DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A new interactive smartphone and computer app featuring Iowa’s trails is under development and organizations behind the development hope to launch it later this year.  Once completed, the “Iowa by Trail” app will feature an interactive map that allows users to locate their position, find the closest trail and find points of interest along the way. It also will keep track of distance, weather, news and events and communicate with friends and followers about their experience.

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is working with the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the City of West Des Moines, and other private partners to raise money to produce the app and website. The foundation needs $59,000.  The expected release date for the app is late this year.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press….

SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) – Officials are still investigating the cause of an explosion that injured five men performing electrical work at a manufacturing plant in northwest Iowa. The Sioux City Journal says TimeWell Drainage officials were still hunting for answers at the Sibley plant yesterday. The accident was reported shortly before noon Saturday. It happened while workers were switching power lines to a new transformer, according to the Osceola County sheriff’s office.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) – Crews are continuing to search for the body of a man believed to have drowned at a dam on the Upper Iowa River east of Decorah. KWWL-TV reports authorities identified the man as 29-year-old Eric Langland of Decorah. Winneshiek County Sheriff’s officials say Langland was last seen struggling in the water Saturday night. A friend then saw him pulled under by the water coming over the dam.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An FBI official says a 30-year prison term for a New Jersey man convicted of sex trafficking in Iowa will protect the public from an “evil predator.” Johnelle Bell must serve 85 percent of the term, handed down Friday by a federal judge.

WESLEY, Iowa (AP) – A state patrol plane helped authorities capture a man suspected in the shooting of a northern Iowa man. The Globe Gazette newspaper reports the incident began early Sunday with a dispute between two men in Wesley, a small town about 10 miles east of Algona. Officers have arrested 25-year-old Andrew Zeitler of Wesley.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – After a very wet start to this planting season, Iowa crop conditions are quickly reversing from too wet to too dry.  The USDA says topsoil with adequate or surplus moisture declined 22 percentage points last week from the week before with 43 percent of the state’s topsoil now adequate or in surplus. Temperatures statewide averaged 4.8 degrees above normal and average precipitation was barely measurable while normal for the week is just over an inch.

Corn and soybeans remain behind schedule with just 35 percent of the corn crop tasseled, behind the five-year average of 70 percent. Overall, corn is about 10 days behind normal in development.  Thirty-six percent of the soybean crop is blooming, behind the normal 70 percent.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports 29-year old Johnelle Lewis Bell, of Hammonton, New Jersey, was sentenced Friday in United States District Court in Des Moines on charges of sex trafficking and associated charges.  Bell was sentenced to a total of 30-years in prison, to be followed by 5-years of supervised release. He must also pay a $1,200 special assessment for the Crime Victim Fund. Bell remained in the custody of the United States Marshal’s Service pending designation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at which he will serve his sentence.

U-S Attorney Nicholas Klinefeldt said “Bell essentially enslaved these women, and forced them to commit sex acts for his financial gain. Bell’s sentence, which he must serve 85% of, reflects the seriousness of his crime.” In all, Bell was sentenced on 12 charges, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking, coercion or enticement to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution, conspiracy to transport in interstate commerce for prostitution and transportation in interstate commerce for prostitution.

Bell was originally indicted in a twelve-count indictment on April 26, 2012, and a twelve-count superseding indictment was returned by the Federal Grand Jury on November 6, 2012. On November 20, 2012, following an almost week-long trial, a federal jury in Council Bluffs found Bell guilty of all twelve counts with which he was charged. The charges arose from a prostitution sting operation on June 18, 2011, by the Child Exploitation Task Force (formerly the Great Plains Innocence Lost Task Force) operating in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area.

While the case dealt primarily with young adult females roughly 19-23 years of age, at least two of the young adults involved in this case reported becoming engaged in prostitution as minors, by at least about ages 16 or 17. FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas R. Metz says “This sentencing removes an evil predator from the streets and prevents him from exploiting others.” On June 18, 2011, answering ads for prostitution on Backpage.com, for Omaha and Council Bluffs, an undercover FBI agent posing as a customer arranged a “date” for prostitution. At the ensuing raid, agents and officers encountered Johnelle Lewis Bell and three adult females engaged in prostitution. The resulting federal investigation uncovered a sex trafficking venture involving Bell and as yet to be formally identified “pimp partners,” centering around Little Rock, Arkansas.

Young adult women formerly working as prostitutes for Bell testified at trial regarding their histories of very troubled childhoods, mental and emotional problems, homelessness and lack of material support, and substance abuse. The victims testified that Bell lured them to work for Bell on promises of love and long-lasting personal relationships, and help with problems in their lives. However, once they engaged in prostitution for Bell, the promises evaporated, and all of the money from the sex acts they performed at Bell’s direction, went to Bell. One of the victims testified she was repeatedly physically assaulted by Bell.  She said Bell also threatened the victim’s family, and her very young child with serious harm or death if she did not do as Bell told her.

