The top Democrat in the Iowa Senate says he doesn’t want to “take away a woman’s control of her own destiny” when it comes to terminating a problem pregnancy. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal is from Council Bluffs, the city where a doctor who performs late-term abortions intends to open a clinic. The Iowa House has passed a bill that would ban abortions after the 20th week of a pregnancy. Gronstal and the other 25 members of the Iowa Senate took a different route, passing a bill that sets up a state permitting process for such facilities, with rules written in such a way that it would be hard for Dr. Leroy Carhart to open his clinic in Council Bluffs.

“I believe the surest way to keep Carhart out of Iowa is for the House to pass the bill the Senate passed,” Gronstal says. The Senate proposal would require a “free-standing” late-term abortion clinic like Dr. Carhart hopes to open to be near a hospital that has a special unit for premature babies, and Council Bluffs doesn’t have one.

“I believe that’s the surest way to keep (Carhart) out of Iowa, without taking away a woman’s control over her own destiny,” Gronstal says. Gronstal is critical of the House proposal which would ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. It would allow abortions in cases when the woman’s life is at risk, but Gronstal says that exception may not have applied to the six women who got late-term abortions in Iowa in 2009.

“It said that a woman had to be in imminent danger of death,” Gronstal says. “Basically, it says that unless the woman is hemorraging and about to die, you can’t do the abortion even if there’s no way the baby can’t survive outside the womb.” If the Republican-led House and Democratically-led Senate don’t agree and pass a bill dealing with this issue, Gronstal isn’t willing to say that’s an open door to Carhart.

“I don’t know that it means that. I don’t know that Carhart is going to come to Council Bluffs,” Gronstal says. “We’ve got a bill that I believe is the surest, quickest way — after much discussion with a lot of people in the senate and in the attorney general’s office and a host of folks — after much discussion, we’ve got a bill that we believe much more effectively than the House bill will keep Carhart out of Iowa. The House ought to pass it.”

Gronstal made his comments Friday during taping of the Iowa Public Television program “Iowa Press.”

(Radio Iowa)

A Kellerton girl died Thursday evening in Ringgold County, when she was thrown from an all-terrain vehicle. The Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office reports eight-year old Charlcey Ann Bowen died at the scene.

According to Sheriff Mark Davison, Deputies, the Ringgold County Ambulance and Kellerton First Responders were called to the scene of the accident at 2054 County Highway P-68 in rural Kellerton, at around 6:20-p.m., Thursday.

Davison says their investigation determined Charlcey had been driving a John Deere Gator ATV when it hit a large pile of gravel, overturned and ejected her.

KJAN will continue a long tradition Monday, May 30, 2011 as we bring you a live broadcast of the Atlantic Memorial Day service.  The broadcast begins at 10:00 am from the Atlantic Cemetery.  This is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the featured speakers will be representatives of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.  Our live coverage is brought to you by Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Homes in Atlantic, Audubon, Anita & Adair.

A trial in the case of a Griswold woman charged with vehicle homicide is set to begin in less than three-months. 45-year-old Christine A. Riedemann was charged with Vehicular Homicide and Possession of Marijuana, following an investigation into an accident last June near Atlantic, that claimed the life of 44-year old Katrina L. Christensen, of Atlantic. According to court records, Riedemann has waived her right to a speedy trial and will appear before a jury August 23^rd.

Reidemann was allegedly the driver of an SUV that went out of control the evening of June 4^th, 2010, as the it was traveling west on Highland Road. The vehicle entered a ditch, hit a utility pole and overturned.

Two separate blood-alcohol tests each indicated Riedemann was above the legal limit to drive. She was also found to have allegedly been in possession of marijuana.

A former western Iowa resident, now living in Joplin, Missouri, is asking people to pray for the victims of last Sunday’s tornado. The EF5 twister left a six mile path of destruction and has now claimed 132 lives. Jeff Wehr, a former resident of Westphalia and a Harlan High School graduate, has been living in Joplin for four years. Wehr, his wife and three sons all survived the storm. However, the family knew the middle son – Josh – was located in the path of the tornado. Wehr says they didn’t hear from him for five hours after the storm passed.

“It turns out, he came across one of the buildings that was flattened and he saw two girls trying to crawl out from underneath it. So, he stopped and he drove them to the emergency room,” Wehr said. “He turned right around and went back. He was just shuttling people, as he found them, back and forth.” Wehr’s entire family was eventually reunited on the north side of town, at their home, which was not damaged. The tornado ripped through the middle section of Joplin. Wehr says if people are unable to help Joplin residents with cash donation, they can still help with their prayers.

“To me, personally, that’s the most important thing are the prayers,” Wehr said. “I know so many people want to do things, but they don’t know what they can do. I just tell them, ‘pray for us.’ Pray for all of those victims who are going to be going through this for a long time.” Officials announced this morning (Friday) that 232 people remain unaccounted for five days after the deadliest tornado in the U.S. in 64 years.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department reports today (Friday), the arrest Thursday of 21-year old Vicente Vasquez, of Marne. Vasquez was taken into custody on a Cass County Sheriff’s warrant for Violation of probation.

The man was booked into the Cass County Jail.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Department says a Corning man was arrested early this (Friday) morning, on a Simple Assault charge. 37-year old Aaron Anderson was taken into custody just after 1-a.m., after deputies were called to Lake Binder on the edge of town.

Officials say a female camping at the lake was allegedly assaulted by Anderson, who was arrested and brought to the Adams County Jail, where he was being held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

And, authorities in Adams County are investigating an incident which occurred at around 8:30-p.m. Thursday at the K-C-C- Motel on the southeast side of Corning. Officials say two men were allegedly fighting. One of the men gave deputies several different names and date of birth. He being held in the Adams County Jail while authorities were trying to determine his true identity.