HOUSE GUN BILL
A gun related bill that’s been proposed for the past several years has cleared the Iowa House.
State Representative Tom Jeneary of Le Mars says one of the components of the bill is a gun safety program to be offered in Iowa schools.
Rep Jeneary says that amendment to the bill passed in bipartisan fashion.
The bill would let anyone who may legally carry a weapon leave a gun in a locked vehicle in the parking lot of any public K-through-12 school, community college or state university. The gun would have to be out of sight inside the vehicle. Democrats say it’s wrong to allow more guns to be closer to students and is a reckless step after escalating school shootings.
MONONA COUNTY FIRE
A large grass fire broke out in southern Monona County Thursday, County Emergency Management director, Patrick Prorok (Pro-rock) says the fire expanded after a small building caught fire. He says it burned 32-hundred acres in Monona County and also reached into parts of Harrison County. Twenty fire departments from two counties were called to stop its spread. Monona County Sheriff, Kevin Ewing, says they let residents north of the fire know about the potential danger, and a lot of people loaded up some valuables and were prepared to vacate the area if required. The fire was contained as of Friday morning,
OPEN RECORDS RULING
The Iowa Supreme Court says a lawsuit against the governor over the delayed release of open records about the COVID pandemic can move forward. The release was delayed five to 18 months, and the Supreme Court ruled the case can proceed based on the timeliness of when the records were produced. F-O-I Council executive director, Randy Evans, says he was gratified it was a unanimous decision, and hopes the trial ends with a clear statement that state and local government officials in Iowa, must comply with the requirements of the public records law, and they must do so in a timely manner. Governor Reynolds issued a statement, saying during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic her office shifted its entire focus to help Iowans navigate that difficult period.
JUICE JACKING
Most Iowans have been in an airport, shopping mall or movie theater, realized their phone battery was low, and plugged it into one of those free public chargers. Now, the F-B-I is warning about what’s being called “juice jacking,” where bad actors use those chargers to infect smartphones, tablets and other devices with malware. Consumer protection advocate Micheal Domke says that malware can be malicious.
There are warning signs your device may have already been infected, and Domke says you need to stay vigilant to keep your private data private.
Skimming devices placed inside U-S-B ports will allow a hacker to quickly access your banking apps, contacts, emails and texts within seconds. He recommends never using a public charger, but to instead, plug your own cord into a separate electrical outlet.
