Cedar Rapids, Iowa (September 16, 2024) – Officials with ITC Midwest says they will be conducting aerial patrols of high-voltage transmission structures and lines throughout its service territory from approximately September 23 – October 1, weather permitting. Helicopter patrols provide an overall status of the overhead transmission system owned and operated by
ITC Midwest. The flights take place across the following areas of the ITC Midwest service territory:

Central zone
The flights will be conducted in the Ames, Ankeny, Boone, Cedar Rapids, Dysart, Gladbrook, Iowa Falls, Marengo, Marion, Marshalltown, Newton, Palo, Perry, Vinton and Williamsburg areas. Iowa counties in the aerial patrol areas include Adair, Benton, Boone, Cass, Dallas, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hardin, Iowa, Jasper, Linn, Marshall, Polk, Story and Tama.

Image via ITC Holdings Corp Facebook page

The company says the patrols are a North American Electrical Reliability Corporation (NERC) requirement for ITC Midwest’s vegetation management program, support proactive maintenance objectives, and align with the company’s model for operational excellence. The flights will include the inspection of vegetation in the vicinity of transmission structures, wood poles, conductors (wires), insulators and other equipment.

The inspection flights are often conducted at low altitudes to facilitate accurate visual inspection of vegetation hazards. This is normal procedure, so there is no cause for alarm if a low-flying helicopter is sighted near transmission lines during the time frame mentioned above.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa, today (Monday), said a Council Bluffs man, 34-year-old Dereck Meyer, was sentenced last Friday (September 13, 2024), to 144 months (12-years)  in federal prison, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana. Meyer pled guilty April 19, 2024, to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. In 2011, Meyer was previously convicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa for possession with intent to distribute more than 5 grams of methamphetamine within a protected location.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that on November 19, 2022, law enforcement officers in Denison, Iowa stopped a vehicle driven by Meyer. Meyer admitted to being in possession of marijuana, failed to follow officer’s commands and drove off at a high rate of speed initiating a pursuit through Denison, Iowa. Meyer ultimately drove into the alley and was taken into custody.

During a search of the vehicle officers located 55.46 grams of methamphetamine in the rear seat next to Meyer’s wallet. Officers also seized four plastic bags, each containing approximately one ounce (about 28 grams) of marijuana, a clear plastic bag containing 4.4 grams of marijuana, and a clear plastic bag containing 3 grams of suspected cocaine. Meyer intended to distribute some or all of the drugs to another person or persons.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Meyer was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment and must serve an eight-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Meyer remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa DCI Laboratory, and the Denison Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – The Des Moines City Council will vote tonight on whether to ban camping in public areas and to cut the notice time before removing tents and shelters on city property from ten days to three. Opponents say the changes would criminalize homelessness and further crowd shelters. Backers say the amendments will push homeless populations to use available resources nearby.

City Manager Scott Sanders says the intent of the ordinance is not enforcement. “There is language that we have added to be as clear as possible that the intent of this ordinance is get compliance,” Sanders says. “To get to the heart of what we’re trying to do here is to get individuals into safer environments.”

The city’s plan is for Primary Healthcare outreach workers to visit people found camping on public property and help transport them to shelters. Shelby Ridley, director of programs at Primary Healthcare, presented a plan to the city council last week to hire three more outreach workers. “Street outreach is a necessary thing for this community,” Ridley says, “but you won’t see less people experiencing homelessness until we have an increase in housing.”

Someone who fails to comply would be fined $15 and charged with a simple misdemeanor. However, if shelters are full or the person is unable to pay, they would not be held liable. The city first introduced the proposed changes at a meeting in July. Tonight will be the third and final reading.

(Radio Iowa) – An Associated Press investigation has found a group called the Patriots Run Project tried to recruit candidates to run as independents in two of Iowa’s competitive congressional districts. Congressman Zach Nunn — the Republican in Iowa’s third district — says he’s outraged to see anyone prey on hardworking Iowans or try to deceive voters. The man from Scranton who was recruited to run against Nunn told the Associated Press he withdrew his name from the ballot after determining his candidacy was intended as a dirty political trick.

The group failed to collect enough petition signatures for a woman it recruited to run against Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the first district. Iowa Republican Party chair Jeff Kaufmann says it’s truly despicable that this Democrat-backed group knowingly took advantage of disabled or retired Trump supporters to try to cheat and pull votes away from Republicans.

The Associated Press reports the Patriots Run Project recruited candidates in run for congress in four other states. According ot the A-P, the group is not registered as a business, a non-profit or a political action committee in the United States and the group’s website lists a Post Office Box in Washington, D.C. as its address. Meta took down the group’s Facebook page a few weeks ago and the group’s website cannot be found in a Google search.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report the arrest at around 10:45-a.m. today (Sept. 16th), of 46-year-old Jill Renee Coddington, from Red Oak. She was taken into custody at her residence in the 1600 block of E. Summit Street, for Domestic Abuse Assault. Coddington was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

(West Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowa REALTORS® distributed more than $609,000 in housing relief grants to 547 households across the state following devastating spring and summer storms this year.  According to the organization, Iowa REALTORS® is dedicated to ensuring Iowans impacted by natural disasters are afforded the resources to rebuild their homes and sense of community through relief grants. Iowa Realtors CEO Gavin Blair said in a press release, “The sense of home for thousands of Iowans was diminished this spring and summer as a result of destructive severe weather events. As Iowans, we know that helping one another is the first line of action. Iowa REALTORS® stand behind our communities and are proud to provide needed support to those who faced the unimaginable.”

Through three separate grant relief campaigns, Iowa REALTORS® distributed $609,373 in funding to 547 Iowans. The funding was available to individuals impacted by storms in April, May and June to assist with mortgage and rental payments or hotel reimbursements.  Recipients received funding through a simple application process, sharing the stories and photos of the devastation they encountered following these deadly storms.

A woman from Minden- identified only as Jennifer – said she and her family experienced the total loss of their home following tornadoes that struck this past May. She said “The shock of this traumatic event still haunts us. Not only did we deal with wind damage, but the rains that followed for the following days made it extremely difficult to salvage anything that remained.” When flood waters filled the basement and five feet of the first floor of their home in Rock Valley, Stacia and her family lost all of the contents on the two floors. Because of the nature of the disaster – flooding – Stacia’s insurance claim was denied. The ability to obtain relief from Iowa REALTORS® will help her family as they begin to pick up the pieces.

In order to provide needed assistance following three major storm events and their subsequent flooding, Iowa REALTORS® received generous grant funding from the National Association of REALTORS’® REALTORS® Relief Foundation.