Governor Terry Branstad took final action Friday on 30 bills, ending his review of all the legislation that cleared the 2016 Iowa General Assembly. Many of these bills outlined spending plans for state agencies. In an unprecedented move, Branstad did not use his authority to item veto any individual spending proposals. It means the 12-month spending outline legislators drafted remains intact and will go into effect July 1st.

Branstad did reject the legislature’s proposed study of charging a “park user fee” for visitors at state-owned parks and recreation areas. Park user fees were charged briefly in the 1980s, during Branstad’s first run as governor, and Branstad says state officials discovered Iowans “greatly disliked” the fees.

(Radio Iowa)

Governor Terry Branstad has approved a new state requirement that Iowa teenagers get the meningitis vaccination before enrolling in school. It’s one of the actions Branstad took Friday, in completing his review of all the bills that cleared the 2016 Iowa legislature.

Iowa students will have to show they’ve been vaccinated against meningitis before they can enroll in the 7th and 12th grades. Branstad says he visited with medical experts and people who have had relatives die of meningitis and became “convinced” this new requirement “will save lives.” As with all required vaccinations, though, Iowa parents may seek an exemption due to religious or medical reasons.

The meningitis vaccination requirement was included in a massive budget bill that also outlined a series of new oversight measures for the state-run Medicaid program. Critics in the legislature said the new steps were necessary after Branstad ordered the half a million Iowa Medicaid patients into privately-run “managed care” plans.

Branstad says he was “proud” to approve “every one” of the new oversight measures. He says it will make Iowa’s Medicaid system “one of the most transparent, accountable and outcome focused” programs in the country.

(Radio Iowa)

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

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man has been charged after Sioux City police say he shot a water pipe in a hotel room, flooding two floors. Sgt. Scott Hatting says 30-year-old Brett Anderson was inside a Super 8 Hotel room Friday when he accidentally fired his gun. Hatting says a water pipe was struck, causing water to flood the first and second floors. No injuries were reported. The Sioux City Journal reports Anderson was arrested and charged with reckless use of a firearm.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A University of Iowa spokeswoman says authorities are investigating an explosion and fire that left one person dead. UI spokeswoman Jeneane Beck says university police and Iowa City firefighters responded to a report of an explosion about 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Hawkeye Drive Apartments. Beck says police are investigating a single fatality. Authorities aren’t releasing the name of the victim.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Iowa residents may fish without a license next weekend. The department announced their free fishing weekend will run June 3-5. Although purchasing a license won’t be required, all over fishing regulations will still be in place. Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau, says he hopes this initiative inspires anglers to purchase an annual fishing license.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — University of Iowa officials say a goat that escaped a research lab and was on the loose in Iowa City for 10 days has been euthanized. The goat, nicknamed “William the Goat,” was put down on March 22, which is protocol in the research study the animal was used for. Officials say the euthanasia was not connected to the escape.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The possibility of an American Indian burial site in Iowa may require relocation of a crude oil pipeline route which would delay the beginning of construction in Iowa, the only one of four states where work hasn’t begun. The Dakota Access pipeline passes through the Big Sioux Wildlife Management area where an American Indian tribe says it has a burial site. The pipeline also goes through the Dakotas and Illinois.

Many Iowa boat owners will be hitting a lake or river for the first time this year over the Memorial Day weekend. Susan Stocker, a boating law administrator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, is hoping it’ll be a safe season on the state’s waterways. “Our boat accident rate has been going down,” Stocker says. “It all has to do with education and making sure everybody is safe out there.” Iowa’s late spring has probably kept many boats in storage later than normal, increasing the likelihood that Memorial Day weekend will be a busy one on the water.

Stocker is reminding boaters that a life jacket may be the key to survival in the event of an accident. “Make sure that when you are out there boating that you have a wearable life jacket for every person on board and make sure they fit the intended user,” Stocker says. The boat should also be equipped with fire extinguisher and a horn or whistle. Stocker says getting used to the water each spring is much like re-learning winter driving skills after the first snow fall.

Lake Okoboji

She says with a little practice the good habits often return quickly. Stocker adds, if there’s alcohol on the boat, there should also be a designated driver. In 2014, more than 70-percent of the boating fatalities in Iowa involved alcohol, according to Stocker.

