(Radio Iowa) — A bill that would have raised insurance coverage requirements on Uber and Lyft in Iowa has been permanently shelved at the statehouse. Republican Representative David Sieck, of Glenwood, says a state law passed in 2016 just established statewide standards for ride-sharing services. Sieck says “If we do this, it’s going to completely throw everything in a tail spin and we’ll have to start all over. They were pretty intense negotiations and every seemed pretty happy, so I don’t know what the impetus on trying to do this is.”

Representative David Maxwell, a Republican from Gibson, agreed to table the proposal. “Right now, I’m going to mark it for indefinite postponent,” Maxwell says.  The bill would have shifted insurance requirements from drivers to the ride sharing companies. Maxwell says he and two other legislators on a House subcommittee didn’t have enough time to review a proposal they received minutes before they were to vote on it. Plus, Maxwell says he’s not that familiar with how ride-sharing companies work. Sieck has used both Uber and Uber Eats. “That’s pretty amazing because you can see the vehicle, where it’s at, when it’s at the restaurant, projected time when it’s going to be at your place,” Sieck says. “I was sitting at a hotel and really didn’t want to go out and I thought that was pretty nifty, so I’m pretty impressed with their services.”

The current state law requires Uber and Lyft drivers to have personal insurance on their vehicle and the ride-sharing companies have insurance covering the duration of the passenger’s ride.

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — A July trial has been scheduled for a man accused of killing his former girlfriend in the southeast Iowa city of Keokuk. Lee County District Court records say 25-year-old Adam McCain is charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors have said McCain stabbed 27-year-old Calove Sackman once on Feb. 5, got into his vehicle and ran her over, and then got back out and stabbed her several more times.
Officers found Sackman lying on a sidewalk. The court records say she identified her attacker as McCain, who lives in Fort Madison. On Monday he filed a written plea of not guilty. His trial is set to begin July 16.

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) 2018 Iowa Youth Survey (IYS) shows in general, underage drinking continues to decline. Alcohol use among Iowa 11th graders was down from 26.4 percent in 2012 to 20.4 percent in 2018. Binge drinking fell from 19.2 percent in 2012 to 12.0 percent in 2018. An exception to the overall decline came among eighth graders, who reported a significant increase in drinking from 2016 to 2018, from 5.4 percent in 2016 to 7.3 percent in 2018 – a level not seen since 2012.

In multiple questions on suicide, Iowa youth reported increasing rates from previous surveys. Overall, the percentage of students who reported having a plan to kill themselves increased by 53 percent from 2012 to 2018. One in 10 students reported having a plan and 1 in 20 reported a suicide attempt within the past year. Tobacco use appears similar to other substance use, remaining stable or declining from previous surveys. The exception to this is e-cigarettes. Almost one-quarter of 11th grade students (23 percent) reported use of e-cigarettes in the past month on the 2018 IYS, along with 8 percent of eighth graders and 2 percent of sixth graders.

IDPH IYS coordinator Pat McGovern says “The Iowa Youth Survey gives us a glimpse into the lives of our young people. While the answers represent a moment in time and do not give a complete view of the pre-teen and teenage mindset, they do give us a glimpse into their actions and beliefs. This enables us to tailor our programming and services in the most effective ways.” In 2018, 70,451 students representing 68 percent of Iowa’s 330 public school districts participated in the IYS.

The 2018 IYS is the 17th in a series of surveys that have been completed every two or three years since 1975. The survey is conducted with Iowa public and private students in grades 6, 8, and 11. The IYS includes questions about students’ behaviors, attitudes and beliefs, as well as their perceptions of peer, family, school, neighborhood and community environments. The Iowa Consortium for Substance Abuse Research and Evaluation generates the IYS reports. To view the 2018 report and other information about the IYS, visit www.iowayouthsurvey.iowa.gov/.

(Radio Iowa) — The death of an elderly woman at a north-central Iowa nursing home, allegedly from abuse and neglect, is subject of a U-S Senate panel hearing on Wednesday. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Finance Committee, says they will consider the case of 87-year-old Virginia Olthoff, who died in February of 2018 at the Timely Mission Nursing Home in Buffalo Center. “That’s a very hard thing for any family,” Grassley says. “The people responsible for any abuse or neglect should be held responsible.”

A state inspection report said Olthoff was in severe pain for days before she died, and she went several days without water, suffering from critical dehydration. Grassley has called the report “very disturbing” and “heartbreaking.” “What makes it even worse is that this nursing home had received the highest possible rating from the Centers for Medicaid Services,” Grassley says. “It even got a five-star rating, despite being fined for verbal and physical abuse.”

Grassley says his panel will hear testimony from Iowa Public Radio reporter Pat Blank, of Cedar Falls, who is Olthoff’s daughter. The committee will also hear from federal officials on how the nursing home ratings system is being upgraded. “Testimony will give our committee some first-hand insight into what needs to change for patients and family,” Grassley says, “and how we can improve accountability.”

The Winnebago County nursing home was fined more than $77,000 last August by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in part, over the treatment of Olthoff.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Dubuque Community Schools leaders are proposing that staffers be equipped with a panic button app on their smartphones that could alert co-workers and 911 dispatchers to an emergency. Mike Cyze is the district director of school and community relations, and he told school board members at a committee meeting Monday that time is of the essence in an emergency.
The Telegraph Herald reports that a $30,000-a-year contract for use of the app is expected to be considered at Monday’s school board meeting.

The app lets users press a button for the type of emergency such as an active intruder, a fire, a medical issue or an incident requiring police response. The app would call 911 and send an automatic alert to all relevant staff members.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department reports 31-year old Rebecca Lynn Brodner, of Ramona, CA., was arrested Monday night on drug charges. A Deputy dispatched to the Loves Travel Center for a “check location” call, arrested Brodner for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Marijuana/1st offense, and Possession of Methamphetamine/1st offense.

Authorities said also, 19-year-old Kaitlyn Ann Richards, of Omaha, Nebraska, was transported from the Adams County Jail in Corning to the Pottawattamie County Jail to address an outstanding warrant for Forgery. She was held on $5,000 bond.