DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) – A woman from northwest Iowa has been charged with vehicular homicide for the Nebraska crash deaths of a 57-year-old woman and her 3-year-old granddaughter.  Twenty-seven-year-old Heather Reisdorph, of Sioux City, has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts.

Authorities say her vehicle ran into the back of one that was waiting to turn left off U.S. Highway 75/77 south of Dakota City on Jan. 6. The impact pushed the vehicle into oncoming traffic, where it was struck by another vehicle.   Patricia Oldenburg, of Homer, Neb., and her granddaughter, Regan Coenen, of Sioux City, Iowa, died. Eight-year-old Braden Coenen was injured.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Legislation that would require facilities offering mammograms to also give patients information on breast density will be considered by state lawmakers.  Democratic Rep. Helen Miller of Fort Dodge is the leading sponsor of the bill, which is scheduled for debate by a House subcommittee, today (Wednesday).

Women who have dense breast tissue have a greater risk of developing breast cancer than women with more fatty tissue, and it can be harder for a mammogram to catch a possible tumor.  The advocacy group Are You Dense says five states have established similar laws, including New York, Texas and California.  A recent study by the American Cancer Society showed that women with denser breasts had the same chances of breast cancer survival as patients with less dense breasts.

A new program announced Tuesday by the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) is designed to provide tens of thousands of dollars in federal tax relief to hundreds of first time home buyers in the state. IFA Executive Director Dave Jamison says a program of this type hasn’t been offered in Iowa since the mid-1990s. The Take Credit! Mortgage Credit Certificate program allows eligible home buyers to qualify for up to $2,000 a year in federal income tax credits through the life of the mortgage. “Potentially, that’s a $60,000 difference to somebody,” Jamison says.

Eligibility for participation in the program varies by county, “But, we can roughly say if the household income for two is under $70,000 and the home purchase price is (under) $250,000, you’re in the ballpark,” Jamison says. The IFA has allocated $50 million toward the program.  “We expect that will help approximately 1,000 Iowans and it will run until the $50 million is allocated — or about a year is what we expect,” Jamison said.

About 100 lenders in Iowa are participating in the program. More information is available online at iowafinanceauthority.gov

(Radio Iowa)