FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Defense attorneys in Fargo who have argued that unwarranted searches with drug-sniffing dogs are unconstitutional and unfair to lower-income people say an 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling earlier this week backs their premise. The 8th Circuit says it was wrong for police in Iowa to bring a drug dog within inches of a resident’s apartment window without first obtaining a warrant. The court threw out the evidence.

Fargo lawyers who have had appeals on warrantless sniffs rejected by the state Supreme Court say the opinion shows flaws in the law that allows drug dogs in apartments and condos without warrants, but not in private homes. Cass County (North Dakota) State’s Attorney Birch Burdick says he hasn’t had time to review the 8th Circuit ruling and could not comment.

A new interchange set to open next week on Interstate 80 features something new to the state. Iowa Department of Transportation district four engineer Troy Jerman says the “diverging diamond” interchange will provide access to western areas of Waukee and West Des Moines. “This interchange is the first-of-its-kind in the state. Other states have had them for years, but this is the first one in Iowa,” Jerman said. The new interchange, located about 3 miles west of the Jordan Creek Parkway interchange, is scheduled to open Tuesday (December 1) at noon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKpLquQTbGw&feature=youtu.be

The diverging diamond design has at least a few benefits, including less landuse, increased vehicle capacity, and improved safety. “It takes some of the left turn conflicts out of play, which is where many crashes happen,” Jerman said. The new interchange allows for “free-flowing” turns, instead of left turns, for drivers entering or exiting the interstate. Drivers crossing I-80 are directed to the opposite side of the road, then directed back to the original driving pattern.

Jerman isn’t worried about the “new-to-Iowa” design confusing motorists. “They’re pretty self-explanatory, just don’t try to over think it,” Jerman suggests. “As people drive through them, they get through and then realize ‘hey, I just went through that new diverging diamond.’ It’s not terribly complicated to drive through.” Construction work on the interchange began around one year ago with a total cost of $50 million. It’s designed to relieve congestion at major interchanges in West Des Moines and Waukee, two of the fastest growing cities in the state.

(Radio Iowa)

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The Broadway production of “The Bridges of Madison County” is opening its national tour in central Iowa this weekend and one of the musical’s main stars is an Iowa native. Elizabeth Stanley plays Francesca, the Iowa housewife who has a whirlwind four-day romance with a traveling photographer. Stanley was born in Cedar Rapids, grew up in Denison and has a host of relatives across the state, from Creston to Stanton to Gilbert. She says it was natural for the tour to debut in Des Moines and it’ll be a tremendous holiday homecoming.

“Oh my gosh, it absolutely is,” Stanley says. “It’s really special for me. Even though I lived there about half my childhood, it so really feels like the state that I’m from and where my roots are and generations of my family have been from, so it’s really, really special for me to be there again.” Based on the best-selling novel by Robert James Waller, the story is set in rural Madison County, famous for its decades-old covered bridges. Since the real bridges of Madison County are a matter of 35 miles from Des Moines, Stanley says she and the entire cast know how necessary it is to start their nine-month national tour here and to give a stellar performance for Iowa.

“Probably no other place we go will people know the story so well and be familiar with it, and in addition to that, really know about the place in which it’s set,” she says. “I think there’s a lot of care and thought that’s put into making it be as authentic as possible.” Her father’s job with the Rural Electric Cooperative forced the family to move several times, and the Stanleys left Iowa for Illinois when she was in junior high. She’s planning to have Thanksgiving dinner with family members at her uncle’s farm in Stanton and Stanley says she’ll likely need to borrow a car.

“It will be imperative that, at some point, I just take a drive and I get lost on some country roads and just spend some ‘alone time’ amongst the fields,” Stanley says, laughing. “It feels kind of right. It’s very similar to where I grew up, even in Illinois, just the rural life and that’s very much what my character is doing also but I happen to like that myself so I’m sure that’ll be happening.” The character Stanley is playing onstage was first portrayed by Meryl Streep in the popular 1995 film, a role for which Streep was nominated for Best Actress. Streep has won three Oscars and is considered one of the world’s greatest actresses, so Stanley realizes many people will compare her Francesca to Streep’s version. At first, she says, that was “terrifying.”

“Usually I don’t watch a film if I know I’m going to be playing that role in some other capacity because I don’t want to confine my creative ideas to what that person has done,” Stanley says. “Sometimes, when you watch a performance, it’s hard to get that version of it out of your head, even subconsciously, but with Meryl Streep I felt -not- scared about that. I thought, you know, fine, I’ll watch the movie and if some of that sticks in my brain, I would be so lucky!” The show opens Saturday and will run through December 5th at the Des Moines Civic Center.

