(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak say no injuries were reported following a collision at the intersection of Highway 34 and Broadway, Monday afternoon. The crash happened at around 4:15-p.m., when a motorcycle operated by Jarrett Ryan Maynes, of Red Oak, and an SUV driven by Kelly Jean Fort, of Stanton, collided, as the cycle was turning left to head south, and the SUV was traveling eastbound. Maynes was cited for Failure to have a valid motorcycle license. Damage to the 2006 Honda motorcycle was estimated at $3,500 (total loss). The 2024 GMC Yukon sustained approximately $4,500 damage.

(Whiting, Iowa) – One person was injured during a collision Monday night in Monona County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a car driven by 45-year-old David Martinez, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was stopped in the right-hand lane of southbound Interstate 29 at around 10:10-p.m., near mile marker 118. The vehicle did not have its lights on. A semi, driven by 53-year-old David Chumbley, of Halbur, was traveling south in the same lane.

When Chumbley saw the car, he swerved to the left to avoid striking it, but ended-up hitting the car. The collision caused the car to be pushed off of the road and into the west ditch. The semi continued south before coming to rest on the shoulder of the road.

Martinez – who was not wearing a seat belt – was flown by Wings Air Care to the UNMC in Omaha.

The Iowa State Patrol reports two people died and three others were injured in two separate crashes, Monday. The first, in Iowa County, took place at around 8:15-a.m. The Patrol says a semi was traveling east on Highway 6 Trail, when a 2006 Ford Fusion stopped, but then pulled out in front of the truck from northbound North Avenue, just east of Marengo. The semi struck the sedan on the driver’s side. One person died, two others were injured in the crash. The injured were transported to the Marengo Memorial, and UIHC Hospitals, respectively. No names were released, pending notification of family.

The second accident happened in northeast Iowa’s Butler County, at around 9:25-p.m., Monday. The Iowa State Patrol says a semi driven by 57-year-old Mark John Behrens, of Carroll, was westbound on Iowa Highway 3. A car driven by 31-year-old Brady Lee Cashatt, of Parkersburg, was traveling north on Quail Avenue in rural Clarksville. The car failed to stop at the intersection, and struck the semi on the left front side.

Following the collision, the semi rolled into the northwest ditch, and the car rolled over, coming to rest upright on the traveled portion of Highway 3.  Brady Cashatt died from his injuries. He was not wearing a seat belt. Behrens was transported to the Waverly Health Center by Allison EMS. The crash remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – A panel of lawmakers has placed a hold a proposed rule to require that Iowa casinos maintain lists of coaches, athletes and other officials who’d be barred from placing sports bets because of their involvement in college sports or fantasy sports. Representative Megan Jones of Sioux Rapids says the rule may have been spurred by the 2019 law that made it legal in Iowa to bet on sports – but it would have been unusual.

“There are 38 states that participate in sports gaming, but Iowa is the first one to request or require this list and so we’re sort of on the forefront here,” Jones says, “and I’m not sure these are waters we’re prepared to go through.” The process to block this regulation started in September, well before charges against Iowa State University athletes accused of placing illegal sports bets were dropped.

“What is problematic in this set of rules is that casinos are required to maintain a list of athletes, athletic trainers, coaches and other affiliated person or they can buy a subscription from a company that purports to do the same,” Jones says. “However, there’s only one entity that’s really doing this and their list, for instance, does not include the University of Iowa.”

Jones says it would be nearly impossible to keep an accurate, comprehensive and up-o-date list of all the sports figures that shouldn’t be betting on sporting events. “Every now and again somebody gets in a tizzie and they’re kicked off the team or there’s a suspension,” Jones says.

The legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee has used its authority to prevent the rule from taking effect until the spring of 2025. The rule would have applied to fantasy sports as well in-person sporting events. A resolution to nullify the rule altogether won House approval on a 92-to-one vote and awaits Senate action.

(Radio Iowa) – A Sioux City woman is in jail after allegedly attacking another woman with a machete this weekend.

Arrest documents say 37-year-old Iona Lasley was in a car yelling at a female transient in an alley Sunday, and then got out and attacked the other woman with a 12 inch machete. The victim had cuts to her face, legs and hands, and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Iona Lasley (Woodbury County Jail photo)

Police say Lasley fled the scene with the weapon, but was caught by an officer. She is facing several charges including willful injury causing serious injury, assault with a deadly weapon, going armed with intent and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Lasley is being held in the Woodbury County Jail on a $25.600 bond.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The teenage driver of a pickup truck escaped injury when the vehicle went out of control and rolled over last Friday, on an icy Guthrie County road. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports a 2005 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 15-year-old Amelia Rose Eddy, of Bayard, was traveling west on Highway 141 at around 8:05-a.m., Friday, when the vehicle went out of control between Juniper and Horn Avenues.

The pickup went out of control as it crossed a bridge. It entered the north ditch before rolling over. Authorities say Eddy was wearing her shoulder and lap belt. A 100-percent ice covered bridge was deemed the reason for the accident. Two other vehicles spun out on the same bridge.

The sheriff’s department noted roads in the area were otherwise only slick in spots. The pickup sustained $5,000 damage and was declared a total loss.

Photo from the 2023 Iowa Senior Games

Photo from the 2023 Iowa Senior Games

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (March 5, 2024) – We all know staying physically active is important for our health and wellness, but as we age, it seems to become more and more difficult and gets put on the backburner. The Iowa Senior Games, a pillar of the Iowa Sports Foundation and a member of the National Senior Games Association, understands this need and encourages older adults in Iowa to continue playing and competing in sports to stay active.

