ONAWA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say firefighters have found the body of a man inside a smoke-filled home in western Iowa. The Onawa Police Department says in a news release that fire crews were dispatched around 7:40 a.m. Tuesday to the blazing home, which was full of smoke. The department says firefighters found the body of 37-year-old Garrett Brown, who lived there alone.

State authorities have joined the fire investigation.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has dismissed a burglary charge filed against a bounty hunter who broke into an occupied Omaha residence and searched it until realizing he was in the wrong house. The Douglas County District judge ruled that 25-year-old Duane Wilson’s actions weren’t out of line with court rulings that govern actions of bounty hunters. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine tells the Omaha World-Herald that he plans to appeal the ruling. Wilson worked for Gallagher Bail Bonds in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Police documents show Gallagher was looking for a 17-year-old who didn’t show up to court after being bailed out of jail. Wilson broke into a family’s home Jan. 30 intending to catch the teen.

The family alleges Wilson searched the house with a gun drawn. Wilson denies the claims.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Officials plan to seek public input on a major study of Interstate 80 through rural Iowa before its scheduled completion in May. The Quad-City Times reports that the Iowa Department of Transportation has been studying the state’s most-traveled east-west road for more than a year. The study aims to identify necessary improvements to meet expected growth of traffic volumes.

Planners have examined expanding U.S. 30 and U.S. 34 and whether to segregate truck traffic. The department found the neither option would bring sufficient benefits. A final public input session is likely to be scheduled in April in Des Moines. Officials say there may be a chance to view the presentation and submit comments online. The state transportation commission, which approves projects, will evaluate the report once complete.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a pilot whose body was found in the wreckage of his small plane in south-central Iowa. The Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office identified him as 70-year-old Bruce Devick, who lived in Marshalltown. Authorities say the single-engine aircraft crashed Saturday afternoon after striking a power line about 3 miles (5 kilometers) north of Oskaloosa. First responders found the wrecked plane upside down in a farm field.

Devick had been flying alone. It remains unclear why he was flying low enough to strike the line. Federal authorities have joined the crash investigation.

Iowa Third District Republican Congressman David Young visited Atlantic today (Tuesday), and one of his stops was here at the KJAN Studios, where he discussed the recently passed tax package, DACA, and Health Insurance. Turning the pages back on this past year, Young was asked about his greatest personal accomplishments serving Iowans in Washington, D.C. He spoke about a bill passed and signed into law by President Trump, regarding the safety of our food as it relates to Agri-terrorism/Bioterrorism. He said Homeland Security had no preparedness plan in place to look at those issues and protect our food from terrorists.

Young said regardless of political party affiliation, or whether you live in an urban or rural area, Health Care is the number one issue among Iowans that he’s encountered in his visits with Iowa. Young says the bi-partisan efforts to make health care more affordable and available to everyone, didn’t gain much traction, but he hopes Congress will do more in the coming year to compromise on a plan. Young says also, that he’s been pushing congressional leadership to come up with a long-term solution to funding for CHIP, the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program, which in Iowa, has funding available for until about April. He says five-years’ funding would be a good start. He said the program, which expired on September 30th, needs more predictability and sustainability. Young says he will continue to work with his colleagues to try and fund that particular priority.

And, as for DACA, Young said President Trump did the right thing when he handed the issue back to Congress for a solution. He said it should be a legislative matter and not something for the Executive Branch to decide. As for the recent tax break, Young said you should start seeing a difference in your paychecks beginning in February, and that the breaks afforded to businesses and corporations are necessary to grow and create more jobs. Farmers and small businesses will see tax relief as well, according to Congressman Young.

The President has proposed getting rid of NAFTA, but Young thinks that would be “disastrous,” especially to Iowa’s Ag Economy and its farmers.He said we need more markets. Citing the abundance of grain being produced, Young said “We can’t just all consume it ourselves.”

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Crescent man, Dec. 22nd. 47-year old John Christopher Miller was arrested following a traffic stop and charged with OWI/2nd offense. A traffic stop in Neola on Dec. 23rd resulted in the arrest of 18-year old Seth Darrien Bradford, of Honey Creek, for OWI/1st offense.

A traffic stop in Underwood Dec. 23rd resulted in the arrest on a warrant, of 22-year old Austin Michael Goodman, of Neola. Goodman was wanted on a warrant out of Council Bluffs, for Domestic Assault. He was taken into custody and brought to the Pott. County Jail.  A traffic stop on River Road early Monday morning resulted in the arrest of 31-year old Frank B. Cates, of Council Bluffs, for Driving While Barred. And, a Deputy responding to a disturbance on Rosebud Lane in Council Bluffs at around 8:45-a.m., Monday, arrested 35-year old Nicole Renae Watson, of Underwood. The woman was wanted on Felony warrants for Forgery or Counterfeiting, Burglary – breaking and entering, Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug, and a Serious Misdemeanor charge of Theft in the 5th Degree (pick pocketing).

A Cass County man was arrested on warrants in Adair County, Dec. 19th. Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports 38-year old Shawn Glen Wolverton, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Felony warrant out of Polk County for Possession of a Controlled Substance, 3rd or subsequent offense, for Prohibited Acts: Delivery, Conspiracy or Possession of Meth, with Intent/less than 5 grams; He was also wanted on Felony warrants out of Adair and Clarke Counties, for Violation of Probation. He was released on the Adair County warrant on his own recognizance, and turned over to Polk County authorities.

And, 28-year old Tristan Raju Carter, of Stuart, was arrested Dec. 21st in Stuart and immediately transferred to authorities in Guthrie County. On Dec. 17th, 26-year old Jeffrey Scott Schaefer, of Orient, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension. Schaefer was cited for the offense and released at the scene.

BLUE GRASS, Iowa (AP) — Police say all four people killed by an early Christmas morning house fire in eastern Iowa belonged to one family. The blaze erupted a little after 12:30 a.m. Monday in Blue Grass. Police say one of the four people inside the home managed to escape but died later at a hospital. The three others perished inside the ranch-style house.

Blue Grass police Sgt. Garrett Jahns said Tuesday that he couldn’t release any of the victims’ names or ages yet but that the four were related. State Fire Marshal Division spokesman Ron Humphrey says the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Blue Grass is a community of about 1,500 residents 150 miles east of Des Moines.

Programs offered by the University of Iowa to draw more young people into so-called STEM fields appear to be working. During 2017, more than 37-thousand students took part in at least one of the U-I Healthcare programs tied to science, technology, engineering and math. That’s a 64-percent increase from a year ago. Emily Strattan, the U-I’s STEM education coordinator, says 77-percent more young women took part, thanks to a program aimed at middle school-aged girls. “Women tend to be underrepresented in STEM,” Strattan says. “They’re about 29 percent in the STEM workforce, so that has been a big target of ours, to engage young females in STEM.”

Over the next 12 months, she says the programs will reach out to draw the interest of even more students. Strattan says, “We’re trying to target students of diverse ethnic backgrounds, targeting students from rural areas who maybe don’t have the access or funding to be able to attend a STEM program here on campus.”

The program called “Girls Go STEM” focuses on girls in 6th through 8th grades.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Rob Dillard, Iowa Public Radio)

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

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