(Radio Iowa) – The upcoming Independence Day holiday would ordinarily be a very busy one for vacationing Iowans, but a new estimate finds travel will be down about 15-percent this summer, compared to last year. Mark Peterson, a spokesman for Triple-A Iowa, says the COVID-19 pandemic has more people itching to get out and go, but fewer of them are expected to hit the road, just to be on the safe side.

“No, it won’t be as busy, it’s going to be down,” Peterson says. “People are still going to be concerned and conservative in the way they address some of their travel. It’s kind of like a wait-and-see attitude.” Airports in Iowa and at various destinations will be nearly vacant. Leisure air travel is predicted to be down 74-percent between July and September from a year ago. Worse yet, travel by rail, bus or cruise ship is expected to fall 86-percent for the quarter, compared to 2019.

With people avoiding airports and hotels, Iowa recreational vehicle dealers are reporting record sales and rentals. “More people want to be a little safer, a little more inclusive, when they go out,” Peterson says. “If they’re going to spend the night someplace, they know that the place they’re going to stay is going to be safe. They know that the RV is going to be the best way to go so, yes, they are being used a tad more this year.” While the interstates and highways are more sparsely traveled these days, he warns that’s not an invitation for motorists to ignore the speed limit.

“There aren’t as many cars and the road’s a little bit open and all of the sudden, we seem to be having people traveling a tad bit faster,” Peterson says. “We’re getting record numbers of vehicles traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour.” Road trips in cars are still popular for those who are traveling, accounting for 97-percent of the favored modes of transportation. Car trips are expected to see the smallest decrease in travel volume of just three-percent year-over-year.

(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that changes the rules for awarding state grants to businesses that promise to expand broadband service. A spokesman for the governor says five MILLION dollars will be distributed in the next 12 months. In addition, the state will use 85 million dollars in FEDERAL pandemic response money for broadband projects. That block of money is to be distributed based on federal guidelines. Representative Ray “Bubba” Sorenson of Greenfield says up to 35 percent of the project costs can be covered by the STATE grant money. “The Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant Fund will award grants based on a competitive basis that is weighed towards providing faster speeds and serving the un-served and underserved areas,” Sorenson says.

Senator Rich Taylor says service at his home just outside of Mount Pleasant is very limited.“If we really want to keep our kids out in our communities, we’ve got to provide better internet service for them,” Taylor says.

The new law Reynolds signed this week directs state officials to draw up new, more accurate maps showing broadband speeds so it’s clear where internet access is slow or non-existent.

Cass County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall reports deadlines for property taxes, Driver License and motor vehicle in Cass County Treasurer’s Office, have been extended in response to COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a proclamation (Friday) today, that extends the deadlines to July 25th for March 2020 property tax payments, Driver License, vehicle registration renewals, vehicle title registration and license plates. Keep in mind the September 2020 tax payments will be due soon, we also take partial tax payments.

While her office is open by appointment only for Cass County Citizens, Marshall says they are encouraging citizens to use online, mail, email and drop box if possible. Online payments can be made at www.iowatreasurers.org.

Mail in payments can be mailed: Cass County Treasurer, 5 W 7th St, Atlantic, IA 50022. The drop box can be found at the courthouse main entrance door. Anyone with questions regarding property tax, Driver License or motor vehicle inquiries should contact Cass County Treasurers Office at 712-243-5503 or email cass.treasurer@casscoia.us

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa agency whose power to remove problem officers was recently expanded generally has taken years to ban those who commit serious crimes and rarely punishes officers for improper policing alone. Records show the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council has sought to decertify 17 officers in the last 2½ years after determining they had committed crimes or misconduct that warranted their removal from the profession.

An Associated Press review found that most of those officers had been found guilty of felonies, domestic violence or other crimes that disqualify them from working in law enforcement. Only one officer since 2018 has been decertified for improper police work.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Cedar Rapids nurse accused of taking painkillers from hospital patients’ intravenous lines and injecting herself has been sentenced to four months in federal prison. Federal prosecutors say 43-year-old Kelly Postel, of Anamosa, was sentenced Friday to the prison term and fined $5500. She also was ordered to pay restitution and forfeit her nursing license. Prosecutors say Postel obtained an excess amount of fentanyl and morphine from the hospital pharmacy and administered patients’ prescribed amounts and then injected herself while at work with the leftover drugs. Authorities also say Postel took fentanyl from a patient by using a syringe to withdraw it from an intravenous line and injected herself while still at work.

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Police in suburban Des Moines say a man sicced a pit bull on other people at a party before he killed the dog himself after it turned on him. Television station KCCI reports that 33-year-old Juan Carlos Moreno Martinez, of Ankeny, was arrested Thursday and has been charged with several counts of assault, animal neglect, trespassing and probation violations. Police say the incident happened at a June 6 party in Ankeny, when Moreno-Martinez crashed the party and agitated the dog with the intention of intimidating others at the party. The animal ultimately attacked three people, one of whom was seriously injured. Police say Moreno-Martinez fatally stabbed the dog when it turned on him.