(Radio Iowa) — Three traffic-related bills have already emerged in the 2020 Iowa legislature. A bill to make seat belt use mandatory for back-seat passengers has cleared a subcommittee in the Iowa Senate. Senator Zach Whiting of Spirit Lake says federal statistics show nearly half of the people killed in motor vehicle crashes last year were not wearing a seat belt. “That’s a lot of unnecessary death,” Whiting says, “and whether you want to call it liberty or you want to call it laziness, just buckle your seatbelt and be safe out there.”

Representative Megan Jones of Sioux Rapids has introduced similar legislation in the HOUSE that would require back-seat passengers to buckle up. “I think this is a helpful reminder because sometimes you’re just kind of squished in the back, you can’t quite reach it or something and you say: ‘Oh, well it’s not law so I don’t need to wear it,'” Jones says. “Well, let’s find that seat belt. Let’s dig it out. Let’s click it and move on.”

A constituent who works on medical flights told Jones he is concerned about the injuries he’s seeing in traffic accidents. “If we have those people secured and tucked into their belts, then we have a less likelihood they’re going to fly into someone else who may be properly belted in, but still faces injuries because of that flying person in the back seat,” Jones says.

Another transportation-related bill would let authorities ticket drivers who drive too slowly in the left-hand passing lane. A third bill would direct the D-O-T to put “rumble strips” on all paved county roads that intersect with state and federal highways. The requirement would apply to county blacktops where the speed limit is 55.

Representative Dean Fisher of Montour, the bill’s lead sponsor, says the bill was inspired, in part, by a December 1st accident in Benton County that killed a 26-year-old Des Moines woman. “Missed a stop sign on Highway 30. She hit a semi. A very tragic loss. There weren’t any rumble strips at the intersection,” Fisher says. “Perhaps rumble strips would have saved her and so many others.”

Two other lawmakers are co-sponsoring the bill after fatal wrecks in their districts involving vehicles on a county blacktop that did not stop and were hit while crossing onto a highway.  “Having that rumble strip, which is a completely different sensory perception than the visual of a stop sign I think would help tremendously,” Fisher says.

Rumble strips are indentations carved into a roadway and vehicles rumble when passed over the area. Fisher says he doesn’t like mandates, but rumble strips on paved county roads alert distracted or drowsy drivers a stop sign is ahead.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CST

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — After watching for more than a decade as a once busy Veterans Affairs campus deteriorated into a sprawling ghost town, leaders of a small Iowa city announced plans to take control of the property and likely demolish most of the structures. City and county officials signed documents Wednesday taking ownership of the 153-acre property. For decades it had operated as its own city with a power plant, fire station, water tower, chapel, and even an old bowling alley fashioned from a Quonset hut. That abruptly changed in 2009, when federal officials closed the facility. Officials say the plan to build housing at the site.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Supreme Court Acting Chief Justice David Wiggins has told lawmakers that the independence of the courts from politics is a strength. Wiggins made the comments Wednesday as he delivered the yearly Condition of the Judiciary speech. He said the Legislature’s role is to be the voice of the people, while the courts should speak in a more limited way to resolve legal disputes. The court system is requesting a 3.95% increase in funding for next year. That would bring the court’s budget to $188.7 million. It includes adding 17 workers in county court offices, four additional judges and additional court reporters and law clerks.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elizabeth Warren accused Bernie Sanders of calling her a liar before a national television audience during a tense, post-debate exchange in which she refused to shake his outstretched hand. That’s according to audio released Wednesday by CNN, which aired the debate. The two have been feuding since Monday, when Warren said that, during a private meeting in 2018, he disagreed with her that a woman could win the presidency. They clashed during Tuesday’s debate in Iowa, and Warren refused to shake Sanders’ hand afterward. Audio reveals Warren said, “I think you called me a liar on national TV,” and Sanders responded, “Let’s not do it right now.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say a shooting in a Des Moines neighborhood has left two people dead and two injured. Des Moines police responded just before 4 p.m. Wednesday to a reported shooting at a home in the Merle Hay neighborhood and found two people dead with gunshot injuries. A third person at the home had a gunshot wound to a leg and was taken to a hospital. Police found evidence that indicated another person may have left the house. About a half hour later officers found someone nearby with a gunshot wound to a leg. That person also was taken to a hospital. Police didn’t immediately release the names of those involved.

One person died, and another was injured, during a head-on collision Wednesday afternoon in eastern Iowa’s Benton County. The Iowa State Patrol says a 2005 Chevy SUV was westbound on 77th Street Drive and a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix was traveling eastbound.

For reasons unknown, the SUV struck the car on 77th Street Driver, near 27th Avenue. The accident, which happened at around 2-p.m., remains under investigation. The names of the crash victims had not been released as of late Wednesday evening.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Norway Fire & Rescue, Belle Plaine EMS and Blairstown Fire/EMS.

The Atlantic City Council met in a brief, regular scheduled Wednesday evening. The Council, and Mayor Dave Jones congratulated Sondra Marnin for her 5-years of service to the Atlantic Public Library.

(on the left) Mayor Dave Jones congratulates Sondra Marnin for her five-years serving the Atlantic Library.

(Click to enlarge)

The Mayor then read from a proclamation recognizing January 28th through February 1, 2020, as “School Choice Week,” in Atlantic.  Afterward, the Council approved a change order for the Ash Street Sanitary Sewer Replacement Project. Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm explained the project is an approximately 400-foot extension of the sewer line to two houses on the top of the hill on 22nd Street, east of Olive Street. The two properties are currently served by septic systems in the City Limits.

Sturm said change order simply extends the contract for Pierce Pump, which is in charge of the Ash Street replacement project. The cost of the extension is $27,450. The Community Development Committee met last month to review the proposal and recommended approval.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, approved: the appointment of Melissa Ihnen to the Planning and Zoning Commission; The re-appointment of Barb Barrick as the Atlantic City Clerk; Appointment of David Wiedersteen as City Attorney; and other, administrative matters.

In his report to the Council, City Administrator John Lund said work on the Budget continues. He also had some good news/bad news information. The good news: The City will no longer have to estimate what its health insurance premiums will be in the coming year. Since the City is in the Iowa Communities Trust Pool (ICAP), Wellmark issues renewal figures much earlier. The bad news: The renewal is about 12-percent. The City’s insurance broker, Cottingham and Butler will review the self-insure component and have a final recommendation within about a week.

Lund said also, with City Clerk Barb Barrick recovering from health issues, her duties are being split among Lund, and office the two office assistants, Ali and Amanda, so everything is taken care of in a timely manner. Lund said he plans to meet with the Personnel and Finance Committee in a couple of weeks to review some of the early budget figures and answer any questions.

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — After watching for more than a decade as a once busy Veterans Affairs campus deteriorated into a sprawling ghost town, leaders of a small Iowa city announced plans to take control of the property and likely demolish most of the structures. City and county officials signed documents Wednesday taking ownership of the 153-acre property.

For decades it had operated as its own city with a power plant, fire station, water tower, chapel, and even an old bowling alley fashioned from a Quonset hut. That abruptly changed in 2009, when federal officials closed the facility. Officials say the plan to build housing at the site.