DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s preliminary five-year highway spending plan includes more than $900 million for state-owned bridges and more than $1.2 billion for enhanced safety features and upgrades on state highways. The Des Moines Register saysthe Iowa Transportation Department unveiled the estimated $2.7 billion plan on Tuesday. It covers fiscal years 2015 through 2019.

The plan include reconstruction work on Interstate 29 in Sioux City, the interstate system in Council Bluffs, and the replacement of the Mississippi River bridge on Interstate 74 in Bettendorf that links Iowa and Illinois.

The draft program is posted and available for public comment on the Iowa DOT’s website at http://bit.ly/1qChUsw . The Iowa Transportation Commission is scheduled to consider final approval of the program on June 10 at a meeting in Perry.

Many Iowans are still cleaning up from Sunday’s series of severe thunderstorms that included six tornadoes and hurricane-force winds that demolished homes and farmsteads and shredded trees. Jim Hegerty, with the Better Business Bureau, says if you have damage, beware of fast-talking crooks who are ready to swoop in. “Out of town repair firms that kind of drift in, they may go door-to-door, offer to be able to do your repairs very quickly,” Hegerty says. “They may demand cash up-front and we would never advise doing that.” Hegerty says these people are known as “storm chasers” and often their goal is to prey on disaster victims.

“A lot of times, this is the way these travelers that don’t have the consumers’ best interests at heart, they might try to take advantage of folks,” he says. “You really do want to be careful with door-to-door solicitations and door hangers. Take your time, check them out, call the bureau and we’ll let you know whether you’re dealing with a reliable firm or not.”

The National Weather Service says two tornadoes touched down in northwest Iowa on Sunday near Sheldon and Hospers, three tornadoes struck in central Iowa around Guthrie Center and Lake Panorama and one twister landed in southeast Iowa near Donnellson. The largest was an E-F-2 with winds of 115 miles an hour that hit near Lake Panorama, wiping out 20 homes and condos. No serious injuries are reported. Given all of the wind damage, Iowans may need help from professionals with roof repairs and tree trimming.

“We may get some folks that drift up here or down here from out of the area that may or may not be reputable,” Hegerty says. “We’re not saying that all of these folks are bad news. Sometimes, they provide a valuable service but a lot of times, you want to be really cautious.” Hegerty says before signing any deal, make sure you call your insurance company and follow their recommendations. He says never pay anyone up-front for repairs and always get the details in writing before making a decision. Learn more at: www.bbb.org/iowa

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation say eastbound Interstate 80 between exits 1A and 1B in Council Bluffs was reopened late Tuesday morning, after crews worked overnight to repair a void located in the median and under the shoulder. DOT officials told the Omaha World-Herald that the large hole that formed in the median was the result of Sunday’s heavy rainfall, combined with road construction work being done in the sandy, river-bottom soil.

The hole was about a half-mile from where a void was found in under I-80 in October. That hole, which also resulted in an overnight closure of the eastbound lanes, stretched under all three lanes. The hole discovered this week was mostly under the median and was roughly 4 feet deep and 15 feet wide. Monday’s hole was found in an area where a contractor installed a temporary storm sewer pipe several weeks ago. Rainwater washed out the sandy soil packed around the pipe.

Construction projects in the area are part of the Council Bluffs Interstate System Improvement Program, which is a large scale modernization and rehabilitation of the interstate system.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) – Officials say several staffers at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison required medical attention after an inmate allegedly attacked one of them. The incident occurred Monday morning. Officials say an inmate attacked a correctional officer after the inmate failed to follow orders from the officer. Two officers were sent to a local hospital for evaluation. Two other officers were seen by medical staff at the prison.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s executive branch is acknowledging that it erroneously disqualified dozens of former employees from jobs at its 42 agencies. The Department of Administrative Services says a review identified roughly 90 people who should not have been on a list of workers facing employment bans due to previous firings or forced resignations. Attorneys representing former workers have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit contending the state kept an illegal blacklist.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – A northern Iowa man has been given jail time after his minor son tested positive to marijuana exposure. Twenty-five-year-old Nathaniel James Gabrielson, of St. Ansgar, was recently sentenced to a year in jail, with all but 50 days suspended. He was also given two years of probation. Gabrielson pleaded guilty to an aggravated misdemeanor of child endangerment without injury.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa judge has upheld a life in prison without parole sentence for a man convicted of murder when he was a juvenile. Scott County District Judge Joel W. Barrows decided to keep the sentence for Romeo Hardin, based on Hardin’s lack of remorse and his behavior in prison. Hardin was 16 when he was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1996 shooting death of Augustus “Gus” Nance in Davenport.

