(Radio Iowa) – Members of the U-S House are starting work on the newest COVID-19 stimulus package which Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says promises to be far too expensive. With reports estimating the latest coronavirus relief plan around one-point-nine trillion dollars, Grassley says several fellow Republicans in the House will work to whittle it down from what President Biden has requested. “They aren’t going to go along with that big package,” Grassley says, “and if they can get a smaller package, that would be to my liking.”

The plan is again expected to include direct payments to most Americans which Grassley says may be checks of several hundred dollars, a thousand dollars, or as much as 14-hundred dollars. “Whatever it is, it’s got to be targeted towards the more needy,” Grassley says. “The way it’s written by Pelosi, so people up to $350,000 could get help, it ought to be targeted more toward families of 40- to 50- or maybe $60,000 a year income.”

The latest round of checks, approved in December, were for a maximum of 600-dollars. Grassley says when government relief checks are sent out to wealthier Americans, they don’t typically provide the needed boost to the economy. “When you get above $75,000 worth of income, about 80% of it’s saved, it’s not going to stimulate the economy,” Grassley says. “But when it’s below $75,000 and those people get it, about 80% of it is going to be spent and spent quickly and will be a stimulus.” President Biden is pushing to have a 15-dollar federal minimum wage amendment included in the COVID relief package, which would make it very unattractive to most Republicans.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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A traffic stop late Monday morning in Creston resulted in an arrest. Authorities say 22-year old Kane Farlow, of Creston, was charged with Operating a Vehicle without the Owners Consent, and Driving While Barred. Later that same day, after Creston Police executed a search warrant at Farlow’s residence, he was subsequently charged with Possession of a controlled substance 1st offense/Marijuana, Poss. of a Controlled Substance 1st offense/Methamphetamine, and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. Farlow was being held in the Union County Jail on a $6,300 bond.

At around 3:30-a.m. today (Tuesday), 26-year old Anna Wilson, of Creston, was arrested at her residence in the 1100 block of S. Cherry Street, for Poss. of a Controlled Substance 1st offense, and Poss. of Paraphernalia. Also arrested at the same location on a Poss. of a Controlled Substance charge, was 24-year old Zackery Scheel.  Wilson was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $1,300 bond. Scheel was being held in the Union County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

The 7-a.m. news featuring the area’s latest and/or top news stories from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – Nominations are now being accepted for this year’s Iowa Character Awards, which will go to individual Iowans, businesses or organizations that display good character. Hillary Ortman, associate director of the Robert and Billie Ray Center at Drake University in Des Moines, says they’re hoping to single out an array of Iowans. “Since 2005, we’ve recognized more than 150 Iowans, both groups and individuals, for demonstrating good character,” Ortman says. “These are people who are invested in their community, treating others with respect, and working to make not only their community but the state of Iowa and the world a better place.”

While COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of a host of events for many months, Ortman is hopeful they’ll be able to go ahead with an awards ceremony this summer. “We typically host our events on a Friday in July and due to moving a different event that we usually host in April, we are now going to be hosting the Iowa Character Awards on Sunday, August 29th, at the Prairie Meadows Events Center in Altoona.” She says there are a host of categories in which nominations are now being taken. “We accept nominations for local businesses and organizations of character, an adult citizen, a youth citizen, an educator of character,” Ortman says. “We also recognize a school, a student organization, a community of character.”

The entry deadline is May 2nd. Learn more at: www.iowacharacterawards.org.

(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowans serving a life sentence could get a pathway to parole under a bill co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 18 Iowa House members. Republican Representative Terry Baxter of Garner says not all adults sentenced to serve the rest of their lives in prison deserve a second chance, but some do. “When someone commits a crime under the influence of alcohol or drugs or coming from a background of abuse themselves, they’re not in their right mind,” Baxter says. “There are many people who in the process of being incarcerated go through such a change in their life, rehabilitation and transformation, they are no longer the same people…that committed that crime.”

Under current law, the only way a life sentence can be overturned is if the governor issues a pardon or commutes the sentence to time already served. The bill would create a commission to review certain cases after a person sentenced to life has been in prison for 25 years, then Commissioners could recommend that the governor approve release. Baxter, who has worked in prison ministry, says some people who commit serious crimes undergo transformation.

“I am thankful that God gave me mercy. I received a second chance,” Baxter says. “I’m no longer the man I used to be and I believe that people can and do change and I believe in the dignity of human life and that people deserve a look when they’ve gone through that change.” Lawmakers on a House subcommittee reviewing the bill plan to have more discussions about it. Life without the possibility of parole is the sentence in Iowa for first degree murder or when someone is found guilty of kidnapping or sexual assault with serious injury.

A lobbyist for county attorneys says those are serious crimes and it’s hard to imagine telling a family the person sentenced to life for murdering their relative was being released from prison.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Kate Payne)

Authorities have identified the victim of a shooting that took place early Monday morning at the Casey’s Store, in Marshalltown, and arrested a suspect in the incident.

Rocky Dean Trujillo

Twenty-year-old Rocky Trujillo, of Marshalltown, is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, going armed with intent, assault with intent to inflict serious injury and trafficking in stolen weapons. Trujillo was being held in the Marshall County Jail awaiting an initial court appearance.

