(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Department of Transportation is handing out four-point-six million dollars to help transit fleets replace buses as part of the Volkswagen settlement for the company’s 2015 Clean Air Act violations. The largest amount of money will partially fund 107 new school buses in 44 districts across the state. Half of these buses will use a propane engine. D-O-T grant manager, Zac Bitting says propane fuel generates less pollution than diesel. “Which is the main component of this Volkswagen settlement program is to try to reduce the amount of vehicle and engines that are currently out on the road and to replace them with engines and vehicles that will reduce the nitrogen oxide,” Bitting says.

School districts will receive their money this year and they have two years to spend it. This is the first of three grant cycles — with the next one in 2020 trying to make chargers more available for electric vehicles. “The focus of the program will be to minimize the mileage gaps along the Interstates,” according to Bitting, “we’ll be trying to outfit the charging infrastructure within 50 to 100 miles of each other.”

All 50 states are participating in similar vehicle pollution reduction programs funded by the Volkswagen settlement.

(Radio Iowa) — The U.S. Coast Guard closed the Missouri River to boat and barge traffic on Friday from north of Sioux City all the way to St. Louis and the closure is hurting some businesses that rely upon the river. Steve Engemann is president of Missouri River Towing, a company that provides towing services on that 750-mile stretch of the river. “We have fertilizer waiting to go north and grain waiting to go south,” he says, “about 15 modes of freight sitting there in Hermann.” Hermann, Missouri, sits just south of the Missouri River.

Engemann hopes commercial traffic can resume on the river next week. Brian Smith of the Iowa Department of Natural Resource says a lot of recreational boaters are impacted, too. “A lot of folks that’s kind of their nearly every weekend habit is to go out and float or water ski or boat or fish on the Missouri River,” he says. National Weather Service data indicates the MISSISSIPPI River is receding at all locations along Iowa’s eastern border.

Police in Red Oak stopped a vehicle early this (Tuesday) morning for speeding, and ended-up arresting the driver for OWI. Authorities say 24-year old Maiah Lyn Caron, of Red Oak, was cited for speeding and given a warning for having no insurance card, after she was pulled over at around 12:40-a.m.

Upon further investigation, it was determined Caron was allegedly under the influence of alcohol. She was arrested and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where she was charged with OWI/1st offense, and held on a $1,000 bond.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports an incident took place Saturday morning in Shenandoah, involving a barricaded subject. The Fremont County K9 Unit was called at around 9:20-a.m. to assist the Shenandoah Police Department and Page County Sheriff’s Office with a barricaded subject at an address in Shenandoah.

Deputies were advised that Shenandoah Police were attempting to arrest 37-year old Jonathan Lynn Gray, of Shenandoah, on a Page County warrant. Gray ran into his home and barricaded the door. Deputies made several attempts to get the man to exit the home peacefully, but he refused.

Jonathan Gray

Once the K9 “Roby” was deployed inside the residence, Gray began throwing glass and metal objects at deputies and the K9, hitting the K9. Gray continued to resist the Police K9 and law enforcement resulting in injury to a law enforcement officer.

K9 Roby

Once placed under arrest, Gray was transported to Shenandoah Hospital by Shenandoah Rescue and then to the Page County Jail. He was charged in Page County for Assault on A Police Service Dog, Assault on Officer, Interference with Official Acts, and Contempt of Court.

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — President Donald Trump and Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden are both spending Tuesday in Iowa. Trump begins his trip in Council Bluffs to speak at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, which produces and sells the corn-based fuel additive ethanol. He will later address an Iowa GOP dinner in Des Moines. Biden is coming to Iowa two days after nearly 20 Democratic rivals were in Iowa for a state party dinner. Several took veiled shots at his absence.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s court system has blocked public access to online court records from Gov. Kim Reynolds’ 2000 drunk driving arrest, saying they inadvertently exposed her sensitive personal information. The records contained the governor’s Social Security number, driver’s license number and other information that should not have been public under court rules. After an inquiry last week, the judicial branch removed public access to the files after determining they should not have been available.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A seed developer from the Netherlands credited with introducing high quality disease-resistant vegetable seeds to more than 60 countries including the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia is the 2019 recipient of the World Food Prize. Simon Groot, a sixth generation seedsman, began his search to create better vegetable seeds to help farmers in Southeast Asia in 1981. Groot’s award was announced Monday at the U.S. Department of State.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farmers in Iowa and Nebraska finally got a break in the weather last week to catch up on planting, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture says both states remain significantly behind average seasons in crop development. The USDA reported Monday that Iowa farmers have planted 93% of the corn crop, about three weeks behind the five-year average. In Nebraska, 94% of corn is planted, compared with the average of 99%. For soybeans, the Iowa crop is 70% planted and in Nebraska, 79% has been planted.

