(Radio Iowa) – A judge has ordered a Sergeant Bluff man to pay an 80-thousand-dollar civil penalty for burning thousands of railroad ties on his property. State regulators say they warned John Goldsmith not to burn some 30-thousand railroad ties after he called a D-N-R employee in 2018, and said he intended to burn some of them. He said that disposing of the ties would cost significantly more than his property was worth.

The lawsuit against Goldsmith says he barricaded the property to prevent anyone from getting in and then burned the railroad ties over a period of three days. The judge issued the maximum penalty and also issued a permanent injunction against Goldsmith to keep him from violating solid-waste and open-burning laws.

The judge warned Goldsmith that he could face contempt charges and possible jail time if he disobeys the judge’s order.

424 PM CDT Wed Jun 16 2021 …A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM TO 8 PM CDT THURSDAY FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST, MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN IOWA…

• Expect Highs from the upper 90s to around 100 degrees. Peak afternoon heat indices from 100 to 105.
• Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible.

To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a wide-ranging bill into law that cuts personal income taxes, gradually gets rid of the state inheritance tax and erases a property tax levy used to finance mental health services. State money is to be used to finance the mental health system. “Health care professionals and patients who rely on Iowa’s mental health system deserve this sustainability and predictability this funding source will provide,” the governor says.

Reynolds says she’ll recommend MORE personal income tax cuts in 2022. The legislation was a compromise brokered by Governor Reynolds with the Iowa House and Senate to wrap up the 2021 Legislative Session.

SF 619 provides significant tax relief to hardworking Iowans:   

• SF 619 drops tax rate from 8.53% to 6.5%  
  • Reduces the number of tax brackets from 9 to 4  
  • Eliminates Federal Deductibility  
• Phases out the mental health levy over 2 years, saving property taxpayers over $100 million
• Phases out state inheritance tax over 4 years, saving taxpayers nearly $100 million
• Expands eligibility for the Beginning Farmers Tax Credit
• Food Bank sales tax exemption

SF 619 invests in mental health and foundational priorities like child care and housing:  

• Dedicated, sustainable mental health funding from Iowa’s General Fund
  • Includes a growth factor that allocates new money as revenue increases

• Increases eligibility for the Child Care Tax Credits from families making $45k – $90k
• Increases workforce housing tax credits to $40 million for FY22 ($35 million for years following)
• Extends Brownfield/Grayfield and increases funding from $10 million to $15 million
• Develops a Manufacturing 4.0 strategic roadmap for the future of manufacturing in the state of Iowa

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in the state’s most heavily populated county has approved a lottery with thousands of dollars in prizes to try and lure more residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Polk County leaders say their goal is to get 75 percent of the county’s eligible population vaccinated by the end of the State Fair on August 22nd.
Supervisor Tom Hockensmith said he supports the program. “In order to reach herd immunity, I think we’re gonna have to do things like this to really encourage folks and set folks to, to get vaccinated,” Hockensmith says.

The county will host lottery drawings for all fully vaccinated residents on every Friday starting next week. Ten prizes of one-thousand dollars will be given out weekly. One prize of 50-thousand dollars and a five-thousand-dollar scholarship will be given out every other week. The governor says the state won’t be doing any sort of vaccine lottery — but Polk County Supervisor Robert Brownell thinks it could work for Polk County. “It’ll help drive vaccinations and it’ll help drive our vaccination numbers. And once we can get past this thing, then things really can get back to normal,” Brownell says.

Polk County residents can go to the website immunizepolk.org to register for the vaccine lottery.

(Walnut) – One of the organizers of this Father’s Day weekend’s 38^th Annual Walnut AMVETs Antique Show says approximately 350 vendors from 21 states will be on hand to display and sell their antiques and older collectibles. The event takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Gene Larsen, with the Walnut AMVETs, said the first time the event was held, it started out small, with about 20 or 30 dealers, but then it quickly began to grow each year.

The huge number of vendors, according to Larsen, take up about 15 city blocks over the weekend, in Walnut, in addition to three big halls for displays.

Larsen essentially runs the show, as administrator. He says they make sure vendors have quality items for sale before they are allowed to set up in their display area.

Gene Larsen says people are shocked at the amount and variety of antiques they’ll find.

