Jeneary and Carlin To Hold Town Hall Meetings
(Des Moines) — State House Representative Dr. Tom Jeneary along with State Senator Jim Carlin have announced they will hold town hall meetings scheduled for Saturday, February 23rd. The two lawmakers will be at Joe’s Cafe in Akron beginning at 9:00 a.m. They will also hold a second town hall meeting at Le Mars at the Floyd Valley Healthcare conference room #1 located
on the lower level of the hospital. The Floyd Valley town hall meeting will begin at 11:00 a.m. The lawmakers will discuss legislation that has been introduced in the general session. The public is invited to attend either town hall meeting.
State Senate Debates Increasing Fines For Cell Phone Use While Driving
(Des Moines) — A senate committee has unanimously approved more than tripling the fine for people caught handling their smart phone while driving. Drivers gripping their cell to text or talk when they’re involved in serious accidents could have their driver’s licenses suspended for three months if the bill becomes law. Senator Jeff Danielson, a Democrat from Cedar Falls, says modern technology provides plenty of “hands-free” options
for drivers.
Senator Mark Lofgren (LOFF-gren), a Republican from Muscatine, says as a runner, he’s worried about drivers distracted by their smart phones.
The current fine for drivers caught texting and driving is 30 dollars. This bill would raise that to 100 dollars. Drivers involved in serious accidents while they’re texting or handling their cell phone could be fined five-hundred dollars. If the accident causes a death, the fine would jump to one-thousand dollars. The bill cleared the Senate Transportation Committee Wednesday afternoon and is now eligible for debate in the full Senate.
State Lawmakers Set To Approve SAVE Tax For Schools
(Des Moines) — The education committees in the Iowa House and Senate have approved a bill that would ensure school districts have tens of millions of dollars in sales taxes to pay for improvements to school PROPERTY for decades to come. Margaret Buckton, a lobbyist for Rural School Advocates of
Iowa, says this is the group’s number one legislative priority.
The one percent sales tax established statewide in 2009 for school infrastructure is due to expire in 2039. The bill legislators are considering would extend that another 20 years. Representative Cecil Dolecheck (DOHL-uh-check), a Republican from Mount Ayr, says most bonding
agencies require a 20-year repayment plan, so schools will start to face higher interest rates on bonds if this bill doesn’t pass.
In 1999, the Iowa legislature allowed local option sales taxes to be raised for renovating or building new schools. Within a decade, 96 counties were collecting the sales tax, but critics said districts near retail centers got a higher proportion of those taxes. Ten years ago, legislators made the switch to distributing the one-cent sales tax for school infrastructure on a per pupil basis.
………
Des Moines Hotel Settles With Rape Victim
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa hotel has settled a lawsuit with a New Jersey woman who was raped and battered after the front desk gave the attacker her room key.
Attorneys for Cheri Marchionda say the operators of the Embassy
Suites Hotel in Des Moines agreed to a settlement before she was set to testify Wednesday. Terms were not disclosed.
Christopher LaPointe, of New York, is serving a 20-year prison
sentence for the 2014 attack. Marchionda awoke to find him in her room, which he was able to access without proving he was registered there.
The Associated Press typically does not name victims of sexual
assault, but Marchionda’s attorney, Peter Villari, said she is revealing her name in hopes of serving as an advocate for hotel safety and sexual assault victims.
Trial Set For Woman Accused Of Strangling Her Child
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) – A September trial has been scheduled for an Iowa woman accused of using pajama pants to strangle her 5-year-old daughter.
Wapello County District Court records say 23-year-old Kelsie Thomas, of Ottumwa, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. Her trial start is set to start Sept. 10.
Police and medics were sent July 19 to Thomas’ home in Ottumwa after a 911 call. Her daughter, Cloe Thomas, was pronounced dead later at a hospital.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has said Kelsie Thomas told investigators that she killed Cloe.
Prosecutors Wrap Up Case Against Man And Woman Who Are Charged With Confining Boy In Basement
ELDORA, Iowa (AP) – The injuries prosecutors say an 8-year-old boy sustained at the hands of his father and a woman who confined the boy in a basement have been detailed in court.
Pediatric nurse practitioner Ann Swisher said Wednesday one of the U-shaped marks on the boy’s buttock was likely the result of him being spanked by a flyswatter.
Prosecutors wrapped up their case against 40-year-old Traci Tyler on Wednesday. The defense didn’t call any witnesses.
Swisher said during the bench trial that the other marks she
observed on the boy were more difficult to identify because they were healing.
Prosecutors say Tyler and Alex Shadlow locked the boy in their home, in a space under the basement stairs, for at least nine hours a day in the summer of 2017. The two are both charged with kidnapping.
Shadlow’s trial will start later.
Jury Says Iowa Department Of Corrections Violated Transgender Employee’s Rights
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A jury has ruled that the Iowa Department of Corrections discriminated against a transgender employee by denying him the use of men’s restroom and locker rooms at the prison where he worked.
Jurors also ruled Wednesday that state government violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act by offering medical benefits that did not cover gender reassignment surgery, and awarded Jesse Vroegh $120,000 in damages.
The American Civil Liberties Union says Vroegh’s lawsuit was the
first related to transgender rights since lawmakers amended the Iowa Civil Rights Act in 2007 to bar discrimination on the basis of gender identity.
ACLU lawyer Melissa Hasso says the verdict marks “an historic day for transgender Iowans, their friends and families.”
Vroegh began working at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville as a nurse in 2009. In 2014, Vreogh informed his boss that he would be transitioning from female to male.
The warden denied his requests to begin using men’s facilities and instead designated two gender-neutral restrooms for Vreogh.
Boom Crane Falls Into Mississippi River
MOLINE, Ill. (AP) – A boom being used at an interstate bridge over the Mississippi River near Moline, Illinois has fallen into the water.
Iowa Department of Transportation officials said Wednesday the
agency is working to remove the lattice boom of the crane working at the Interstate 74 bridge site.
The Dispatch in Moline reports IDOT has not said what caused the boom to fall, but said the crane is stable on the barge platform at the construction site.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Brandon Giles said the fallen boom did not impact navigation and there were no signs of pollution from the incident.
Construction on the bridge began in July 2017 and is expected to be completed in 2020. The bridge is part of an interstate expansion between Bettendorf, Iowa and Moline.
Computer Software Company Seeking State Assistance
AMES, Iowa (AP) – A software company wants more than $2.5 million in state aid to expand in Ames.
Station KCCI reports that the Ames City Council voted Tuesday to endorse the aid application by Vertex Software, which says the expansion could bring 300 new jobs to the area. Many of the jobs would pay more than $100,000 a year.
The company says it’s developed a cloud-based software product that lets users securely share 3D product data to any computing device.
Founder and CEO Dan Murray wants to build a 60,000-square-foot (5,574- square meter) building in Iowa State University’s research park.
Ames finance director Duane Pitcher says it’s “a good news story for Ames, a homegrown company.”
—
