Iowa parents paying child support could go to court and ask to have their ex-spouse submit to drug tests every six months under a proposal advanced, but then withdrawn by a Republican in the Iowa Senate. Senator Mark Chelgren, a Republican from Ottumwa, got the idea from a constituent. “Because of some consternation and some problems that have arised with his ex-wife, there is a strong belief on his part that she may have gotten involved in drugs,” Chelgren said during debate, “and that the money that is going to the children is instead being diverted to this drug habit.” Chelgren told his colleagues he wouldn’t name names and didn’t know if the drug-use allegation was true, but he proposed that a person paying child support could get a court order requiring the person who has custody of the kids get a drug test. If that person failed the test or refused to take it, the child support would be paid to a custodian appointed by the court.”This way the money is actually going for the children and not necessarily to be used on drugs,” Chelgren said.

A few Democrats in the Senate openly laughed as Chelgren explained his proposal. Senator Jack Hatch, a Democrat from Des Moines, suggested ugly divorces and break-ups would get uglier if this proposal became law. “We know that it will be used defiantly against one of the parents — ususally against the woman,” Hatch said. “And it would cause the damage not only to the woman but also to the family and to the children to have one parent inappropriately every six months ask for a screening.” Chelgren responded. “You know, we do have a drug problem in this state,” Chelgren said. “It doesn’t mean everybody in this state, obviously, is on drugs. It doesn’t mean that every single individual or family member or someone who’s taking care of families is on drugs — clearly, but we shouldn’t be ducking our head and running away every time there’s a difficult issue coming up.”

Chelgren then withdrew his drug-testing proposal, which he was trying to tack onto a much larger bill that outlines state spending for the Iowa Department of Human Services. Chelgren has another proposal he hopes to add to that bill — a requirement that all Iowa welfare recipients submit to random drug tests.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)

An explosion at a home in Council Bluffs Thursday evening resulted in one person being sent to the hospital, suffering from severe burns. Witnesses told Omaha television station KETV that a man came running from the house shortly after the fire occurred. Council Bluffs Fire Chief Alan Byers confirmed the victim suffered critical burns to 50-percent of his body, and was transported to the Nebraska Medical Center. The man’s name and a report on his condition are not currently available.

The blaze at 310 South 10th St. was reported at 7:45 p.m.  Byers said both neighbors and police reported hearing a number of explosions coming from the second floor of the home, which is located a short distance west of Bayliss Park.

The blaze was snuffed out in about a half hour. Chief Byers couldn’t say for sure what started the fire, but he indicated there were combustible materials inside the home. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Polk County judge has ordered a Nebraska-based contractor to follow Iowa’s consumer fraud and door-to-door sales laws.  A news release from the office of Iowa Attorney General Thomas Miller says the judge also ordered the company, NationWide Construction Inc. to reimburse a Council Bluffs resident more than $7,000.  The release says the company is owned by Mark Schneidewind and does business in Omaha, Neb., as Midwest Restorations Inc.  Miller’s office has investigated complaints that Schneidewind and his company failed to provide services following payment, provided substandard services and made misrepresentations to customers.  The news release says Schneidewind and NationWide denied the allegations but agreed to comply with the order, which is in the form of a consent decree.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says two Council Bluffs men were arrested this (Thursday) morning, following the theft of an ATM from the Farmer’s Trust and Savings Bank in Earling. 34-year old Robert Edie and 19-year old Patrick Eggerling were taken into custody on felony charges which include: 1st degree theft; 3rd degree burglary; Possession of Stolen Property; and Criminal Mischief in the 2nd degree. Both men were also charged with Possession of Burglary tools, an aggravated misdemeanor. They were being held in the Shelby County Jail.

Officials say deputies were called to the bank at around 4-a.m., after witnesses observed a Chevy Blazer with two male suspects, at the bank. The witnesses saw the men use a log chain to pull an ATM out of the bank and onto the street. They then allegedly loaded the machine into the vehicle and took off.

After a description of the SUV was broadcast to law enforcement agencies, a Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputy observed the vehicle on Highway 30, near Logan. The suspects failed to yield to the deputy, who then engaged in a pursuit. The chase continued to Interstate 680, with the Iowa State Patrol and Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputies joining in the pursuit.

The incident concluded with the SUV being wrecked when it crashed into a ditch on Whipperwill Road, near mile marker 18 of I-680. Both suspects ran from the vehicle, but were eventually taken into custody a short distance from where the SUV was abandoned. Deputies recovered the ATM from the rear of the Blazer after the suspects were taken into custody. The SUV was later determined to have been stolen from Wright County.

The Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office is inviting the public to attend the 4th Judicial District Department of Correctional Services’ “Crime Victims’ Rights Week” luncheon, on April 25th. The event, which is sponsored by the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors, takes place at the Council Bluffs Country Club (4500 Piute St.), beginning with a buffet lunch at 11:30-a.m.

A program, featuring keynote speakers Jennifer Eaton-Bertagnolli and Micky Oldham, runs from Noon until 1:15-p.m.  Eaton-Bertagnolli is a co-founder of “The Ken Eaton Foundation,” along with Dr. Rico Bertagnolli. The foundation was created in memory of Jennifer’s father Ken Eaton, who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Des Moines, on Feb. 13th, 1988.

Oldham is a survivor of the Von Maur shooting in Omaha. The incident happened December 5th, 2007, at the Westroads Mall. A sole gunman identified as 19-year old Robert A. Hawkins entered the store. He killed eight people and injured five others before killing himself. Oldham will answer questions about the incident, and sign copies of her book “35 Minutes and Counting,” after her presentation.

There is no cost to attend the event, but reservations are necessary. To reserve your place at the luncheon and program, call Jen Foltz at 712-325-4943, extension 203, or e-mail jen.foltz@iowa.gov.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Iowa’s unusual stretch of warm weather in late winter and early spring has led to earlier than normal tick activity and start to the tick-borne disease season. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans to protect themselves against tick bites. Ticks can carry the organisms that cause Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Ehrlichiosis. The best way to prevent tick bites is to avoid wooded and grassy areas, where ticks are usually found.

If you do spend time in these areas:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long, light-colored pants tucked into socks or boots.
• Stay on trails when walking or hiking, and avoid high grass.
• Use insect repellants that contain DEET. Read and follow the label directions for application. DEET is not recommended for use on children under 2 months of age. For more information on DEET, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/idph_universalhelp/main.aspx?system=IdphEpiManual&context=DEET_factsheet.
• Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks. Ticks tend to prefer the back of the knee, armpit, scalp, groin, and back of the neck.

If you discover a tick on your body, remove it right away. Folk remedies, such as burning the tick with a match or covering it with petroleum jelly or nail polish, are not effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following instructions for removing a tick:

• Carefully grasp the tick by using tweezers to grip the tick by its mouthparts which are close to the skin. Do not squeeze the tick’s body.
• Pull steadily directly away from your skin. Because removing the tick’s body is your main goal, don’t worry if its mouthparts break off in the process.
• Clean the wound and disinfect the site of the bite.

The most common tick-borne disease is Lyme disease; 85 cases of Lyme disease were reported to IDPH in 2011. Not everyone who gets Lyme disease will have the same symptoms, but the best and earliest sign of infection is a rash that may appear within a few days to a month, usually at the site of the tick bite. The rash will first look like a small, red bump, then expand until it begins to look like a bull’s eye, with a red center and a red ring surrounding a clear area. It is important to contact your healthcare provider immediately if you develop this type of rash.

For more information on Lyme disease visit www.idph.state.ia.us/idph_universalhelp/main.aspx?

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