(Radio Iowa)

Whether they’re baked into pies, sprinkled over ice cream, blended into margaritas or eaten fresh right off the plant, strawberries are ripening in Iowa and in most regions, they’re ready for picking. Tami Stotts, with the Iowa Department of Agriculture, says the weather is finally cooperating for strawberry growers statewide.

“I’ve heard that the crop looks really good,” Stotts says. “They were in need of a little rain in some areas and a little heat and this week we’ve had both. I’ve had a few reports that they’re ripening just a little behind schedule but many of them are opening this weekend.” Fresh-picked strawberries are a tasty, fat-free treat and they kick off the growing season in Iowa. She says visiting a local farmers market or going to a you-pick farm is a great way to find fresh berries.

“I would suggest that before you head out to a strawberry patch you contact them because it can vary so much around the state,” Stotts says. “Before you pack up the family and head out, make sure the place you want to go is open.” Once picked, strawberries don’t continue to ripen like some fruits and vegetables, so select vibrant red berries. Also, strawberries have a short shelf life and should be eaten within a few days of being picked. You can find strawberry growers by visiting the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association’s “Farm Search” website: www.ifvga.org/en/about_us/farm_search

(Radio Iowa)

A tense situation involving an armed man who was making threats ending peacefully Thursday night in western Iowa. Carroll Police Chief Brad Burke says a parent called 911 over concerns their son would harm himself or others. “He was saying their son was suicidal, was armed with a handgun, and made threats to shoot anyone who approached him,” Burke said. The man was in a vehicle with his mother along Highway 30 in Carroll. Police blocked-off a section of the highway.

“We didn’t want any bystanders or passers-by to be mixed up in any type of crossfire if there were any shots that were fired,” Burke said. “We did have some businesses and buildings in the area that were also evacuated.” The man was eventually taken in custody around 9:3o p.m. and transported to a hospital for evaluation.

“There was no harm to anybody. It resolved peacefully. We’ll continue our investigation and charges are pending at this time,” Burke said. The man’s name has not been released.

pic from scene of Carroll standoff 5-26

(Radio Iowa)

Red Oak Police report two teens were arrested this (Friday) morning on drug and tobacco-related charges. Officers took into custody at around 8:30-a.m., 15-year old Sebastian Kage Meek and 14-year old Dyllan Hunter Hansen, both of Red Oak. Meek faces charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Tobacco/2nd offense. Hansen was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Tobacco. Both teens were then released to their parents.

An issue with the steering on a 2014 Ford Fusion may have been to blame for an accident this (Friday) morning, in Red Oak. Police say 33-year old William Spann, of Red Oak, was driving the vehicle southbound on Eastern Avenue from Summit Street at around 7:30-a.m., when, according to Spann, he became unable to steer. The car crossed over Eastern Avenue, through a yard and struck a Mid American Energy Utility pole.

The car, owned by Esther Ross, of Stanton, sustained $4,500 damage. Damage to the utility pole was estimated at $1,600, while turf/yard owned by Joan Selser, sustained about $200 damage.

Spann was not injured during the accident, and no citations were issued.

The state auditor has completed a special investigation of the non-profit association created to support a southwest Iowa fire department. The Corning Volunteer Fire Association was created in 2006 to support the activities of the volunteer fire fighters in the community. Eight years later, city officials found out the proper paperwork hadn’t been filed with the I-R-S, so the group didn’t quality as a non-profit.

That means the funds it raised should have been considered city funds. Auditors say the money should only have been used for fire department operations. Instead, nearly four-thousand dollars was improperly spent during that eight year period on fitness club memberships for volunteer fire fighters and almost 17-hundred was spent on holiday parties.

The association got all its paperwork in order a year ago and now qualifies as a non-profit group. That means it can spend its money on fitness and social activities for the fire fighters.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has declined to rule on the constitutionality of a state program that holds sex offenders in custody after they serve prison sentences. The court upheld Friday the civil commitment of 46-year-old David Taft who was convicted in 1987 for lascivious acts with a minor and molested two children within a week of his release from prison in 1991. He went to prison again until 2005 then was kept in custody under Iowa’s civil commitment for sexually violent predators law.

He challenged the law saying some of the requirements for release are unconstitutional. Justices concluded Taft’s challenges need not be decided because even if they ruled in his favor he doesn’t qualify for release because he’s failed treatment program progress and psychiatrists disagree on his readiness.