Look! Up in the sky! It’s a super-sized flock of birds! Iowans are seeing huge congregations of feathered creatures filling the morning and evening skies, giant clouds of birds that often take several minutes to pass. Steve Dinsmore, a central Iowa ornithologist and bird watcher, says it’s typical during the spring and fall to see the birds migrating in tremendously large numbers over Iowa.

“Those could represent a number of different species of birds,” Dinsmore says. “One of them is European starlings, so we call those a murmuration of starlings. We also, right now, have very, very large numbers of blackbirds, primarily redwing blackbirds and common grackles, and also other species that are also migrating. Those birds, just like starlings, form these large, wavy, meandering flocks.”

Dinsmore is a professor of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State University. He says birds of a feather do flock together for several reasons. “One of them certainly deals with predator avoidance, a sort of safety-in-numbers component,” Dinsmore says. “These birds also feed en mass so one of the other advantages of them associating in flocks is the transfer of information about foraging sites or feeding sites. They do that through these large flocks as they’ve moving to and from roosting and feeding areas.”

The miles-long undulating flocks are fascinating to watch and may contain tens of thousands of birds, perhaps more. “One of the real fun questions to try and answer is, ‘How many are there?’ and certainly, those flocks are very, very large, to the point where you can’t count individuals,” Dinsmore says. “Sometimes, we use estimation techniques or approximation techniques. Pushing 100,000 is pretty unusual but there are records in the hundreds of thousands and some estimates even up to a million individuals.”

Robins are out in plentiful numbers this spring, and some Iowans who live in larger cities are being surprised to spot wild turkeys in their back yards, though they’re typically thought of as county birds. “Those birds, in some cases, do pretty well in urban environments,” Dinsmore says. “It also turns out, because we just came off of a really mild winter, many species of birds, turkeys included and other game birds and other song birds, probably are going to do really well this year because they were able to survive what turned out to be a relatively mild winter.”

The waterfowl migration is also at its peak now in Iowa and in some areas, “spectacular numbers” of geese and ducks have arrived early and are staying later.

(Radio Iowa)

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) – One of the state’s largest hospital chains has gained approval to buy Marshalltown’s struggling hospital for nearly $12 million. The Des Moines Register reports a federal bankruptcy judge last week approved the sale of Central Iowa Healthcare’s 49-bed hospital to UnityPoint Health-Waterloo, an affiliate of Des Moines-based UnityPoint Health. UnityPoint spokeswoman Teresa Thoensen says the $11.9 million deal is expected to close this spring.

The sale followed Central Iowa Healthcare’s declaration of bankruptcy after losing $20 million last year. The losses were blamed on a poor launch of an electronic billing system and difficulties of operating an independent hospital amid moves of most hospitals to larger systems.

Central Iowa Healthcare also owns clinics in Marshalltown, Conrad, State Center and Toledo. Thoensen says Central Iowa Healthcare employees will be encouraged to apply for jobs with UnityPoint.

Police in Creston report 19-year old Adam Austin, of Creston, was arrested early this (Wednesday) morning, for Public Intoxication/2nd offense. Austin was being held in the Union County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

And, 34-year old Casey Claiser, of Creston, was cited Tuesday afternoon, for allowing an animal to run at-large.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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PERRY, Iowa (AP) – A 25-year-old man has been convicted of hacking to death his girlfriend, her teenage daughter and the landlord of their home in central Iowa.

A Dallas County jury took just two hours Tuesday to find Carlos Hernandez-Ventura guilty of three counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say he used a machete on Oct. 29 to fatally attack 34-year-old Lourdes Flor De Leake, 14-year-old Melany Barraza and 78-year-old Juan Jimenez Tejada at the home in Perry.

Hernandez-Ventura testified that Leake’s estranged husband ordered him to kill the three because the man feared they knew about his drug dealing. Hernandez-Ventura said Daniel Leake told him that he would kill Hernandez-Ventura and his family if he didn’t kill the three.

Investigators testified that they found no evidence Daniel Leake was dealing drugs.

A woman from Michigan was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault, Assault and Possession of Controlled Substance/Marijuana, following a 9-1-1 call this (Wednesday) morning, in Adams County. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports dispatchers received an incomplete 9-1-1 call from a distraught female indicating she’d been assaulted. The caller said she and the other party were heading north on Highway 148. Their location appeared on dispatch screens as being south of Corning.

Deputies located the vehicle in the Casey’s General Store parking lot at around 1:05-a.m. and discovered the verbal argument had turned physical. Upon further investigation, 54-year old Debra Lynn Califf-Griswold, of Muskegon, Michigan, was placed under arrest.

Califf-Griswold was being held in the Adams County Jail without bond, pending an appearance before a magistrate.

Iowans may soon be able to buy their bottle rockets, Roman candles and smoke balls at fireworks stands within the state’s borders. The Iowa Senate has voted 34-to 14 in favor of making it legal for Iowans to buy and ignite consumer fireworks in celebration of a few major holidays. “The bill before us will modernize our state law to not only permit the display of fireworks, but puts the framework in place to properly educate and regulate fireworks in the state of Iowa.”

That’s Senator Jake Chapman of Adel. Under current state law, sparklers, snakes and caps are legal to sell and set off, but you must have a permit to light any other kind of fireworks. “Our current law allow possession, but restricts the display of fireworks,” Chapman says. “In fact, you can fill your basement with fireworks. We just don’t allow you to display them. Now how does that make any sense?”

