WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Officials in Waterloo have approved a measure banning the city and many businesses from asking about applicants’ criminal records in early stages of the hiring process. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the City Council on Monday night approved a so-called “ban-the-box” ordinance. It doesn’t let employers ask about an applicant’s criminal history until after making a conditional job offer. The measure is intended to ensure people with criminal convictions get a fair chance of getting jobs.

Similar measures have been passed around the country, but Waterloo is the first city in Iowa to approve such an ordinance. The measure applies to business with at least 15 employees and the city government. It will be several weeks before the measure takes effect, and the council is scheduled to discuss minor changes later this month.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska judge has imprisoned a western Iowa man who authorities say was driving drunk when his pickup truck rammed into a sports car in north Omaha, fatally injuring two other Iowa men. The Omaha World-Herald reports that 29-year-old Tony Kenkel, of Earling, Iowa, was sentenced Monday in Omaha to 19 years. He’d pleaded no contest in June to two counts of manslaughter. Prosecutors dropped two related counts in exchange.

Police say the collision occurred Oct. 13 last year on Nebraska Highway 36 near Glenn Cunningham Lake, when Kenkel’s eastbound pickup crossed the center line and struck the oncoming car. Authorities say 21-year-old Joseph Daniels and 21-year-old Thomas Greise were fatally injured. They lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The Creston Police Department reports the arrest at around 2-p.m. Monday, of 33-year old Michael Baker, from Creston. Baker was arrested on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear on original charges of OWI, and Possession or carrying of dangerous weapons while under the influence. He was additionally charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense, Possession of paraphernalia, and Possession of Contraband in a Corrections facility. Baker was being held in the Union County Jail on an $8,300 bond.

36-year old Luke Mullen, of Orient, was arrested Monday morning in Creston, for Driving Under Suspension. He was later released on $300 bond. And, Monday evening, 40-year old Sheri Watters, of Creston, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct, and interference with official acts. She was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $600 bond.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting two 18-year-olds in a vehicle in a business parking lot wants his trial moved out of Cedar Rapids. Linn County District Court records say an Oct. 25 hearing is scheduled to hear the request from 26-year-old Andre Richardson. He’s pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the May 18 slayings of Matrell Johnson and Royal Abram. Police say two others also were hit by bullets in the parked vehicle at the Iowa Smoke Shop in Cedar Rapids.

Richardson’s lawyer says extensive media reports of the slayings and subsequent investigation have made it impossible for Richardson to get a fair trial before an impartial jury in Linn County.
Richardson’s trial is scheduled to begin May 4.

(Radio Iowa) — The latest U-S-D-A crop report out Monday showed there were less than two days suitable for fieldwork last week — which didn’t help farmers catch up on the harvest. The report says three percent of corn has been harvested — which is two weeks behind average. Five percent of soybeans have been harvested, and that’s 12 days behind average.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Crops Specialist for northwest Iowa, Joel DeJong, says those farmers that were able to plant early have seen some good things. “Some of the early reports from the soybean harvest actually were fairly decent yields– so I have hope that maybe that will continue moving forward,” DeJong says. “But, we are starting about three weeks later than normal. It would be nice to get rain out of our forecast for a little while and get some sunshine and maybe a little breeze so we can get them dry so we can get that work done.”

He says not everything is negative. “The crop itself is actually hanging in there pretty well. They soybeans are pretty mature, so we are just waiting for them to dry. A lot of the corn that’s planted before the first of June has actually reached maturity or is close to maturity now,” De Jong says. He says getting the crop to maturity is only part of the issue. “The problem we still have is that when the corn crop just hits maturity it is still 32 to 32 plus percent moisture. We need some dry down time and we don’t that get much dry down time once we get past the month of October,” he says. “We would like to see the month of October be above normal if we get any chance for that to occur.”

