A state report indicates the fleet of yellow buses owned by Iowa’s public schools traveled more than 40 MILLION miles last year. Some geographically large Iowa school districts are spending more than nine-hundred dollars a year for EACH STUDENT who rides the bus to and from school.

“Some of the larger school districts in some of the far-flung areas of the state are very expensive.” That’s House Speaker Linda Upmeyer. Upmeyer and other Republican lawmakers are offering to supplement some school transportation budgets — but in varying degrees. Republicans in the HOUSE are suggesting a 10-million dollar boost for the coming year.

“To the most needy districts across the state who are struggling with transportation, especially in the rural areas.” That’s Republican Representative Walt Rogers of Cedar Falls, chairman of the House Education Committee. A year ago, SENATE Republicans signaled they wanted to immediately send twice as much to schools for transporting kids to and from school. That plan eventually would have committed about 150-million dollars a year in state money to supplement the budgets for busing in sprawling districts with rural zip codes. Senator Amy Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton, says given current state budget realities, she understands why her G-O-P colleagues in the House favor spending less on school transportation.

“I prefer fixing problems rather than putting band-aids on them, but absolutely I’ll work with them to see if we can get something done that will at least alleviate that stress and help every child receive a high-quality education,” Sinclair says. Sinclair says another bill pending in the legislature could help ease school budgets for busing. The bill would let elementary students ride the bus just as long as high school students — a one-way trip of 75 minutes. One district told legislators with students of any age riding the same bus, two bus ROUTES could be eliminated and save the district 100-thousand dollars next year.

(Radio Iowa)

(This story may not be suitable for younger audiences)

The Iowa Supreme Court has thrown out a Buchanan County man’s indecent exposure conviction that was based on a photo sent via text message. Jose Lopez was arrested in 2014 after he texted a picture of himself with an erection to a woman he wanted to date, but who had gotten a restraining order against him. He was convicted of the charge, but appealed saying his attorney should have challenged the charge based on a lack of evidence.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruling notes there is a difference between receiving an unwelcome sexually explicit image received via text and having someone expose themselves in person. It says the text recipient can immediately close the message and choose not to reopen it or delete it. While the same can’t be done if the exposure happens in person. The ruling says Iowa’s indecent exposure law does not allow an adult to send such a picture to a minor — but it does not make it illegal for an adult to send a picture of their genitals via text to another adult.

The Supreme Court says Lopez’s attorney should have challenged the evidence, and therefore was ineffective and reversed the indecent exposure conviction.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES – Another tax scam has surfaced, prompting alerts from the Iowa Department of Revenue (IDR) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Here’s how it works: It begins with cyber criminals stealing personal information, sometimes from computers of tax practitioners. In a new twist, the fraudulent returns in a few cases used the taxpayers’ real bank accounts for the deposit. A woman posing as a debt collection agency official then contacted the taxpayers to say a refund was deposited in error and asked the taxpayers to forward the money to her.

As a reminder, the Iowa Department of Revenue does not make these types of calls. If you feel you have been the victim of identity theft, please report it to us immediately using our web form or if you do not have computer access by calling (515) 281-5986.

AMU General Manager Steve Tjepkes reports Atlantic Municipal Utilities has been notified that a number of customers have recently received phone calls from people indicating they are with AMU, and the customer is past due and attempting to collect money from the customers over the phone or wire transfer.

The caller indicates that their service would be disconnected shortly if payment was not made over the phone or by wiring funds to a bank account. AMU warns customers, that this is not AMU calling. Similar scams have been made across the country and have occurred locally in the past.

If your account is past due, you will be contacted by an individual who will provide their name and indicate that they are with Atlantic Municipal Utilities. You will not be required to make payment over the phone to prevent service from being disconnected. Additionally, prior to being disconnected for a delinquency, you would receive written notice in the mail from AMU and notice posted to your residence.

