The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports 18-year old Tyrone Dale Rinner, of Afton, was arrested Thursday afternoon at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Polk County warrant. The warrant was for an order revoking pretrial release on the charges of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse – bodily injury and willful injury causing bodily injury.

Rinner was being held in the Union County Jail on $100,000 bond, and will be transferred to the Polk County Jail.

Specialized treatment for Iowa children and teenagers who’ve been diagnosed with autism will be covered under more insurance plans. The governor has signed a bill into law that requires businesses with more than 50 employees and all local governments in Iowa that provide health care benefits to ensure this coverage is part of those insurance plans. “Families and legislators from both parties have been working on this for about 10 years.”

That’s Josh Cobbs of Sioux City. He attended a ceremony in the governor’s office Thursday afternoon and celebrated with other families in the room as Branstad signed the bill into law. Cobb’s son, Noah, was diagnosed as autistic and Cobbs began lobbying for this law when Noah was five.  “He turned 17 in March,” Cobbs says. “For our families and families throughout Iowa it’s a big day. It’s a good start and a great step for Iowans to start accessing applied behavior analysis.”

Cobbs says last year, his family’s insurance plan started covering the treatment. “Access to this therapy is life-changing,” Cobbs says. “It’s helped our son with dietary issues, with hygiene issues, learning new skills. It’s changed out lives. There have been many families that have fought for this and I’m very proud of them and of Iowa today.”

The health care plans for state employees who are the parents of children with autism already cover this therapy, but it has not been required for health care plans offered by local governments in Iowa, including schools. Research has shown 87 percent of children show “significant improvement” or “achieve typical function” after getting the therapy.About one out of every 68 children in the country have been diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Similar insurance requirements are already in effect in 45 other states.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa native astronaut Peggy Whitson set another record on Thursday. For the second time in seven days, Whitson and one of her co-workers took a spacewalk. It was her 8th EVA or extra-vehicular activity, which is the most ever performed by a woman. Whitson’s spent more than 53 hours in the vacuum of space, also a record for women, and next month she’s due for another EVA which will put her in third place among all astronauts.

Whitson hails from Beaconsfield and is in the midst of her second, six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. Last month, she turned 57 in orbit, the oldest woman in space. Around the 10th of April, Whitson will be promoted to commander of the space station. She’ll be the only woman who’s held that title twice.

(Radio Iowa)

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities suspect a man broke into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and used a knife to stick a copy of a no-contact order on a wall of her Dubuque apartment. Police say the gist of a message written on the order was: Who’s going to stop me?

The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that police have arrested the suspect, 24-year-old Bodhi-Kristoffer McGowan, on charges of burglary and violating a no-contact order the woman had sought against him.

Police say the woman reported that she returned Monday from a trip and found that her apartment had been ransacked. Officers say they found an ice cream container that had four knives stuck into it.

Creston Police report the arrest late Thursday morning, of 34-year old Jacob Jeffrey Fry. Fry, who’s from Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center,  on a charge of OWI 1st Offense.  He was later released on $1,000 bond.

Nearly a century ago soldiers went off to France to fight in the “war to end all wars“, World War I. When the war ended November 11, 1918, more than four million served in the U. S. army and half of those had participated overseas. More than 100,000 Americans lost their lives.

National Guardsmen from the Atlantic area serving in the 168th Infantry, would be an element of one of the first American units to arrive “over there”. They were part of the famous 42nd “Rainbow” Division. Learn about serving in the Great War at a presentation this Sunday, April 2nd, beginning at 2 pm, at the American Legion Memorial Building (the Armory), 201 Poplar Street in Atlantic.

The speaker, Darrek Orwig, will tell about war time experiences through eye-witness accounts, historic images, artwork, and period motion picture footage. His recently published book is Somewhere Over There: The Letters, Diary, and Artwork of a World War I Corporal based on wartime papers of correspondent Francis Webster. Newspapers in Des Moines received his war time news reports and art work. Webster worked for Ding Darling before becoming a soldier.

Flags will be placed on graves of WWI veterans in Atlantic cemeteries on Thursday, April 6 beginning at 5:30. Boy Scouts, DOES, American Legion members and other community folks will assist in honoring about 240 veterans. DAR members will hold a coffee earlier in the day beginning at 10 am to honor all veterans and their families.

The American Legion Memorial Building completed in 1929 was built as a memorial to WW I veterans. It has been renovated and includes a Military Museum and a Military Library. Displays currently feature items such as uniforms, weapons, gas masks, a saddle, individual equipment such as a mess kit and much more.

Events are sponsored by the Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise (ARISE) owner of the Building. There is no fee for the program but donations are welcome.