WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Waterloo’s police chief wants to hire a violence reduction officer to focus on stemming gun violence. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that officer Justin Brandt created a nonprofit that identifies youths that may join a gang and provides programming to put them on a different course. He says he’s secured $170,000 in grants, $35,000 of which would be used to support the violence reduction officer’s salary.

Police Chief Dan Trelka says the officer would work with the nonprofit, school resource officers, the University of Northern Iowa’s Mentors in Violence Prevention program and other agencies. Councilwoman Margaret Klein says the likes the idea because no city taxpayer money would be used to fund the position. Councilman Steve Schmitt says he’s concerned about raising the number of police staff.

The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office said it has received reports from four counties, about text messages to some voters having with incorrect polling place information. Officials are currently investigating the reports. Some of the erroneous text messages start with, “Tomorrow is the Democratic Primary”, and do not identify the source.  If you are not sure where you vote, contact your county auditor or use the Iowa Secretary of State’s polling place lookup tool at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx

The Harlan Police Department issued a report on arrests and incident, today (Tuesday). Officials say on June 2nd, 57-year old Jody Lyn Wyatt, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for service in the Westridge Trailer Court. Wyatt was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with theft 4th. The next day, 41-year old Ryan Nicholas Schwery, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for a disturbance in the 900 block of 7th St. Schwery was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with disorderly conduct. Also arrested June 3rd, was 31-year old Adam Seth Polchow, of Council Bluffs. He was taken into custody following a traffic stop in the 900 block of Chatburn, in Harlan. Polchow was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, prohibited acts penalties, driving under suspension, failure to prove security against liability and speed. And, on May 31st, 42-year old Amanda Layne Hanover, of Harlan, was cited for driving under suspension, following a traffic stop at 10th and Willow.

And, no injuries were reported on June 1st, after vehicles driven by Dylan Eshelman, of Harlan, and Garrett Cooper, of Atlantic, collided at 6th and Baldwin Streets, in Harlan. Officials say Cooper was traveling north on 6th Street in a 2000 Chevy Silverado, while Eshelman was traveling west on Baldwin Street. Eshelman failed to stop at the controlled intersection, and struck the pickup on the rear passenger side. The impact caused the pickup to spin 180 degrees. Both vehicles were driven away.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports 37-year old Adam Wayne Jensen, of Earlham, was arrested May 29th, on two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance. As Jensen was detained for Driving Under Suspension, his vehicle was towed and inventoried, during which a green leafy substance was observed in a backpack. Jensen initially denied owning the backpack or marijuana, but then admitted they were his. During a probable cause search of the vehicle, a meth pipe was located in a handkerchief tucked inside a coozie that was hidden inside a compartment that normally houses the vehicles’ cd player, which had been removed. Near the coozie was a plastic container for breath mints. The container actually held a white crystal substance believed to be Meth. Jensen denied any knowledge of the meth. He was taken to the Adair County Jail and later released on a $3,000 cash or surety bond.

24-year old Jeffrey Dewane Ott, of Orient, was arrested May 31st in Adair County, for Operating a vehicle without the owners consent. Ott was turned over to authorities in Union County, where his bond was set at $2,000. Sheriff Vandewater reports also, 21-year old Austin Lee Timberlake, of Adair, was arrested May 31st for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. His arrest took place after he got into a verbal altercation with his live-in girlfriend, that allegedly turned physical. He was released the following day on $300 bond. The alleged victim has requested a No Contact Order for Timberlake.  24-year old Zachary Clayton Utterback, of Greenfield, was arrested June 2nd, for Public Intoxication. He was released June 3rd on $300 bond.

And, 48-year old Jeannine A. Larson, of Adair, was cited May 28th for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. She was released on her Own Recognizance.

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) — A 20-year-old northwest Iowa man has been given 75 years in prison for killing his grandfather and burning his home. Court records say Santos Rodriguez Jr. pleaded guilty Monday in Sioux County District Court to arson and second-degree murder after prosecutors lowered the homicide charge from first-degree murder. He faced life in prison had he been convicted at trial, which was scheduled to begin Sept. 18.

Prosecutors say Rodriguez stabbed 84-year-old Luis Luevanos in his Rock Valley home on Oct. 29 and setting the man’s house on fire. Rodriguez was later arrested in Utah. Iowa investigators say Rodriguez admitted during a police interview to stabbing his grandfather and setting the fire.

