DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa State University employee will get a settlement of more than $27,000 from the state after claiming discrimination in the way the university managed its health insurance for transgender employees.

Elyn Fritz-Waters sued the state in January when her employee health insurance denied care for gender dysphoria, which included her request for hormone therapy and a sex reassignment surgery.

Fritz-Waters was born male but says she has felt most of her life that she is female.
She claimed discrimination and violations of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Before the lawsuit could go to trial the state offered to settle. The State Appeal Board approved the settlement Wednesday.

Fritz-Waters will get about $18,000 and her attorney receives around $9,000.
In June 2018, a state judge ruled the Iowa Department of Human Services violated the state constitution and civil rights laws by denying two transgender women Medicaid coverage for sex reassignment surgery.

The Legislature responded by approving a bill that prohibits Medicaid money for sex reassignment surgery. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the bill into law, though it’s likely to be challenged in court.

Four people, two adults and two juveniles, were injured during a collision at around 7:45-a.m. Wednesday (today), west of Earlham, in Madison County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2017 Buick Enclave SUV driven by 46-year old Amy Jo Crane, and a 2011 GMC Acadia driven by 56-year old Darrell Wayne VonRentzell, both of Dexter, collided at the intersection of P-53 and 105th Street.

Photo courtesy Wanda VanHorn

The accident happened as Crane was traveling west on 105th Street and approaching the stop sign, and VonRentzell was traveling south on P-53. His vehicle was turning east onto 105th, when it collided with the Buick in the Buick’s lane.

Both drivers, and two passengers in VonRentzell’s car, 15-year old Lily Carpenter and 17-year old McKenzie Carpenter, both of Dexter, were transported to hospitals in Des Moines. Crane was transported to Methodist west by private vehicle. VonRentzell and the teens were transported by Madison County Ambulance to Mercy Hospital.

A single vehicle accident at around 11:40-a.m. today (Wednesday), in Council Bluffs, resulted in a death and one person critically injured. Council Bluffs Police say a vehicle traveling South on Oakland Drive lost control and went through the intersection of Oakland and Kanesville striking the North side of the Omni Center parking garage.

Once officers arrived they located the driver trapped in the vehicle. The Council Bluffs Fire department was able to extricate the driver but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger of the vehicle was transported to University of Nebraska Medical Center in very critical condition.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation. The names of the parties involved will be released once notification of family has been completed

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds today (Wednesday) announced the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) has recently concluded the review of 17 broadband grant applications and awarded $1.3 million in grant funds to 7 projects across the State of Iowa. Locally, grants were approved for the proposed “CR1″ Carroll rural fiber optic project, in the amount of $98,448, and the City of Adair’s fiber project, in the amount of $138,900.

The seven projects across the State in total, represent over $13 million in new investment in broadband infrastructure covering approximately 760 square miles in 12 counties. The Governor said “My budget called for $20 million in broadband infrastructure over the next two years to accelerate expansion and leverage an additional $120 million in private investment for high-speed Internet. This announcement is a step in the right direction for greater broadband connectivity, but there’s much more to do. That’s why I will continue to work with lawmakers next year to secure more funding to empower rural communities for generations to come.”

Jeff Franklin, the State’s Chief Information Officer, said “Over 7,200 homes, schools, businesses, and farms that previously did not have access to high-speed Internet service will soon have broadband access as a result of the awarded projects. ” The 17 applications requested a combined total of $4,818,892 in state broadband grant funding.

AMES, Iowa – May 8, 2019 – The Iowa Department of Transportation says it continues to work diligently to restore mobility as quickly as possible to state-owned roadways impacted by flooding in Southwest Iowa. Interstate 29 between U.S. 34 and the Missouri border will be re-opening to traffic at 10 a.m. today (Wednesday). Travelers should expect intermittent lane closures and one mile of head to head traffic over the southbound bridge at the 8.5 mile marker. No oversized/overweight loads will be allowed at this time and widths are restricted to 12 feet.

Due to ongoing flooding and pavement repairs, exit and entry points will be limited. The Iowa 2 interchange at exit 10 will be open for services and to allow traffic to flow east of the interstate. For those traveling north on I-29 they will be able to exit to use eastbound U.S. 34. All other exits through this section of I-29 remain closed.

Iowa 2 east of I-29 will also re-open to traffic. Sections of Iowa 2 west of I-29 remain underwater. Iowa DOT has been working to put a temporary solution in place to allow traffic to move between Iowa and Nebraska. However, due to weather conditions and water levels we are not able to open Iowa 2 west of I-29 at this time.

(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.