(Radio Iowa) – A Republican lawmaker who is not seeking re-election is urging colleagues who’ll return next year to make another try at passing a “Second Chances” bill. It would establish a list of guidelines for when Iowa governors have the power to release inmates who’ve been sentenced to life in prison. “The ‘Good Book’ teaches that government needs both justice and mercy,” Representative Terry Baxter, a Republican from Garner, said during a retirement speech in the House this week. “Iowa needs a comprehensive pathway to commute just a handful of (sentences for) those who’ve made a big difference in their life and done significant things to change.”

Iowa governors have the general authority to commute, or shorten, life sentences, but rarely do. Baxter, who is an ordained minister, considers the “Second Chances” bill a piece of unfinished business as he ends his eight year career in the Iowa House. “I’ve had the opportunity of going into our prisons and spending time with some men and women who have been behind bars for 40, 50 or more years,” Baxter said. “Some of them made some very tragic decisions when they were intoxicated, stoned or themselves victims of some kind of abuse or dysfunction and they are radically different people today and I’ll just ask the question: How many of you are the same person today that you were 40 years ago?”

In 2010, Baxter co-founded a non-profit group called GoServ Global that provides aid to disaster stricken areas — with missions underway today in central America and Africa. Baxter said he’s retiring from the legislature to devote the majority of his time to the group.

(Radio Iowa) – The chairman of the Mills County Board of Supervisors says the decision to close the state-run facility in Glenwood that provides residential care for Iowans with intellectual and development disabilities is devastating. Mills County Supervisor Richard Crouch is also president of the Glenwood Resource Center’s parental and family support group. His son was a resident at Glenwood until his death in January. “I’ve had some parents calling me asking what’s going to take place, where’s my child going and so on,” Crouch says.

The governor announced late yesterday (Thursday) that the Glenwood Resource Center will close by 2024. Some residents will be transferred to a similar state facility in Woodward, but most will be placed in privately-run facilities, with the state covering the cost of care. Staff at the Glenwood Resource Center will be offered retention bonuses to keep working during the transition. Crouch says he’s concerned about job prospects for those workers — and the impact the closure will have on the local economy. “There’s quite a few workers up there yet and, yes, I know it’s going to take two years, they say, for it to close, but it’s still going to have an effect on the whole of southwest Iowa,” Crouch says.

It will be tough for the community to absorb the loss of a major employer, according to Crouch, who suspects many employees will move. “There are 300-400 people that work there,” Crouch says. “…You know, there’s not many facilities like this or paying jobs like this in southwest Iowa.” Glenwood is in the state senate district of Mark Costello, a Republican from Imogene. Costello is also the chairman of the senate panel that drafts the budget for the Iowa Department of Human Services — the state agency that oversees the Glenwood Resource Center. “It’s really something I could see coming for a while, but it’s still — when I heard the news that we had made that final decision — it’s really discouraging, you know, because we tried so hard to find a way to keep it going,” Costello says, “and we really couldn’t see a way forward.”

Costello says moving will be difficult for some residents. “Transition is never easy, even when it’s good,” Costello says. “And it’s a little bit harder, even, for intellectually disabled people than for the average person.”

The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating operations at the Glenwood Resource Center over allegations that residents were not being provided adequate care. Federal officials say the state will be able to spend less — and provide better care — if residents are moved out of Glenwood’s institutional setting and into community-based care.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports 56-year-old Ralph Springs, of Glenwood, was arrested Thursday (April 7, 2022). Springs was taken into custody on a Mills County warrant associated with a Class-D Felony Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense, charge. His cash-only bond was set at $5,000.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) say the organization recently worked with the Shelby County Fair Board, to secure a $25,000 grant for upgrades to infrastructure and amenities. The money comes from Iowa West Foundation, which routinely assists with projects throughout southwest Iowa. Darren Goshorn, Shelby County Fair Board President, says “Funding through the Iowa West Foundation will allow us to make improvements and additions to the fairgrounds. As a result, we will be able to host bigger events and attract more visitors, which we see as a benefit for all of Shelby County. The Shelby County Fair Corporation is extremely grateful for being awarded this grant.”

The funds from the grant will be used toward construction of new public restrooms; providing 14 additional camper hook-ups for electricity, water and sewer; and providing a non-potable water source that consists of a new well and two storage tanks. Tim Galligan, program officer at Iowa West Foundation, says the “Iowa West Foundation is glad to support the Shelby County Fairground improvements project. The project is well-planned and will help build on their current success. The increase of amenities and improvements will support not only the community but also area visitors.”