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation today (Monday) for three counties in response to severe weather beginning May 17 and continuing. The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program, for Mills, Muscatine, and Washington counties.

The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level or a maximum annual income of $41,560 for a family of three. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food and temporary housing expenses.  The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Human Services website.

This proclamation makes only damage sustained beginning May 17 eligible for the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program. Mills County residents who sustained damage for flooding between March 12 and May 16 are eligible to apply for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individual Assistance Program.

Disaster Case Management is a program to address serious needs to overcome a disaster-related hardship, injury or adverse condition. Disaster case managers work with clients to create a disaster recovery plan and provide guidance, advice and referral to obtain a service or resource. For information on the Disaster Case Management Program, contact your local community action association or visit www.iowacommunityaction.org.

Also today (Monday), Gov. Reynolds issued a proclamation extending existing proclamations of disaster emergency for March flooding for an additional 30 days to July 10, 2019. This extension allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of the severe weather that began in March.

The proclamation extends the governor’s temporary suspension of regulatory provisions pertaining to hours of service for disaster repair crews and drivers delivering goods and services while responding to disaster sites during the duration of this disaster, along with weight limits related to disaster repairs. The proclamation waives fees for issuance of replacement motor vehicle registrations cards, plates and driver licenses, additional fees for car and travel trailer lots, and waives some types of recycler licenses.

The proclamation also suspends length-of-stay and fee requirements at Waubonsie State Park located in Fremont County. For more information, visit the DNR Disaster Assistance website or the Waubonsie State Park website.

Saturday, June 15th, has been designated as Iowa’s Statewide Day of Action for Democrats. All 99 counties have events planned to rally support for the 2020 Iowa Caucuses.  Shelby County and Audubon County Democrats are hosting the Day of Action in the Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton.

A potluck pork sandwich luncheon and rally starts at 11:00 on the patio of Lugger’s Tavern in Kimballton. It will be the first of several events planned between now and the 2020 Caucuses where voters can learn more about the caucus process. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend the rally rain or shine.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s court system has blocked public access to online records detailing Gov. Kim Reynolds’ 2000 arrest for drunk driving, saying they inadvertently exposed her sensitive personal information.

The records contained the governor’s Social Security number, driver’s license number and other sensitive information that should not have been made public under court rules.

After an inquiry from The Associated Press last week, the court system removed public access to the files. Iowa Judicial Branch spokesman Steve Davis said that the Warren County clerk of court’s office in Indianola received a request for the paper files last September. After retrieving them from storage, the worker scanned them into the online system.

Under rules intended to protect personal privacy, the files should have been placed at a security level that allowed only court personnel to access them. Instead, the records were inadvertently made accessible to thousands of lawyers and members of the public who use the system.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — A central Iowa prison program aims to alleviate a lack of affordable housing while teaching inmates construction skills they can use when they’re released. The Des Moines Register reports that Newton Correction Facility inmates enrolled in the Iowa Prison Industries program are currently building an office and a classroom. But they will eventually build entire homes that can be moved to rural communities to address the decline in affordable housing. Inmates can also pursue apprenticeships for jobs in demand in the state.

The acting warden of the low-and-medium security prison describes the program as a “win-win.” Those who qualify for affordable housing purchase can buy homes for about $125,000. The inmates gain marketable skills for when they leave prison. Families earning below $73,100 annually would qualify to purchase a home.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports two arrests. On June 6th, 19-year old Mark Thomas Bregar, of Stuart, was arrested by Stuart Police for OWI/1st offense. He was taken into custody following a traffic stop on a vehicle with no license plates. When the Officer initiated the traffic stop, Bregar slammed on his brakes and slid into a ditch, where his vehicle became stuck. The officer detected the odor of alcohol on Bregar. A preliminary breath test resulted in an intoxication level in excess of .08.  Bregar was transported to the Adair County Jail and an additional test produced a blood alcohol content of .112%.  Bregar was cited and released from custody about a little more than an hour after he was arrested.

And, 27-year old Jennifer Renee Avey, of Oakland, was arrested Thursday morning in Adair County, on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Violation of Probation. She was being held without bond until appearing before a magistrate, and then released on her Own Recognizance.