23-year old Brittany Lawson, of Hot Springs, Arkansas, a co-defendant of Bell’s, pled guilty on October 12, 2012, to Count 1 of the original Indictment, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Lawson was sentenced on February 25, 2013, in Council Bluffs, to 50 months in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

310 PM CDT MON JUL 22 2013 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 430 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS IN IA… . IOWA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE:

AUDUBON BOONE BUENA VISTA BUTLER CALHOUN CARROLL CERRO GORDO CHEROKEE CLAY CRAWFORD FRANKLIN GREENE GRUNDY GUTHRIE HAMILTON HANCOCK HARDIN HARRISON HUMBOLDT IDA KOSSUTH MARSHALL MONONA PALO ALTO PLYMOUTH POCAHONTAS POTTAWATTAMIE SAC SHELBY STORY WEBSTER WINNEBAGO WOODBURY WORTH WRIGHT.

PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE…

SEVERAL DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WITH A FEW SIGNIFICANT GUSTS TO 75 MPH POSSIBLE SEVERAL LARGE HAIL EVENTS WITH A FEW VERY LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 45 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MASON CITY IOWA TO 30 MILES WEST OF TEKAMAH NEBRASKA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

REMEMBER…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

High temperatures should hit the mid-90s this (Monday) afternoon in parts of Iowa and thousands of visitors in the state for the big bicycle ride aren’t used to the heat and humidity. Dr. William Gossman, who runs the emergency room at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, says to be very watchful for these symptoms of heat stress. “Usually people get light-headed and nauseated,” Dr. Gossman says. “That’s probably the most common thing that I see. The extreme is that they pass out.”

Whether you’re attempting to ride a bike across Iowa or are just working outside in the stifling heat, he says if you’re showing the signs of heat stress, quit whatever you’re doing and seek shelter. “The first thing you should do is try to get into a cool environment and drink as much fluid as you can,” Gossman says. “If you’re getting abdominal pain, chest pain or feel like you’re going to pass out, the best thing is to get in and be seen.” If you’re at that point, he says you may need an I-V to replenish fluids.

On the plus side, a cool front is expected to arrive late tonight, pushing high temps for the rest of the week down into the 70s and 80s statewide.

(Radio Iowa)

Eleven State Highway Patrol leaders along with national transportation professionals, have accepted a challenge to eliminate fatalities along the entire 2,900-mile stretch of Interstate 80 July 24th through the 31st. The focus of the “I-80 Challenge” is to create public awareness through both an increased law enforcement presence and media outreach.  The  eleven (11) state highway patrol agencies along Interstate 80, including those in Iowa, have each dedicated an increased presence of troopers for each of the eight days during this challenge.

The event kicks off on the west steps of the Iowa State Capital Wednesday, beginning at 3-p.m.  Dignitaties on hand will include: Iowa Governor Terry E. Branstad; Iowa Dept. of Public Safety Commissioner Brian London; Federal  Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Anne Ferro, and representatives with the California Highway Patrol, New Jersey State Police, Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, and State Patrol agency representatives from 10 other states across the country.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration join their state and local law enforcement, partners to implement combined highway safety law enforcement campaigns, like More Cops. More Stops, which focuses enforcement on multiple traffic safety laws at one time.For more information on the More Cops More Stops campaign, visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov

About 284-thousand Iowa drivers will be able to renew their drivers license online, starting today. Iowa Department of Transportation director Paul Trombino cautions drivers to beware of imposter websites. “The only place to renew your driver’s license online is through www.iowadot.gov or our mobile app,” Trombino says. “That’s really the place to come. It’s secure. That’s where you’re going to input all your information and do all that activity. All the rest of them are really giving you false information.”

It costs 20-dollars to renew a driver’s license and there’s a dollar-and-a-half “convenience fee” for renewing online. Drivers will only be able to renew online every other time, since the duration of the license will increase from five to eight years. Drivers with medical or vision problems are to go into a D-O-T facility or country treasurer’s office to renew their license and there are a series of questions in the online format to screen out people who’ve had recent eye trauma or vision problems.

“I think that it’s consistent with the process that we have right now,” Trombino says. “People, when they come into the office, they certify that there haven’t been significant changes in their eye statement. The screen that we do is not a vision test. It’s really just a quick screen and that online renewal is consistent with that and the statement that you sign (online) is the exact same one you sign if you did it in person.”

Trombino demonstrated the online license renewal process this morning (Monday) during the governor’s weekly news conference and Branstad noted drivers can apply to renew their license within a large window — 180 days before the license expires. The D-O-T plans to help eligible drivers renew their license at the State Fair, and Branstad plans to renew his license on the fairgrounds. Go to www.radioiowa.com to find links to the D-O-T’s website and to listen to the briefing about online license renewals.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will hold a work session this evening, at the High School. During their meeting in the Media Center at 7:30, the Board will discuss and act on approving a replacement work bid for the AHS lights and sound system, as well as various contracts, and a resignation.

Prior to adjournment, the Board will hear from Larry Sigel, with the Iowa School Finance Information Service (ISFIS).

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A federal judge says two Omaha, Neb., men who are suing the city of Council Bluffs and two former police detectives for wrongful conviction, will get a joint trial instead of two separate ones. Terry Harrington and Curtis McGhee have asked for separate trials in their civil lawsuit after the first trial ended in mistrial because jurors couldn’t agree on a verdict. The men seek millions of dollars in compensation for 25 years in prison.

They were released in 2003 after the Iowa Supreme Court found prosecutors committed misconduct. The men allege retired officers Daniel Larsen and Lyle Brown coerced witnesses and hid evidence from their attorneys during their 1978 trials. Federal judge Robert Pratt denied separate trials and ordered a new trial to begin Oct. 15 in Des Moines.