Each summer, the Iowa Senior Games are hosted in the Greater Des Moines area. This year, the Games will be held June 5-9, and registration for events is currently open on the Iowa Senior Games website. Athletes will come together from all over the state, and even neighboring states, to compete in the Games. This Olympic-style event is specifically for men and women who are at least 50 years old. Events range from Pickleball to Track and Field to Horseshoes to Golf, and participants compete against peers in their age bracket. The top three competitors in every event for every age bracket are awarded medals. On even numbered years, the top 3 Iowans in each event for every age bracket qualify for the National Senior Games, held every two years.

The next National Senior Games event will be held in Greater Des Moines in 2025. To get ready for that event and to spread awareness of the Senior Games movement across the nation, a Senior Games Community Day is being held at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex in West Des Moines during National Senior Games week in March. Community members of all ages are invited to come to this free event on Wednesday, March 20 from 3-5pm to sample different sports and learn about opportunities for adults 50+ to get involved in the Senior Games. There will be a Pickleball exhibition match between Des Moines Mayor Connie Boesen and Iowa Senior Games athletes, opportunities to try different sports, and more. This event is hosted by the National Senior Games Association, Iowa Senior Games, Catch Des Moines and Discover Ames. Learn more and RSVP at bit.ly/NSGWeek-DSM.

Through initiatives like the Senior Games Community Day, the Iowa Senior Games aims to not only prepare for the national stage next year, but also to inspire individuals of all ages to embrace the spirit of competition and camaraderie. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 20 from 3-5pm for a celebration of active living. Together, let’s champion wellness, community, and the joy of sports for generations to come.

(Radio Iowa) – Agencies that provide temporary staff for Iowa long-term care facilities are calling on lawmakers to table a plan to limit how much they charge. A bill that’s cleared the Iowa House would cap charges for so-called traveling nurses at 150 percent of the statewide average wage for nurses who working in nursing homes. Bob Livonius is on the board of directors for Grapetree Medical Staffing agency in Milford. He says temp agencies will stop doing business with Iowa nursing homes if there’s a cap on what they can charge, just like what’s happened in the only two states that currently cap pay for traveling nurses working in nursing homes.

“They’ll simply abandon the work that’s being done here in Iowa…they’re just not going to make any money on it,” he says. “That’s what’s happened in Minnesota. That’s what’s happened in Massachusetts.” Others warn the move would lead to staffing shortages in nursing homes. Greg Opseth is chief operating officer for Hiland Medical Staffing in Gowrie.

“We are an integral part to the matrix that sustains health care deliver in rural Iowa,” Opseth said. “We have and provide crucial support in times of staffing shortages and fluctuations in patient volume.”A lobbyist for the Iowa Nurses Association says nurses feel singled out, since there are other traveling medical professionals, like doctors, who aren’t included in the proposed pay limitation.

Brent Willett, president and C-E-O of the Iowa Health Care Association, says if the cap were implemented on traveling nurses, Iowa long-term care facilities would be able to redirect an estimated 22 million dollars on full-time staff. “Our health care system desperately needs more direct care workers and we need to pay them more,” Willett said. The proposed cap is advancing in a bill that cleared a senate subcommittee today (Monday).

Senator Jason Schulte, a Republican from Schleswig, says some temp agencies appear to be pocketing a lot of money and, while that’s capitalism, a lot of tax dollars are being spent on nursing home care through the Medicaid program and he’s not ruling out some sort of limits on what temp agencies can charge. “The stress in the long term care industry is very real,” Schultz says. “I think everyone understands that.”

A senate committee will review the proposal later this week.

[Update 3/18/24] – The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as 23-year-old Daniel Van Brocklin, of Raymond.

LA PORTE CITY, Iowa (KCRG) — A canoer spending the night at a campsite along the Cedar River in Black Hawk County died after likely tripping and falling into a bonfire, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office reports, according to KCRG.

Deputies were called on Sunday to a sandbar of the Cedar River between Gilbertville and La Porte City for a report of a body found there.

Investigators determined the man was canoeing alone on the Cedar River and had made a campsite, including a bonfire, on a sandbar to sleep overnight. Investigators said the man likely tripped and fell into the bonfire and caught fire.

The name of the person has not been released at this time. An autopsy is expected to be conducted by the Iowa State Medical Examiner.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans may be grouchier than usual this week, as they’re not getting enough sleep due to the time change, but there’s also a greater health risk from springing forward an hour. Dr. Denise Sorrentino, a cardiologist with the Iowa Heart Center in Ames, says it’s only 60 minutes, but that can be enough to cause serious troubles.

“We see the big rise in atrial fibrillation rates, heart attack, stroke, and even motor vehicle accidents,” she says, “often related to inadequate sleep and just bad decision making while driving the vehicle for that first seven to ten days.” Some of us adjust to the shift in time more quickly than others. Sorrentino says our bodies get used to going to bed and getting up at a certain time, and it’s a jolt to our system to move it.

“That 60 minutes can change what we call the circadian rhythm, which is the rhythm at which our blood pressure and heart rate change in the early morning hours to help wake us up,” Sorrentino says. “And people can have difficulties with sleep, blood pressure can become elevated, and a lot of people can also feel very groggy, have poor decision making and jetlag.” One thing that can help us to adjust is to start shifting our bedtime for a week or so before the time change, though that doesn’t do us any good right now.

Radio Iowa (photo)

“Usually, it’s a week for adults to adjust,” she says, “and to really make an effort to be out in sunlight, if available, while the day is ongoing to help that body’s circadian rhythm adjust for this hour change.” The best remedy at this juncture is to simply try and get more rest, and if your schedule permits, a power nap here and there.