De Jong says there have been some diseases that have hit too. He says there has been a lot of white mold that has shown up late and that could make the yield zero in parts of fields.. DeJong says there’s been appraisals of 40 to 70 bushels and acre. The corn has also had some issue and he says there have been appraisals of 108 bushels per acre and then there’s been appraisals up into 200. De Jong says the conditions vary widely across the nine counties he covers. He says a late frost would help with a lot of the issues. DeJong says the normal frost date for this region is October 10th. He says much of the area’s corn still needs additional time to mature and a light frost may not hurt the crop, but for late planted corn, an early frost could negatively affect crop yields.

DeJong says it is very likely many farmers will need to resort to using artificial drying methods in order to store their corn, which only adds to the cost of the crop.

Officers with the Red Oak Police Department have arrested 50-year old Robert Joe Coddington, of Red Oak, on drug charges. Coddington was taken into custody near N. 3rd and Nuckols Streets at around 3-a.m., for Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

Red Oak Police report two separate arrests Monday. At around 10:20-p.m., 30-year old Sara Ann Billie, of Clarinda, was arrested on a Page County warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order. The woman was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, booked in, and then transported to Page County. Bond was set at $300.

And, at around 6:35-p.m., Monday, 45-year old James Reed Mitroff, II, of Red Oak, was arrested by Red Oak Police, on a charge of Criminal Mischief in the 3rd degree. His bond was set at $1,000.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state panel that approves payment for lawsuits and settlements for the state of Iowa has approved payment of $315,000 to the parents of an Iowa State University student who died by suicide in November 2015. A jury in August found the state partially liable for the death of Dane Schussler. The lawsuit alleged the state failed to provide adequate mental health services. Schussler sought counseling at the university for anxiety and depression before he was found dead on railroad tracks in Ames.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The union representing workers at pork processing plants sued the federal government on Monday to challenge a new rule that allows companies to set line speeds and turn over more food safety tasks to company employees. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and local unions in Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas joined with nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen to file the lawsuit in Minneapolis federal court.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The state of Iowa has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by two women once held at a state-run juvenile home for nearly $700,000. The Iowa State Appeal Board has agreed to the settlement which pays Laera Reed and Paige Ray-Cluney more than $170,000 each and their lawyers more than $340,000. The women were held at the Iowa Juvenile Home at Toledo until it closed then sent by Iowa to a Wisconsin juvenile facility where they claim isolation and mistreatment led to suicide attempts.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa House Republicans have chosen state Rep. Pat Grassley to head their leadership team as Speaker-Select. The grandson of U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley was chosen by the GOP House caucus on Monday. The 36-year old farmer from New Hartford was first elected to the House in 2006. He operates a family farm with his father and grandfather, who also served in the Iowa House from 1959 to 1975. He takes over as speaker after a vote of the full House in January.

On Saturday, October 19th, staff from the Atlantic Medical Center along with the McCarthy family will host “Ayzlee’s Family Flu Clinic” from 8 to 11 am. Families and individuals are encouraged to come in to get their annual flu shot during this time. Members of the McCarthy family will be on hand with additional information about the flu, and a few children’s activities will be available.

This special flu vaccine clinic is held in memory of Ayzlee McCarthy. After Christmas in 2014, Ayzlee was diagnosed with Influenza A & B. A day later, her mother knew something wasn’t right and brought her to the CCHS Emergency Department. Ayzlee was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Blank Children’s Hospital, where she died on December 29, 2014.

Her mother, Amber McCarthy says “We are honoring Ayzlee with family flu clinics in our area and encourage all ages to come in and get their annual flu shot. The flu can strike healthy children and we hope to not have more families go through the heartache of losing a child to the flu.” In addition to this special clinic, a full list of all CCHS walk-in clinics can be found at casshealth.org.

Health officials say the two best ways to protect yourself, and those around you, from influenza are to get vaccinated and to practice good hand washing. Getting vaccinated not only protects you, but also those around you who may be too young (under 6 months) or have a medical condition that prevents them from being vaccinated. The seasonal flu (influenza) is a serious disease caused by the influenza virus.

Some common symptoms of the flu are fever, cough, chills, body aches, and extreme weakness. For more information, please contact the Immunization Room at 712-250-8122.