Critics complain “tent cities” will spring up around the state to sell fireworks during the 4th of July holiday period when sales would be permitted in “temporary structures.” Senator David Johnson, an independent from Ocheyedan, says local governments will have no way to stop the kind of “shanty towns” that sell fireworks just across the border in Missouri. “It’s like nobody in this chamber has ever gone across a state line where fireworks are legal,” Johnson said. “…Let’s let the locals control the size of the signs with their flashing lights and all kinds of other gizmos trying to draw you in to blow your hand off,” Johnson said.

Others like Senator Tony Bisignano of Des Moines say there will be more injuries from fireworks if this bill becomes law. “Every normal, intelligent group of doctors and medical experts and hospitals and so forth are against it,” Bisignano said.

A handful of senators sponsored nearly 40 amendments to try to alter the bill. Bill backers defeated all of them, including an amendment that would have allowed only American-made fireworks to be sold in the state. Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, unsuccessfully argued it was a way to “offset” the negatives associated with fireworks. “Maybe we’ll create some jobs in the process to go along with the injuries and the fires,” McCoy said. “,,,I know you’ve all got a red hat in your truck, so get your red hat out and let’s make America great.”

McCoy, of course, was referring to Donald Trump’s campaign hats that featured his “Make America Great Again” slogan. Nearly all of the fireworks sold in the U.S. today are made in China. The state legislature made it illegal to sell or set off most fireworks in Iowa back in 1936. The move came after two significant fires. In 1931, downtown Spencer was destroyed after a sparkler ignited a table full of other fireworks and the blaze spread. Five years later, fireworks were blamed for a major fire in Remsen. Chapman says polls show a majority of modern day Iowans want to see fireworks legalized in Iowa.

“The bill will allow Iowans to celebrate the 4th of July in the same manner Americans all across our nation are permitted to celebrate,” Chapman said. “It’s time we joined the other 42 states and the District of Columbia in allowing Iowans to join in the celebration.”

The bill sets up licensing for retailers that plan to sell fireworks. The licensing fees will be used to finance fireworks safety programs. It also gives cities and counties the authority to pass local ordinances banning people from igniting fireworks. If the bill becomes law, it would be legal to buy and set off fireworks in a six week period around the 4th of July and from December 10th through January 3rd. Fireworks could only be sold from permanent structures during that winter time period. The current fine for those charged with illegally celebrating with a pop of fireworks is 250 dollars.

(Radio Iowa)

Tuesday was “Homeschool Iowa Capitol Day” and long-time Governor Terry Branstad used the occasion to reminisce about his history with the movement. “I had honor of signing the bill that made homeschooling without a teaching certificate legal in Iowa,” Branstad said.That happened back in 1991. “I didn’t want to see conscientious families face the prospect of having to break the law,” Branstad said.

Branstad told a crowd of about 300 parents and children that Iowa now is known for its supportive environment for home schools. Branstad signed another law in 2013 that got rid of the paperwork that parents who homeschool their children had to turn in to their local public school district.

Critics say that was too lax and some have called for random government inspections of homes where parents are teaching their own children. Branstad said parents who don’t want to send their child to a public school may benefit from a bill that cleared the Senate yesterday that would let more students to enroll in online schools.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa legislature has unanimously passed a bill that expands the definition of dependent adult abuse. Senator Mark Costello, a Republican from Imogene, says it’s partly in response to the verbal abuse of mentally disabled residents at the state-run facility in Glenwood.

“Caretakers were swearing at the residents and had inappropriate sexual conversation with the residents,” Costello says. “…They were abusing them by repeatedly saying these things that were inappropriate.”

In this instance, Costello says the facility is being fined by federal officials for the workers’ VERBAL abuse, but current state law does not allow those workers to be charged with the crime of dependent adult abuse. The other aim of the bill is to protect residents of nursing homes and other facilities from abuse that occurs on “social media.”

“There have been instances recently where a caretaker has taken photos of a resident that’s not sexual in nature, but it’s humiliating, degrading and shameful and the caretaker than texts or Snapchats or posts the photo on Facebook or something,” Costello says.

The bill passed the Iowa Senate Tuesday unanimously. It cleared the Iowa House a week ago on a 93 to zero vote. Governor Branstad is expected to sign the bill into law and it will take effect on the day Branstad approves it.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Senate has voted to expand on-line learning options for Iowa students. If the bill wins House approval, too, there would be no longer be a limit on the number of Iowa students who may take classes online rather than attend a traditional school in their neighborhood. The measure addresses other education issues as well. Senator Amy Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton, says the bill has two main purposes.

“To expand opportunities for all students in the state of Iowa and, two, to reduce the regulatory burden for all local school districts,” Sinclair said.

There are currently two Iowa school districts which offer online academies — CAM in western Iowa and Clayton Ridge in eastern Iowa. Students use the state’s “open enrollment” process to sign up. The bill would let other Iowa school districts develop an exclusive online curriculum for their students. Senator Herman Quirmback, a Democrat from Ames, says that means struggling online students might get help from local teachers or even some tech support from the district.

“They won’t have to open enroll 100 or 200 miles away to some district that never sees them in person,” Quirmbach says.

The legislation also would require an in-depth review of Area Education Agencies that support local districts. In addition, it would let schools indicate on a high school diploma if a graduate is fluent in more than one language.

(Radio Iowa)