A report finds deadly hit-and-run crashes are on the rise across the country and in Iowa. Rose White, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says their research finds there’s another hit-and-run crash every minute nationwide. “Between 2006 through 2016, there were 93 hit-and-run crashes reported in Iowa that involved at least one fatality,” White says.

She urges motorists to be cautious — and courteous to other drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. “If you drive a large pickup truck or SUV, those with the extended mirrors, use extra caution when sharing the road with bicyclists or when driving near pedestrians,” White says. “Some of these mirrors extend a foot-and-a-half from the side of the vehicle and can pose a deadly threat to any of those sharing the roadway.”

The Triple-A study finds nearly 65-percent of people killed in hit-and-run crashes are pedestrians or bicyclists. For those on foot or on bikes, White urges them to avoid distractions and stay alert. “Be aware of your surroundings and be aware of those extra dangers that can pose a threat, especially for vehicles that might be turning right on a red light,” White says. “Use caution whenever you’re near the roadway. This means staying off your cell phone if you’re a pedestrian.”

Since 2009, the number of deaths resulting from hit-and-run crashes has risen more than seven-percent each year. Florida and New Mexico are among the worst states for hit-and-run crashes and they also have some of the highest numbers of uninsured motorists. Iowa’s uninsured motorist rate is one of the lowest in the country at almost nine-percent, compared to Florida at nearly 27-percent.

(Radio Iowa)

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa Department of Education audit has found the Davenport school district’s special education programs include a disproportionate number of minority students and that many of them are subjected to disciplinary actions.

The audit found the district was in “systemic non-compliance” with multiple parts of the federal law that oversees the education of students with disabilities, the Quad-City Times reported . The department visited the district in January and February.

Violations included not providing adequate prior written notice for placement changes as well as insufficient functional behavior assessments and intervention plans. The audit also found that students special education students were being placed in educational settings not included in their individualized education plans.

The department ordered the district work with an adviser selected by the state to address the issues. Many of the identified problems were related to documentation issues, said Patti Pace-Tracy, the district’s director of special education services. The audit did find challenges the district needs to address, Pace-Tracy said. The district needs to examine its process of identifying students who need special education services, which done in partnership with the Area Education Agency, she said.

African American students on individualized education plans were more likely to be suspended for the 2015-16 than other students, the report found. The district plans to investigate what might be causing the disparity, Pace-Tracy said. “As a district we don’t take suspensions lightly and we don’t take expulsions lightly,” she said. “If you get suspended or expelled, it’s for a very serious infraction.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Serious questions linger about the fate of medical marijuana in Iowa as Republican lawmakers find themselves considering an eleventh-hour deal that would expand the program to more patients. The state’s sole manufacturer of medical cannabis oil worries that, once sales begin in about seven months, many patients will realize treatment would be unaffordable, impractical or unobtainable due to restrictions placed on the fledgling industry. The lack of a robust market, in turn, would jeopardize access for those who still could benefit. “We’ve provided some false hope,” said Sen. Joe Bolkcom, an Iowa City Democrat who has backed efforts to expand access to medical marijuana. “There are thousands of Iowans counting on us to deliver.”

Iowa legalized possession of cannabis oil in 2014, but there was no legal means to obtain the substance until a bill approved last year allowed for its manufacture and for five dispensaries— planned for Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Davenport, Waterloo and the Des Moines suburb of Windsor Heights. The expansion was part of last year’s budget negotiations, and it was one of the final bills following all-night negotiations on the last day of the session. Last year’s deal capped the amount of THC, the most psychoactive compound in marijuana, at 3 percent for any legal cannabis oil. That limit has been the main target of advocates seeking to further expand medical marijuana in the state.

A lot of people misunderstand how Iowa’s THC cap works, said Lucas Nelson of Des Moines-based Kemin Industries, which is the lead consultant for MedPharm Iowa, the state’s first and currently only cannabis oil manufacturer. Nelson’s uncle, who is the president and CEO of Kemin, is the founder of MedPharm Iowa. Nelson oversees the relationship between the two companies, which share a campus in Des Moines.
The state limits the ratio of THC in medical cannabis oil products — not the overall amount given to a patient. So, Nelson said, a patient who may benefit from a large dose of THC could still obtain it, but would have to consume more units of low-THC products. Essentially, patients would pay for “filler” that would cost several times the equivalent of high-THC products.

Those costs would price out many patients, who would be paying out of pocket for MedPharm Iowa’s pills, droppers or creams. Some patients might not be able to take a large number of pills or other delivery methods, Nelson said, placing access to medical marijuana out of reach. Iowa prohibits smoking or eating medical marijuana. “With this cap in place, there are too many people who can’t be treated,” Nelson said. “If this program is to be sustainable, what that means is we have to be able to give the patients what they are actually seeking so they can actually treat their conditions.”

