(Radio Iowa) – Iowans have until week’s end to nominate an unsung hero they know for statewide recognition. The Iowa chapter of the American Red Cross is asking to hear stories about people in our bigger cities and rural areas who’ve helped save or change lives for the better. Agency spokeswoman Emily Holley says the Heroes of the Heartland program honors ordinary people for doing extraordinary things. “This could be anyone, really,” Holley says. “It could be someone who decided to start a small nonprofit to help those in the community who are struggling. This could be someone who has saved a life. This could be a service member, a member of the police force or a firefighter who’s gone above and beyond the call of duty.”

Now in its 21st year, Holley says Heroes of the Heartland honors Iowans who have made a difference in the lives of others. “Last year, we honored — there were three friends who were playing soccer and one of them collapsed and had a heart attack,” Holley says. “His two friends saved his life using CPR and an AED, which is remarkable.” Other past recipients include: a pastor who collects and delivers food to the homeless, a neighbor who woke up a family when he saw their house was on fire, and a military officer who runs a suicide prevention service for current servicemen and women.  “It’s one of our favorite events because it really does shed light on people who are unsung heroes,” Holley says, “and they haven’t gotten the recognition that they deserve.”

The deadline to make a nomination is Friday at the website below. A recognition event is scheduled for March 29th in Des Moines.

https://www.redcross.org/local/iowa/about-us/news-and-events/events/heroes.html

(Waukon, Iowa) – One person died after an SUV collided with a Utility Terrain Vehicle Monday afternoon, in northeast Iowa’s Allamakee County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2014 Deer UTV was traveling east on the westbound shoulder of Highway 9, at the same time 2013 GMC Terrain was traveling east on Highway 9. The UTV turned in front of the SUV and was struck. The accident happened at around 3:25-p.m., north of Waukon, near Lycurgus Road.

The operator of the UTV died at the hospital in Waukon. Another person was injured, and transported to the Waukon Hospital. No names had been released as of this report.

The Patrol was assisted by Waukon the Allaakee County Sheriff’s Office, Waukon Ambulance and Fire Department, Gunderson Air Ambulance and others.

Police in Council Bluffs say officers were dispatched at around 2:09-a.m. today (Tuesday), to North 7th Street and West Washington Ave., in reference to a car versus pedestrian accident. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the victim, who was laying in the middle of the intersection. The victim – whose name was not immediately released – had a severe head injury and was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. As of the latest report, the driver of the run vehicle was unknown.

The accident is under investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the CBPD Special Operation Unit at 712-328-4948.

(Radio Iowa) – There have been some changes this year for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which might make you eligible. I-R-S spokesman, Chris Miller, says it is the largest refundable federal tax credit for low to moderate-income families. “More people qualify for the credit this year because of a change in the rules for 2021. This tax season, younger people than ever before will qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit, and there is no upper age limit,” Miller says.

He says some qualifiers will see more money. “Single people and couples without children qualify for a credit of just over 15-hundred dollars. And that’s an increase from 538 dollars previously,” Miller says. “In addition, families with more investment income qualify for the credit. This tax season, you can have up to ten-thousand dollars in investment income — compared to 36-thousand-50 dollars in the past.” Miller says there’s one key requirement that remains. “You have to file a tax return in order to get an E-I-T-C. And that applies not only to people who normally file a tax return — but also those people who don’t normally file a tax return,” he says.

Miller says it is worth you while to see if you qualify. He says the majority of people eligible request it and they estimate that one in five eligible taxpayers get the credit. Miller says the latest numbers show 75 percent of eligible Iowans apply for the credit. You can find out if you qualify on the I-R-S website. “There are other special rules for E-I-T-C this year and some permanent changes for the credit overall — and you can find out more by going to our website IRS.gov and putting E-I-T-C in the search bar,” according to Miller.

The I-R-S began accepting 2021 tax returns on January 24th, so you can file now and claim the credit.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Shelby County was arrested at around 12:50-a.m. Sunday, following a traffic stop at Highway 34 and Fig Avenue. Authorities say upon further investigation, 36-year-old Matthew Philip Goodside, of Shelby, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Goodside was being held in the Adams County Jail, pending an appearance before the Magistrate.

“Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations and any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”

Des Moines, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Public Health, Monday, released new data showing the number of positive COVID-19 tests and hospitalizations in the state continue to drop. There were 23,461 positive COVID-19 tests in the last seven days, down from 26,244 at the last report on Friday. The state’s 14-day positivity rate dropped from 24% to 22.9%.

The number of patients hospitalized with the virus in Iowa decreased from 928 to 849. IDPH data shows 60.4% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, while 69.1% of those listed in intensive care with the virus. Of those hospitalized, 57% had a primary COVID-19 diagnosis, while 43% were hospitalized for another reason but tested positive.

The number of long-term care facilities reporting a virus outbreak increased from 95 to 107 since Friday.

