(Iowa DNR News) – Iowa residents can try fishing without buying a license on June 2, 3 and 4, as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) free fishing weekend. All other regulations remain in place. Free fishing weekend is a great time to share the fun of fishing with a kid, your family or a friend. Outdoor fun awaits at hundreds of Iowa lakes, thousands of miles of rivers or a neighborhood pond. Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau says “A summer of family fun is just a short drive and a fishing pole away. The water is waiting. Get your lines in the water and put your worries behind you.”

Find a list of stocked lakes and ponds that are easily accessible in parks and along trails on the Iowa DNR’s interactive Iowa Community Fisheries Atlas at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fish-Local. Fun, hands-on fishing events will be offered across Iowa to help families new to fishing get started. Check the general fishing calendar on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/fishing for a list of free fishing events.

Keep the fun going all summer long by buying a fishing license. It’s easy to buy a fishing license with the DNR Go Outdoors Iowa online licensing system at https://license.gooutdoorsiowa.com/Licensing/CustomerLookup.aspx. You can download the public Go Outdoors IA mobile app for iPhone and Android devices to buy and store your fishing license, so you will always have access to your license no matter where you are. Yearly, seven-day, or 24-hour fishing licenses are available.

Enticing a fish to bite your hook is fun for all ages. Get tips for taking kids fishing and catching crappie and bluegills on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Ready-to-Fish.

(Ames, Iowa) – Two people were injured during a collision Monday night, in Ames. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 1986 Chevy Corvette driven by 19-year-old Cade Patrick Murphy, of Randall (IA), was traveling north on University Blvd. at around 10:12-p.m., at the same time a 2008 Ford Fusion driven by 23-year-old Matthew David Hoffman, of Waverly, was traveling east on Lincoln Way. A 1994 Chevy Camaro driven by 28-year-old Keith Joseph Primrose, of Ames, was westbound on Lincoln Way in the turn lane to head southbound on to University, when the Corvette entered the intersection, and was struck by the Ford.

After the initial impact, the Corvette collided with the Camaro, before coming to rest in the northeast ditch. The Patrol says Cade Murphy was flown to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, for treatment of serious injuries. A 17-year-old from Ames who was a passenger in one of the vehicles, was injured and transported by ambulance to the Mary Greeley Medical Center, in Ames.

The crash remains under investigation. Ames Police assisted at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – Many law enforcement outlets across Iowa use specially-trained dogs to help solve crimes, but the Des Moines Fire Department is believed to be the first to deploy a full-time arson dog. A 30-year veteran of the department, Captain Eric Huntoon is being paired up with the well-educated rookie, an English Black Lab. “Yahtzee is an ignitable liquid detection canine,” Huntoon says. “He was trained through Maine Specialty Schools. He was with them for about three months and then the last month I went out to New Hampshire and Maine and we spent the month training together.”

The addition of this canine is a game-changer for the fire investigation unit, according to Huntoon, as the dog’s highly-skilled at detecting small traces of chemicals that are used to start fires. “Yahtzee will go into a fire scene post-fire and he will sniff to see if there’s any ignitable liquids in there that could have been used, possibly as accelerant,” Huntoon says. “Yahtzee’s nose is way better than human’s nose and he’ll be able to go in and locate those ignitable liquids that we can’t. In turn, we’ll be able to have a higher success rate at solving positive fires.”

Humans have about six-million sensory receptors in their nasal cavities, while dogs have about 100-million receptors. Plus, the part of a dog’s brain that’s devoted to analyzing odors is about 40 times larger than the comparable part of the human brain. “When Yahtzee smells an ignitable liquid, he sits down. That’s called a primary alert and that’s him letting me know that he has found something,” Huntoon says. “So he smells all those different things and he can determine which one is ignitable liquid.”

Huntoon says he’s thrilled to have his new partner become a part of the team, on and off the job. “Yahtzee lives with me and my family. He comes into work with me every day. He spends the day in the office. When I go on calls, he goes on calls with me and we train multiple times a day,” Huntoon says. “When we get a call, we respond together and he goes to work. It makes my job a lot more fun.”

Funding for Yahtzee and his training was provided through the State Farm Arson Dog Program, which has placed more than 450 dogs across the U-S and Canada since its launch in 1993.

(Radio Iowa) – In a follow-up to a report last week, residents of five counties in southwest Iowa will have to continue boiling and conserving water this week as work continues to get their water system back up. Avoca Rural Water Plant general manager Tom Kallman, says the ongoing drought caused the problem that led to the system running out of water last week. “We’ve had so many years of below average rainfall the watershed in the West Nishnabotna river has gone down so far that I used to be able to pull the water right out of the best part of the well — which is right where the gravel is — and we’re now having to lower the wells the pumps down further into the wells past the gravel into the silt and clay stuff,” Kallman say.

He says that made it tougher to keep up with the water needs. “I don’t get as much water out of the well, and it takes more time to filter it properly so that it reads meets state standards for purity,” he says. The Rural Water System supplies in Shelby, Audubon, Cass, Harrison, and northern Pottawattamie County with water. Kallman says water usage became a concern right away at the start of the year. “We set a record January this year in the 50 year history of our company. We had our probably our third highest use in February — and that’s when I knew we were going to have some issues — so I asked for voluntary conservation in March,” Kallman says.

He says April wasn’t another record month, but he didn’t get as much conservation of water that he hoped. That eventually led to all the water coming out of the seven towers before they could be refilled, and a negative pressure in the water system. Kallman has been working to repressurize the system and pass the tests required by the state before the system is back again. He says best the best-case scenario would have the system back up by Friday.