The on-going search for Jake Wilson in northeast Iowa is moving to other areas, nearly two months after the autistic teenager from La Porte City disappeared. Wolf Creek has been the primary focus of the search since the night of April 7th, when the 16-year-old Wilson went for a walk near the creek and didn’t return home. After initial checks of the water and surrounding areas provided no clues in the investigation, authorities last month decided to bring in heavy equipment to remove large debris piles from the creek. That three-week operation ended on Sunday. La Porte City Police Chief Chris Brecher says authorities now plan to move forward using leads that come in to expand into different search areas. In a press release, Brecher emphasized that investigators still haven’t ruled out any possibilities in the search for Wilson.

(Radio Iowa)

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

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MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Mason City man has been given 10 years in prison for injuring his infant daughter. Court records say 28-year-old Jeremy Rose was sentenced Monday. He’d been found guilty of child endangerment resulting in serious injury. Rose was arrested after officers and medics were called the night of June 22 last year to help the baby, who was having difficulty breathing. Prosecutors say he’d violently shaken the tiny girl.

There are different opinions on the American Cancer Society’s recent announcement that it has lowered its recommendation on when you should get a colon cancer screening. University of Iowa doctor Alan Gunderson says he can go along with the change. “Because who gets colon cancer seems to be changing. It’s younger people, and changing it to 45 for all instead of just African Americans establishes a sort of uniformity and kind of speaks to the changing epidemiology of the disease, so I agree with it,” Gunderson says.

The screening is commonly done with a colonoscopy and can also be done with a stool test. Gunderson says the stool testing has to be done every year to be effective, while the colonoscopy doesn’t have to be done as often if no problems are found. He says it may take some time for all doctors to immediately recommend everyone get checked at 45. “Still the main gastroenterology groups and the U-S Preventative Services Task force, which is sort of the governmental recommendation, still are 50. They haven’t changed. So, this is the early adopter change,” according toe Gunderson. “So, I don’t think you are going to see a big groundswell of practice change yet.”

But Gunderson, who is gastroenterologist, says people will take notice of the Cancer Society recommendation. “The American Cancer Society is a heavyweight and they are basing this change on their data. And it is registry data from people with colon cancer that goes from the 1890’s to today,” Gunderson says. Another University of Iowa doctor, Richard Hoffman, says there needs to be more of a breakdown on the numbers.
“What’s happened in the last 20 years now, we’ve been much more aggressive about screening. And we also recognize that people who have a family history of colon cancer should start getting screened earlier. And most of the time that recommendation is to start screening at age 40,” Hoffman says. “So my concern is that these numbers are really inflated by the fact that you are appropriately screening higher-risk patients at a younger age.”

Hoffman says when he started he was trained on a procedure that look at a smaller section of the colon first. But he says other evaluations are used as much now. “What I am seeing in practice now is that when people come in with symptoms they are now getting colonoscopy, and so there is more of an opportunity to find an early cancer because you are looking at the whole colon,” according to Hoffman. “But what we don’t know is whether finding these cancers early is going to lead to any better outcomes.” And he says getting a colonoscopy is not always a simple procedure. “When you do colonoscopies there is a one in a couple hundred chance of causing bleeding or perforation. They are very expensive, people have to miss a day of work….you need to get sedated, someone has to drive you home. And the question is, is it really a good use of resources to now lower the age of screening?”

Hoffman, is director of the Division of General Internal Medicine for the Carver College of Medicine, and says he’d like to see more of an age breakdown on the colon cancer numbers. He agrees with Doctor Gunderson that there won’t be an immediate change in practice by most doctors.

(Radio Iowa)

Polls have opened for the primary election in Iowa, giving voters 14 hours to cast ballots for local, state and national races. Voting began at 7 a.m. Tuesday and is scheduled to end at 9 p.m. Iowa has one of the longest hours for election day voting in the country. Data show more than 40,000 voters have cast ballots during early voting that began May 7.

A new voter ID law in Iowa will see its first statewide soft rollout during the primary. Iowans will be asked to show approved identification before voting. Anyone without an ID will have the option to sign an oath verifying their identity to cast a regular ballot.

Key statewide contests include the Democratic primary for governor and several congressional races. Republicans have several choices for the secretary of agriculture race, and there’s a two-way race for Democrats in the primary for secretary of state.