IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa journalist faces trial on charges stemming from her coverage of a protest against racial injustice. Prosecutors have pursued the misdemeanor case against Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri despite international condemnation from free press advocates who say she was just doing her job. Sahouri was pepper sprayed and arrested by a Des Moines police officer while reporting on a clash between protesters and police outside a shopping mall.

Police officers are shown arresting Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri after a Black Lives Matter protest she was covering on May 31, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa, was dispersed by tear gas. Sahouri is set to stand trial on Monday, March 8, 2021, on misdemeanor charges, a case that prosecutors have pursued despite international condemnation from advocates for press freedom. (Photo courtesy Katie Akin via AP)

The two-day trial at Drake University will highlight an aggressive legal response by Iowa authorities against those who organized and attended protests that erupted last summer and occasionally turned violent. Sahouri and her former boyfriend are charged with failure to disperse and interference with official acts.

(Radio Iowa) – Key elements of the governor’s 2021 agenda have failed to clear the legislature’s first deadline for policy bills. House Republicans did not have enough votes for state scholarships to cover private school expenses for students in 34 under-performing schools. Governor Kim Reynolds’ plan to make it easier to form charter schools, though, is eligible for House debate. Representative Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Orange City, says it would let a school district or a group of people found a state-funded charter school. “Charter schools gives parents and students another option. Students have different needs and wants and different educational settings fit different students,” Wheeler says. “This bill simply provides the extra option to give our children a world class education and we all want that.”

Democrats like Representative Mary Mascher, of Iowa City oppose the plan. “I’d feel differently about this if our schools were failing, but quite frankly they aren’t,” Mascher said. “They’re doing a heck of a job.” G-O-P lawmakers also failed to act on part of the governor’s criminal justice agenda that called for steps to combat racial profiling in law enforcement. Representative Jarad Klein, a Republican from Keota, says the House G-O-P’s bill was drafted after consulting with police. “This is not the governor’s bill. This is our bill. This is the Public Safety Committee in the House’s bill that is meant to support law enforcement. I don’t know. There might be one thing that overlaps between in the governor’s bill and what we’re doing,” Klein says. “I went to the folks that deal with this day in and day out, asking what we could do to help.”

The Iowa Legislative Black Caucus is calling on the governor to veto any bill on policing that does not include anti-racial profiling language. Representative Ras (like “Ross”) Smith, a Democrat from Waterloo, notes a SENATE committee has voted to deny state funds to cities that reduce police and sheriffs’ department budgets. “By excluding the anti-racial profiling language, by defunding local cities that seek to modernize public safety, including brain health professionals, I think our governor has shown they have no real intent to have equity and justice for all people,” Smith says.

However, the bill penalizing Iowa cities that might “defund the police” did NOT clear a House committee this week, meaning that proposal is unlikely to become state law.

Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson reports a person wanted in connection with a bar fight in Atlantic, last month, was arrested Thursday. 30-year old Timothy Brown, of Atlantic, was arrested on Cass County warrants for Assault Causing Serious Injury, Interference with Official Acts, and Disorderly Conduct. He was taken into custody after turning himself-in. The charges stem from a call at around 12:10-a.m. on February 19th, about a fight at the Fireside Lounge. Brown was booked into the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

Earlier this week, we told you 29-year-old Cody Christensen, of Atlantic, was arrested on Cass County warrants for Disorderly Conduct/fight or violence-related, and Assault Causing Serious Injury. He had remained in the jail as of Thursday. And, 36-year old Ty Daniel Jordan, of Exira, was cited in connection with the incident, and released on a charge of Disorderly Conduct.

Officers and Sheriff’s Deputies called to the bar on Feb. 19th, found two subjects unconscious, on the floor. Both were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital, by ambulance. One was subsequently flown to a trauma center. The arrests and citation was the result of a lengthy investigation of the video evidence and interviews with witnesses.

Chief Erickson said also, 40-year old David Thomas, of Atlantic, was arrested Wednesday on an Audubon County warrant for Extortion and Theft in the 2nd Degree. Thomas was transported to Audubon County and turned over to the Sheriff’s Department.

The 8:05-a.m. news from Ric Hanson.

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(Submitted by Progress Iowa) Des Moines, Iowa – A new effort to recognize the more than five thousand Iowans lost to COVID-19 since March 24, 2020 launched today, with a new website at iowacovidmemorial.org. Anyone who has lost a family member, friend, or loved one due to COVID-19 is invited to submit their name to be listed on an online virtual wall. Along with a growing list of partner organizations, Progress Iowa published the website to recognize this tragic milestone by listing the names of individuals that have passed away and will share memorial events in the coming weeks.

