(Radio Iowa) — The state’s three investor-owned utilities will spend half as much next year to help low-income Iowans weatherize their homes. San Wong is director of the Iowa Department of Human Rights, the state agency that oversees the program. “For this next year, we anticipate there will be about a 50 percent cut based on the plan submitted by utility companies,” Wong says. About 12-hundred Iowa homeowners got help last year to make their homes more energy efficient in the winter.

“Once they do that then, obviously, the savings they receive annually — I think the average savings is $262 — but they will realize that savings, obviously, through the life of the home,” Wong says. Last year the federal government provided about 13 million dollars and the state’s investor-owned utilities provided nearly six-and-a-half million for the weatherization program.

A new state law significantly lowered how much utilities may spend on energy efficiency programs. Critics argued electric customers were unaware how much of their bill was being spent on energy reduction efforts.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports numerous recent arrests. On Friday, 50-year old Kenneth Lee Klindt, of Griswold, was arrested on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault 1st Offense. Klindt was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $1,000 bond. Also arrested Friday, was 36-year old Brandon Michael Crees, a homeless man, on a charge of Driving While Barred. Crees was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $2,000 bond.

Last Thursday, 45-year old Robert Joseph Dambra, of Atlantic, turned himself in at the Cass County Sheriff’s Office on a felony charge of Possession with Intent to Deliver/Meth. Dambra was booked at the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $10,000 bond. On November 14th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 18-year old Devin Joel Hilliard, of Griswold, on charges of:felony Theft 2nd Degree – Motor Vehicle; Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card; and Theft 5th Degree. Additional charges of Conspiracy to Commit a Forcible Felony (a Class C Felony) and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia were later added. Hilliard remains held at the Cass County Jail on $17,300 bond.

On November 6th, Deputies arrested 35-year old Matthew James Bruns, of Atlantic, on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Harassment 1st Degree. The following day, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office also charged Bruns with Possession of Marijuana 1st Offense, and Possession of Meth 1st Offense. Bruns was released the following day on $3,000 bond. On November 11th, Cass County Deputies arrested 38-year old Nicholas Gene Paulsen, of Atlantic, on a Sheriff’s Office warrant for Sponsoring a Gathering where Controlled Substances are Used (a Class D Felony) and Prohibited Acts. Paulsen was taken to the Cass County Jail and released on November 14, 2018, on $7,000 bond.

(12:40-p.m. News)

(Radio Iowa) — The leader of the Iowa State University Police Department says they got a lot of calls from parents with safety concerns following the stabbing death of a student at a golf course right near campus. Chief Michael Newton gave a report to the Board of Regents on the ways his department has addressed safety issues since the death of 22-year-old Celia Barquin Arozamena September 17th. He says one of the changes involved adding more time for the Safe Ride Program. Newton says the program was on a nine p-m to 5:30 a-m schedule and after the death of Arozamena they got a lot of requests to bump the hours back to six a-m. He says they were able to find the funding to add that time to the program. Newton says they also have been able to add extra safety training for students. “We have a full time unit dedicated to educational efforts. After the death of Celia we saw a huge increase and spike for self defense training, we do a plethora of training,” Newton says. “It’s a really small unit, it was one full time person, it’s now two. Through a partnership this year with the senior vice president of international students and others, we were able to receive funding to fund a full time person who is working strictly with minority students and international students so that we can bridge that gap.”

A man who was reportedly homeless and living in a camp near the golf course where Arozamena was playing is accused of stabbing here to death. Newton says they have continued their efforts to work with the homeless around campus. “We were proactive in this area — we were out moving homeless encampments off campus — we were trying to get folks help, we were partnering with our emergency housing project. We had officers dedicated to that effort. Right after this homicide our partners in the city reached out to us to see kind of how we were doing things. They weren’t taking as proactive an approach, so we started to build that partnerships a little bit differently,” Newton says.

He says they continually survey lighting on campus and try to be sure areas are well lit. And they try to keep a high-profile themselves. “Regularly we are reassigning officers to bike and foot patrol. We’re trying to be more visible on campus, trying to be there so folks can see us,” according to Newton.”It’s hard though…there’s 40 of us. So to see us isn’t always a thing that happens for students faculty and staff.” Newton says they are working on a program called “CyWath”, which is a neighborhood watch type of program for the dorms.”We’re partnering with our department of residence on this project. They’re helping us craft it and mold it and we are going to pilot it in some of the residence halls and see kind of where that goes for us over the next year,” Newton explains.

Newton says they continue working on upgrading the security cameras and coverage on campus and are also working on an app that would allow students to have a guardian walk them home at night.