(Radio Iowa) – The two Republican presidential candidates who are leading in the polls will be in Iowa this week. Florida Senator Ron DeSantis will hold events here Tuesday and Wednesday, then former President Donald Trump will be in Iowa Thursday. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

(Radio Iowa)- Davenport officials say an apartment building that partially collapsed Sunday is unstable and will be demolished. A woman was rescued from the building Monday — more than 24 hours after the western side of the six story building in downtown Davenport collapsed. Dozens of people then protested near the building, calling for another search before the building’s demolished.

According to a statement late Monday night from the City of Davenport, there are apartment residents who are unaccounted for, but it did not indicate how many people might be missing.

Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a disaster declaration for Scott County. It means low income residents of the building are eligible for state grants of up to five-thousand dollars to cover temporary housing expenses and buy new clothes since residents lost all their belongings.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports three men from Illinois, were arrested last week on Interstate 80 near Adair. Adair Police conducted a traffic stop on May 23rd at around 9:05-p.m., at the eastbound 76 mile marker. Upon further investigation arrested 27-year-old Jesus Ricardo Maldonado, 26-year-old Johnny A. Saleme Negrete, and 27-year-old Ramon S. Reyes, all of Chicago. They were each charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense: Heroin; Cocaine; MDMA (ecstacy); Marijuana and Psilocybin (hallucinogenic) mushrooms. Maldonado, Negrete and Reyes were later released on $1,000 bond, each.

On May 25th, an inmate at the Adair County Jail, 36-year-old Lee Delmar Goll, of Stuart, was charged with three counts of contempt of court, for Violation of a No Contact Order. He pled guilty was sentenced to serve seven jail in jail.

On My 24th, 37-year-old David Spencer Reeves, of Stuart, was arrested by Stuart Police, for Violation of a No Contact Order, and Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree (for damages ranging in cost from $300-to $750). Reeves was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

And, on May 21st, 54-year-old Dianne Marie Ricketts, of Perry, was arrested in Perry on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation. Her bond at the Adair County Jail was set at $10,000.

(CRESTON, Iowa DOT Construction Office News) – Motorists who travel on Iowa 92 between U.S. 59 and Pottawattamie County Road M-47 east of Carson should be aware of an upcoming bridge deck replacement project that could slow down their trip.

Beginning on Tuesday morning, May 30, until Thursday, Aug. 24, weather permitting, construction crews will work on replacing the bridge deck on the Iowa 92 bridge over Graybill Creek, 1.2 miles east of the junction with U.S. 59. Motorists on the bridge will be directed by traffic signals. A 10-foot-4-inch lane-width restriction and a 15-foot height restriction will be in place during this project.

In addition, a project to repair the Iowa 92 bridge over Jordan Creek one mile east of Carson will require closing Iowa 92 in both directions between U.S. 59 and Pottawattamie County Road M-47 starting Wednesday, June 1 at 7 a.m., weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston construction office. The closure is expected to be in place until Aug. 18.

During this project, traffic will be detoured around the work zone using U.S. 6, U.S. 59, and Iowa 48 (see map).

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – One person was injured this (Monday) morning, when a pickup plowed into a store in Council Bluffs. According to the Council Bluffs Police Department, Officers and Fire Department personnel responded at around 11:13-a.m. to Camping World, at 2802 S. 21^st St., for a personal injury collision in which a vehicle drove into the building. Upon arrival, crews found a 2023 Ford F-150 Supercrew pickup truck had driven up over the parking stall in front of the building and penetrated about one-half the length of the vehicle into the building.  A worker who had been sitting at a desk inside the building on the opposite side of the wall was struck and propelled forward.

Photos courtesy the Council Bluffs PD

The worker sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported by private auto to the hospital.  The elderly driver of the vehicle was unharmed. The vehicle had driven between the main metal frameworks of the building and mainly damaged nonstructural support metal studs.  A hole approximately 12’ x 12’ was sustained in the side of the building.  Glass partition offices inside of the building were also damaged.

The vehicle was pulled out of the building by Arrow Towing. The case is still under investigation at this time.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are spending part of their Memorial Day looking for a place to rent for their upcoming summer vacation need to be wary of scams. Consumer protection expert Michelle Reinen advises everyone to do their homework first to make sure dream listings on sites like Vacation Rental By Owner or Air-B-N-B are real. “It looks beautiful, has enticing rooms and units, and gives you lots of accessories, if you will,” Reinen says, “and then when you show up and arrive, the lodging is of poor quality or may not even exist at all.”

The old rule about how “If it looks too good to be true,” still applies as Reinen says scammers are making fake listings with bogus reviews to entice people. She says to think twice about booking if the posted reviews are along the following lines. “If they all appear during a very short period of time, or have goofy names,” Reinen says, “or every single one is positive and five stars, there’s no four-star or three-star, nothing ever went wrong.” Reinen says you should be sure to make your payment through whatever program you’re using to find your rental, not a third party, and use a credit card so you’ll have recourse if there’s an issue.

“If you’re asked to move to a different platform to make a payment, cryptocurrency, wire money, pay cash, prepaid gift card, those are telltale signs of a scam,” she says. If you’re looking at more traditional rentals, be sure to read your rental agreement closely before signing. Also, be sure the rental property actually exists by checking out the property’s address with an online mapping program.