(Radio Iowa) – Jury selection will resume this morning in the first-degree murder trial of Kyle Ricke at the Dickinson County Courthouse in Spirit Lake. Ricke is accused of killing Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram on September 13th of last year, and his trial has been moved to Dickinson County due to pretrial publicity.

Lawyers for the prosecution and defense took turns asking questions of potential jurors on Monday, but they were not able to finish the questioning before the end of the day, so they will resume at 8:30 AM. Once a jury is seated, opening arguments will be held and the first witnesses called.

The prosecution informed the potential jurors that they intend to call as many as ten witnesses, including the defendant’s mother.

(Radio Iowa) -Officials with A-A-R-P Iowa are now on what they’re calling the “Cruisin’ for Caregivers” program with a statewide tour designed to be an informational clearinghouse for those who are caring for loved ones. Brad Anderson, the organization’s state director, says there are some 330-thousand unpaid family caregivers in Iowa.  “Caregivers need information. They need to know how to go about doing their job,” Anderson says. “They need to know how do I get started with caregiving? How can I help identify some home health services, for example? Often, they need to know how does Medicare work?” During the stops, they’ll be providing folks with A-A-R-P caregiving guides and local resources to help Iowans navigate their caregiving journey.

“We’re going to distribute this information at grocery stores, hospitals, clinics, drug stores, because our goal is to meet caregivers where they are,” Anderson says. “They’re busy people. They don’t have time to attend events. Our goal is really to come to them, and then give them access to this information and help them do the important work that they do every day.” That work is vital, Anderson says, everything from cooking and cleaning for loved ones to buying groceries. A-A-R-P leaders are traversing Iowa in a large, red R-V, with more than 20 stops planned across the state in order to help caregivers do just that.

“We’re also going to have meetings with members of Congress and their challengers,” Anderson says. “We’ll talk to the people in Washington who are making some decisions about family caregiving, and get them to understand some of the challenges that caregivers face, as well as talk about some solutions and ways that Congress can help.” A recent A-A-R-P study found unpaid caregivers are providing more than 310-million hours of care each year in Iowa, valued at more than five-point-two billion dollars. The next stop is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Cedar Falls Public Library, with more stops this month in: Davenport, Marshalltown, Altoona, Ottumwa and Pella.

Learn more about upcoming stops here: https://states.aarp.org/iowa/cruisin-for-caregivers-tour-stops

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police, late Monday morning, arrested a woman wanted on a warrant for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. Authorities say 45-year-old Heidi Ann Divis, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 11:45-a.m. for the simple misdemeanor offense. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Fair starts in 30 days — on August 8th. Iowa State Fair C-E-O Jeremy Parsons says there’s been a renewed focus on what he calls “creature comforts” for this year’s fairgoers. “Double the amount of handicapped accessible parking spaces — paved spaces. You’re going to see new sidewalks for accessibility. You’re going to see new shade areas, shade structures,” Parson says. “Picnic tables — we had $100,000 line item in our budget this year for picnic tables and benches, so more places for you to sit.”

Some restrooms have been remodeled and there are more water bottle filling stations on the fairgrounds. The price of admission to the State Fair is the same as last year. “Like any business operating in the state of Iowa today inflation has affected us, whether that’s most costs for employees — for salaries, whether that’s more costs for utilities, whatever it might be,” Parsons says, “so we’re very pleased at the Iowa State Fair this year to hold the line on admission.”

Tickets to State Fair Grandstand concerts are generally in the 30-to-60 dollar range. The most expensive seats — 125 dollars each — are for the Motley Crew concert. As of today, the Grandstand concert by rapper Jelly Roll on the first Saturday of the State Fair is sold out. Parsons says the “radius clause” in entertainers’ contracts has made booking acts more competitive.

“If an act has commited at a certain venue you draw a circle geographically so many miles out and that artist can’t perform again in that area,” Parsons says. “You think about this year, the challenge at the Iowa State Fair we’d had George Strait’s concert up in Ames and all of the entertainment out at the Iowa Speedway.”

Parsons made his comments during an appearance this past weekend on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.