(Radio Iowa) — A safety expert says as Iowa boaters plan to make their first voyage on the water this season, they should check the boat’s life jackets.  Susan Stocker, the boating law administrator and education coordinator in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says “Make sure that there aren’t any rips or tears in it.”  The major concern is to ensure the life jacket fits whomever may be wearing it on the boat. “Every life jacket has a label on it that tells the weight and the size for the intended wearer,” Stocker says.

There are more than 230-thousand registered boats in Iowa. Stocker says all boaters should use the buddy system — and give a “float plan” to someone who is NOT out on the water. “Where you’re going to go, when you’re going to be back and potentially even what ramp you’re going to be putting in at,” Stocker says. “With any high water, we may have some snags or debris that’s in the rivers and streams and being able that if you don’t show up back at home at 6:30 in the evening, that somebody starts looking for you.”

Flood conditions in some areas of the state may make boating impossible. Stocker says boaters must realize in high water, submerged trees and other objects can wreck the boat. “The other thing is when you are in a paddle-craft, whether it’s a canoe or a kayak, you’d better expect to be dumped and put in the water because that’s just the nature of those,” Stocker says, “and unfortunately I can say that we just had our third boating accident and it was a paddler.”

It happened within the last few days in southeast Iowa. Stocker says the paddler tipped over and “almost died from hypothermia.”

A woman from Creston reported to Police, Tuesday, that sometime during the day, someone cut a rear tire on her vehicle, while it was parked outside her residence. The incident, which took place in the 600 block of Grand Avenue, caused about $100 damage.

(7-a.m. News)

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) — The governor’s signing of the bill that makes industrial hemp production legal has put the process in motion to create the rules for producers. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig (Like egg) says the 2018 federal farm bill opened the way, and the state now has to follow through. “We will apply to the U-S-D-A and seek approval from them to have a state program,” Naig explains. “So, there is quite a bit of work yet to do here before we actually have a program to implement here in the state.”

He says that means there won’t be any hemp grown on Iowa farms until 2020. That gives producers time to research hemp as a possible crop. “We’re encouraging folks to take the time. We’ve got a year now to look at everything from the agronomic things that you need to look at — from a seed selection and tillage and land and all those types of things — all the way across to what are the markets for the product. Are you growing industrial hemp for for C-B-D production or for fiber of for grain and oil production.”

He says it is the same process you should use for any new crop. “We really encourage folks to take the time and understand and learn and then be ready to take the field in 2020 is that is viable for them,” Naig says. Naig says there could be some crossover in the equipment used for traditional crops and the planting of industrial hemp. “From a seeding standpoint we understand, and I think some the traditional planting equipment probably works,” according to Naig. “And then really on the harvest side, it so much depends on what the end use is.”

He says you might need different equipment to harvest the hemp for oil than you do for harvesting it for fiber. Those who pushed for legalizing industrial hemp say it has a variety of uses from fabric to oils, paper and rope that could benefit farmers. Naig says you have to research if growing hemp is viable for your operation. “I’ve said many times I am confident that we can grow industrial hemp in the state of Iowa. We used to and we’re good at growing nearly anything,” Naig says. “It’s really a question in my mind of whether or not folks have a viable market for that product. And that’s really what we should be looking at from an economic standpoint.”

Naig says industrial hemp has the potential to be grown anywhere in Iowa. “The legislature did cap the amount of acres that a producer can grow to 40 acres — so we’re not talking about whole sections of farmland here that would be going into farm production,” Naig explains. “Forty-acre tracts or smaller tracts of land — I think we’ve seen that in some other states like Kentucky where they’ve really been ahead here on industrial hemp production. I think it can be applied anywhere — but again — economics will really drive that.”

Farmers cannot legally grow hemp in Iowa until the U-S-D-A approves the proposed regulatory plan Naig’s department is working up. The law l does not legalize the recreational use of marijuana, and requires the hemp plants to have T-H-C levels of point three (0.3) percent or less. Plants with T-H-C levels above that percentage are still considered controlled substances in the state and must be destroyed.

