(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand says it’s time to enforce a law that would hold state employees accountable for intentional misconduct. That means, in extreme cases, a state employee could be financial liable if the state offers a settlement to a victim. “The law right now in order to have people…held personally accountable for those damages would require evidence of willful and wanton misconduct,” Sand says. “…Willful and wanton is typically somebody doing something and doing it repeatedly and they know this is a terrible thing to do and they keep doing it, which is why it oftentimes comes up in the context of sexual harassment.”

Sand, as state auditor, is on the three-member state panel that approves the state’s legal settlements. In 2019, Sand argued the Iowa Finance Authority director who’d been fired should have been on the hook for the four million dollars the state paid two employees who said they’d been sexually harassed.

“This isn’t just something that you should care about as a taxpayer. This is something that I hope all Iowans would care about in terms of preventing sexual harassment,” Sand says. “There are people who are willing to do things like this because they think they are going to be insulted from the consequences of their action. We have to illustrate to them that that’s not the case.”

Sand made his comments during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S. In the past year, the State of Iowa has paid to settle sexual harassment claims made by a judicial branch employee and a social worker in the Department of Human Services. Sand, a Democrat, is seeking reelection as state auditor. Todd Halbur, a central Iowa realtor, is the G-O-P nominee for state auditor.

(Radio Iowa) – The consumer protection division of the Iowa Attorney General’s office reports an upturn in the number of complaints about fake car dealerships appearing online. Ashley Kieler, a spokeswoman for the A-G’s office, says crooks are building sophisticated websites that mirror legitimate dealerships and they’re luring in customers with great deals — on vehicles they don’t own.

“They will create a website for car dealerships that actually exist somewhere and then use their own phone number and email addresses and start advertising vehicles,” Kieler says. “So when a consumer shows interest in this vehicle, they’re asked to wire a significant amount of money to this fictitious company, and then they are left without a car and without money.” Supply chain issues stemming from the economic slowdown of the pandemic are making it difficult to find new or used cars, forcing potential buyers to search outside their local areas.

“The vehicle market is tough right now. There’s not a lot of inventory on lots and used vehicles are also difficult to find because people aren’t purchasing new because they’re not available,” Kieler says. “So people are looking online if they have a certain vehicle in mind, and they believe that these are legitimate dealerships because they look like it or they have a name that sounds familiar.” One recent complaint came from a Texas man who lost 38-thousand dollars while trying to buy a Porsche from what appeared to be a legitimate dealership in Waterloo — that ended up being a carefully crafted scam.

“We’d suggest that you do your own research first,” she says. “Go to your web browser, search for the dealership that you believe you’re working with, see what other social media pages they have, other websites they have, or just the directory and then call those numbers and talk to somebody and make sure that this is the right dealership.” Before purchasing a vehicle, the A-G’s office recommends you always see the vehicle in person.

You can also check the Iowa D-O-T’s list of registered auto dealers here: https://iowadot.gov/mvd/buyingselling/dealers.pdf. That table is updated monthly and will tell you the legal name of the dealer, the dealer number, and the address. Check that information against the information given to you by the online dealer. If you think you’re dealing with a scammer, report it to the Iowa Attorney General’s office at 888-777-4590.

(Harrison and Montgomery Counties) – Multiple agencies battle field fires in western Iowa, Sunday afternoon. The flames were spread quickly by strong winds, and resulted in the voluntary evacuation of some residents, especially in Montgomery County, where a fire quickly went out of control and spread some three-to four miles before being brought under control at around 8:30-p.m.

Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman reports “The Montgomery County Communications Center received multiple 9-1-1 calls at 4:47pm reporting a small ditch fire in the area of Highway 34 x A Ave. Mutual aid was requested immediately prior to any fire units arriving on scene due to wind conditions. Once fire crews arrived on scene, the fire grew rapidly and spread quickly north to adjoining fields. Several homes in the area were evacuated by law enforcement and mutual aid was again requested from numerous area fire departments.

Brian Hamman photo

Brian Hamman photo

Harrison County fire

Harrison County fire

A combine fire Saturday afternoon spread to stand field of corn, with Shelby and Harrison counties had fire departments respond to a combine fire that spread to standing corn. Shelby, Portsmouth and Persia were all assisted by some much appreciated tractor operators with discs.

