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(Podcast) KJAN News, 12/29/21

News, Podcasts

December 29th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Our 7:07-a.m. broadcast area/state News, with Ric Hanson.

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2 from Iowa expected to plead guilty in Jan. 6th U-S Capitol attack

News

December 29th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Washington, D-C) – An Iowa man and his son charged in connection to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol are expected to plead guilty. KCCI reports Daryl Johnson of Saint Ansgar and his son, Daniel Johnson, of Minnesota, were seen on video entering the Capitol during the attack — and later bragged about it on social media. The two face numerous charges, including violent entry and disorderly conduct.

Court documents filed last week show a plea hearing has been scheduled for the afternoon of Jan. 4. Court documents also show that in January, investigators said someone tipped them off to a Snapchat video taken by Daniel Johnson showing him inside the Capitol during the attack. Then, on Jan. 18, another tip, regarding a Facebook post made by Daniel Johnson, saying “I was one of the first ones inside the capitol building.” A March 1 tip implicated both of the Johnsons and investigators said they were able to identify the two from video taken inside the Capitol.

The records say Daryl Johnson was wearing the same puffy navy blue jacket on Jan. 6 that he had in public Facebook photos and made Facebook posts about being at the Capitol. After obtaining private messages, investigators accuse Daniel Johnson of telling someone “We stormed capitol hill” and “Lol Dad and I were one of the first ones inside.” They say he sent those messages on the Jan. 6, soon after the attack.

So far, six Iowans face charges connected to the riot.

Red Oak woman arrested Tuesday night

News

December 29th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest at around 9-p.m. Tuesday, of a woman following a traffic stop. Authorities say 55-year-old Barbara Darlene Wilson, of Red Oak, was arrested for Driving While Suspended. Her bond at the Montgomery County Jail, was set at slightly more than $491.

The push to ban smoking at Iowa casinos

News

December 29th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Smoking has been banned in public places in Iowa since 2008, but there’s been an exception that has allowed smoking in the gaming areas of Iowa casinos. Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, notes the state’s tribal casinos and some state-licensed casinos temporarily moved to ban smoking to prevent the spread of Covid-19.  “I do think that may be one silver lining of this horrible pandemic that we’ve been living through is we’ve seen casinos across the state make the decision to eliminate smoking on their premises,” Petersen says, “and it is time for the legislature to just put that policy in place.”

In 2008, Petersen was a member of the Iowa House and chairwoman of the commerce committee that led the effort to pass the Iowa Smokefree Act. At the time, Iowa’s casino industry argued it would lose customers to casinos in the Illinois Quad Cities where smoking was allowed, but smoking is now banned in casinos in Illnois and South Dakota — and gambling regulators overseeing construction of new casinos in Nebraska have just proposed a smoking ban.

“I really see the competition argument is weakening because of the states surrounding us,” Petersen says, “as well as the tribal casinos eliminating smoking.” There’s been a no-smoking movement in casinos run by Native American tribes nationwide. Wes Ehrecke is president and C-E-O of the Iowa Gaming Association, which represents the 19 state-licensed casinos.

“Casinos probably have some of the best filtration and ventilation systems around. We have to accommodate both smokers and non-smokers in a very acceptable and quality indoor environment and we do that,” Ehrecke says. “…We’re bringing in fresh air several times every hour and that’s really helped during this Covid.” Ehrecke says it’s not a workplace safety issue — and he says adults should be allowed to make adult decisions in adult venues.

“It’s still legal in this country to (smoke)…but we want to be proactive with it and we are,” Ehrecke says. “…The employees don’t seem to have complaints that I know of because we are doing such a proactive effort with our ventilation and filtration.” Ehrecke made his comments during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

Grassley says listen to your own doctor not politicians on COVID

News

December 28th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says if you are confused by all the talk about COVID — there’s one thing to do. “Listen to their own doctor — particularly on vaccinations — be as cautious as you can. Don’t listen to the politicians,” Grassley says. The Republican from New Hartford says Democrats have politicized the issue, and cites President Joe Biden’s recent statement that there is no federal solution to the pandemic.

“If Trump had said that same thing, he would be lambasted. And that’s what Democrats were saying, that we’ve got to have a federal solution to it. Now their president comes along and says it’s up to the individual states,” he says. Grassley says he agrees that the solution should be left to the states. “Because we have such a geographically vast country. New York is so different from Des Moines Iowa that you shouldn’t pour this country into one mold and expect everything to be done in Washington D-C is going to fit all parts of the country the same way,” according to Grassley.

He says Biden’s statement wasn’t criticized even though it was the opposite of what his party has been pushing. “It’s completely different from the message he gave during his campaign that it’s all Trump’s fault and the federal government is going to solve all these problems,” Grassley says. Grassley says Iowa — and fellow Republican Governor Kim Reynolds — has done a good job of handling the pandemic.

House GOP members trying to develop policy for trans athletes

News

December 28th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Seven states have passed laws in 2021 that restrict transgender athletes from participating in girls sports activities in schools. House Speaker Pat Grassley says many House Republicans have an interest in passing similar legislation here, but he says the key is ensuring what’s passed could be enforced by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and the Iowa High School Athletic Association. “We shouldn’t just pass something so we can go home and say: ‘We passed something.’ If we’re going to pass policy, it has to be a policy that they can implement,” Grassley says. “…We’re trying to come up with a way that gives the clarity that’s needed because, ultimately, they’re the ones that are going to have to make sure who’s participating in what.”

