If a bill that cleared the Iowa Senate becomes law, drunk underage college students would not get in legal trouble if they call 9-1-1 to get help for a friend who’s in danger. Senator Brad Zaun of Urbandale met with students from Iowa, Iowa State and U-N-I who are lobbying for the bill. “The reality is currently on our campuses what’s going on is these kids are scared to call the police,” Zaun says.

Under the bill, intoxicated minors seeking assistance for someone who’s overdosing or being sexually assaulted would get a limited form of “immunity.” The bill specifies the student who called 9-1-1 — AND the person in danger — could not be disciplined by his or her school for drinking and would not face criminal charges for public intoxication, alcohol possession or having an open container in a vehicle. Zaun says 36 other states have similar laws in place today.

“We all know that younger people don’t always make good decisions, but what this does is give them immunity,” Zaun says, “and make sure that the person that needs emergency services are free to do that, without prosecution.”

The bill passed the Senate unanimously Wednesday. It must clear the Iowa House, too, and be signed by the governor before it may become law.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) and its Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) are urging partiers this St. Patrick’s Day to find a safe ride home if you plan on drinking. Before you decide to go out and drink, line up a designated sober driver, utilize GTSB’s & AAA’s Tow to Go Program, or find another alternative ride home.

St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest holidays in America. Last year, there were zero fatalities in Iowa over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday (March 17 – 20, 2016), but there were 458 crashes resulting in 756 injuries, of which 16 were serious. A majority of the serious crashes on St. Patrick’s Day happen between midnight and 6:00AM.

No matter if you choose to drink or be the designated driver – remember that wearing your seat belt will provide the most protection in the event you don’t have the “luck of the Irish” and are involved in a crash.

Together, we can make this St. Patrick’s Day holiday a safe one and again have zero fatalities.

A traffic stop Wednesday night in Creston resulted in the arrest of an Adair County man. Creston Police say 32-year old Derik Wayne Bud Pickrell, of Fontanelle, was arrested for Driving While License Denied or Revoked. He was later released from custody on a $1,000 bond.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say manhole covers were sent flying by explosions resulting from an underground electrical fire in Sioux City. Firefighters were sent to the scene around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Assistant Fire Chief Dan Cougill says the fire stemmed from a system failure and that a pressure buildup caused the explosions. No injuries have been reported. The fire knocked out power in several downtown blocks.