(Rural Red Oak, Iowa) – A man from Red Oak was cited Monday afternoon for Violation of a Burn Ban – a simple misdemeanor. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports they were notified just before 5-p.m., Monday, of a fire in the 2200 block of 148th Street, northeast of Red Oak. Daniel Williams was subsequently cited into court and released at the scene. Red Oak Fire and the Montgomery County EMA assisted at the scene.

The Burn Ban in Montgomery County was placed into effect on April 5th and continues until further notice.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Red Oak Police Department reports a woman from Cass County (IA) was arrested late Monday night, following a traffic stop near Highway 48 and Ratliff Road, in Red Oak. Authorities say, upon further investigation, it was determined that 39-year-old Becky June Sulley, of Griswold, had a suspended license through Iowa. Sulley was taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where her bond was set at $491.25.

(Radio Iowa) – Thirty-one Republicans in the Iowa Senate have given final legislative approval to a bill that provides new liability protection to the trucking industry.The bill does NOT impact coverage of medical bills after someone is killed or severely injured in Iowa by a semi or commercial vehicle, but five million dollars would be the limit in NON-economic pain and suffering damages.

Earlier this year a lower two million dollar limit cleared the Senate, but last month 58 House members voted to set five million dollars as the cap. Republican Senator Michael Bousselot of Ankeny says the changes made by the House aren’t ideal, but the bill is a step in the right direction.

“This is a bill that is intended to lower costs for Iowans,” Bousselot said. “…Predictability and stability for critical, critical components of our supply chain.” Three Republican Senators joined all Democrats in voting against the bill. Senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat from Des Moines, says juries should still be allowed to decide how much a victim is owed without any limits.

“While I still have objections to the bill’s overall impact,” Boulton said, “I do want to take this moment to acknowledge the work done by so many to get us to a much better piece of legislation here.” Governor Reynolds first proposed a new liability shield for the trucking industry last year and she put the issue on her list of legislative priorities for this year.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill to let residents in rural areas capture or kill skunks, opossum or raccoons that are a nuisance is on its way to the governor, but not before one last laugh about how clever — and destructive — raccoons can be. Senator William Dotzler of Waterloo says a raccoon got into an old school bus he uses once a year to haul riders to RAGBRAI  — the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

“He ate all kinds of stuff but the worst part of aggravation is I had a RAGBRAI hat…and that raccoon defecated in my hat on the way out of the bus!” Dotzler said, as gales of laughter rolled through the Senate. Under current law, Iowans have to call a state-licensed wildlife control business to trap a raccoon if it’s causing a nuisance. The bill says people who live in rural areas outside of city limits would have permission to shoot to kill a raccoon — or a skunk or opossum — that’s ripping into things or chowing on food that’s not for them.

Senator Tom Shipley of Nodaway says the raccoon population has exploded in Iowa, partly because there’s no market for raccoon pelts. “Consequently they have become a tremendous nuisance, destroying agricultural crops, but also damaging houses — property in all aspects,” Shipley says, “and this is just going to hopefully get that population under control.” Shipley ended his comments on the bill by suggesting there may be someone in Glenwood with a replacement for the commemorative cap ruined by the raccoon on Dotzler’s RAGBRAI bus.

The bill passed the House March 7th on an 87-to-11 vote and cleared the Senate last (Monday) night 47-to-two.