(Radio Iowa) — Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say the big upstream reservoirs on the Missouri River are ready for spring snowmelt — and possible flooding. Corps engineer Mike Swenson, in the Omaha office, says they already have hit their flood storage goals and are starting to cut back flows from Gavins Point Dam, upriver from Sioux City.

“Gavins Point releases averaged a record 34,800 (cubic feet per second) in February,” Swenson says. “Releases were decreased from 38,000 to 35,000 CFS earlier this week.” Corps officials say releases will fluctuate up and down frequently as we head into spring as part of an “aggressive strategy” to maintain flood storage space for as long as possible.

“As the Plains snowpack continues to melt, releases will be adjusted as needed based on reservoir system and downstream conditions,” Swenson says. “Releases will remain above average as conditions allow in order to maintain more flood storage for a longer period of time.”

The Corps reports snowpack in the mountains of Montana and Wyoming is now over 100-percent of normal. Officials say runoff has contributed to rises on downstream river levels with the potential to cause setbacks to levee repairs, while cutting back releases from Gavins Point should take the peak off higher river stages.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa House has passed a small batch of bills about broadband service in the state. Representative Ray Sorenson of Greenfield says the G-O-P lawmakers and staff who’ve been working on these issues have begun calling themselves the “broadband bros.”

“I want you to know that we aren’t done and that we will continue to work to connect every last Iowan,” Sorenson said. One bill clarifies that state grants to local telecommunications companies for broadband projects are not considered income. Republican Representative Brian Lohse of Bondurant says that means those grants are NOT subject to state income taxes.

“This bill will ensure that companies are able to expand broadband with every dollar that they are provided by the state,” Lohse says. Representative Dave Williams of Waterloo, a Democrat, estimates the bill’s value.  “This puts another $1.5 million or so into this expansion,” Williams says. Another bill extends the state law that set up statewide rules for how cities and counties may regulate where cell towers are placed.

Republican Representative Jeff Shipley of Fairfield was the only lawmaker to object, arguing cell towers may be a health hazard. “Basically as a society we’ve placed such a emphasis on fast and cheap, we’ve totally forgotten about safety,” Shipley says. Another bill that passed UNANIMOUSLY would have the Iowa D-O-T publicize road construction projects that dig into ground where private companies could install fiber optic cables.

It’s being referred to as a “dig once” policy. Another part of THAT bill would create a new state program to designate Iowa communities as “broadband forward” or “telecommuter forward” zones. It would be up to the Iowa Economic Development Authority to come up for the criteria for those designations. “This is a good bill for Iowa. I hope it helps rural communities.” That’s Representative Brian Meyer, a Democrat from Des Moines.

The other broadband-related bill that passed the House this week calls for a legislative study of exchange points that route traffic on the internet.

(Radio Iowa) —  Northwest Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King says he’s disappointed in the sentence for a Colorado man who admitted he threw a glass of water on King last year. Twenty-seven-year-old Blake Gibbins was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. “I have seen two of my colleagues shot since I’ve been in congress, others assaulted,” King says. “There’s already been one copy cat crime committed against (Congressman) Matt Gaetz in Florida after this assault on me.”

King says he would have preferred a public apology and some jail time for Gibbons. King says Gibbons got money after the assault from well-wishers and that money should be donated to charity. “Gibbons has received the proceeds from a Go Fund Me page in the amount of $5645. The fine needs to be much higher than that,” King says.  In a plea agreement, Gibbons admitted it was wrong to throw a glass of water on King. The incident happened nearly a year ago, at a restaurant in Fort Dodge. “He took a 20 ounce glass of water and dumped that all over my head and just, you know, doused me with it,” King says. “And I jumped up and tackled him into a booth and I had some help from one of the other guys at the front that helped head him off at the pass…We held him there and the police force came from Fort Dodge and took him into custody.”

King says the mayor of Fort Dodge and other officials were at the table with him when the dousing happened. Gibbins’ attorney said Gibbins’ actions were out of character and may have resulted from recent emotional pressure. Gibbons, who had no prior criminal history, was in Iowa for a family funeral when he approached King.

SPENCER, Iowa (AP) — A northwest Iowa collision with a semitrailer has fatally injured two people in a pickup truck. The crash occurred a little before 1:30 p.m. Thursday, on U.S. Highway 71 on the north end of Spencer. Authorities say the northbound pickup halted at a stop sign and then turned left into the path of the southbound semi. The couple in the pickup have been identified as 85-year-old Patricia Juber and 86-year-old Harvey Juber. They lived in Melvin. The semi driver and his passenger weren’t injured.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Democratic Party chairman Mark Smith is traveling to Cedar Rapids and Davenport today (Friday) to critique Republican Senator Joni Ernst’s health care record. “In this election, the easiest question that voters can ask themselves is: After Senator Ernst’s half decade in Washington, is my health care any better?”  Smith predicts health care will be the number one issue for voters.

Ernst is seeking a second term in the U.S. Senate. A spokesman for the Republican Party of Iowa says the five Democrats who’ve lined up to challenge Ernst are embracing socialized medicine, while Ernst is working to make health care more accessible.

