BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard and Iowa Department of Transportation are asking recreational boaters to be vigilant as construction of a new bridge over the Mississippi River continues. The Quad-City Times reports that the Interstate 74 bridge construction zone is potentially dangerous for recreational boaters. Danielle Alvarez, I-74 project manager for the state DOT, says boats should slow to a crawl when in and near the work zone. Boaters should also keep a safe distance from the project’s tow boats as they are constantly delivering workers and supplies.

Excursion boat captain Scott Schadler says some boats are getting close to barges so occupants can look at the bridge construction. He says that can be dangerous because barge operators can’t see the boaters because the barges are loaded with equipment.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials have announced new inspection rules for pigs that will be shown at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. An Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship news release said Friday that the additional exhibition requirements are designed to promote biosecurity and animal health as African swine fever continues to spread across China and other parts of Asia and Europe.

All pigs must be individually inspected and identified on a certificate of veterinary inspection that was completed within seven days of the fair, which runs Aug. 8-18 this year. A veterinarian will inspect all pigs as they arrive at the Des Moines fairgrounds before they are unloaded or mixed with other livestock. Biosecurity concerns led organizers to cancel the World Pork Expo scheduled for last month at the fairgrounds.

The National Pork Producers Council says African swine fever affects only pigs and presents no human health or food safety risks. There is no vaccine to treat the disease.

The Harlan Police Department has issued a report on arrests covering a period from July 10th thru the 19th. Authorities say 32-year old Matthew David Andersen, of Harlan, was arrested this (Friday) morning, following a call for service. Andersen was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with public intoxication. On July 14th, 18-year old Ronald Jeffrey Vancannon, of Boone, was arrested following a traffic stop. Vancannon was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

On July 12th, 26-year old Adam Tyrone Scheffler, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant. Scheffler was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. 29-year old Jacob Brady Scheffler, of Harlan, was arrested during the same traffic stop. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and interference with official acts.

Three people were arrested following a traffic stop July 11th, in Harlan. Officials say the three subjects transported the Shelby County Jail were: 18-year old Grayson Eugene Dustin, of Murray, who was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia; 22-year old Trevor Jordan Schinkel, of Dexter, was charged with open container passenger, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia; and, 21-year old Sophia Cynthia Newman, of Ames, was charged with prohibited acts, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and improper rear lamp.

And, on July 10th, 34-year old Thomas Stewart McCormick, of, Oxford, England, was arrested following a traffic stop, in Harlan. McCormick was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with turning from improper lane and operating while intoxicated.

Anita Rescue and Medivac Ambulance were called at around 10:48-a.m. today (Friday), to a single-vehicle accident on I-80 at mile marker 65 westbound, in Cass County. Initial dispatch reports said an elderly female was injured, and transported to the Cass County Hospital. Reports indicated her injuries did not appear to have been serious. The accident happened near the scene of a previous accident involving a semi tractor-trailer, that was under investigation. Both lanes of westbound traffic were open but moving slowly as of 11:30-a.m.

Additional details are currently not available.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate remained 2.4% in June, making it among the lowest in the nation. The rate released Friday by the Workforce Development agency ranked third in the nation, behind only Vermont and North Dakota. Iowa’s unemployment rate has been stuck at 2.4% for nearly a year.

Both the number of people working and those who are unemployed increased slightly in June from May figures. Iowa’s rate compares to a national unemployment rate of 3.7%.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sportswear maker Adidas Group has been added as a defendant in a lawsuit against a former Iowa youth basketball coach now serving a 180-year prison sentence for sexually exploiting hundreds of former players. The civil lawsuit was initially filed in state court in Iowa in November on behalf of a victim identified only as John Doe who was a youth basketball player for two years. It initially sought to recover damages from former Iowa Barnstormers coach Greg Stephen, the Barnstormers and its supervising organization, the Amateur Athletic Union.

The lawsuit was amended July 11 to add Adidas, a team sponsor. The suit claims the German company failed to protect the safety and ensure the privacy of minor athletes.
Stephen is serving a 180-year prison sentence after pleaded guilty in October 2018 to sexually exploiting young players.

An Adidas spokesman did not reply to a message.

A single-vehicle accident resulted in injuries Thursday evening, in Union County. Sheriff’s officials say 30-year old Andrew Wayne Long, of Creston, was driving a 2007 Mazda hatchback north/west bound on Old Highway 34, when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road. When the passenger side tires left the road causing Long to lose control, his vehicle entered the south ditch and struck an Alliant Energy power pole. The accident happened at around 5:35-p.m.

Long suffered suspected serious/incapacitating injuries, and the transported by Medic 1 helicopter to Methodist Hospital. The car was totaled in the crash. Damage to the utility pole was estimated at $1,000.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s 14-year-old voter registration system will live to see another presidential election. The Iowa Secretary of State’s office confirmed Thursday that a long-discussed plan to replace the I-Voters database will not be completed before the 2020 elections. Spokesman Kevin Hall says the office is still in the information-gathering phase of the project. He says the state plans to solicit information from potential vendors soon and later move forward with a bidding process.

Hall says the project will cost millions and “we owe it to the voters of Iowa to build it responsibly with the future of elections and security in mind.” Current and former state officials say the I-Voters system is secure and that they’ve taken steps to prevent intrusions. Built in 2005, the system has been updated numerous times and contains Iowa’s 2 million registered voters.
Linn County Auditor Joel Miller, a Democrat, says he worries the system is running on technology that is vulnerable to hackers. He says he’s disappointed by the pace of the replacement project.

(Radio Iowa) — Today (Friday) could be the hottest day yet in this latest heat wave, with high temperatures in parts of Iowa forecast to hit 99 degrees. Air conditioners are getting a workout with Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories posted for much of the state. Alliant Energy spokesman Mike Wagner says overnight low temps are staying quite warm and customers should plan ahead to avoid sticker shock from their utility bill. “On that overnight, your air conditioner is not going to get a break,” Wagner says. “These machines are going to be running in a pretty long cycle here for the next couple days. We think it’s important for customers to recognize that and then also try to look for ways to control their energy use so they don’t get a big surprise in August when their bills come and they’re surprised at the amount of energy they’re using.”

Wagner says make sure your air conditioner has had a tune-up recently.  “A friend of mine was having problems with their air conditioner and found out that it was down to about 20% coolant,” he says. “They had a service tech come out, clean it, do the service on the machine but also add more coolant, and then the machine was working much more efficiently, it wasn’t running as often and was cooling at a much better rate.” He also suggests you have a clean filter inside and out so airflow isn’t restricted. Wagner says to use ceiling fans and box fans to keep cool.  “Think of it kind of like using those fans as creating your own wind chill,” Wagner says. “I don’t know if I’d necessarily rely on them to circulate air around the house, but to have that cooler air blowing on you helps cool you down, and also allows you to maybe turn the temperature in your thermostat up a couple degrees so that you don’t necessarily need to have your air conditioner working quite so hard.”

Wagner says this is not the time to use your oven.  “Use the stove top if you need to, use a toaster oven, crock pots, instant pots are really popular,” he says. “I can find an excuse to grill just about anything. You don’t want to turn the oven on. This is not really the time during the heat wave here to start baking a cake or maybe put a pizza in the oven if you don’t need to, because those are things your air conditioner has to compete with.”

For more energy-saving tips, visit: https://alliantenergy.wordpress.com/2019/07/15/be-cool-control-costs/

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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