(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a written statement of support, but is apparently not adding her name to the list of G-O-P lawmakers who’re asking the Iowa Supreme Court to overturn a 2018 ruling on abortion. The court’s 2018 ruling said women have a fundamental right to an abortion under Iowa’s constitution. The Associated Press reports two groups representing 60 Republican members of the Iowa legislature have filed a legal brief this week. It asks the court to toss out what the document describes as an erroneous ruling.

In a written statement, Governor Reynolds says it was one of the most liberal abortion decisions in the country and should be overturned. The make-up of the court has changed since it ruled three years ago that a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion was unconstitutional. Governor Reynolds has appointed four of the seven justices now serving on the Iowa Supreme Court.

Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls says it’s time for Iowans to make their voices heard in opposition to extreme abortion laws, like the one that just went into effect in Texas that bans abortions after the sixth week of a pregnancy. The Texas law gives citizens the right to sue anyone they think is violating the law.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday) released a report on arrests spanning from August 18th through Sept. 1st.  In an update to our initial report on August 23rd: 32-year-old Korey Dean Augustine, of Council Bluffs, was arrested early that day, following a multi-county pursuit for failure to stop for a traffic violation.  Augustine was eventually apprehended and brought back to the Shelby County Jail without incident, where he was charged with eluding, reckless driving, driving under suspension, and interference with official acts.   He was held pending initial appearance then held under a $5,000 cash bond.

In other news….

• 35-year-old Hanna Rae Schoemann was taken into custody Sept. 1st, following an execution of a search warrant at her residence in Harlan.  Upon further investigation, Schoemann was charged with child endangerment, prohibited acts, 3 counts of possession of controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.    Schoemann was transferred to the jail where she was held under $7300 cash or surety bond, and released the follow morning and given a future court date for after posting the required bond.
• On Aug. 31st, 46-year-old Michael Joseph Stessman, of Defiance, was taken into custody on a failure to appear bench warrant, and furthermore apprehended and charged with eluding, careless driving, speed, and failure to obey stop sign and driving while license revoked.    Stessman is currently held in the Shelby County Jail under two separate $5000 cash only bonds.
• Shelby County Deputies on Aug. 29th, arrested 46-year-old Amy Jo Jensen, of Harlan, following a traffic stop along Highway 59 in Shelby County.  Upon further investigation, Jensen was charged with Operating while intoxicated 2nd offense, possession of controlled substance, prohibited acts, possession of drug paraphernalia, and cited for lane violation and littering.    Jensen was transferred to jail without incident and released the following morning after posting the required bond.
• On the 28th, Deputies arrested Todd Alan Salmons, of Avoca, for driving while license revoked or denied following a traffic stop on his motorcycle on Highway 59.   Salmons was taken into custody and charged with failure to have interlock device on vehicle.  He was released later that evening after posting the required bond.
• The the 27th, Shelby County Deputies arrested 19-year-old Chance Deshon Marley Manley, for a failure to appear warrant issued out of Shelby County District Court for probation revocation hearing.   Manley is being held on $2000 cash only bond.
• 51-year-old David Dean Anderson, of Council Bluffs, was taken into custody following a traffic stop along Durant Street in Harlan on Aug. 26th.  Deputies charged Anderson with driving while barred and he was taken into custody without incident and transported to jail and released the following morning on his own recognizance.
• On Aug. 20th, 35-year-old Hanna Rae Schoemann, of Harlan, was arrested on a failure to appear district court warrant for failure to show for debtor’s exam court case involving the defendant Schoeman and Myrtue Medical Center.   The defendant was brought to jail without incident and released a short time later after posting the required $300 cash bond.; And, 40-year-old Ronald James Traynham, of Omaha NE, was arrested at a residence in Shelby County following a district court warrant being issued for failure to appear for pre-trail conference in a child endangerment case in Shelby County.  Traynham was being held under a $2,000 cash only bond and awaiting future court date.
• And finally, on Aug. 18th, Shelby County Deputies arrested 26-year-old Jack Ryan Benisvy, of Wall Lake, after a traffic stop for speeding in Shelby.   Benisvy was taken into custody after investigation and charged with possession of controlled substance 1st offense, possession of drug paraphernalia, prohibited acts, and speeding. He was transferred to jail without incident and released the following morning under his own recognizance.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Public Health is shifting from weekly to Monday, Wednesday and Friday updates of Covid related information on hospitalizations, testing data and deaths of Iowans from Covid. Kelly Garcia is the agency’s acting director.

Garcia calls it a refresh. The dashboard highlights how many hospital patients with Covid have not been vaccinated. Today’s number — 90 percent of all Iowa hospital patients with the virus have not gotten a Covid shot. In July, the department had shifted to reporting this kind of information once a week.