The Iowa West Foundation is committed to helping communities achieve their dreams. Letters of Inquiry (the first step in the grant application process) are accepted year-round with deadlines of Jan. 1, May. 1 and Sept. 1 prior to each of the three grants cycles. For more information on the application process, a virtual grants workshop will be held on April 22nd. Details and registration can be found at: www.iowawestfoundation.org.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – An investigation into a fatal motorcycle crash that occurred Feb.16th in Council Bluffs, has resulted in an arrest. According to Sgt. Joshua Hughes with the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Special Operations/Traffic/K-9 Unit, 29-year-old Caleb Jefferson Bartels, of Council Bluffs, was arrested Tuesday (April 5, 2022), on charges of Homicide by Motor Vehicle while Under-the-Influence, Failure to Maintain Control, and Operating a vehicle without a license. Alcohol and speed were believed to be factors in the crash.

Bartels was being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail on $50,000 bond. His next hearing is set for April 14th.

Caleb J. Bartels

The accident happened at around 2:06-a.m. Feb. 16th, on Interstate 29 northbound at the 48.9-mile marker , in Council Bluffs.  Upon arrival Police found a man suffering from serious injuries, and a female who had died from her injuries. During the investigation that followed, authorities determined Bartels was operating a 2013 Harley Davidson motorcycle when it went off the road. Bartels and his passenger, 33-year-old Tomorrow Riley, of Omaha, were thrown from the cycle.

She was the mother of a 13-year old son.

DAVENPORT – The Iowa Department of Corrections, on Friday (today) said 22-year-old Jarrett Anthony Bonnell, convicted of Intimidation With a Dangerous Weapon in Scott County, failed to report back to the Davenport Residential Correctional Facility as required, Thursday.

Jarett Bonnell (I-DOC photo)

Bonnell is awhite male, height 6’1″, and weighs 224 pounds. He was admitted to the residential facility on February 7, 2022. Persons with information on Bonnell’s whereabouts should contact local police.

(Malvern, Iowa) –  Officials with the City of Malvern are warning residents not to put used motor oil in with your trash for pickup. Not only is the practice dangerous for Iowa’s water and soil quality, but it is against the law to dump in the landfill. Operators with Konfrst Trash informed the City of refuse containing used motor oil that was found during this week’s garbage collection. A picture shows when the trash was compacted inside the garbage truck, the oil leaked and was spread inside the hopper/compactor and collection box.

Photo from the City of Malvern Facebook page.

The City is are asking for the public’s help to make sure this does not continue to happen. Officials said on social media, that “If the problem persists, the City will pursue a municipal infraction of up to $750 and refer any future violations to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for prosecution including fines and the possibility of imprisonment.”

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa student from western Ukraine has been watching the war from afar and decided she wanted to do something in Iowa City to answer questions about her home country and explain its history. Oksana Hirchak says the university’s language center staff offered immediate support when she approached them with her idea for a “Ukrainian Conversation Hour” on campus. “I thought it would be nice to have, like, especially right now when people hear a lot about Ukraine — and maybe there will be students who would be interested in the Ukrainian language and core culture,” she says, “and I want them to have where to come and who to talk who could help them.”

Hirchak, who is psychology student at the University of Iowa, says she’s ready for any questions students may have for her. “It’s just like Ukraine is far — it’s like really really far…and they might not know a lot about this country,” she says, “so I want to make it closer to them.”

She’ll host her first “Ukrainian Conversation Hour” next Tuesday night on the University of Iowa campus.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Kassidy Arena)

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne says it’s now up to the Senate to pass a bill Axne co-sponsored that would force insurance companies to cover dental procedures and oral surgeries needed to treat rare birth defects. The bill cleared the U.S. House this week with bipartisan support. “The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act literally came from two moms from Dallas County who visited me and inspired this legislation,” Axne says. “Jennifer Steele and Sarah Ward — their children were born with rare genetic disorders that affect their ability to eat because their teeth don’t grow in properly.”

Axne says there are medical procedures that help, but insurance companies are classifying the surgeries as cosmetic procedures and denying coverage. “That’s not acceptable whatsoever,” Axne says. “These children can’t eat properly because their teeth aren’t fully in, that leads to digestive problems, digestive problems lead to internal problems. We can help them with this and that’s why this needs to get done.”

Children with this condition may have missing teeth or teeth that are shaped differently and have defective enamel. The condition often makes it difficult to chew, swallow and even speak. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has introduced an identical bill in the Senate and Axne says she hopes that means the Senate will be able to pass it soon and send it to the president. The bill passed the U.S. House this week on a 310-to-110 vote.