There have been 4,832,295 vaccine doses administered in Iowa, with 71.2% of those 18 and older fully vaccinated and 75.9% of those 12 and older with at least one dose.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa-based Casey’s General Stores — the country’s 4th largest pizza chain — is asking the Iowa legislature to let 16 and 17 year olds man the machines that roll out the pizza dough. “Casey’s, like any other employer across the state of Iowa, we’re really struggling in finding employees.” That’s Tom Cope, a lobbyist for Casey’s. He says unlike surrounding states like Illinois and Missouri, current Iowa law bars anyone under the age of 18 from operating a pizza dough rolling machine.

“We make the dough fresh every day at the store. It’s not a froze dough,” Cope says. “And so the way it works is we have a ball of dough and (for) each pizza that’s order, that dough has to go through a rolling machine before it then can be made into a pizza.” A Senate subcommittee has approved the bill that adopts federal guidelines, so 16 and 17 year olds would be able to operate pizza dough machines in Iowa.

Senator Todd Taylor, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says as long as minors aren’t allowed to do maintenance on the machines, which could be dangerous, he’ll support the move. “I think that’s all we need to do and it’s a win-win, you know, kids make pizza all over this state,” Taylor says, “but we want them to be safe.” Peter Hird, a lobbyist for the Iowa Federation of Labor, says unions aren’t opposing the attempt to add older teenagers to Casey’s pizza-making enterprise, but Hird questions whether increasing child labor is the best way to address Iowa’s workforce shortage.

“We do really worry about bringing more kids into the workforce,” he says. “Are we protecting them during these years, too?” He cites last year’s vote in the legislature to let 16 and 17 year olds operate the rides at Iowa amusement parks as well as legislation proposed this year that would no longer require adult supervision of older teens working in child care facilities.

(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand says he found no significant concerns about the state’s Covid-19 data reporting during the first 14 months of the pandemic. Sand says issues with the Iowa Department of Public Health’s online Covid dashboard that drew public complaints were out of the state’s control.

“The late entries that a lot of people were talking about and suspicious about early in the pandemic were not because the state was messing anything up,” Sand says. “It was because the private labs that were doing the testing were regularly submitting results very late to the state of Iowa.” Sand says state officials calculated Covid positivity rates correctly, but could have more clearly explained what formula they were using.

Kelly Garcia, the interim director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, says the report highlights the need to upgrade the agency’s outdated I-T and data systems before the next emergency.

(By Natalie Kreb, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Three state agencies have started to review plans for how the State of Iowa would respond to a significant drought. Iowa Department of Natural Resources director Kayla Lyon says her agency issued weekly reports on drinking water supplies last year as extreme drought hit some areas of the state. “We were really close to having a real problem,” Lyon says, “and it was pretty dire in some parts of the state.”

Despite heavy rains in the fall, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows more than half a million Iowans live in an area where drought conditions persist. The state’s current drought response outlines were developed in the 1980s according to Lyon. “So our staff are working together with some of the same players to modernize our state drought plan,” Lyon says.

A D-N-R spokesperson says the plan will likely look at how water users in the public and private sectors are prepared for drought conditions and how the state would respond if water supplies are endangered by a long-term drought. It’s expected to take a year for the D-N-R, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security Emergency Management to produce an updated drought plan.

(Radio Iowa) – New details show a Cedar Rapids man rescued from a grain bin last week was lucky to get out — and the first fireman on the scene was working his last full day on the job. Darrell Benish, of Cedar Rapids, was rescued by members of the Cedar Rapids and Swisher Fire departments. Benish tells K-C-R-G T-V he was trying to push the auger in with his foot, and it slipped.

“The suction sucked me in there, and in the meantime, nobody saw what was happening,” Benish explains. Benish was stuck for about two hours with freezing grain covering his body up to his shoulders. Firefighters attempted to insert a barrier to keep more corn from completely covering him. He says he couldn’t breathe. “Because even when they took the corn out — it was still kind of rolling down all the time. It was probably the most pain I’ve ever had in my life,” Benish says.

Cedar Rapids fire captain Brian Hall was the first on the scene, and tells K-C-R-G T-V they were lucky. “To have a situation like this where we can make a rescue and the person survives, very rare,” Hall says. First responders cut four holes in the side of the bin to release as much corn as possible. Hall says Benish’s position in the bin was a factor in the corn trapping him. “He was probably six feet inside the door,” Hall says, “which also I think accounted for some of the crushing factors. He was not in the center and everything coming at him from all directions.”

It was Hall’s first-grain bin rescue in his 33-year career — and also his last full shift — before he retired Sunday. He says the rescue made him think about his work in those years. “Kind of reflected back to a lot of those type of scenarios where we’ve truly made a difference in people’s lives,” Hall says. “Not just in his life, but his family’s lives and all of us.” Hall says his retirement plan at this point is to not have a retirement plan.