(Radio Iowa) — A Dubuque County couple is onboard the cruise ship off the California coast that isn’t being allowed to dock until everyone’s tested for coronavirus. Shelley and George Goeppner, of Asbury, were headed home from Hawaii aboard the Grand Princess when California declared a state of emergency. The Goeppners call the situation surreal as they’re now among 35-hundred passengers who are confined to their rooms. A passenger on a previous voyage got off the ship in Mexico and later died of coronavirus.

A Coast Guard helicopter dropped off testing kits Thursday. Test results should be back by the weekend. George Goeppner says it’s their seventh and final cruise, but on the plus side, now they’re getting free wi-fi and room service.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Like clockwork, Daylight Saving Time (DST) strikes again this weekend. Watch for it at 2 a.m. local time Sunday in most of the United States. Don’t forget to set your clocks an hour ahead, usually before bed Saturday night, to avoid being late for Sunday morning activities. With the annual change, sunlight will extend longer into the evening, but the shine will take longer to emerge in the morning.

Graphic to be used as a reminder to turn the clocks forward one hour Sunday March 8 at 2 a.m.;

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas. Standard Time returns Nov. 1st.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (The Gazette) — A Johnson County officials says a man serving more than 80 years for two separate murder-for-hire plots died of natural causes. Clayton Schuneman with the county medical examiner’s office told The Gazette that Justin Dewitt died of a heart disease on Feb. 7.

Dewitt was sentenced to 35 years in prison for a murder-for-hire scheme in which he sought to have someone kill his business associate, the associate’s wife and their two children. In 2019 Dewitt was sentenced to 50 years for trying to organize from behind bars the killings of witnesses in his first case so they couldn’t testify against him.

The Iowa Supreme Court today (Friday), affirmed a District Court ruling in the case of a man who committed a 2002 home invasion in Taylor County and was sentenced to 25-years in prison for Burglary and Attempted Murder.  An attorney for Jarrod Dale Majors had argued on behalf of his client, that the district court on remand of its sentence, abused its discretion in failing to follow the supreme court’s mandate, when it imposed the mandatory minimum 17 1/2-year sentence before Majors is eligible for parole. Majors further contends his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to present expert testimony. Upon review, the Supreme Court determined the district court did not abuse its discretion by imposing the mandatory minimum after considering the youth sentencing factors under case law. They determined the sentence is supported by testimony from the State’s expert. In their Opinion, the Court said Majors personally chose not to retain a defense expert, and that his counsel was not constitutionally ineffective for relying on cross-examination of the State’s expert without retaining a defense expert that his client chose to forgo.

Majors was 17-years old, just days away from his 18th birthday, and a high school senior. He was obsessed with a 30-year old woman who lived across the street from him, in Bedford. One evening in May 2002 when the neighbors were gone from their home, Majors decided to enter the home and wait for them to return. He wore a ski mask and gloves and attached a large knife to his waistband. He put duct tape on his wrist and carried a .22 caliber rifle with a plastic soda bottle taped to the barrel. He hid in the closet of the master bedroom and waited for the family to return. When the woman entered the bedroom, Majors emerged and attacked her. She fought him off, her husband quickly intervened, and Majors was subdued. Police promptly arrived. The family, including the children, were terrified, but no serious physical injuries were inflicted.

Majors told police he was paid $100 to commit the crime as a prank. He later said he was hallucinating at the time and could not recall committing the crime due to drug use and lack of sleep for a prolonged period of time. He also believed the neighbors had planned to attack him. Majors had no prior criminal record other than a single offense for possession of alcohol as a minor.

The full court opinion can be found here: https://www.iowacourts.gov/courtcases/8505/embed/SupremeCourtOpinion

ATLANTIC, IA — Iowa 3rd District Democrat Representative Cindy Axne, today (Friday), announced a new grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to facilitate the hiring of a disaster recovery coordinator for flood-affected counties in Southwest Iowa. The $180,000 award goes to help the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) to establish a coordinator who will implement long-term strategic plans that will assist recovery efforts in counties in southwest Iowa including Fremont, Harrison, and Shelby. According to the EDA, the grant will cover 80% of the costs of establishing and filling the coordinator position.

Rep. Axne says “Securing the funds we need to help with flooding recovery is only one step on the pathway to rebuilding our communities. We need to have professionals in place to make sure our communities are working efficiently and effectively to not just get back to where we were before the floods, but to help us grow beyond them. This new position, part of Department of Commerce’s multi-million dollar investment in Iowa in the aftermath of last spring’s floods, will help us revitalize communities and attract new opportunities.”

The new recovery coordinator will help to create a stable economic climate for business attraction and retention, as well as improving the well-being of the region’s citizens when faced with potential devastating disasters, which will help spur business and social redevelopment in the region. Her office says after securing $3 billion for Midwest flood recovery in last year’s federal disaster bill, Rep. Axne has been tracking these and other grants that are helping Iowa rebuild with her Iowa Flood Funding Tracker.

As of December, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported to Rep. Axne that it has spent $6.6 million on flood recovery efforts in Iowa.