Furthermore, AMU’s office hours are Monday through Friday from 7am-4pm. AMU will not contact you regarding delinquency or account balances outside of those hours.  AMU only accepts payments at our Main Office, 15 W. Third St. in Atlantic.  We do not accept payments at any other institutions.  Additionally, AMU only has a local telephone number, we do not have an 800 or 877 number.

Please do not provide your credit card or banking information to any other persons who call, claiming to be from AMU. If you question the status of your account, please contact AMU directly at 243-1395. In the event you receive one of these messages, please obtain as much information from the caller as possible and contact either AMU or the local police department.

The Council Bluffs Police Department this (Friday) afternoon, released more information about Thursday morning’s Officer involved shooting in the parking lot of a convenience store. Officials say shortly after 3:00am on February 1st, Council Bluffs Police Officer Trevor Benson (a five year veteran of CBPD) responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle on the parking lot of 611 East Broadway Street.

Upon arriving, Officer Benson approached the driver’s door of a parked white Oldsmobile Cutlass which was being operated by 21-year old Daton Petrey, of Omaha.  After a brief conversation, in which Petrey refused to identify himself, Officer Benson directed Petrey to exit the vehicle. Petrey was non‐compliant, refusing to get out of the car. Officer Benson then opened the driver’s door of the Cutlass and was attempting to physically remove Petrey from the car when Petrey shifted the transmission into reverse, and accelerated backwards at a high speed.

As the car was backing up, Officer Benson was trapped between the open driver’s door and the car’s body for approximately 40 feet. Benson was able to remain on his feet and fired two shots from his service weapon during the encounter. One round
struck Petrey in the lower torso. After being shot, Petrey continued to flee, speeding off the property in the alley behind the business.

When attempting to turn from the alley onto Frank Street, Petrey struck a power pole guide‐wire, which caused the vehicle to flip onto its roof. Petrey was then able to crawl out of the overturned vehicle and attempted to elude other responding officers on foot; he was captured about one block away, hiding under a parked vehicle. An ambulance was requested and Petrey was transported to a trauma center in Omaha for treatment. Other than the 3,300 lb. vehicle, no weapons were used or located on Petrey.

Officer Benson was not injured during the incident. There was a 59 year old male subject sitting in the front passenger seat of the Cutlass when the incident began. He had his door open as Benson began to struggle to get Petrey out of the vehicle. As Petrey accelerated backward, the passenger attempted to exit the vehicle, was dragged under the passenger door and his leg was run over by Petrey. The passenger refused medical attention at the scene. He was subsequently interviewed and released.

At the time of the incident, Petrey has a valid felony warrant for his arrest, for Parole Violation, issued by the Nebraska Department of Corrections. His warrant indicates to use caution, as he is considered an escape risk, known to carry weapons and resist arrest. Petrey remains in the hospital, in stable condition; once discharged, he will be booked into the Douglas County Jail on his outstanding warrant.

As part of department practice, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is conducting a parallel investigation into the incident, reviewing the actions of police personnel. Council Bluffs Detectives are conducting the criminal investigation, regarding the actions of Petrey. Our Internal Affairs Unit will conduct an administrative review of the incident, to ensure policies and procedures were followed.

The Council Bluffs Police Department will be consulting with Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber to identify appropriate criminal charges for Petrey, as a result of his assaults upon Officer Benson and the front seat passenger. Additional arrest warrants, stemming from this incident, are expected to be requested early next week.

As the case remains an open investigation, authorities said they will not be releasing any video footage at this time. Any future public release of evidentiary material will be at the approval and direction of the County Attorney. Officer Benson will remain on Administrative Leave while the investigation continues.

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — A defense attorney wants to move the trial of a second man accused of fatally shooting a gender-fluid teenager in southeast Iowa. The Hawk Eye reports that Jason Purham’s attorney, Allen Cook III, filed the motion Thursday in Des Moines County District Court. Cook cited in part the extensive media coverage of the case. He didn’t say where he wants the trial held.