A bill to remove the THC cap received a preliminary vote in the Iowa Senate last week. The legislation also would expand the list of qualifying conditions, which currently includes cancer, epilepsy, untreatable pain, multiple sclerosis and terminal illnesses. And, the bill would allow doctors to recommend the cannabis oil be used as a treatment for other conditions not listed if they believe it would be beneficial.
Peter Komendowski, president of Partnership for a Drug Free Iowa, a private nonprofit organization that works to minimize high-risk behavior in Iowa’s youth, said the state’s current THC limit already sets a “dangerous precedent” that could result in further marijuana legalization. His group remains skeptical about medical use of marijuana and argues it’s not a proven treatment for pain.

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, a Clear Lake Republican, said she would prefer to wait for the recommendation of an advisory board created as part of last year’s last-minute deal. The advisory board is charged with making recommendations on Iowa’s medical marijuana program, and the board plans to have the THC limit on its agenda at an August meeting. A report from the board would be finished in November.
Upmeyer said legislators could look at the board’s recommendations next session, which begins about a month after cannabis oil sales are scheduled to begin. She said legislators should wait for the board to weigh in, but she did not rule out holding a vote soon on the Senate’s bill.

Medical marijuana is one of several issues — including bills on abortion and the opioid crisis —that have received support from just one chamber in the Republican-controlled Legislature that could be brought forward as leaders negotiate a compromise on the state budget and tax cuts to wrap up the session. Nelson said it would take several months to ramp up production of high-THC products, so delaying a vote could leave people uncertain if or when they’d have adequate access to medical marijuana. MedPharm Iowa has invested more than $10 million in its manufacturing facility to prepare for sales to begin Dec. 1. The state is accepting proposals for a second manufacturer, which would be selected this summer and would bring products to market starting in July 2019.

Nelson said MedPharm Iowa has committed to remaining in the market, but he cautioned that more patients are needed to make the business sustainable. He said the implications of the THC cap took some time for everyone to understand following the passage of last year’s legislation. As of Thursday, 725 people were registered to purchase medical cannabis oil, according to statistics distributed by the Iowa Department of Public Health. MedPharm Iowa hopes to see that figure grow to 12,000 patients able to receive treatment.

No injuries were reported after a fire early this (Sunday) morning heavily damaged the Super 8 Hotel north of Walnut. Doug Reed, with Pottawattamie County Emergency Management, told KJAN News the fire was reported at around 6:40-a.m., with smoke and flames visible. Reed said the first crews on the scene confirmed the assessment. Hotel management advised all 31 rooms were occupied, but everyone got out safely and was accounted for.

Doug Reed, w/Pott. County EMA, points out where the fire is believed to have started.

Firefighters were able to get a quick knock down of the flames, and were on the scene hours later making sure hot spots were doused in the adjacent structure to the north. Reed said late Sunday morning, that crews were making some “trench cuts” in the roof, and pulling the ceiling down in some areas, to ventilate the smoke. Reed said a dozen agencies were on the scene, including nine fire departments (Walnut, Atlantic, Marne, Oakland, Hancock, Harlan, Avoca and Shelby), the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, and Pott. County EMA. There was a total of 36 trucks and 75 personnel working the scene. The Minden Fire Department was enroute for “Mobile Air Support,” to supply fresh air packs for the firefighters. Reed said several tanker trucks made repeated water shuttle operations from sources in Walnut to the fire scene. By 9:30-a.m., 8,000 gallons of water was on location, with more on the way. There were no fire hydrants nearby to draw from.

Reed said the fire is believed to have started on the north side of the pool area. The cause the fire won’t be determined until an investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office is able to make an assessment. Water was provided by the Cenex Store in the area of the Hotel, and coffee was made available from Emma Jeans Restaurant, across the way from the Hotel. Roberto Jimenez, from Galveston, Texas, was staying in the hotel while working on the Elite Octane Ethanol Plant in Atlantic. He told reporters he woke around 6-a.m. to the smell of smoke in his room, and thought at first someone was having a barbecue, but soon realized the smoke was coming from elsewhere. He got locked out of his room in the process, and was unable to grab about $3,000 worth of electronic equipment uses for his job.

Jimenez said when he came outside in only his shorts, he saw flames shooting out of the pool area. He ran out barefoot and without a jacket, but one was given to him to keep warm.  (Ric Hanson/photos)

Firefighters from Walnut, Atlantic, Marne and Elk Horn have been dispatched to a hotel fire north of Walnut, at the Super 8 hotel. The calls for Atlantic, Marne and Elk Horn went out at around 7:18-a.m. No other details are currently available.

Firefighters from Walnut, Atlantic, Marne and Elk Horn have been dispatched to a hotel fire north of Walnut, at the Super 8 hotel. The calls for Atlantic, Marne and Elk Horn went out at around 7:18-a.m.  No other details are currently available.