(Iowa DNR News) – There’s a pretty good chance that, in the next several weeks, Northeast Iowa will be visited by a few wandering black bears coming down from Minnesota and Wisconsin ahead of the breeding season. It’s been an annual occurrence in this region each spring since 2014. While much of Iowa does not have the habitat necessary to support a black bear population, certain locations do, primarily northeast, eastern and southern parts of the state. As black bear populations in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Missouri are stable to increasing, it is possible that a small population could set up residence in Iowa.

“Within the next three to five years, we may see cubs show up and a small breeding population become established. If that occurs, we should look to our neighbors in Wisconsin and Minnesota who have learned to live with bears,” said Vince Evelsizer, furbearer and wetland wildlife research biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “It won’t be perfect and there will be bumps along the way, but we need to start having conversations about the idea of bears coming back to Iowa, at least in certain places along the Mississippi River and Northeast Iowa where suitable habitat exists.”

Wisconsin’s black bear population is estimated to be 23,300, Minnesota’s 12,000 – 15,000 and Missouri, which held its first bear hunt last fall, as many as 1,000. Missouri’s population is growing at an estimated 9 percent annually. “For example, in Wisconsin, with that many black bears, residents have learned to make a few adjustments to minimize bear conflicts, like putting away their bird seed in the spring, putting away their barbeque drip pans, and by keeping pet food and garbage in places bears can’t access. There are still occasional problems, but these basic precautions result in much fewer negative encounters between bears and humans,” Evelsizer said.

Bears are omnivores and their diet changes with the seasons. In the spring, bears emerge from their winter dens hungry. They’ll feed heavily on newly emerging tender grasses and sedges. In summer, its berries, ants, various plants, and grubs. In the fall, its acorns and other tree nuts. They are also known to feed on nontraditional sources, like row crops, orchard fruits, and honey – which is similar to striped skunks and raccoons. “They’re like a big raccoon, motivated by hunger and willing to take advantage of whatever food is available, from fawns to eggs, bee hives, bird feeders – this is where making some changes can minimize nuisance bear interactions,” he said.

Black bears are native to Iowa. However, Iowa has been without a resident bear population for more than 100 years. In the Iowa code, black bears are not listed as a species of wildlife found in Iowa because they were not present in the state when these laws were created, nor have they been since. This means the Iowa DNR does not have the legal authority to manage black bear populations through actions such as designating protection status or adding a limited hunting season if the population eventually support it in the future. Iowa is the only state among its Midwest neighbors where the state’s wildlife agency does not have regulatory authority to manage bear populations, which typically includes handling nuisance conflicts and conducting research.

While the Iowa DNR does not regulate bears, it does have a bear response protocol. “The objective with the response protocol is to provide guidance for our staff in dealing with any potential human-bear conflicts that arise. A proactive strategy will increase the odds for a better outcome for both the bears and for humans. For example, trap and transport of bears is a common scenario shown on TV shows, however in reality most states have moved away from this method because it often results in simply moving the problem to someone else’s backyard. It’s all about reducing conflicts where bears are instead,” Evelsizer said. “We want to keep Iowans informed about this interesting and emerging wildlife story and increase our collective knowledge about bears in order to live with them successfully and minimize conflicts.”

Since 2002, there have been 49 confirmed black bears in Iowa, and two to five per year since 2014. As bears have become more of a regular visitor, the chance to encounter a bear, although small, is a possibility. “Black bears have some general tendencies and habits, but individual bears may go against the norm. Some are shy, others are not. They are typically secretive and want to be left alone – while others are bold and may be more daylight active,” he said. Bears are typically nocturnal but get more active during late May to July breeding season, especially at dawn and dusk. Most of Iowa’s bear sightings start in late May continuing into early July.

“If you encounter a bear, avoid running away,” Evelsizer said. “Instead, back away slowly and cautiously while facing it. Make noise so they know you’re there.” There are a number of resources available to help people minimize conflict with bears, Evelsizer said, including www.bearwise.org.

(Collins, Iowa) – A wrong-way car collided with a semi Friday night in Jasper County, killing the car’s driver. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2020 KIA Soul driven by 79-year-old Ronald Vasey, of Maxwell, was traveling north in the southbound lanes of Highway 65 near Collins, at around 10:30-p.m., when the vehicle collided with a 2018 Freightliner driven by 39-year-old Martin Cory, of Cedar Rapids. Vasey died at the scene.