The event has been featured in almost every antiques-related magazine and newspapers in the country has featured the Walnut AMVETS show. One antiques magazine even rated it in their Top 10 Antiques Travel Destinations in the world.

In addition to antiques, there will be plenty of food vendors. Admission to and parking for the event, are free. The show runs from 8-a.m. to 5-p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division report a Nevada (Iowa) woman, 31-year-old Danielle Tiffany Dutton, was charged with four counts of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information (Class D Felony) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.  The charges against Dutton stem from an investigation which began in January 2020.  Criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau allege Dutton made false statements to insurance companies involving multiple electronic devices in an attempt to receive insurance benefits she was not entitled to. On June 9, 2021, Dutton was charged and released with a promise to appear.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

(Radio Iowa) – A lush, green lawn is a source of pride for many Iowans and this prolonged drought is forcing many of us to quit worrying about having the best lawn on the block — and let the grass go dormant. Adam Thoms, a horticulture professor at Iowa State University and a turfgrass extension specialist, says it’s stressful for grass to shake up the watering schedule, so he’s telling Iowans if their lawns are already turning brown, just let them go. “Putting them in and out of dormancy by watering and stopping and then restarting is really hard on the turf,” Toams says. “It’s okay to go into dormancy. The grass can last for 30 to 60 days with that straw brown color and it won’t hurt it at all. It’ll come back out in the fall.”

Des Moines Water Works, which serves more than 500-thousand customers in 18 central Iowa communities, is asking residents to voluntarily conserve and cut back on watering by 25-percent. Last Friday, demand for the utility hit 90-percent of production capacity. Toams predicts many folks in the Des Moines metro -will- cut back, as requested. “There’s some research out there that shows when they ask for those voluntary commitments that people do step up and follow those,” Toams says. “We always suggest that you don’t water every day anyway. It’s better to do a deep and infrequent watering. That forces the turf roots to go deeper to chase that water deep in the soil, so, that’s an okay thing.”

Some people turn on the sprinklers for hours at a time and let them saturate the grass, but Toams says most lawns don’t need more than an inch of water in a week’s time. “If you can break that down over two or three times a week — that one inch — that’s fine,” Toams says. “If we get a week like next week’s coming up that they’re saying it’s going to be a little cooler, you can dial that back to eight-tenths of an inch or something like that. And of course, if we get any kind of rain, count that against your inch.” If you’ve laid sod within the past year or are trying to grow new grass from seeds, you’re in for what could be an expensive, frustrating challenge.

“Those are the ones that are going to get hurt by this drought. They’re the ones that need regular watering just because they don’t have a deep root system,” Toams says. “We do need to make sure that those get regular waterings. If you’re thinking about overseeding or adding seed to your yard, just wait. Right now is not the time. It’s too hot and it’s obviously too dry.”

Plus, given the weather patterns, he says more water restrictions are likely looming. If the dry weather lasts through summer and grass has been dormant up to six weeks, apply an inch or so of water in a single application. The grass won’t green up, but it’ll keep the roots alive. If the drought continues, water in that fashion every two weeks, but not enough to bring it out of dormancy. Toams suggests Iowans give their lawns a good dose of fertilizer this fall to help them recharge and ideally, come back strong next spring.

The 7:07-a.m. Newscast w/Ric Hanson.

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A Council Bluffs woman who allegedly set another woman on fire in Council Bluffs early Monday morning, appeared in court Tuesday morning. A judge set the bond for 28-year-old Lindsy Maves at $135,000. According to KETV, Maves faces charges of attempted murder, first-degree arson and willful injury, in connection with an incident that took place at around 4:30-a.m. Monday, in the 1400 block of North 15th Street, in Council Bluffs.

Upon arrival, police found a woman with severe burns on her body. The victim, identified as 37-year-old Christine Weilage, was rushed to UNMC for treatment. According to a report, investigators determined Weilage had been involved in a disturbance with Maves. The conflict reportedly was over a man. The police report stated “At some time during this incident Maves allegedly sprayed a flammable substance on Weilage and then lit her on fire. A witness to the incident attempted to put the fire out and while doing so Maves again attacked Weilage by hitting her in the face with an unknown object,” a report stated.