(Radio Iowa) – Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the Iowa Capitol on Sunday afternoon to protest attempts to restrict abortion. Among the speakers, Jean Swenson said her mother told her stories from before the Roe versus Wade decision, when Iowans had to travel to Chicago or New York to get abortions, or they would try to perform abortions themselves, which could be very risky. Swenson said, “But we will never go back to those days because abortion rights are human rights.”

Groups including Planned Parenthood and the Iowa Coalition for Collective Change hosted the event. It drew a huge crowd with many people holding signs and wearing shirts declaring their support for protecting the right to terminate a pregnancy. On Saturday, a few dozen people gathered outside of a Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Des Moines to pray, then they walked to the Statehouse to pray more. Tom Quiner is president of the board of Pulse Life Advocates, which co-hosted the event. He says his Catholic faith teaches that human life begins at fertilization.

“I believe that it is always unjust to kill an innocent person,” Quiner says, “so philosophically, theologically and politically, it’s just an issue that animates me.” Quiner says he’d like to see the ban on abortions after a “fetal heartbeat” is detected take effect. He also wants the Iowa Legislature to approve an anti-abortion constitutional amendment, which would then go to voters to decide.

Abortion is still legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa community is the latest to adopt a curfew for children and teenagers. Lake City’s City Council made the move after recent vandalism to stop signs and streets and in the town square. Eric Wood, the city administrator for Lake City, says the new ordinance applies to everyone under the age of 18. “It’s unlawful for any minor to be or remain in any of the public places in the city between the hours of 12:30 and 5 for ages 16 and 17,” he says, “and 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. for minors 15 years of age and under.”

There are some exceptions to Lake City’s curfew. “If you’re accompanied by an adult, if you’re on your own property, if you’re coming back from an activity such as a school event,” he says, “those are all exceptions to the policy.”  In 1989, the Iowa Supreme Court upheld a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in Panora for anyone under the age of 18 and many Iowa cities have curfews for minors.

Other area cities with curfews include:

• Atlantic: Midnight to 5-a.m. daily
• Audubon: Midnight to 5-a.m.
• Clarinda: 1-a.m. to 5-a.m.
• Greenfield: (age 14 & Under…10 p.m.-5 a.m. Sunday-Thursday, and 11 p.m.-5 a.m. Friday and Saturday, unless they are accompanied by a responsible adult; persons age 15-17 are prohibited from being in public from 11 p.m.-5 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and midnight-5 a.m. Friday and Saturday, unless they are accompanied by a responsible adult.
• Guthrie Center: Midnight to 5-a.m.
• Harlan: 12:30-a.m. to 5:30-a.m.
• Shenandoah: from 1-a.m. until 6-a.m.

(Radio Iowa) – The fall semester won’t start for several weeks at the state’s colleges and universities, but now is a key time in the financial planning process. The C-E-O of Iowa Student Loan, Steve McCullough, says parents and students need to do some research when it comes to student loans. “This time of year when people get their award letter, and they see the amount that students are going to get in scholarships and grants and the amount that students can pay using their own student loans. But then there’s this bottom line, which is the amount that the parents and families is supposed to pay,” McCullough says.

He says there are federal student loans, private loans, and the loans offered through the Iowa program. “The Federal Direct Plus loan has a really high interest rate, it just reset. They don’t publish an A-P-R, but we estimate it’s going to be about eight-point-five percent (8.5). And if you think about that, that’s a really high rate for a loan these days,” McCullough says. “In comparison, the highest rate that I-S-L education lending offers, in our state-based program that was authorized by the legislature is an A-P-R of seven-point-four percent (7.4%). He says the state loan could save a family one-thousand dollars over the life of a 10-thousand dollar loan. McCullough says their website at iowastudentloan.org can help you see your options.

“We actually do a side-by-side comparison with the Federal Direct Plus loan. And there are other features different repayment options, different other things to consider as well, besides the interest rate, and we want people to recognize those two and make the choice that’s right for them,” he says. There’s been a lot of talk from the Biden Administration about forgiving student loans. McCullough says the shouldn’t be a factor in any student loan decision right now. “It may not apply to parents that are currently borrowing for their students for this fall, and so we don’t want them to be distracted by that we want them to really be considering the factors that matter, so they can try and borrow less money,” he says.

McCullough says there are things students can do to reduce the amount they need to borrow. “They can work while they’re in college, they can try and lower their living expenses. So that it doesn’t cost that much for them to be at college. There’s lots of things that they can do. And the less they borrow now, the less they have to repay later,” McCullough says.

He says if you base your decisions on the facts at the time and really take the time to do your research and understand that interest rates and the other factors you can make a difference in how much you end up paying in the long run.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau report a southeast Iowa man faces a Class-D Felony charge of Insurance Fraud. 33-year-old Stephen Allen Allgood Jr., of Eddyville, was charged with one count of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information, following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. The charges against Allgood stem from an investigation which began in March 2021.

Allgood, Jr.

According to criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, Allgood made false statements and submitted a fraudulent document in connection with an auto insurance claim. On July 7, 2022, Allgood turned himself in to the Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office after an arrest warrant was issued by the Appanoose County District Court. Allgood posted a $5,000 bond and was released. Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

No additional information will be provided at this time.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – (Updates with victim’s name) Police in Red Oak are asking for the public’s help in locating an unknown SUV involved in a hit-and-run accident that left a bicyclist critically injured. Authorities say at around 11:15-p.m. Sunday, 57-year-old Pablo Rivera, of Red Oak, was riding a bicycle southbound at the intersection of N. 8th and E. Corning Streets in Red Oak, when an eastbound SUV on Corning Street struck the man and left the scene of the accident. Rivera suffered serious injuries and was transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital before being flown by helicopter to the UNMC in Omaha.

If you saw or heard anything in the area at the time of the incident, please call Red Oak Police at 712-623-6500.

In other news, Red Oak Police report the arrest at around 8:10-p.m. Sunday, of 37-year-old Aaron Lucas Allen, from Red Oak. He was charged with Stalking/1st offense, Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense, and Harassment in the 3rd Degree. Allen was being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail. And, at around 1:11-p.m. Sunday, Red Oak Police arrested 60-year-old Edward Michael Liford, of Red Oak, for Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports one arrest took place Sunday night. 24-year-old Zackary William Gray, of Glenwood, was arrested at around 8:22-p.m., for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Child Endangerment. His bond was set at $3,000.