The information about Covid-related hospitalizations that will be posted tomorrow (Friday) and three times a week thereafter will be raw data. It will be confirmed by public health department staff and a weekly report will be posted in a different spot on the state website. As of last night, 524 patients in Iowa hospitals had Covid. The latest information on Covid cases statewide shows that in the past week, 22 percent of the Iowans who got a positive result from a Covid test were under the age of 18.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans are being urged to donate toward relief efforts as the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the East Coast overnight, killing at least nine more people. Sue Thesenga, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, says the powerful storm left destruction from New Orleans all the way to New York and New Jersey. “Your gift is a commitment to helping people in need and every single donation matters right now,” Thesenga says. “Financial donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters like Ida.”

Just as many out-of-state volunteers poured into Iowa last August after the derecho to offer assistance, Iowans are now urged to help our neighbors who’ve also been hit by Mother Nature’s fury. “People can help others who have been affected by Hurricane Ida by visiting redcross.org,” Thesenga says, “or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or you can text the word ‘IDA’ to 90999 and that allows you to make a $10 donation.”

Volunteers from Iowa and around the country are already in the impacted areas across the South and Southeast providing safe shelter, meals and comfort to those in need.

(Radio Iowa) – The college and pro football seasons are expected to feature a full schedule this season — but some games could be canceled if there is a COVID-19 outbreak. What happens if you bet on a game that gets canceled? Iowa Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko , says sports gambling operators have house rules that deal with that possibility. “House rules are very different than the general sports wagering rules. House rules get very detailed, very specific,” according to Ohorilkoh. “And so there is a lot of discretion that the sportsbooks get to apply with those house rules — and they are very different from one sportsbook to another,” according to Ohorilkoh.

He says the sportsbooks updated the rules as the details came out about how the N-F-L and conferences would handle COVID. “It’s something that every online sportsbook has, they’re posted, it’s not something that most customers would look at, you wouldn’t think you would need to look at it,” he says..  Ohorilkoh says you should read over the house rules before making a bet this season. “We’re really just telling customers if they are actively participating in the N-F-L and college football to take the time to read those house rules related to cancellations,” Ohorilko says.

He says it likely won’t be a problem. “For most of the sportsbooks in Iowa, we’re seeing them just refunding all of those bets. But at the end of the day we are recommending that everyone take a look at those house rules if they are an active player,” he says. Ohorilko says the Racing and Gaming Commission will keep an eye on the situation throughout the season. “The commission would get involved if there was anything that seemed arbitrary, or capricious, or just not fair,” Ohorilko says.

He says the sportsbook operators are looking forward to having a full college and pro football season after seeing so many games canceled by the pandemic in 2020.

With Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – A body was discovered near a southeast Iowa water park Wednesday afternoon. Marvin Hertz of Des Moines says he was taking a break from his job as a non-emergency medical transporter and walking around the lagoon next to the Beach Ottumwa at 12:30 when he saw what he thought was a person in the water on the opposite side. When Hertz got closer, he saw a deceased white male face down in the water near the bank. Lieutenant Jason Bell of the Ottumwa Police Department says there was no apparent trauma to the body.

The remains will be transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office where a cause of death will be determined. The identity of the deceased individual has not been disclosed.

Police in Creston arrested a woman at her home, Wednesday evening. Authorities say 41-year-old Angel Marie Richards was taken into custody at around 7:21-p.m. in the 300 block of N. Walnut Street, and charged with Simple Assault. She was released at the scene with a citation and summons to appear in court.

The 7:07-a.m. broadcast News from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowans are ignoring warnings and taking a powerful medication designed for deworming cattle and horses in hopes of staving off or curing COVID-19. Tammy Noble, a registered nurse and spokeswoman for the Iowa Poison Control Center, says there’s suddenly a lot of buzz over Ivermectin and the Sioux City-based facility has taken calls from people who’ve ingested it on purpose and by mistake. “We’ve had a combination of both, of people that are intentionally taking it and people that are not, that have an accidental exposure to it,” Noble says, “so we’ve had both, but it’s less than a handful.” Before taking any drug to treat or prevent an ailment, Noble says it’s important to consult a physician first, especially before taking anything unapproved. “The FDA has not approved Ivermectin for use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans,” Noble says. “At this point, there’s not really good evidence or good proof that Ivermectin is beneficial.”

The poison center in Georgia reports a 700-percent increase in calls about Ivermectin in recent weeks. The drug can be used in proper doses to treat skin conditions in humans and pharmacies nationwide had reported dispensing about 36-hundred prescriptions per week. In recent days, however, Ivermectin prescriptions have jumped to 88-thousand per week. “If you’re considering using the animal product on yourself, we do not recommend that,” Noble says. “The veterinary formulations are typically for use in large animals. They are highly concentrated and if a human should take that, that could easily lead to an overdose.”

Taking inappropriate doses of the drug can lead to seizures, coma and death, Noble says. The Iowa Poison Control Center is available around the clock at 800-222-1222.