Rescue crews from Anita Fire and Rescue and Medivac Ambulance have been called to Lake Anita, where there are reports of a capsized boat near the dam, with two people clinging onto the hull. The incident was reported at 11:56-a.m.

No other details are available at this time.

A new law in Iowa updates the crime of dependent adult abuse to include verbal abuse as well as demeaning online comments, photos or video. Representative Michael Bergan, of Dorchester, helped guide the update through the legislature. “It reads, in part, ‘a willful act or statement by a caretaker intended to shame, degrade, humiliate or otherwise harm the personal dignity of a dependent adult,'” Bergan says. Representative Mary Mascher, of Iowa City, says the update was needed because of recently uncovered verbal abuse of mentally disabled residents at the Glenwood Resource Center.

“It was a very unfortunate situation because the person who committed the fault was actually fired, but then went down the road and was hired by another nursing facility because there was nothing in the law to prevent that,” she says, “and so this really and truly does clean up a gap in our law.” In addition, Dave Werning, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, says there have been a “couple of instances” where a caretaker posted an “offensive” video of an Iowa nursing home resident on SnapChat.

“When the initial dependent adult abuse laws were written, nobody anticipated the use, the growth, the expanse of all types of social media,” Werning says. The new standards took effect when former Governor Branstad signed the law on March 30th. Werning’s agency has written new rules for nursing homes and other facilities where this type of activity is now barred. Those rules will be reviewed by a legislative committee in July.

(Radio Iowa)

Governor Kim Reynolds plans to use money from the state’s “Economic Emergency Fund” to ensure the state budget is balanced when the books are officially closed on the current state fiscal year.  “The bottom line is this…there will be continuity of government and Iowans will experience no change from when the sun sets on June 30th to the morning of July 1st,” Reynolds says.

Iowa governors have the authority to withdraw up to 50-million dollars from the Economic Emergency Fund to cover red ink. Reynolds says if the shortfall is greater than 50-million dollars, she’ll call legislators back to Des Moines for a “special session” to take steps to ensure the budget is balanced by September 30th. State officials have until then to count any payments to the state that were due BEFORE June 30th, but made late.

As for the spending side of the ledger, June 30th is the final day of the 2017 state budgeting year. “It’s absolutely not realistic for us to do additional cuts,” Reynolds says. And the governor says “right now” she has NO plans to ask state workers to take unpaid days off in the final 17 days of the fiscal year. State tax receipts were running about 100-million dollars SHORT of expectations through May 31st.

Reynolds says she’s been getting questions about the state’s financial predicament as she travels around Iowa. “Folks are rightly concerned about the state budget and what it means to them,” Reynolds says. Reynolds says the state will pay all its bills on time and that includes payments to public schools and health care institutions that provide care to Medicaid patients.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in the eastern Iowa community of Manchester are trying to figure out why a car crashed into a local restaurant late Monday afternoon. Teresa Faulkner was across the street when she saw the car hit the Sunset Family Restaurant the first time. She says it was halfway into the building and the driver backed out, then the driver put the car in drive and it went forward straight into the restaurant again. The car stopped inside the building towards the dining room’s south wall near the restrooms.

There is a large hole in the front of the restaurant just to the west of the front door. Dining tables and chairs could be seen toppled, with broken glass everywhere. Restaurant owner Penka Ismaili didn’t see the accident — but did hear it. “I was in the office in the back room and I heard a big boom,” Ismaili says, “at first I was so scared I didn’t know what it was. I thought the whole building was coming down. He then went to check on what happened.

He says he ran around and saw the roof was still there and someone told him what happened. Ismaili says he asked right away if anyone was sitting in the way when the car hit the building, and he says “Thank God nobody was sitting on that side.” Ismaili says he hopes to have the restaurant back open in two to three weeks. he says he’s
been getting lots of offers of help from regular customers.

Manchester Police say no one was injured – just scrapes and bruises. They have not yet released the name of the driver. Police say the it may have been a vehicle malfunction, with a stuck accelerator. The investigation continues and more details are expected to be released later.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the City of Atlantic report the city’s annual mosquito spraying efforts will begin this Thursday, June 15th, and Friday, June 16th. The spraying will take place from 4-until 7-a.m., weather permitting. Spraying will continue every Thursday and Friday morning throughout the City during the Summer, until further notice.

It’s hoped the spraying will reduce the mosquito population. You can help, by eliminating any standing water on your property.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman was arrested at around 7-a.m. today (Tuesday), for Public Intoxication/2nd offense. Deputies arrested 41-year old Stephanie Ann Marie Currin, of Corning, after they were called to her home. Upon arrival, they found Currin on the street, very confused. An investigation determined she was allegedly under the influence of a controlled substance.

The Iowa Transportation Commission (Commission) has approved the Fiscal Year 2018-2022 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program (Program). The Program reflects Iowa’s multimodal transportation system through inclusion of investments in aviation, transit, railroads, trails, and highways. The Program represents a major commitment to the Iowa DOT’s mission of safe mobility – of getting you there safely, efficiently, and conveniently

Included among the DOT’s “Additional capacity and system safety enhancement” projects in this area, is:

• U.S. 6 in Pottawattamie County from Railroad Highway to County Road G-67 (Hunt Avenue) in Council Bluffs
• and, U.S 169 in Dallas County from Iowa 141 to U.S. 30.

More information of the 2018-22 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program can be found at: www.iowadot.gov/program_management/five-year-program.html.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Council Bluffs died during a near head-on crash Monday evening, southeast of Council Bluffs. Officials identified the victim who died as 73-year old Patricia Larson. Two other people, 46-year old Tina Shipley, of Glenwood, and a passenger in her vehicle, Roger Shipley, were transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Authorities say the accident happened at around 5:19-p.m. near the intersection of Wabash Avenue and Ashwood Lane. A preliminary investigation indicates Larson was traveling southbound on Wabash Avenue in a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze.  Tina Shipley was traveling northbound on Wabash Avenue in a 2013 Ford F-150, when the vehicles collided head-on.

Patricia Larson was pronounced deceased at the scene.  The cause of the accident remains under investigation.