The memorial site will also share personal stories and memories of Iowans lost to COVID-19, and has a form for loved ones to provide this information. Each Iowan with a story or photo shared will have their own page dedicated to their memory.  “Too many Iowans lost a loved one this year, and we cannot forget their memory,” said Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa. “Iowans have lost too much this past year for us to simply let this go by as just another day. Our hope is that we recognize the devastating loss felt by so many, and reflect on how we can best move forward safely together as one community as we still face significant challenges as a result of the pandemic.”

“I am 78 years old, and like all my aging friends and relatives, we are living with a target on our backs,” said Mike McCarthy, president, Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans. “In Iowa, 9 out of 10 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic have been people my age. Wearing a mask, social distancing and other mitigation measures are easy compared to planning a funeral. We must remember the lessons from this pandemic and those we have lost. May they rest in peace.”

The memorial website launch will lead up to a variety of memorial events in the coming weeks. These events will be promoted by the coalition listed on the iowacovidmemorial.org website.

(Radio Iowa) – An accused sex offender from California was arrested Thursday in Hampton by the U-S Marshals Service.  Eighty-five-year-old Nihn Tat Ho was wanted by the San Gabriel Police Department in Los Angeles County, California on felony charges of child molestation. He is named in a 17-count complaint filed April 25th, 2019, charging him for child molestation against multiple victims dating back to 1987.

Thursday morning, members of the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force observed Ho exiting a residence in Hampton and took him into custody without incident. Ho was transported to the Linn County Jail and awaits extradition back to California.

Police in Creston, Thursday morning, arrested a man on an assault charge. Authorities report 35-year-old Manuel Luke Richardson, of Creston, was arrested at around 5:18-a.m. in the 1100 block of S. Cherry Street, on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd offense. Richardson was later released from the Union County Jail, after posting bond.

And, a Creston man reported to Police Thursday morning, that his vehicle was stolen from outside of his residence in the 300 block of N. Sycamore Street,  sometime after 6-p.m., Wednesday. The dark brown 2017 Buick Enclave was valued at $25,000.

The 7:05-a.m. newscast with KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – State regulators are giving sportsbook operators permission to let Iowans place a specific kind of bet that may be popular during the upcoming N-C-double-A tournament. Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission administrator Brian Ohorilko says it’s called pools wagering. “In a typical sports wagering format, the customer is betting against the house or the sports book,” he says. “In this particular case, customers will be wagering against each other.”

There’s typically a fee to be part of the pool. “Those fees are totaled. The house usually collects a percentage, typically between 5 and 10% is what we’ve seen in other some states and then the rest of the money is distributed back to the customers and it really depends on the type of contest and the rules,” Ohorilko says.

In some instances, it may be a winner-take-all scenario, while in others the top 10 or so finishers are paid. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission voted yesterday (Thursday) to allow this type of betting, at the request of DraftKings, but all sportsbook operators will now be able to collect these kind of wagers. “Currently in the state of Iowa we have the more common types of sports wagers approved such as money lines, point spreads, totals,” Ohorilko says, “and as we are getting closer to the NCAA basketball tournament, it was really no surprise that we did get a request from the industry to consider pools wagering.”

The N-C-Double-A men’s basketball tournament is scheduled to begin March 18th. In other action yesterday (Thursday), the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission voted to renew the state operating licenses for 17 of the state’s casinos. And the Isle of Capri in Waterloo and Prairie Meadows each agreed to pay a 20-thousand dollar fine after minors were caught gambling on the casino floors.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials say Iowans with chronic medical conditions that put them at risk of getting seriously ill with Covid may become eligible for vaccinations, starting next week. The decision potentially means hundreds of thousands of Iowans over the age of 16 can start trying to schedule Covid shots next week. The announcement came last night (Thursday night) in an Iowa Department of Public Health news release. The state did not issue a list of chronic conditions that would make an Iowan eligible for a Covid shot, but linked to the Centers for Disease Control website.

The C-D-C’s list of conditions that make a person more likely to get seriously ill from Covid includes diabetes and cancer, plus heart and immune system disorders. Smoking and obesity are also on the C-D-C’s list. Iowans over the age of 65 as well as those in certain occupations have been eligible for vaccinations. The Iowa Department of Public Health news release indicates those groups in “several” counties are mostly vaccinated, so those are the counties where expanded eligibility will start.

“Some” counties will continue to limit vaccinations to the first tiers of eligible Iowans. The agency did not specify which counties are in which category.