(Radio Iowa) – After sitting empty for months during the pandemic, cruise ships are filling up with passengers again and Iowans are willing to give another look to setting sail on the open sea or down a scenic river. Gene LaDoucer, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says one in four Iowans are considering a cruise for their next vacation. “Cruise bookings are up sharply from a year ago,” LaDoucer says. “We’re seeing bookings at AAA Travel double of what we were seeing this time last year and that strength looks to continue through the summer months.”

Satisfaction surveys show people are more pleased with their cruises now than before the pandemic, and LaDoucer says a wealth of new safety precautions are in place. “Cruise ships have enhanced medical facilities on them, so if someone does get sick, they have medical care up immediately available,” LaDoucer says. “They’ve upgraded their ventilation systems. Like many businesses, they have hand washing and sanitization dispensers throughout the cruise ship. They’ve implemented contactless room service.”

Most destinations have loosened travel restrictions and cruise lines are hoping to reach full capacity in the second half of this year.  “Ships are being filled quickly and spots on those may become unavailable,” LaDoucer says. “If you’re looking to travel within the next year or two, we recommend that you consider booking earlier, particularly with inflation pressures on fuel prices.”

There’s been a boost traveler confidence as COVID-19 cases trend lower, he says. Plus, the C-D-C has lowered its cruise travel warning to a Level 2, the lowest since the agency began tracking coronavirus statistics.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 7:50-p.m. Wednesday, of 35-year-old Ryan Stoneking, from Elliott. The man was taken into custody for Driving While Suspended, following a traffic stop, in Elliott. His bond was set at $491.25.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Democratic Party leaders say they’re considering substantial changes to make their Caucuses more straightforward and accessible. Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn has just released a letter to national party leaders, asking that Iowa’s 2024 Caucuses remain first in the presidential nominating process. The Democratic National Committee has made it clear that’s in doubt.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do ahead of us in the next few weeks, but I’m going to fight like hell for Iowa,” Wilburn said, “and I’m going to look forward to making our case before the Rules and Bylaws Committee.” That panel will meet this summer to recommend which states get to go first in the next presidential election. “Iowa is a small rural and accessible state. The infrastructure to rebuild the Democratic brand for rural America is right here in Iowa,” Wilburn says. “The DNC, the national Democratic Party, just needs to commit to it and not waste this opportunity.”

Wilburn is arguing Iowa represents geographic diversity that’s important for the party’s prospects across the country. “If Democrats can’t figure out how to talk to rural voters, then we’re in big trouble as a party,” Wilburn said. “It’s no secret the party’s been losing seats across the country because of a weakened appeal to rural, working class Americans and to maintain the White House and make gains in congress, we can’t afford to ignore this group of Americans and Iowans.” National party leaders are also saying that states positioned to go first in the 2024 presidential election should have diverse populations. Wilburn says as the Iowa Democratic Party’s first black chairman, he will make the case that Iowa has been a progressive leader.

“Iowa has led and the nation has followed when we said that a black man, Barack Obama, could be and should be president of the United States…in saying that love is love and who you choose to marry and start a family with is up to you and the rest of the country followed,” Wilburn says, “and going back to decades before Brown v Board of Education, Iowa said that schools will be integrated.” Wilburn says he’ll also point to the many candidates of color who won municipal elections in Iowa last year.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa will receive one million dollars as part of a multi-state settlement with TurboTax. The Iowa Attorney General’s office says TurboTax has agreed to pay the states involved 141 million dollars following claims the company got people to pay for tax preparation services that should have been free.

More than 33-thousand Iowans who used the service from 2016 through 2018 are eligible for a direct payment of approximately 30 dollars for each year that they paid for filing services. if you are one of the people involved — you will automatically receive a notice and a check by mail.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The number of new COVID-19 cases in Iowa continues to rise. The Iowa Health Department says more than 2,700 positive tests were reported over the past week. That’s a 36% increase from last week.

Ninety-one people are hospitalized with the virus, up seven from the last report. Eight people are in the ICU with COVID-19. Four more COVID-19-related deaths were reported in the last week.

The total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic has reached more than 9,500.

(Radio Iowa) – There will soon be a change in state restrictions on sports agents. For nearly a year, college athletes have been able to profit from the use of their name, image or likeness in commercials, on clothing or used in other ways. N-C-Double-A rules let them hire an agent to strike those deals. Senator Craig Johnson of Independence says the new state law will ensure agents don’t exploit Iowa college athletes.

Representative Anne Osmundson of Volga says the new Iowa law will align with how other states are regulating agents.

The House unanimously voted to make this move a year ago and the Iowa Senate took a final vote on the bill in March. The law takes effect on July 1st.

(Radio Iowa) – A project manager for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline says the company has about 20 percent of the voluntary easements from landowners they would need to complete the pipeline route through Iowa. Kylie Kretz spoke at this week’s meeting of the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors.

