidential campaign with an aggressive addition of staff and a strategic shift toward Iowa that will put her in the state each week of October. But she’s facing questions about whether her investment has come too late, as many other Democrats similarly hope that Iowa can be their launch pad. Her team is also trying to beat back the notion that she has an unstable campaign after reports that she recalibrated some senior staff roles.

BONDURANT, Iowa (AP) — Officials in a Des Moines suburb have approved plans for a warehouse and distribution center that would create more than 1,000 jobs. The company behind the project to be located in an industrial area of Bondurant is confidential. City Administrator Marketa Oliver confirmed Wednesday the City Council gave initial approval for the development called Project Bluejay at its Monday meeting. It includes plans for a 780,000-square-foot building up to five stories high on about 100 acres.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says until the U.S. House votes on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, she’s not convinced there’s a case. Speaking to reporters Wednesday Reynolds said, “until they take a vote and I know what they’re accusing him of, I don’t think there’s anything there.” Reynolds, a Republican, is an honorary state chairwoman of Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say drugs killed two people whose bodies were found in a Burlington apartment. The bodies were found July 17 by officers sent to check on the man who lived there. Police said Tuesday that autopsies showed that 59-year-old Kevin Shavers died after ingesting fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. The woman with him, 33-year-old Marlo Pilkington, of Fort Madison, died of methamphetamine and fentanyl intoxication.

The Atlantic School Board entered into an agreement with Urbandale based Rochon Corporation on Wednesday night for the athletic facilities upgrade project. The agreement came during a special meeting at the Atlantic High School Media Center, following a public hearing in which no one spoke.

The contract approved was the low bid received for the project, with a base bid of $8,615,000. The board also discussed three separate alternative bids received from Rochon for some extra project items at the Trojan Bowl. The first alternative bid was for the entry set up for the Trojan Bowl with two different options being given to the board. One of the options was included in the base bid with lettering and lighting on the building. The other option included an archway entrance that would have added $105,000 to the project price tag. Many members of the board were unsatisfied with elements of both options and ultimately decided to not approve that bid. The plan will be to work with the contractor to come up with a solution that achieves the desired aesthetics within a reasonable budget.

The other two alternative bids were approved by the board. Alternative bid #2 was for the Trojan Bowl center-field logo on the turf for $12,300. Alternative Bid #3 was for the Trojan Bowl turf end zone lettering for $31,200.

With the addition of the two alternative bids, the total contract agreement with Rochon comes to the sum of $8,658,000.

Base bid Trojan Bowl entry option

Alternate bid Trojan Bowl entry option

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, approved by a vote of 5-to-1 (with Councilman Dick Casady absent), an Order to Approve a Contract with SWIPCO (Southwest Iowa Planning Council) for supplementary services, with regard to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Councilman Chris Jimerson was the lone No Vote.

City and Zoning Administrator John Lund, said when he was hired as an Assistant City Administrator in 2011, he was tasked with taking over administration, zoning ordinance, planning and zoning, Board of Adjustment duties. When he became the full-time City Administrator, he slashed his full-time assistant and took on those duties as well. Lund said while he’s very capable of understanding Administration and budgetary aspects of the job, Urban Planning is a separate discipline.

That focuses more or the dynamics of technical and spatial-related issues of development, population growth, urban system and design. Because he has no education in the area of Urban Planning, he suggested SWIPCO provide the City with those services, as a supplement to the P&Z, on an as-needed basis, at $50 per hour. Issues such as the constant problems with Bull Creek (storm water run-off related), and Sub-division planning, he said are better left to those who understand those issues and work hand-in-hand with the P&Z to help them make better decisions.

In his regular report to the Council, Lund say his attention now turns to the City’s Budget. In his report, Mayor Dave Jones said “There are a lot of good things going on in Atlantic. We’ve got some problems we’ve need to take care of, [by] just going after them and focus on the positive parts of Atlantic. We’ve a lot of things going on. And I would challenge anybody  to take someone (who has never been here) around, and showcase Atlantic…look around and see what we’ve got…all the things we’ve done here in the last 10- 15- or 20-years.”

Jones also set Halloween Trick or Treating for Oct. 31st, from 5:30-until 7:30-p.m. city-wide, and Downtown Trick-or-Treating from 3:30-to 5-p.m. on that date. And, the Council approved the temporary closing of certain streets downtown on Oct. 12th, in preparation for the Fireman’s Parade that begins at 6-p.m. The parade line-up for floats and other participants, is at 2nd and Sunnyside Streets, beginning at 4-pm. The Oscar Meyer Weinermobile will be in the Hy-Vee parking lot from 2-until 5-p.m. for entry into the parade, which features marching bands that include the popular Isiserette’s, Salem Stepping Saints and the Pleasant Green Baptist Church Marching Saints, as well as bagpipes, fire trucks & apparatus, EMS and other participants.

On a related note, the Atlantic Fire Department will hold their Annual Fireman’s Donation Breakfast this Sunday, Oct. 6th, from 7-a.m. until 1-p.m. at the fire station. For your Good-Will donation, you will receive and eggs, sausage, bacon and pancake breakfast.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that a central Iowa man was arrested on Theft charges and cited for Criminal Trespass, following an investigation into a report of a stolen vehicle. 41-year old Brandon S. Beenken, of Des Moines, faces a felony charge of Theft in the 1st Degree, plus a separate charge of Theft in the 1st degree. His total bond on both charges was set at $20,000.

At around 6-a.m. Wednesday, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was notified a vehicle had been stolen from the Morton Mills area. The complainant located the vehicle near the intersection of Redwood and Spruce Avenue, stuck on a Level “B” road. An investigation lead authorities to a farm building in 1300 block of T Avenue, where Beenken was located and charged with a Class C Felony Theft charge and Criminal Trespass.

At around 4-p.m., while Beenken was in the Montgomery County Jail, he was additionally charged with Theft in the 1st Degree, after it was learned a second vehicle that was located, had been stolen from Pleasant Hill. The vehicle also had stolen license plates.

BONDURANT, Iowa (AP) — Officials in a Des Moines suburb have approved plans for a warehouse and distribution center that would create more than 1,000 jobs. The company behind the project to be located in an industrial area of Bondurant is confidential.

City Administrator Marketa Oliver confirmed Wednesday the City Council gave initial approval for the development called Project Bluejay at its Monday meeting. Plans submitted to the city by contractor Ryan Companies appear to call for a 780,000-square-foot building up to five stories high on just over 100 acres.

The massive project appears to have more than 1,800 parking spaces around the building. There are plans for over 370 trees planted on the property. City officials agreed to seek a state grant to help with up to $14 million in street improvements to improve truck access. The city says it will provide up to $8 million from tax increment financing for the project.

A timeline has road work scheduled for next year and a project completion date of July 2021. Bondurant is a city of about 6,000 people, about 10 miles northeast of Des Moines.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The city of Sioux Falls is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed after a 5-year-old girl from Audubon drowned in the Big Sioux River at Falls Park. Attorneys last year filed a federal lawsuit against the city on behalf of Courtney Jayne, the mother of Maggie Zaiger. Zaiger fell into the river from river bank rocks on March 18, 2018, during a family trip to the park.

The Argus Leader reports attorneys representing the city argue that officials responsible for park safety did not breach their duty. The lawsuit alleges the city had ignored recommendations to put up barriers to more clearly distinguish where the rock ends and the water starts.

Officials have since installed viewing platforms and walkways with railings to improve safety.

(Radio Iowa) — Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has not yet seen a document outlining how the Trump Administration may address farmers’ fury over ethanol waivers granted to oil refineries.  “I’m optimistic that we’ll hopefully get something this week, but we’re still waiting to see the final details on it,” Reynolds told reporters late this (Wednesday) morning.

Bloomberg and Reuters are reporting President Trump is expected to sign-off on the deal Friday and make the details public next week. Reynolds was in the Oval Office a month ago, arguing for a policy that will increase federal biofuel production and blending requirements. The oil industry has been pressing for concessions that would alter what Reynolds and others discussed with Trump.

“I’m going to still take the president at his word,” Reynolds says. “I know he’s worked really hard to make our farmers and the biofuels industry whole and so I look forward to seeing in writing the verbal agreement that we came to.” If that greement is what materializes, Reynolds has invited Trump to Iowa to make the announcement. Reynolds suggests the president’s chief economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, is leading the biofuels negotiations.

“They had the meeting at the UN. They were working on a Japan free trade agreement, so there have been some other things that Kudlow and the team have been working on,” Reynolds says, “so hopefully that’s done and now we can move into this.” Earlier this week, Reuters reported the impeachment inquiry in the U.S. House was diverting White House attention from negotiations over biofuels. Reynolds told reporters she’s not ready to weigh in on impeachment.

Reynolds says it is possible to do two things at once and she’s urging Democrats in the U.S. House to ratify the U-S-Mexico-Canada Agreement as they conduct the impeachment inquiry.