(Update 6:30-p.m. 7/20 – construction has been completed, and Redwood is open!)

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency reports Redwood Road will be closed for one day, effective today (Wednesday). The closure is between 147 and 210 Redwood Road, Monroe Township Section 328. Construction is expected to last for about one day.

The area has many dirt or Level B roads. Considerable route planning will be necessary for some emergency responders if they are called to residences in the area.

With rising tensions between police officers and some members of the public, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s introducing legislation calling for a series of reforms in the criminal justice system. Grassley, a Republican, says the bill would look at multiple issues, including ways to make the sentencing process more fair along with tighter regulations on law enforcement.

Grassley says, “In light of recent and justified public concern over treatment of suspects by some police and the treatment of police by people who would do them harm, the need for criminal justice reform is even greater now.” The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act aims to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. It would also enhance prison programs that are proven to reduce the likelihood of an inmate re-offending once released. Grassley says inmates who successfully complete those programs could see a reduced sentence.

“I’ve heard from Iowans who have raised concerns about the fast-growing federal prison population,” Grassley says. “I guess you hear at the state level as well, also about the cost to taxpayers to house those prisoners.” Grassley says he’s also hearing concerns about people who’ve committed relatively minor crimes being given lengthy sentences that are usually reserved for hard-core criminals.

Grassley says, “The bill I’ve authored is a step forward in healing wounds by closing some disparities in sentencing that disproportionately affect African-Americans and helping people already within the prison system become productive members of our society.”

The legislation would also require states receiving certain federal funds to report information regarding the discharge of a firearm by a law officer which results in the death of a civilian. Another element of the bill would offer various reforms to the federal criminal justice system, like allowing people convicted of certain crimes as juveniles to expunge their criminal records if they turn their lives around.

(Radio Iowa)

The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest on Tuesday, of 37-year old Wendy Meadows,  of Glenwood. Meadows was arrested on a Mills County warrant for disorderly conduct. Her cash bond was set at $500.

Thousands of bicycle enthusiasts and their entourages will be descending on Glenwood this weekend for the start of the 2016 Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). Each year RAGBRAI riders are treated to the best hospitality Iowa has to offer in cities along the route.

Some riders are early risers and take the roads early to get to the next town. Others sleep a little later and take a more leisurely pace moving from town to town. With so many riders moving at different times of day, the Iowa Department of Transportation is alerting motorists to be extra cautious of bicyclists over the next week, especially in the area of that day’s route.

Tips for motorists

• Do not honk your horn at bicyclists. They may be startled and lose control.
• Use extra caution when passing bicycles. Move entirely into the left lane; on a two-lane road, do not pass a bicycle if oncoming traffic is near.
• Bicyclists might swerve to avoid road hazards. Common road hazards for bicyclists are potholes, debris, drainage grates, railroad tracks, and narrow bridges.
• Be careful when opening your vehicle door. Road widths often force bicyclists to ride close to parked vehicles where they may be injured by an opening door.
• When in doubt, yield to bicycles.

Tips for bicyclists

• Always wear a helmet.
• Ride on the right. Ride in the right lane except when passing another vehicle, preparing for a left turn, or avoiding hazards.
• Never ride against traffic. Always ride with the flow of traffic.
• Obey traffic signs and signals. Use hand signals to advise motorists you plan to turn, change lanes, or stop.
• Make eye contact with motorists. Never assume a motorist sees you or that you have the right of way.
• Expect the unexpected. Watch for vehicles pulling into traffic from a parking spot; vehicle doors opening into your path; and debris on the road.
• At night use a headlight, taillight, and reflectors.

Even though the RAGBRAI route is taking bikers through southern Iowa, many bicyclists in other parts of the state are getting motivated to get out and ride. The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to share the road. Remember that bicycles have the same rights and responsibilities on our highways as motorists.

Members of the CAM School District’s Board of Education met Monday evening during a regular monthly session. The Board continued with discussion pertaining to the four-year old Preschool Building in Massena. CAM Superintendent Dr. Casey Berlau told KJAN News the current, used portable building that has been occupied since 2008, is scheduled to be demolished. And, as we mentioned earlier this month, students in the building will be moved this fall to the music room at the school in Massena.

Berlau said what they decided Monday, was to ask for help from engineers, in determining what the best options are to move forward. Those options might include rebuilding a structure, or adding on to a building to make more space to accommodate all the district’s programs. They hope to present those options to the Board during their regular meeting in August. Berlau said also, they expect to be doing some type of project over the next year, so more permanent plans are in-place for the start of the 2017-18 School Year. He said they’re confident they can make the current solution – moving the kids into the music room – work, but that’s definitely not a permanent plan.

In other business, the CAM School Board approved the hiring of Paul Upmeyer, as Band Teacher. Upmeyer comes from a school district in eastern Iowa. Berlau says the Board also set 2016-17 lunch prices and fees. The lunch prices are going up five-cents, but the milk prices are going down a nickel. Admission fees for school events are going up one-dollar, to $4 for students and $6 for adults. The Board also approved an agreement with the Griswold School District for the sharing of an Art Teacher.