Police in Harlan say a complaint has been filed in Shelby County Court, charging 42-year old Michael Arnold, of Harlan, with Trespassing and two counts of Harassment. Authorities say the charges were filed Saturday, after Harlan residents Jennifer Arnold and Joseph Scheffler, came to the police department to report that Arnold had been sending harassing texts.

On Friday, May 9th, Harlan Police arrested 33-year old Ian Leib, of Harlan, following a traffic stop. Leib was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (5th offense), and driving while barred. He was also cited for open container and improper rear lamps.

And, on May 3rd, 24-year old Brandi Abild, of Topeka, KS, was arrested following a traffic stop. Abild was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and prohibited acts penalties. Abild was also cited for operating a non-registered vehicle.

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) – Iowa authorities have confirmed that a body found in the Missouri River is that of a missing Nebraska man. The Fremont Tribune says Iowa officials and police in Fremont, Nebraska, identified the man as 56-year-old Thomas Hill, of Fremont.

The body was found Saturday off Fremont County, Iowa, south of Omaha. Hill was reported missing on April 18. His car was found parked near the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in Omaha.

An Iowa autopsy report says Hill drowned.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst is clarifying comments she made that critics say implied that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction at the time of the U.S. invasion of the country. The Des Moines Register reports Ernst said in a statement Monday that she did not mean to suggest Iraq had such weapons at the time of the 2003 invasion. She said she was trying to explain that Iraq had such weapons in the past.

Ernst made the initial comments during a meeting with the Register’s editorial board on Friday. Iowa Democratic Party officials later questioned her remarks. Ernst is one of five candidates vying for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Harkin, a long-serving Democrat. The primary is June 3.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 22-year old Derek Edward Rodwell, of Glenwood, was arrested late Monday night. Rodwell was taken into custody at the Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Criminal Mischief in the 2nd degree. Bond was set at $5,000.

An investigation is underway into allegations of excessive delays in medical care at V-A hospitals, some delays which have reportedly led to dozens of veterans’ deaths as they waited for treatment. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is asking the inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs for an update on the investigation and details about how the probe is being conducted. Grassley says, “I’m particularly anxious to confirm that the VA facilities that serve Iowans are not falsifying appointment records and Iowans are seen within a reasonable time.”

Many thousands of Iowa veterans are undergoing treatment at V-A facilities in Iowa City, Des Moines, Omaha, Sioux Falls and at affiliated community clinics.  “I’m not aware of any current problems involving medical care or delays for Iowa veterans,” Grassley says, “though I hope that the inspector general’s review will be national since at least three states are alleged to have medical care delays.”

The worst of the reported problems are at V-A facilities in Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Some Senate Republicans are calling for the firing of V-A Secretary Eric Shinseki but Grassley, also a Republican, thinks that’s premature.  “I don’t generally call for resignations unless it’s pretty darn convinced that at the top, that that’s the problem,” Grassley says. “I know the buck stops someplace but right now, I’m going to wait until the hearings are over to make that determination.”

The probe focused initially on a V-A clinic in Fort Collins, Colorado, where many of the 63-hundred veterans seeking treatment had waited several months to see a doctor. Allegations indicate records were changed if they showed a veteran had waited longer than 14 days to be seen. Another V-A facility in Phoenix, Arizona, reportedly had up to 40 patients die because of treatment delays.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa Western Community College in Atlantic is holding a special event 11-a.m. Wednesday, to unveil some exciting, innovative new technology and/or programs. College officials are being tight-lipped on what will be revealed, but they say it follows on the heels of academic and facility-related growth the Atlantic campus has seen recently. The public is invited to attend the event and find out what’s happening.

This weekend is graduation at Iowa Western. During Saturday’s commencement ceremonies at the college’s flagship site in Council Bluffs, 12 Design Technology students from the Atlantic campus will receive their diplomas. The Design Technology Program was launched in Atlantic in the fall of 2011. Students in the program learn to build 3D virtual products using Siemens Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software, the world’s leading product lifecycle management program.

Graduates of the program can expect a starting salary of 40-to 45,000 dollars.