DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court says an insurance company does not have to pay the city of West Liberty for damage to property caused by a squirrel that climbed onto an electrical transformer and created an electrical arc. The court says in a decision released Friday that the policy held by the city from EMC insurance excluded damage caused by electrical arcs that were not related to lightning. The city filed a lawsuit in January 2016 after EMC refused to pay the more than $213,000 in damage.
The city claimed the squirrel caused the damage but a district court judge and the Iowa Court of Appeals concluded the damage was caused by the electrical arc generated when the squirrel touched a 7,000-volt clamp and a grounded metal frame. The lower courts concluded the arc policy exclusion applied and the Supreme Court justices agreed.
(Radio Iowa) — Iowa-based researchers have concluded there’s little scientific evidence that sound from wind turbines poses a public health risk. Instead, the authors say reported symptoms of hearing loss or poor sleep are more likely related to people’s attitudes about wind development. The findings by the Iowa Policy Project and the Iowa Environmental Council are based on an overview of peer-reviewed studies. Co-author David Osterberg says reports of symptoms are associated with annoyance at developers rather than the actual sound of the turbines.
“Maybe you ought to think about how you treat people so they feel like they have more control over the whole process,” Osterberg says. “That would probably do more than trying to address the sound because we don’t think it’s the sound.” Wind turbines produce sound pressure, but Osterberg and his research associations concluded it’s not at a level that affects humans.
Vanessa Strazdas – Newly appointed Cass County Attorney.
(Updated 9:50-a.m.) The Cass County Board of Supervisors, today (Friday), announced the appointment of Vanessa Strazdas, an attorney with the Strazdas Law Firm in Omaha, to fill a vacancy position for the Cass County Attorney’s Office. Strazdas has accepted the job to succeed Michael Hooper, who was appointed Jan. 11th as 4th District Judge, by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
Board Chair Steve Baier thanked Mr. Hooper for his work in seeking applicants for the position and for his service to the County.
Supervisor John Hartkopf said of Strazdas, she wasn’t only the unanimous choice of the board
(He said she was highly recommended by law enforcement and judges.)
He said also, the County is spending a lot of money on law enforcement, and it’s not because they’re out there issuing tickets.
(He said it is because of the “Underground war on methamphetamine,” and the Board feels they are supporting law enforcement in making their decision to hire Strazdas.)
Strazdas brought her family with her to the appointment hearing and swearing-in, and promised to uphold the law and serve the citizens of Cass County.
Strazdas grew up in Omaha, NE, where she attended Central High School. She is a National Merit Scholar and has a degree in Computer Science from the University of NE at Omaha. She graduated with honors from Creighton Law School, where she concentrated her studies in Litigation and Criminal Law. Strazdas is a member of the Iowa Bar. Iowa Code says a special election may be requested within 14 days of official notice from the time an appointment is made. The petition must have no less than 582 signatures. In addition to Strazdas, three candidates were interviewed for the County’s top position. They included Robert Engler (With the Cambridge Law Firm, in Atlantic); Anne Rohling, a lawyer from Council Bluffs who owns her own law firm and Marti Sleister, an experienced trial attorney in criminal and juvenile law, with the Sleister Law firm in Fremont, NE.
The Cass County Board of Supervisors also approved the appointment of Administrative Assistants to the Cass County Attorney. Bev Groves and Eva Jensen will continue with the roles they served as Hooper’s Assistants under the new County Attorney. The Board tabled a decision to fill a vacancy term of a Cass Township Trustee (an appointed position), because they are no current applicants for the job.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque woman tied to two drug overdose deaths has been imprisoned. Federal court records say 25-year-old Brianna Martin was sentenced last week to 27 months. She’d pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids to distribution of heroin. She must serve three years of supervised release after she leaves prison and pay $12,500 in restitution.
The records say Martin helped one person who died buy heroin and sold prescribed methadone to other people, including one who died from an overdose.
The month of January in Atlantic was nearly normal for the average High and slightly cooler for the Low. We were also drier than average. Weather data compiled here at the KJAN Studios (The official National Weather Service reporting site for Atlantic), shows the Average High for the month was 29.9-degrees (as compared to the normal 29.4), the Average Low was 11.8 (Normally around 9.3 degrees). Precipitation for the month (combined rain & melted snow and/or ice), amounted to .59″ (Average is .84″). The most snow fell on Jan. 11th, which was also the greatest melted precipitation value, at .21.”
The warmest day was on Jan. 5th at 59-degrees. The coldest was -19 on Jan. 29th & 30th. Looking ahead to the month of February, the High in Atlantic is typically 35.4 degrees, and the average Low is 15.2. Precipitation for the month normally amounts to .96.”
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS