(Atlantic, Iowa) [updated 8:30-a.m.*]- Cass County Sheriff’s deputies were asked to search for a possible suspect in an aircraft laser targeting incident that reportedly took place Thursday night. The Cass County Communications Center was notified by Minneapolis Air Traffic Control (ATC) that an aircraft traveling at an altitude of about 3,600-feet reported to the ATC, the pilot had seen a blue laser light that they thought was pointed at their aircraft. Cass County deputies were asked to search the area of 770th and Tucson Road (Southeast of Massena) for a possible suspect.

A statement provided to KJAN by the FAA said: “The pilot of a single-engine Cessna 172 reported being illuminated by a blue laser approximately 40 miles southwest of Des Moines International Airport in Iowa around 8:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, Nov. 7. No injuries were reported. Local authorities were notified. The FAA will investigate.”

Image from FAA.gov

*In a text message, Cass County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Westering confirmed with KJAN “Deputies responded to the area. Aside from finding a residence in the area with blue lights on, nothing was found.”

The FAA says “Intentionally aiming lasers at aircraft[s] poses a safety threat to pilots and violates federal law. Many high-powered lasers can incapacitate pilots flying aircraft that may be carrying hundreds of passengers.” U.S. law enforcement agencies and the Federal Aviation Administration may seek criminal and civil prosecution against violators. People who shine lasers at aircraft face FAA fines of up to $11,000 per violation and up to $30,800 for multiple laser incidents.

(Radio Iowa) – The approaching holiday season can be the hardest time of the year for many of the 100-thousand Iowans who are caring for a loved one with dementia. Megan Benzing, program manager for the Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, says they offer a wide array of resources, programs and support groups just for caregivers. “Alz Connected is an online messaging board where they can speak to other caregivers or family and friends who are also going through a similar situation,” Benzing says. “They can ask questions, get guidance and support as they’re going through this difficult time.”

The starting point is the website alz-dot-org-backslash-iowa, and all of the resources are free. There’s also a 24-7 helpline available at 800-272-3900. The cost of putting a loved one in a “memory care” facility can be several thousand dollars a month, so financial constraints can quickly become an issue for someone with dementia — and their family — making caregiving the best option.  “The goal is to try to keep them in their home as long as possible but because of the progression of the disease, they eventually get to a point where it’s nearly impossible for the caregiver to care for them on their own,” Benzing says. “They have to consider things such as in-home care, or putting their loved one into a care community.” The life expectancy after diagnosis often ranges from four to eight years, but she says it can be up to 20 years, based on conditions.

Being a caregiver can be particularly stressful and demanding. “Caregivers are often having to manage multiple conditions at a time,” Benzing says, “so not just memory loss, but long-term physical conditions, including gradual loss of mobility, emotional issues and behavioral and personality changes.” A survey found about a third of responding caregivers found themselves in declining health, while more than a quarter said they’d delayed or did not do things they should for their own health. More than six-million people nationwide are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including 62,000 in Iowa.

(More online at alz.org/iowa)

(Radio Iowa) – A update from the staff of the Board of Regents shows they are ahead of schedule in complying with a new law that requires cutting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D-E-I) programs. Regent Christine Hensley says she is pleased with the work done on the issue and was pleased after a meeting with students on the issue.  “Because they are excited about this, and they feel that now it’s open to all the students on the campus. And I thought that was extremely positive,” Hensley says. Regent David Barker says the report presented Thursday shows things are off to a good start. “The law is designed to keep university administration out of politics. Professors can conduct research and take controversial ideas wherever they go, but the university itself should be neutral on politics and controversial issues,” Barker says.

Barker says the report only deals with university administrative offices. “So the next question is, are there still dei offices on our campuses? This report suggests not. It tells us that the remaining offices that were reviewed were not engaged in D-E-I activities,” he says. “This is where I believe we have more work to do. Just this semester, there were several examples of university administrative offices that are not being eliminated or restructured that promoted D-E-I.” He says D-E-I has been ingrained in the system.

“Promotion of these ideas has been so widespread in university administration that achieving compliance will take a great deal of effort. Strategic Plans still need to be changed, and our presidents need to strongly communicate that they expect our universities to follow the spirit of the law, not find ways around it,” he says. Regent Robert Crammer says the students might want to participate in developing a process to address issues that pop up. “What’s their process of, you know, saying, ‘Hey, turn this in, this isn’t quite complying with the deal,’ and just have an orderly process. And even as we get texts or whatever, I would assume we would probably phone to Mark and he would follow up with it to see that it gets addressed,” he says.

Regent Jim Lindemayer says inclusion is something that we all want, but he thinks some of the mistakes is when it is institutionalized. “That’s where the tussle has come in, is that we’ve institutionalized these things and maybe taking them too far in some instances, maybe not far enough in others. That’s my opinion,” Lindemayer says. The new law will not take effect until July 1st of 2025, and the Board of Regents staff say they will continue working on the compliance issues.

State Representative Taylor Collins led Republican efforts on the D-E-I bill. He released a statement following the Board of Regents meeting Thursday that says: “Iowa’s higher education system will no longer waste millions or be distracted by ideological agendas. These changes are a positive step forward, but the legislature shouldn’t have to continue to do the Board of Regents or our University President’s job for them – Iowans expect more.”

DYERSVILLE, Iowa (KCRG) – The City of Dyersville has filed a lawsuit against Dubuque County after not receiving the $524,293.88 in American Rescue Plan Act funds owed to the city for the Field of Dreams project. According to KCRG-TV, in December 2023, the City of Dyersville was supposed to receive the money for renovations at the Field of Dreams, but the funds were fraudulently directed to a third party. Dyersville and Dubuque County entered the agreement in December 2022.

However, scammers hacked the City of Dyersville’s email and sent emails to Dubuque County, impersonating a Dyersville city clerk requesting the funds. Dubuque County Auditor Kevin Dragotto stated the office had no reason to question the payment and alerted law enforcement as soon as they were made aware of the fraud. However, the lawsuit filed Thursday alleges Dubuque County took no action to reach out to anyone in Dyersville to confirm the request for a transfer of funds, nor verified which account the funds were going to.

The investigation into the stolen funds started in February. Dubuque County Sheriff Joe Kennedy said the investigation is still active and includes the FBI. Sheriff Kennedy has said the money had been transferred to cryptocurrency, meaning it would likely be impossible to ever recover the funds.

The Iowa Communities Assurance Pool denied coverage for the money, saying that because the County actively sent the money to the wrong account, it does not meet coverage for a hacking or fraudulent act.

Dyersville city leaders say Dubuque County still owes the money. They’re filing the lawsuit for a breach of the contract.