(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House — for the second year in a row — has passed a bill to limit the co-payments for insulin to a hundred dollars for a one-month’s supply. Patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes take insulin to control their blood sugar, but the cost of the drug has skyrocketed. Representative Liz Bennett, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says that has caused patients to take less insulin than prescribed — or not buy it at all.

“Insulin is indeed a life-saving medication and no one should go broke simply just to try to preserve their life by using insulin,” Bennett says. Seven million Americans take insulin daily and a dozen states have established co-payment limits on insulin. A bill to set a 100-dollar-a-month co-payment limit for insulin purchases in Iowa cleared the House last year, but did not pass the Iowa Senate.

At the federal level, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley released a report early this year blasting the pharmaceutical industry for insulin price hikes. Grassley says there’s clearly something broken when a product like insulin that’s been on the market longer than most people have been alive skyrockets in price.

The Harlan Police Department reports two arrests. On Feb. 6th, 38-year old Christopher Daniel Ivey, of Harlan, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. And, on Jan. 31st, 39-year old Ronald James Traynham, of Harlan, was arrested for Child Endangerment, following an investigation.

There were also two separate accidents in Harlan on Tuesday, Feb. 9th, both of which were at least partially attributed to icy road conditions. No injuries were reported. The accidents took place in the 1700 block of Chatburn Avenue, and at 6th and Cyclone. All four drivers were from Harlan. The were identified as Anna Nelson, Lynval Arnold, Brenda Neubauer, and Shelbi Clark. No citations were issued in either incident.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest on Tuesday of 67-year-old Dortha Ann Morris of Red Oak on 2 warrants. The warrants charged Morris with Interference with Official Acts, Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree, Eluding, and Assault on a Peace Officer. Morris was arrested at 2400 N 8th Street in Red Oak and the arrest stems from an incident in October 2020. Morris was booked in to the Montgomery County Jail on $5,300 bond.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 23-year old Samantha Dawn Shatava, of Glenwood, was arrested Monday afternoon at the Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Failure to Appear. The warrant was with regard to a previous Possession of Paraphernalia charge. Shatava’s bond was set at $300.

Monday morning, 49-year old Shawntee Dazell Lobley, of Sioux Falls, SD, was arrested at the Mills County Jail on a Fugitive from Justice warrant. Lobley was being held without bond in the jail.

Tuesday morning (2/9), 41-year old Helen Elaine Tuper, of Malvern, was arrested on a warrant for Child Endangerment. Her bond was set at $1,000. Also arrested Tuesday morning, was 44-year old David Vincent Grund, Jr., of Council Bluffs. He was taken into custody on a warrant for two counts of Theft in the 1st degree, with bond set at $20,000.

(PR Newswire) NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Two teens, 17-year old Emma Thompson, of West Des Moines and 13-year old Davin Holste, of Shenandoah, Tuesday, were named Iowa’s top youth volunteers of 2021 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, America’s largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer service. Thompson  – The High School State Honoree – was nominated by Valley High School. Holste – the Middle Level State Honoree – was nominated by the Shenandoah Middle School.

As State Honorees, Emma and Davin will each receive a $2,500 scholarship, a silver medallion and an invitation to the program’s virtual national recognition celebration in April, where 10 of the 102 State Honorees will be named America’s top youth volunteers of the year. Those 10 National Honorees will earn an additional $5,000 scholarship, a gold medallion, a crystal trophy for their nominating organization and a $5,000 grant for a nonprofit charitable organization of their choice.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honors students in grades 5-12 for making meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service.

Davin, an eighth-grader at Shenandoah Middle School, volunteers in numerous ways to make his community a better place to live. “When I moved to my town a few years back, our community said that there was a lack of volunteerism,” said Davin. “This motivated me to work with my community.”

Davin has cleaned parks, posted water-pressure readings on fire hydrants, and made flag posts for a cemetery. He also has helped with a “Shop with a Cop” program to buy gifts for children in need at Christmastime, assisted with many food drives, and volunteered to help with a local Knights of Columbus pancake breakfast. At his church, Davin has helped provide Christmas gifts for children in need overseas. Recently, he also made a video to help students return to school safely after being sequestered at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Volunteering has helped make me a better person,” said Davin. “I learned that I can make a difference if I work my hardest.”

State Honorees in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Class of 2021 – the top middle level and high school volunteer from all 50 states and the District of Columbia – were selected for service initiatives completed, at least in part, between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020. Selection was based on criteria including impact, effort, initiative and the personal growth demonstrated over the course of the project. Several Distinguished Finalists and runners-up were also selected in each state, and all qualifying applicants received President’s Volunteer Service Awards.

To read the names and stories of all of this year’s State Honorees, visit http://spirit.prudential.com.

Police in Red Oak say a woman wanted for Violation of Probation fled from officers late Tuesday morning, but was located hiding under a car, in the snow. Authorities say 30-year old Kirstin Lynn Wilwerding, of Omaha, was apprehended and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where her bond was set at $2,000.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors are set to meet 9-a.m. Wednesday, in Greenfield. Their session will be conducted electronically, via dial-in [to (605)-313-6157, access code 526272#)]. On their agenda is:

• a Semi-annual report from County Treasurer Brenda Wallace
• An insurance and employee benefits presentation from Brian Nelson w/Globe Life.
• Titan Immel w/AgHub Midwest will discuss the construction of an Ammonia Facility
• and, County Engineer Nick Kauffman will discuss the Adair County Secondary Roads Construction Program, and present part of a contract for the Board to sign with regard to N9 Prussia RCB (Concrete Box) Culvert Plans.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Wisconsin man who pleaded guilty last year in Iowa to one count of sexual exploitation of a child has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. Federal prosecutors for Iowa say 20-year-old Caleb Durr, of Hazel Green, Wisconsin, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. There is no parole in the federal system. Prosecutors say Durr used a cellphone in 2019 to make sexually explicit images of an 8-year-old girl in Dubuque.

Durr was also accused of having sexual contact with another girl under 10. Durr had originally faced four felony charges of second-degree sexual abuse of a child before he entered his guilty plea in August.