Shelby County Emergency Svcs. Assoc. photo

Montgomery County Field Fire assisting agencies:

(Mount Ayr, Iowa) — A joint investigation between the Ringgold, Taylor and Adams County Sheriff’s Offices, resulted in the arrest on drug charges, of a man and woman from Clearfield. The Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office reports stolen property offenses resulted in a search warrant that was executed on Saturday. Multiple items were recovered at a residence in the western edge of Ringgold County, along with controlled substances and paraphernalia.

Upon investigation, 58-year-old Monty Parkhurst and 54-year-old Michelle Grady, both from Clearfield, were arrested for child endangerment, possession of a controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia. The pair were being held without bond in the Ringgold County Jail, until seen by magistrate.

Michelle M. Grady

Monty E. Parkhust

*”Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations and any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”

(Update 8:30-p..m.: Many of the units and personnel who responded to fire, were returning to their stations, with the thanks of Montgomery County Communications and other officials.

The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency has issued a “Voluntary evacuation notice,” due to the large field fire (See below). Officials  say evacuation area encompasses A Ave west to Highway 59 and US Hwy 34 north to 110th. “Please evacuate the area immediately due to rapidly growing field fire.”

(Previous post)

(Emerson, Iowa) – Numerous fire departments, crews and equipment are battling a major field fire this (Sunday) afternoon, and additional help was being requested, as of 5:35-p.m. About three-to four miles of field was on fire northeast of Emerson, in the area of Highway 34 and A Avenue. Traffic was being blocked by emergency personnel and law enforcement in that same area. Residents are being evacuated as well.

Help is coming from as far away as Griswold, Lewis and Marne. Other agencies include Emerson, Hastings, Oakland, Macedonia, Stanton and Carson, to name a few. Some units are staging at 150th and A Avenue.

A farmer with a tractor and disc was also assisting in this major blaze.

(Emerson, Iowa) – Numerous fire departments, crews and equipment are battling a major field fire this (Sunday) afternoon, and additional help was being requested, as of 5:35-p.m. About three-to four miles of field was on fire northeast of Emerson, in the area of Highway 34 and A Avenue. Traffic was being blocked by emergency personnel and law enforcement in that same area. Residents are being evacuated as well.

Help is coming from as far away as Griswold, Lewis and Marne. Other agencies include Emerson, Hastings, Oakland, Macedonia, Stanton and Carson, to name a few. Some units are staging at 150th and A Avenue.

A farmer with a tractor and disc was also assisting in this major blaze.

(Malvern, Iowa) – The Principal for the East Mills Junior/Senior High School said in a social media post, Saturday, that “Grief counselors and members of our school counseling team will be on hand to meet with students individually and in groups tomorrow, Sunday October 23 from 1-3 PM at the East Mills Jr/Sr High School. Over the next few days and weeks support services will be available to help them cope with this terrible tragedy. You may also wish to speak with your student about this.” Principal Dale Scott said also, “We will do everything we can to support you in doing so. Please don’t hesitate to contact your building principal or school counselor, if you have questions or concerns.”

Students and staff are in mourning over the loss of a 17-year-old female classmate from Emerson, who died during single-vehicle rollover accident Friday afternoon, near Malvern. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 1998 Honda Civic the teen was driving, went out of control on eastbound on Noyes Avenue at around 4:05-p.m., after it crossed the intersection with 290th Street.

The vehicle left the road and rolled several times before coming to rest on its wheels, in a field. The teenage driver was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. She was not wearing a seat belt. As of Saturday afternoon, her name had not officially been released.

Mills County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted the State Patrol at the crash site.