The accident remains under investigation. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and EMS assisted at the crash scene.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A woman from Red Oak was arrested Friday night on Criminal Mischief charges. According to Red Oak Police, 45-year-old Jill Renee Coddington was arrested in the 300 block of E. Washington Street at around 8:20-p.m. She charged with Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree, and two-counts of Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. Coddington was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Nebraska/Iowa) – Parts of central and eastern Nebraska were hit by tornadoes and large hail, Friday, while heavy rain caused street flooding in western Iowa. The National Weather Service in Valley, NE, says in western Iowa, thunderstorm winds caused damage in Hamburg at around 6:45-p.m., with tree limbs broken and shingles blown-off of roofs.

Flash flooding was reported at around 8:25-p.m. in Onawa, where streets were closed and vehicles were left stranded. Rain amounting to 4.4-inches was recorded in Harrison County, about three-miles west of Magnolia, at around 11-p.m., Friday.

Tornadoes and large hail were observed near Ames, Bend, Boone, Colfax, Hooper, North Bend, Oakland, Pawnee, Platte, Scribner, NE, and at least four other communities, with funnel clouds seen elsewhere in the southeastern part of the Cornhusker State.

Damage reports were received from numerous parts of the affected area, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.

(Lisbon, Iowa) – The driver of a 2016 Mack truck died, when the vehicle was struck by a train Friday afternoon, in eastern Iowa’s Linn County. The Iowa State Patrol says the driver attempted to cross the railroad tracks in the 120th block of 115th Street in Lisbon at around 1:36-p.m., when it the truck was hit on the driver’s side, by an eastbound train.

The truck driver’s name and other accident information was being withheld by authorities, pending notification of family.

The State Patrol was assisted at the scene, by the Lisbon/Mt. Vernon Police Department and Ambulance, Mechanicsville Fire Dept., the Iowa DNR and DOT.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says legislation she voted for along with other House Republicans is a conservative border security package that could address the humanitarian and safety crisis issues. “Well, I certainly hope that Senate will step up to the plate and work with us in the house to deal with this situation because it is unprecedented as a result of this administration’s policies,” Hinson says.

Hinson’s comments come as coronavirus restrictions on asylum allowing the U-S to quickly turn back migrants at the U-S-Mexico border ended today (Friday) She says Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas should have taken action to ensure that immigrants weren’t rushing the border as the restrictions ended. “I would support moving forward with an impeachment trial if Secretary Mayorkas refuses to do the right thing and resign because of his failures at the southern border,” Hinson says. Hinson hopes there can be a bipartisan solution to dealing with the issue.

“We have heard from a number of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle that they realized that this is a problem, they realize that the Biden administration has failed in this case,” Hinson says. “They knew the deadline was coming. And they did not take steps to address the coming surge of illegal immigration. So I’m counting on some folks in the Senate to have a little political courage here and step up and realize we have to do the right thing to secure our country and secure our border.”

Hinson says we’re coming up on almost 300 people on the terror watchlist that have been apprehended at our southern border that we know of,so this is a safety and security issue.

(Radio Iowa) – The governor has signed a bill into law that extends new liability protection to the trucking industry. When someone is injured or killed in a crash with a semi, a large commercial vehicle or tow truck, the new law sets a five MILLION dollar limit on so-called pain and suffering awards for non-economic damages in most cases. Iowa’s trucking industry lobbied for the bill, arguing there had been nuclear verdicts connected to lawsuits in other states.

The new law does not limit compensation to accident victims for things like medical expenses or lost wages.

(Radio Iowa) – Two Iowans have filed a lawsuit accusing Governor Kim Reynolds of violating state law when she ended federal unemployment benefits that had been expanded at the beginning of the pandemic. Americans who were eligible for unemployment benefits were getting an extra 300 dollars a week under a program first approved during the Trump Administration. The number of weeks someone was eligible for unemployment was also extended. That federal expansion ended in September of 2021, but Governor Reynolds and some other Republican governors ended it a few months earlier, arguing the expanded benefits were hurting the job market and allowing people to choose not to work.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was first to report on the lawsuit filed on behalf of Holly Bladel of Clinton and Karla Smith of Pleasantville. The lawsuit claims the governor violated a state law which requires the state to cooperate with the U.S. Department of Labor and get all advantages available for unemployed Iowans.

Governor Reynolds has issued a written response. She says the federal government doesn’t get to run the state of Iowa and paying people to stay home at a time when there are more jobs available than people to fill them defies common sense.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has thrown out a lawsuit against the D-C-I by a Marion County man who was accused of killing his mother. Jason Carter was found liable in a civil action for the wrongful death of his mother Shirley Carter in 2015 and was ordered to pay ten million dollars to her estate. Another jury acquitted Carter on the criminal murder charge. Carter filed the lawsuit accusing the D-C-I agent who investigated the murder of wrongly targeting him. The Iowa Supreme Court dismissed that lawsuit based on its recent ruling that overturned a 2017 opinion allowing such claims. The High Court says under their recent ruling, the D-C-I agent has immunity and Carter’s case cannot proceed.