“Right now, we’re going back and doing route changes. So as we’ve started acquire easements across the project, we’ve changed the route over 2000 based on landowner requests and every time we do that, they surveyor has to come back and survey again, so now we’re doing bits and pieces,” she said, “but the main portion has been completed.”

Summit’s pipeline would span nearly two-thousand miles over five states and ship carbon captured from 32 Midwest ethanol plants to underground storage in North Dakota. The route covers nearly 700 miles in Iowa. Several people who don’t want the pipeline on their property have complained to legislators that their private property rights would be violated if state officials grant the company authority to seize property from unwilling landowners.

Kretz says the company still hopes to strike deals with the 80 percent of landowners who haven’t yet agreed to easements. “So we’re virtually, you know, for the next eight months focused on working with the landowners and acquiring easements with them,” Kretz said. Kretz told the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors that Iowa ethanol plants may have to close if the pipeline isn’t built.

“The ethanol plants’ carbon intensity score currently sits too high for the 2030-2040 regulations. If they don’t do anything to drop their carbon intensity score today, their doors will have to close in 2030,” Kretz said. Summit filed paperwork with the Iowa Utilities Board in January, seeking a permit to build a hazardous liquid pipeline through Iowa. According to state law, the board must determine the pipeline’s proposed services will promote the public convenience and necessity in order to grant the permit.

(Villisca, Iowa) Two people suffered from smoke inhalation and minor injuries during a fire Wednesday morning, in Villisca. According to a press release, the incident occurred at around 9:07-a.m., when Villisca Fire/Rescue personnel were dispatched to 129 W. 4th Street. The firs arriving emergency responders reported heavy smoke and fire coming from the structure, with the flames impinging on a neighbor’s house as well.

Firefighters were able to quickly determine the occupants of the home had escaped. Mutual aid was called for from Red Oak Fire/Rescue, the Stanton and Grant Fire Departments. The flames extended from the first floor to the second, and eventually the attic space. The blaze was extinguished and ground operations at the scene were terminated at 12-p.m., Wednesday.

Villisca House Fire, 5/4/22; Villisca FD photo

The occupants – Patricia Graham and Wayne Shook – were transported by Villisca Ambulance to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for treatment. Graham is the owner of the home, which was valued at $27,000, and was deemed a total loss. The Red Cross was contacted to assist the residents as needed. Firefighters were able to save some family valuables and turn them over to family members.

Authorities say the Iowa State Fire Marshal was contacted due to there being injuries associated with the incident. The blaze remains under investigation.  In addition to the aforementioned fire and rescue departments, Villisca Fire was assisted at the scene by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Communications Center, Villisca Ambulance, Montgomery County EMA, Villisca Public Works, and the Villisca Electric Company.

Officials also extended their gratitude to the family members who were able to provide information concerning items within the residence, as well as the layout of the home.

(Radio Iowa) – N-B-C Universal is going to create a prequel series to the “Field of Dreams” movie that will stream on the Peacock network and is looking for production people in Iowa to help. The leader of the Iowa Office of Media Production, Liz Gilman, says they won’t be filming at the original movie site in Dyersville.

“It’s a little too built up for what they need for the storyline, because they’re really diving into more of like I said, more of a prequel, and more of the backstory of what happened before Ray Kinsella, you know, plowed up his cornfield and put a baseball field there,” Gilman says.

The movie site is also hosting major and minor league games at the same time the filming for the streaming series will be going on. So the producers will build a set for the series in central Iowa. “They will be kind of constructing their own field of dreams and a new farmhouse here in the greater Des Moines area,” Gilman explains. Gilman says all types of people are needed here in Iowa to get the production going.

“There’ll be construction, there’ll be catering, transportation, there’ll be needing to prop things. So set decoration, really all kinds of different jobs that are available, besides the usual that you’d think of with like, you know, makeup artists, and camera people and sound and such like that,” according to Gilman. She encourages anyone interested in working on the project to go to produce iowa.com and register on their free media production directory.

“You just go on there and create your own listing, and then you can upload your resume, or if you have an IMDB site or a website, and really kind of sell yourself on this listing,” Gilman says. “So when people come to town, even other, you know, producers that work on commercials or T-V shows and things — they check out our media production directory, and that’s how Iowans are hired.” Gilman says the production and building of the site is the first step in the process. They will also be looking for people to appear in the show.

“We are going to be looking for extras. They’re working with casting people, and they will be setting up some of their needs with casting in the next few weeks. So that’s why we would encourage people to sign up on Facebook with our Produce Iowa,” she says. Gilman says the producers need some dry weather for another key part of the series site.

“They have a site determined and soon, as soon as it warms up enough they can start planting their corn ,” she says, “that’s been the big thing. It’s just watching and waiting for Iowa to warm up so they can plant the corn and then they’ll be clearing the land and creating the new field.” Gilman says the site is in Polk County, but they are not giving out the exact location yet. Other filming will take place in Mahaska, Clinton and Boone counties.