(Radio Iowa) – A rare bumble bee has been sighted in northeastern Iowa. Kaytlan Moeller, outreach coordinator for Dubuque County Conservation, calls it a “super-exciting” find. “The rusty patched bumble bee is a designated, federally-endangered species,” Moeller says. “It’s been endangered since 2017 and is actually one of about 21 bee species that are endangered in the United States. And we happened to find this rusty patched bumble bee in some of our what we call pocket prairies in Dubuque County.” The bees were found in a “Mowing to Monarchs” program prairie area late this summer. The county created the program to develop native habitat three years ago, with the goal to help the endangered monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

“You’re transforming your turfgrass over to monarch habitat,” she says. “Monarchs are kind of a keystone species, so if you have monarchs in your areas, you have other very sensitive and rare pollinators as well. So it was the goal to build habitat for our community here in Dubuque County and yes, it’s doing exactly that.” All Iowans can help pollinators like bumblebees and butterflies. Moeller says it’s as simple as leaving your fall leaves and other dead plants where they are for the winter, a movement called “Leave the Leaves.”

Rusty Patched Bumblebee (Photo by Dubuque County Conservation)

“The best thing to do with your pollinator garden or any of your landscaping that you have in your yard is actually to leave it because those native species use that area for a refuge,” Moeller says. “They overwinter in the form of an egg or maybe as an adult or maybe a queen bee who’s actually impregnated for next spring. She’s going to come out and make a new hive.” Moeller says our yards can help sequester carbon, improve water quality, rebuild biodiversity and still be beautiful.

Nearly 200 Dubuque County landowners have participated in this ongoing program, planting 120,000 square feet of prairie — and Moeller says it’s been a big success that has the potential to take off in other areas, too.

(Des Moines, IA) The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced two initiatives focused on healthy habits, nutrition and addressing food insecurity for Iowa families. “Though these programs have different goals and execution, helping Iowa families and communities lead healthier lives is deeply embedded in the HHS mission. Food insecurity, exacerbated by the rising cost of food and an increasing rate of obesity in Iowa drive the need for HHS to focus our attention on nutrition and health education. Through these programs, we reach Iowans in in 20 counties with programming that is collaborative, targeted and measurable,” said HHS Director Kelly Garcia.

Iowa Stops Hunger Pilot Program: 

The Iowa Stops Hunger is a statewide initiative formed by Business Publications Corporation (BPC) in 2020 to bring awareness and inspire action to combat food insecurity in Iowa. With the support of Presenting Sponsor Hy-Vee and Supporting Sponsor Mom’s Meals, Iowa Stops Hunger has explored hunger in Iowa, created ongoing media content and events to discuss food insecurity in Iowa, showcased actions taken by businesses, and connected participants from the business and nonprofit communities across the state.

The dialogue generated throughout 2020 and 2021 sparked interest in further action. A small group led by Hy-Vee, Mom’s Meals and HHS, facilitated by BPC, have joined forces in a public/private coalition to reduce food insecurity in Iowa through targeted programming. The Iowa Stops Hunger Coalition will launch a pilot program targeting women between the ages of 21-44 who are food insecure but may not qualify for SNAP, WIC or Free and Reduced Lunch programs. Many of these women are young mothers who are in the workforce at low-wage jobs or who have left the workforce, making this project of particular relevance to Iowa employers.

The pilot project timeline is being finalized by the public/private coalition. Managed Care Medicaid providers Amerigroup Iowa, Iowa Total Care and Molina Healthcare will provide outreach and coordination of services with community-based nutrition partners including each of the Iowa area Food Banks. Hy-Vee and Mom’s Meals will be providing coordination, food and nutrition education and support. BPC is assisting with Coalition facilitation and communications support. Iowa Medicaid will administer the pilot.

The program includes short-term food insecurity stabilization and resources and longer-term food and nutrition access and education. The pilot will focus on women ages 21-44 in eight Iowa counties who have indicated that they are experiencing food insecurity. Among the counties included, are Pottawattamie and Woodbury. Participating counties were identified by HHS through analysis of screenings which showed a higher-than-average rate of food insecurity for residents. The selected counties represent a statewide cross section of rural and urban populations. An estimated 23,000 individuals are identified as part of the pilot. Specifically targeting moms with kids will help address the systemic challenges families often face.

HHS also announces $265,000 in grants to 15 counties across Iowa through 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! : An evidence-based prevention framework for early care and education programs, K-12 schools, out-of-school programs and health care practices to encourage Iowa kids to adopt healthy habits. First year, $30,000 awards went to Dallas and Woodbury Counties in our area. And a Third-year, $8,000 award went to both Woodbury and Madison Counties.