Grassley says while there’s no bill ready on day one of the 2022 legislative session, that doesn’t mean one won’t emerge before the end of the 2022 legislative session. “I spend about four days a week of mine in a gymnasium, watching my two daughters play a lot of extracurricular activities,” Grassley says. “This is an issue that I hear a lot about.” Grassley says he’s also hearing from school board members who’re asking for a statewide policy on books in schools that some parents complain have pornographic content. Grassley says ensuring parents get input in their child’s education is a huge topic nationally right now.

“A bill that goes in and says: ‘You’re going to ban X, Y, Z book’ — a very hard piece of policy to craft, obviously,” Grassley says, “but the conversation itself will continue.” House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, a Democrat from Windsor Heights, says these types of conversations are not helpful in addressing Iowa’s workforce shortage. “In the last session, Iowa had the most LGBTQ bills of any state in the country introduced and none passed. Even the introduction of those bills sends a hateful message to people who are looking to live here or stay here after they graduate from college,” Konfrst says. “We need to be doing things to make Iowa more inclusive, not less.”

The 2022 Iowa legislative session starts on Monday, January 10th.

Judge says lawsuit by former IDPH spokesperson can move forward

News

December 28th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A district court judge has dismissed a request by the state to throw out a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by the former spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Health. Former department spokesperson Polly Carver-Kimm sued Governor Kim Reynolds and administrators in the Health Department last year, alleging she was forced to leave her job for providing open records information to the media. The lawsuit says requests that Carver-Kimm had previously replied to were required to go through the governor’s office once the pandemic started.

As first reported by the Des Moines Register, the judge ruled Carver-Kimm in her job had “the specific obligation to fulfill open record requests,” and dismissed the claim by the Assistant Attorney General defending Reynolds that state open records law is not “a well-recognized public policy.”

Fatal crash in northern Iowa, Monday

News

December 28th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Webster City, Iowa) – A rear-end collision in north-central Iowa’s Hamilton County, Monday evening, claimed the life of a man from South Dakota. The Iowa State Patrol reports a semi tractor-trailer, driven by a 24-year-old man from Hyattsville, MD, and a2013 Toyota Avalon driven by 61-year-old Rodney Earl Hutt, of Sioux Falls, SD, were both westbound on Highway 20 at around 6:50-p.m., Monday, when the car struck the semi’s trailer and became lodged underneath it. Hutt – who wore a seat belt -died at the scene. The driver of the semi was not hurt.

The accident remains under investigation.

Three men facing dozens of deer, turkey poaching charges in Des Moines County after lengthy investigations

Ag/Outdoor, News

December 28th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says state conservation officers have charged three men with multiple hunting violations in Des Moines County from two separate investigations for illegal activity that allegedly occurred this fall. An anonymous call to State Conservation Officer Paul Kay in October began an investigation into the alleged unlawful taking of a mature white-tailed deer that lead officers to discover additional deer and a turkey were also allegedly illegally taken, as well as, multiple violations for hunting over bait and a felon in possession of a firearm. The individual faces the possible loss of hunting privileges as well as the loss of the firearm used to take the deer and turkey.

The second case grew from an investigation into suspicious activity in northern Des Moines County in November that lead state conservation officers to a machine shed where they discovered three mature white-tailed deer along with several antlerless deer that were allegedly illegally harvested. Officers identified two individuals who were charged with hunting over bait, using firearms and crossbows in archery season and multiple deer tagging violations. Both individuals face the possible loss of hunting privileges as well as the loss of the firearms, bows and crossbow used to take the deer.

Potential fines and civil damages from these cases could exceed $100,000. All individuals are considered innocent until proven guilty.

Seek professional help if resolving to quit smoking in 2022

News

December 28th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to quit smoking, and a survey finds 70-percent of Iowa smokers want to quit, while 50-percent will try to quit in 2022. There are mixed messages circulating about how vaping can help smokers to kick the habit, messages that are blatantly false, according to Erika Sward, spokeswoman for the American Lung Association. “We know that smokers are confused,” Sward says. “Smokers want to end their addiction and not be held hostage by nicotine and tobacco products.” The U-S Food and Drug Administration has not found any e-cigarette to be safe and effective in helping smokers quit, she says, and the Lung Association is urging smokers to step away from all tobacco and nicotine products, and not switch to vaping.

“The Lung Association believes that every smoker can quit, and can quit for good,” Sward says. “We know that it’s hard, but if smokers want to talk to their doctors or call 800-LUNG USA or call 800-QUIT NOW, they can work with someone who is an expert at helping people end their addictions for good.” Surveys find about 16-percent of Iowa adults smoke cigarettes and more than 5-percent use e-cigarettes. As for Iowa teens, about 4.4-percent smoke cigarettes while 22-percent of Iowa 11th graders use e-cigarettes. Breaking the addiction can be very difficult and the advice of a professional may be key.

Sward says, “Every person takes a slightly different approach to how they can be most successful at quitting, and that’s why it’s important to work with someone with that experience, including the American Lung Association, to find the exact way they can be most successful in improving their health.” The Iowa Department of Public Health reported nearly 50 cases of serious illness related to vaping during 2019.