Police believe he shot and killed 48-year-old Michael Ray West, of Marshalltown, in the chest early Monday morning. Authorities executed a search warrant for a home on Bromley Street and arrested Trujillo late Monday.

Officers responded to the store to find West on the floor, suffering from a gunshot wound. Marshalltown police said the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting in the ongoing investigation.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Board met electronically Monday evening. Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen reminded the Board and Public about the Snow Sculpture contest underway through the end of the month. Residents are invited to create a snow sculpture and submit it via Facebook Messenger. He said they had received seven submissions so far. The public will vote for their favorite sculpture. The winner gets $25 in Chamber Bucks.

The Parks Board voted to approve not to replace the playground equipment at the Nishna Park, which is down the hill from the Atlantic High School, and instead use the park for a Nature Walk/relaxation area. The playground equipment had been removed when tiling was being done last year.

Rasmussen said with approximately $1,000 in donations, the Parks Department was able to acquire multiple packages of Prairie seeds, that will cover about 1,000 square feet of different prairie sections throughout the City of Atlantic. Some locations include the Schildberg Rec Area, Sunnyside Park, and Nishna Park, to help educate the public on the many different varieties of Prairie vegetation that is available, and provide a colorful natural habit for certain wildlife.

Rasmussen is working with Nishna Valley Trails’ (NVT) Dave Chase to implement facets of the Trail Head at the Little League Park near KJAN. He said they’ve ordered a bike repair station. NVT will purchase a plaque to recognize those donors who have allowed the trailhead to be placed there. There will also be maps for Cass County trails, and vegetation around the outside of the trailhead.

Bryant told the Board, once the weather begins to warm-up, they will set-up another Treasure Hunt, where the key to finding the “Treasure,” comes in the form of a riddle that points participants toward one of the parks. A treasure box with several trinkets in it will be placed somewhere in the park as a reward. In other business, Ramussen said Parks and Rec is collaborating with the Cass County Conservation Board for a “Snow Fun Afternoon” this Friday, while school is out. Details are still be worked out. Stay tuned.

Bryant said also, because it has been so cold, they haven’t been able to get snow removed from the trails, plus, there is a wiring issue with their plow. The plan is to borrow a plow from the Wastewater Treatment Plant to get to work on getting the trails cleared. He said the final version of the Walkability Maps are being finished for proofing and printing. The hope is to roll those maps out this Spring.  And, thanks to the Dog Park donations, there will be three-to four new tables installed at the SRA Dog Park, and about the same number of benches.  Tires have been received for painting, also. Those will be sunken into the ground at the Dog Park, for exercise and dog fun.

(Radio Iowa) There was nothing sweet about the weather on Valentine’s Day as the brutal cold continued its grip on the state. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says many areas saw records. “Over 50 stations broke their daily minimum high temperature on Valentine’s day. So that is the coldest daytime high they had seen for the 14th. Anywhere ranging from zero degrees in Oskaloosa to negative 16 degrees in Rockwell City,” Glisan says.

Halfway through the month, we are averaging double digits below the normal February average temperature of 24 degrees. “We’re currently sitting at six degrees,” according to Glisan, “so 18 degrees below the monthly average. The caveat being there is that we will rebound ass we add more days to the month, and as we do warm-up.” Glisan says a disturbance in the polar vortex is allowing the cold air to flow into Iowa and many other states. Record snowfall in many areas is also contributing to the low temperatures.

“Snowpack acts to reflect the light up, that solar radiation up, that is coming in from the sun — and that does tamp down these daytime high temperatures. When you don’t get those temperatures up during the day, you are only on the downhill slope at night when the sun goes down. So yes it does impact the temperature that we do see,” Glisan says. He says you can see the impact in trees.

He says if you look at large trees you will see a tree ring from where the tree is absorbing solar radiation short wave in and emitting long-range radiation, or heat out. “And you will start to see those rings expand as you get into, hopefully sunny days and warmer days, ” he says. Glisan sees the impact in other ways as well. “Some of the remote sensing tools, the satellites that we are using looking at clouds — we are actually picking up the snowpack at the surface since it is so cold,” he explains. “You can get snowpack down into negative temperatures as well.” Glisan says we saw the same phenomenon back in January of 2019.

“That was over a four to five day period where we had temperatures actually colder than what we are seeing now — but just over two or three days in the negative 20s and the negative 30s. We had wind chill values up in northern Iowa in the negative 50s to the negative 60s. That’s extremely cold air,” Glisan says. The forecast is calling for things to slowly warm up through this week and moving toward the 20s for highs by the weekend.

(Radio Iowa) – A new computer system would periodically check if Iowans are eligible for food stamp benefits if a bill that’s cleared a senate subcommittee becomes law. Republican Senator Jason Schultz of Schleswig proposes that the Iowa Department of Human Services buy the system or pay a private company to verify eligibility for food stamps by July 1st of 2022.

Janee Harvey of the Iowa Department of Human Services says Equifax has offered the agency a FREE, one-year trial of its system.

In addition, Harvey says the bill would spend state money on a system the federal government will be providing all states, at no charge, in late 2022. Senator Schultz says he expects to draft changes in the bill before it’s considered by the Senate Commerce Committee.