(Radio Iowa) – A new video being released by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau features the family of two Iowans who were killed seven years ago by a distracted driver in a Webster County crash. The wreck in May of 2015 took the lives of 56-year-old David Castenson of Harcourt and his mother, 85-year-old Velma Castenson of Dayton. State Patrol Sergeant Alex Dinkla says the video is important for all motorists to watch.

The video is filled with emotion and shows the far-reaching impact that can result from a single, dangerous mistake.

In 2017, the driver of the vehicle that killed the two was sentenced to probation after being convicted of vehicular homicide. Dinkla says it was the first case of its kind to be prosecuted in Iowa for distracted driving with a cell phone.

In the video, Kristi Castenson, David’s widow, says her husband was very special to the lives of their children.

The video is posted on YouTube and on the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau Facebook page.

Des Moines, IA – A man from Urbandale was sentenced today (Friday) to serve nearly 6 1/2 years in prison. The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, reports 44-year-old Russell Glenn Crane was ordered to serve 78 months in prison following his guilty plea to a charge of Possession of Child Pornography. Crane must also serve a five-year term of supervised release following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on or about January 6, 2022, Crane knowingly possessed visual depictions of child pornography, including over 20,000 images and at least four videos, some of which depicted minors younger than 12 years old. Using several electronic devices, Crane had collected the child pornography over the course of at least a decade by downloading the material from various internet sites.

The Urbandale Police Department, Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force investigated the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – The non-union association for teachers is joining other groups that represent educators to warn of a teacher shortage in Iowa. Nathan Arnold is director of legal services for Professional Educators of Iowa, a group formed in 1981 as an alternative to the state teachers union.

Arnold says it’s not just about training new teachers, but keeping teachers from leaving the profession.

Arnolds made his comments this week at a statehouse hearing about the G-O-P proposal to provide a three percent increase in next year’s state funding formula for public schools. The group is not registered for or against that level of spending on public schools.

Senate Republicans have voted for the three percent spending increase and House Republicans are likely to pass the bill early next week — to provide about 106 million dollars more to Iowa’s public schools for the next academic year.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Area Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Stephanie Steffens, owner of YOUR FORTE, on Thursday, February 2nd, 2023, to celebrate the opening of her music, book, and art supply store located on Chestnut Street in the building previously known as Howard’s Clothing. Chamber officials say Stephanie has always had a passion for reading and writing and it was with that passion that she pursued a career in education. Fast-forward to 2022, Stephanie decided to bring her long-time dream of owning a bookstore to life and opened YOUR FORTE in December 2022.

The definition of forte means “a strength, strong point, or something at which one excels,” and Stephanie hopes to help those that walk though her doors find their passion.

YOUR FORTE provides art supplies, musical instruments, and used books, while offering a space for local art to be sold and displayed, tutoring services, instrument rentals for students, and creative workshops. Stephanie shared that the first workshop will take place this Saturday, February 4th. Community members are welcome to join the “Embroidery Basics” workshop on Saturday from 2-4PM. The cost of the workshop is $50. Participants will receive a “starter kit” and learn how to begin seven basic stitches.

YOUR FORTE is located at 415 Chestnut Street and is open 10AM-5:30PM, Monday- Friday, and 10AM-4PM on Saturdays. For more information about tutoring services, instrument rental, etc. please contact 712-243-2074 or visit their website at www.shopyourforte.com.

(Radio Iowa)- A bill that’s cleared initial hurdles in the Iowa House AND Senate would let visitors in Iowa amusement parks and county fairs use credit cards to play the ring toss and other games in the midway. Jake Ketzner is a lobbyist for the Association of Iowa Fairs and for Adventureland, the amusement park in central Iowa. He says under current law, visitors can use credit cards to pay for admission, for food and souvenirs. “This bill would simply allow the use of a credit card for midway type games,” Ketzner says. “Forty percent of Americans, according to Pew Research, don’t carry cash, so it’s just providing that option for guests, for a little bit more flexibility.”

Senator Mike Bouselot, of Ankeny, says it seems like an inconvenience to find out you need cash to play midway games. “You shouldn’t have to take a trolley to go find money to go pay to play on the midway,” he says. The Iowa State Fair already has an exemption which lets fair-goers use credit cards to play games on the midway.

If the bill becomes law, the policy would extend to Adventureland in Altoona, Lost Island Amusement Park in Waterloo and the Arnolds Park Amusement Park as well as Iowa county fairs.