(Radio Iowa) — A former Belmond resident will serve three years on federal probation for possessing stolen mail from his wife’s postal route.  Fifty-year-old Timothy VanZweden of Clarion pleaded guilty to one count of possession of stolen mail. In the plea agreement, he admitted that while living with his wife in Belmond in 2017 he had thrown out a large trash bag that contained mail. Officers used a search warrant and found five letters taken from the wife’s mail route in the garbage, and a counterfeit key used to unlock mail holders.

VanZweden also admitted to burglarizing two homes on his wife’s mail route. He said the homeowners were “beautiful people” for whom everything in life came easily — and one of the women was snotty to him and looked down on him.

(Radio Iowa) — Eight Democrats in the Iowa House and an attorney from Cedar Rapids are filing a lawsuit, seeking to block changes in the commission that nominates candidates for openings on the Iowa Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Representative Brian Meyer, a Democrat from Des Moines who’s joined the lawsuit, says they’re arguing the changes are unconstitutional because the plan was included in a bill with a wide range of other topics. “It’s a provision in the constitution that prohibits log-rolling, which is having multiple subjects in one bill,” Meyer says. “This was a very controversial issue…and it was slammed through at the last minute.”

Governor Kim Reynolds approved the plan last week and has already used her new authority to appoint another member to the Judicial Nominating Commission. Meyer says the group is initially seeking an injunction to prevent the man Reynolds appointed to the commission from joining it. “This was done backroom deal, last minute, as part of a massive bill…but this was such an important subject that it should have had lots of public discussion and lots of input from the public,” Meyer said.

Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, led the House effort to come up with the final plan that won approval from the Republican majority. “it’s not a surprise that they’re making what I consider to be a desperate attempt because they know full well that what we did was constitutional,” Holt says, “so instead of going after it legally on the merits of what we did, they’re going after it based on where we passed the legislation.”

Last week, Governor Reynolds said the changes to the Judicial Nominating Commission “give all Iowans a greater voice in the process.” The lawsuit filed by eight Democrats in the Iowa House also challenges a section of the plan that changes the term for the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court — arguing that violates the separation of powers between the three branches of state government.

(Radio Iowa) — A special investigation by the state auditor’s office has identified nearly 75-thousand dollars worth of improper transactions by the former city clerk in the small northwest Iowa town of Westfield. The investigation was sparked by concerns about former Westfield City Clerk Angela Sorensen. Sorensen claimed the city’s financial records were destroyed in a fire at city hall that started on the edge of her desk and more recent records were lost due to a computer virus. Auditors, though, were able to review about four-and-a-half years worth of records and identified nearly 40-thousand dollars of utility payments to the city that were never deposited.

Sorenson was overpaid by more than 13-thousand dollars during the four-and-a-half year period and Sorenson wrote herself about 43-hundred dollars worth of unauthorized checks, plus another three-thousand dollars worth of checks were redeemed for cash.  Copies of the auditor’s report have been forwarded to the Plymouth County Sheriff and County Attorney as well as the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the state attorney general. Westfield is a community of about 130 residents. No other city in the state is located further west than Westfield.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Communities that were flooded when levees failed along the Missouri River earlier this spring will likely remain exposed to high water for months to come, leaving displaced residents wondering when — or if — they will be able to return and rebuild their homes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — the federal agency that regulates flood control along the waterway — has been assessing the levees that were crippled in March when heavy rain and snow melt caused the river and its tributaries to overflow in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. But repairs have been hindered by the extent of the damage and lingering floodwaters.