The judge set a Monday hearing on the request. The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 20. Purham, who is from St. Louis, is the second of two men charged with first-degree murder for the slaying of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson, whose body was dumped in a Burlington alley on March 2, 2016. Purham’s cousin Jorge “Lumni” Sanders-Galvez was convicted in November and sentenced to life in prison.

A fire early this (Friday) morning in Red Oak is under investigation, but appears to be suspicious, according to Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce. The blaze at 207 E. Grimes Street was reported at around 1-a.m. When the first fire crews arrived on the scene, the rear of the structure was engulfed in flames. The property appeared to have been unoccupied for a while, and there were apparently no working utilities, therefore the caused was being investigated as intentional (arson). Red Oak Fire received mutual aid from the Stanton and Elliott Fire and Rescue Departments. The structure, according to the Chief, sustained significant damage from both the flames and the smoke.

Red Oak Police, Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Mid-American Energy crews assisted at the scene. No injuries were reported. Anyone with information on the fire is asked to contact the Red Oak Police Department at 712-623-6500.

The Iowa Department of Revenue started accepting state tax returns for 2017 last week. Department spokesperson, John Fuller, says they’re doing some things to try and help you navigate through the process. “We’ve created a sort of microsite or site within our bigger website that sort of breaks that down into three easy steps and helps them understand what happens,” Fuller says,”how to file, when to file, what tools are available, things like that.”

The website is www.iowa-dot-tax-dot-gov (tax.iowa.gov). Some people might be a little bit apprehensive about filing with all the talk recently about the changes in the federal tax system. Fuller says you shouldn’t worry about that.”Filing state taxes this year will be much the same as it has been in the past. Next year will probably be different. This year there’s not a lot of changes,” Fuller says. The Iowa Department of Revenue pushed in the past for people to switch from paper to electronic filing, and Fuller says that’ now how a majority of the returns are sent in. “About 90 percent. I think most people find that it’s a little bit easier to do that,” according to Fuller. “A lot of times, whether they use a third-party software company, or go on our site, I think it’s just a little easier to navigate through. I think most people are just more comfortable with that.”

If you get onto the website and still have some questions, he says the department welcomes phone calls. “We get a lot of phone calls — obviously depending on what time of day and what time you call — you may have to wait a few minutes. And that phone number is 515-281-3114,” Fuller says. He says the give out some of the same advice every year to Iowa taxpayers on how to make the process go better — and he says it still applies. “Start early, because you may be missing something that you thought you had. So, avoid waiting to file until the last minute,” Fuller says.”File electronically if you can because it helps avoid mistakes. And take a minute when you are done to just double-check your work.”

The deadline to file your Iowa tax returns is April 30th.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowans are encouraged to clothe themselves in something red today (Friday) as a way to draw attention to a critical health issue. Lauren Livingston, spokeswoman for the Iowa chapter of the American Heart Association, says Wear Red Day events aim to raise awareness about heart disease, the leading cause of death in Iowa. “Lots of businesses are doing activities,” Livingston says. “They might have heart health tables set up at their offices or they might be going on company walks, anything to promote heart health. They’re sharing pictures on social media of themselves wearing red. Across the nation, there are lots of Go Red for Women luncheons.”

Almost seven-thousand Iowans die of heart disease every year, the leading cause of death in Iowa since 1920. Coronary heart disease is responsible for about one of every five deaths in Iowa. While the numbers are grim, she says there is cause for optimism. “It’s affecting one in three people in America which is a huge number but, the good news is that 80% of heart disease and stroke is preventable through healthy lifestyle changes,” Livingston says. “That’s one of the big messages that we try to convey during Heart Month and throughout the year.”

Events include the Des Moines Heart Ball on February 10th, with Heart Walks planned later in Des Moines and Sioux City and a Go Red for Women event in Ames.

(Radio Iowa)

Atlantic Police today (Friday), arrested 31-year old Tony Mack, of Atlantic. He was taken into custody on charges of Domestic Abuse Assault, Interference with Official Acts, and Child Endangerment. Mack was booked into the Cass County Jail.