(Radio Iowa) — During her 99-county tour of the state, U-S Senator Joni Ernst says she’s frequently hearing from Iowans during town hall meetings about relentless robocalls trying to dupe us out of our money. Ernst says new legislation is taking shape which aims to turn the tables on the annoying, illegal calls. Ernst says, “The current law doesn’t do nearly enough to deal with scammers who are intentionally and aggressively breaking telemarketing rules.”

The Republican from Red Oak says she’s signed on as a co-sponsor of the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act. “The TRACED Act gives regulators much more authority in going after robocall scam artists,” Ernst says, “including charging penalties of up to $10,000 per call for bad actors who intentionally break the law.” One element of the bill would mandate that our phone service providers use call authentication technology which would shut down robocalls before they can even ring our numbers. It would also bring several federal agencies together in an effort to track and prosecute robocallers, including the F-C-C and the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

“This bipartisan bill, which now has 69 Democratic and Republican co-sponsors in the Senate, will help us better enforce the rules on the books to crack down on intrusive and illegal robocalls from predatory scammers,” Ernst says. A new study finds more than five-BILLION robocalls were made nationwide just in the past month.

The Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund recently donated books to Schuler Elementary and mobile book organizers to Washington Elementary.  Fund spokesperson Melanie Petty said “We have enjoyed being able to support the school libraries over the years in memory of Trevor.  He loved to read and we love promoting reading to the youth of Atlantic.”

All funds that are raised at the annual T-Fred Golf Tournament are given back to the community he loved.  Petty said “We are in the midst of preparing for the 11th Annual TFred Memorial Golf Tournament that will be held on Saturday, August 10th at Nishna Hills Golf Course in Atlantic.”

If you are interested in donating an item to the silent auction, entering a golf team or sponsoring a hole please contact Melanie Petty at 712-249-3696.  She says “We appreciate the support over the years and look forward to many more!”

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, today (Wednesday), said there were three prisoner transfers to the Pott. County Jail, and one current inmate served with a warrant. On Tuesday:

• 50-year old Henry Richard Medford, of Plattsmouth, NE., was transported to the Pott. County Jail from a jail in Minnesota. He was wanted in Pott. County for Theft in the 1st Degree, and being held on a $10,000 bond.
• 21-year old David P. Robertson, of Omaha, was brought to the Pott. County Jail from the Douglas County, NE. jail. Robertson was wanted on a warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. His bond was set at $2,000.
• 23-year old Kyle Rueben Padilla, of Bellevue, NE., was transported from the Douglas County, NE. jail to the Pott. County Jail, on a warrant for Violation of Probation.

And, Pott. County Jail inmate, 18-year old Puom Gatluak Gach, of Bellevue, NE., was served with a warrant Tuesday out of Sarpy County, NE., for being a Fugitive from Justice. He remains in the Pottawattamie County Jail on $30,000 bond, for two counts of 1st Degree Robbery and 2nd Degree Theft, along with the Detainer out of Nebraska.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge is considering his verdict regarding a 19-year-old Sioux City resident accused of stabbing to death his ex-girlfriend and another man. Testimony ended Monday in the nonjury trial of Tran Walker. He’s accused of killing 17-year-old Paiten Sullivan and 18-year-old Felipe Negron Jr. Police say Walker was in a car with the other two on Jan. 28 last year when he stabbed Sullivan and then Negron when he tried to intervene.

Walker has pleaded not guilty to the two counts of first-degree murder. A friend of Walker testified that the defendant said he had wanted to talk to the girl about their breakup and that he needed closure. Sullivan’s stepmother , Stevie Sullivan, testified that Walker and Sullivan broke up because he didn’t want her to finish school.

Judge Tod Deck told the courtroom that he didn’t know when he’d reach a verdict.

(Radio Iowa) — The Internal Revenue Service is focusing on small business owners and self-employed individuals in a campaign during this National Small Business Week. Spokesman Christopher Miller says the organization will feature information on a variety of topics in their social media. “Like data security tips, tax withholding for their employees, estimated taxes that businesses and self-employed people have to make throughout the year. Available business credits and deductions, and new things like the expanded tax benefit for the depreciation and expensing for items like equipment,” Miller says.

He says they will have some information for relatively new types of small businesses. “We’re also going to have information on the sharing economy for people who are ride share drivers or rent rooms etcetera, people involved in that growing segment of the economy,” Millers says. “This is information that we think will help a broad base of small businesses and self-employed individuals understand their tax responsibilities.” He says small businesses don’t have large internal departments that take care of a lot of these issues for them. “Definitely smaller businesses have an uphill battle to get all the resources they need and the information they need to grow — especially when it comes to things like data security,” Miller says.

Miller says the data security issue is one that has grown with the small businesses. “It’s an important topic, because routinely now cyber thieves are targeting business people. Because if they are successful, they know that they can get large amounts of information on employees and clients,” according to Miller.

Miller believes the efforts to educate small businesses in protecting their information is working. “We believe it’s having a positive impact. Last year the I-R-S a drop of nearly 70 percent from the previous year in the number of businesses that reported their email had been compromised for instance,” Miller says.”So, although overall I-D theft continues to be a problem and it is growing — we are having some success as it relates to I-D theft related to taxes.”

For more information, go to the Internal Revenue Service website at: www.irs.gov.

(Radio Iowa) — U-S Postal Service letter carriers across Iowa will be doing more than just delivering the mail this Saturday, according to Harley Tapper, the postmaster of Webster City. Tapper says, “Letter carriers, both city and rural, will be picking up non-perishable food items to support the local food pantries.”

Post cards are going out to all Iowans this week to remind them of the annual Stamp Out Hunger Day, sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Many Iowa homes will also be given a plastic grocery sack as part of the effort. “There’s a bag you can put your non-perishable items in, put it out by the mailbox and we’ll pick it up,” Tapper says. “The community has always been real supportive.”

Last year, the food drive nationwide brought in more than 71-million pounds of food. Since 1993, it’s been America’s largest one-day drive, each year on the second Saturday in May.

www.stampouthungerfooddrive.us

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A plea deal for one southeast Iowa woman means there will be no trial in the case stemming from the death of a 12-year-old boy. 37-year-old Amber McIntosh-Crear, of West Burlington, pleaded guilty Friday to misdemeanor child endangerment causing injury. Prosecutors lowered the charge in return for her plea and also agreed to drop a child endangerment charge filed against 41-year-old Bobbi Crear.

The women were accused of not providing enough nutrition to 12-year-old Rylan McIntosh, who died in September 2017. Authorities say the boy’s medical conditions required that he be fed a nutrition drink through a tube to his stomach. An autopsy report lists the cause of his death as undetermined.

Des Moines County court records for McIntosh-Crear say she acknowledged her usage of methamphetamine could have caused a substantial risk to her son’s health.