(Radio Iowa)

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The Union County Sheriff’s Office says an Afton man reported Nov. 13th, that someone had entered his work trailer parked at his residence. During the incident, an Air compressor, Milwaukee tool set & 5 batteries, DeWalt trim nailer, Big Speed square, siding tabbers, Stiletto hammer, snips, air hose, and shop vac, were taken. The loss was estimated at $2,490.

The incident, which took place sometime after 8-p.m., remains under investigation.

An investigation into a rollover accident Wednesday afternoon southwest of Red Oak resulted in the driver of a pickup being arrested for operating while intoxicated. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 23-year old Dylan J. Hambright, of Red Oak, was traveling south on G Avenue at around 12:30-p.m., and had just exited the railroad underpass, when he lost control of the 2000 Chevy Silverado pickup he was driving.

When Hambright over-corrected, the vehicle went into the east ditch and landed on its side, sustaining $5,000 damage. Hambright was arrested on a charge of OWI/1st offense. He was being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $2,000 cash bond.

The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Red Oak Police and Red Oak Fire and Rescue.

If you’ve been sick and get up ready to head out to a family Thanksgiving celebration, you might want to think about staying home. Iowa Department of Health State Medical Director, Patricia Quinlisk, says you could be taking more than your favorite pie to relatives. Quinlisk says if you have the flu you could spread it to family members, especially if you are inside with them all day.

“When it is cold out we tend shut our windows — therefore the ventilation factor just goes down — and our air is more stagnant. So if somebody coughs in the air, it sticks around longer, and you are more likely to breathe it in,” Quinlisk says. Doctor Quinlisk says the cold weather adds another factor that may help the spread of the flu.
She says the amount of humidity in the air goes down when it is cold and our nasal membranes and throats get dry. “And the drier they are, the more susceptible they are for the influenza virus invading into our body,” Quinlisk explains. You may love the closeness of family during the holiday, but the closeness can put you at a greater risk.

“Once you are closer to people, well then you are more likely to be within three to five feet of somebody when they’ve got the flu,” Quinlisk says. Being that close means you are in the perfect range of a flu laden cough. Quinlisk says the best advice is to stay home if you are sick. You might miss out on the holiday, but you will keep your friends and relatives from picking up your sickness. If you got a flu shot early this week, you may still not be safe from getting the flu.

“Basically you start getting immunity as soon as you get vaccinated, but it could take up to two weeks to have full immunity,” Quinlisk says. If you got the flu shot beyond that two-week window, Quinlisk says this year’s shot should do a good job of protecting you. And she says continued good personal hygiene that includes washing your hands will help you keep from attracting or spreading the flu.

(Radio Iowa)

A southwest Iowa farmer has carved the first name of his favorite presidential candidate into the landscape. “I had a couple of yard signs stolen and I was out on my tractor there that day and it just kind of hit me. I though: ‘Geez. I’ve got a perfect place for this.’ It’s soybean stubble which would make it show up good, over next to the road. So I just thought: ‘I’ll go try it. It probably won’t work. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just scratch through it if it doesn’t’ and it just seemed to turn out perfect.”

68-year-old Michael Pattavina, of Clarinda, is a Bernie Sanders supporter. He didn’t map out a plan for his bean field. Pattavina just used a chisel plow on the back of his tractor to cut a seven-foot-wide swath as he wrote out “Bernie” in his field. “It probably took me about 20 to 30 minutes to do it,” Pattavina says. “The ‘B’ is about 60 feet tall.” Pattavina’s “flat Bernie” billboard is the talk of the town.

“Whenever I see somebody on the street, they talk to me about it and say they really like it and everything — even the conservatives,” Pattavina says. “I might mention that I live in an ultra-conservative area.” The sign can clearly be seen from the air, as the name “Bernie” covers about half an acre in Pattavina’s field. Pattavina says he didn’t do it “to be popular” but he would love to hear from his favorite candidate at some point.

“It only cost me a few cents for the fuel and a little bit of time and that’s exactly what Bernie’s all about,” Pattavina says. The farm Pattavina lives on has been in his family for 158 years and Pattavina has farmed the ground all his life.

(Radio Iowa)

A traffic stop Tuesday night in Clarinda resulted in charges filed against the driver, with additional charges pending against a passenger in the vehicle. Police Chief Keith Brothers reported Wednesday, that around around 10-p.m. Tuesday, his officers arrested 19-year old Kai Jacob Ballinger-Knoke, of Clarinda, for 1st offense OWI/drug-related.

Plant material believed to be marijuana and paraphernalia used for ingesting marijuana were found in the vehicle. Ballinger-Knoke was processed and released on recognizance with a promise to appear in court at a later date. A passenger in the vehicle, 19-year old Rodney Joe Baldwin, also of Clarinda, is also facing pending charges for possession of a substance believed to be marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.