In this May 10, 2019 photo, flood waters from the Missouri River cover fields north of Hamburg, Iowa. The communities that flooded this spring after levees failed along the Missouri River will likely remain exposed to flooding for at least several more months. More than 40 levees were damaged but only a handful of construction contracts to fix them have been issued. Two of those are for repairs to levees near Hamburg, Iowa, but even the initial repairs won’t be done until after the spring rainy season. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

The flooding that caused an estimated $3 billion in damage in the Midwest forced 94-year-old Ardis Rogers from her farm near the small community of Percival in southwest Iowa. She said she’s heard from people who flew over her home that it appears dry but that the roads leading to the property remain flooded. “I haven’t a clue of when I can go home, and there’s no place like home,” said Rogers, who has been staying with friends in Hamburg. “We’re dependent on the levees, and we’re dependent on the Corps of Engineers.”

Only a handful of the more than 40 construction contracts needed to fix the damaged Missouri River levees have been issued. Sherri Bowen, spokeswoman for Mills County, whose hometown of Glenwood sits behind a broken levee, said “Until those levees get back up to regular height, we won’t feel secure. It’s very stressful.” Even the quickest repairs — plugging holes in two levees near Hamburg and Percival, Iowa — won’t be completed until the spring rainy season is over. Lowell Blankers, who oversees levee repairs in Iowa and Nebraska for the Corps, said
“We’re working hard to get that initial level of protection in place.” But completing the repairs will be difficult.

Jud Kneuvean, emergency manager with the Kansas City district of the Army Corps of Engineers, said “We have been hampered by poor conditions.” Often after floods, officials are able to drive along the levees to assess the damage, but that hasn’t been an option this spring in many places where floodwaters surged over the top. The Corps is relying more heavily than ever on watercrafts and helicopters to find out what is going on. Even in Hamburg, where repair work is underway, some of the still-flooded job sites can’t be accessed without a boat.

Once the damage surveys are completed, the Corps will review which levees were the most effective in protecting populations and the most critical infrastructure. That helps determine which repair projects come first. The federal government will pay for all of the repairs to levees in the federal system and 80% of the cost to repair levees owned by cities or agricultural groups. Mike Crecelius, emergency manager for Fremont County, which includes Hamburg, said “Until the levees are repaired, any heavy rain will threaten Missouri River communities with more flooding. It’s going to be a long, treacherous summer for us.”

The dragging levee repairs make it hard for people to decide when or if to rebuild their homes and businesses. Only six of the 32 businesses in Hamburg have reopened since the floods, and residents are still boiling water. Hamburg Mayor Cathy Crain said “Right now we’re not alarmed. But we have to get through May and June.”

(Radio Iowa) — Entries for this year’s Iowa Century and Iowa Heritage Farms are due soon. Becky Lorenz (lore-ENZ) coordinates the program at the Iowa Department of Agriculture, which singles out the state’s long-time family farms. “A Heritage Farm has 150 years of continuous ownership in the same family, while a Century Farm has 100 years of continuous ownership,” Lorenz says. “You need to have at least 40 acres of your original piece of property to qualify.”

There are more than 19-thousand Century Farms in Iowa and just over 12-hundred Heritage Farms. A ceremony is held each year during the Iowa State Fair that recognizes each of the farms as they reach the landmark — and the 2018 event was unusual. “We had 359 Century Farm award winners and 148 Heritage Farms,” Lorenz says. “This will be my 9th show this year and last year was the most combined numbers that we’d ever had.”

The deadline to enter is June 1st. The Heritage Farm program was started in 1976 while the Century Farm program began in 2006. Learn more about the program and find an application here:
https://www.iowaagriculture.gov/century/centuryApplicationProcess.asp

(ANAMOSA) – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports a man being incarcerated on robbery charges died Tuesday night, as the result of an apparent suicide. 52-year old Calvin Pearson was pronounced dead due at 8:03-p.m., at the Jones Regional Medical Center where he had been taken.

Pearson had been incarcerated at the Anamosa State Penitentiary for two convictions of Robbery- 2nd Degree from Johnson County. His incarceration began on November 2, 2010.

The department conducts an investigation into all inmate suicides, and an autopsy will be conducted.