(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has filed charges against a Pleasant Valley man in connection with a fatal boat accident on the Mississippi River near LeClaire in August of 2020. Conservation officer, Travis Graves, says 44-year-old James Theil is charged with two felony counts of involuntary manslaughter. “One for the death of Craig Verbeke, one for the death of Anita Pinc,” Graves says.

Thiel was also charged with two aggravated misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count of reckless use of a watercraft, and one count of operation of an unregistered watercraft. Graves says Thiel allowed a minor to drive the boat, and the minor was driving when the accident happened, which violates Iowa law.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa chapter of the American Heart Association is hosting a live webinar this (Wednesday) afternoon to discuss the vaping epidemic in Iowa’s schools and efforts to make all schools tobacco- and vape-free. Wesley Franklin, the association’s community impact director, says they’ll offer an in-depth look at the “alarming” trends in youth tobacco use. All are welcome to attend. “We’re looking at school officials, school directors, administrators and educators, who will be our main audience,” Franklin says. “Of course, we’ll have some parents who are passionate about reducing or eliminating vaping and tobacco in schools.”

Virtually all Iowa schools are required to be tobacco-free and smoke-free, but vaping doesn’t involve tobacco or smoke — it’s a chemical vapor — so in some schools, vaping is still permitted as the rules are written. “There is still a discrepancy about how is vaping not part of it,” Franklin says, “and a lot of our school officials are not updating their tobacco policies to make sure that vaping products and all of those elements of vaping are updated within their policy.” Recent polls find about one in four Iowa high schoolers say they vape daily. The workshop is free and starts at noon.

Register here:
https://heart.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Xr6i0eVwTJqm8wz0P-mHXA

Police in Des Moines are investigating a crash that took place a little after 8:30-p.m. Tuesday, and that resulted in two fatalities. Authorities say 51-year-old Jerry Coles and 47-year-old Kristy Hyde were killed in the crash. Police said 46-year-old Stacey Coles-Behle was injured in the crash and remains hospitalized in serious condition. In a news release, Police said “Witness statements, and preliminary examination of evidence at the scene, indicates that the passenger car, a 2016 Mercedes Benz, involved was traveling northbound on E. 14th Street at what appeared to be a high rate of speed. The two motorcycles involved were southbound on E. 14th Street and turning eastbound on Washington Avenue. The Mercedes Benz struck the motorcycles within the intersection. The Mercedes Benz continued northbound until it crashed into a utility pole, shearing it off at the ground, and came to a stop. Witnesses reported that multiple persons got out of the crashed Mercedes Benz and ran from the scene.”

Police said no arrests have been made.

Police in Red Oak report two people were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday. At around 9:35-p.m., Officers responded to a possible domestic disturbance in the 1600 block of E. Summit Street. Upon further investigation, 54-year-old Barbara Darlene Wilson, of Red Oak, was taken into custody for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Wilson was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted in handling the arrest.

And, 29-year-old Dylan James Humbright, of Red Oak, was arrested on an OWI/2nd offense charge, Tuesday, after Red Oak Police investigated an accident in the 1000 block of Senate Avenue, Authorities say a 2000 Chevy garbage truck owned by Batten Sanitation and driven by 58-year-old Curtis Clark of Stanton was eastbound and making a stop, when a 2003 Chevy Silverado driven by Humbright backed into the front of the garbage truck. Police say Humbright left the scene of the accident and was immediately located at the BP gas station at 1715 Broadway. No injuries were reported.

Humbright was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Sam Clovis, a former Republican candidate for the U-S Senate, is suing a Sioux City hospital and its affiliates for alleged medical malpractice. The Iowa Capital Dispatch says the 71-year-old Clovis is suing UnityPoint Health and St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center of Sioux City, along with Regency Square Center and Family Health Care of Siouxland. The lawsuit also names four doctors as defendants.

The lawsuit states the defendants were responsible for Clovis’ medical care for three months up to June 2019, when he awakened to discover that he was a paraplegic. Clovis, who is from Hinton, claims the defendants missed multiple opportunities to diagnose and intervene with regard to a thoracic spinal cord abscess that has resulted in permanent spinal cord damage.

Clovis, according to the lawsuit, is now wheelchair-bound as a paraplegic, requiring significant round-the-clock care. He is suing the defendants for negligence and is seeking unspecified damages for medical expenses; loss of function of the mind and body; physical pain and mental anguish; and lost earning capacity.

The Hinton resident served in 2016 as one of the national co-chairs of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, and later became a senior White House adviser to the U-S Department of Agriculture.

(Radio Iowa) – A new online map can be used to educate Iowans about the air quality around them with a few mouse clicks. Brian Hutchins, the air quality supervisor at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the colorful map is called simply, AirNow, and it’s focused on fires and smoke.  “What you can find there is the Air Quality Index (AQI),” Hutchins says. “It’s easy to read and essentially the higher the number on that chart, the worse the air quality is. It’s a great tool for those with underlying health conditions, like asthma, to keep an eye on.”

The first time you log in, you’ll see a map of North America, with a series of green, yellow, orange and red dots stretching across Canada, the U-S and Mexico. “You can zoom in on Iowa and you can see the monitoring sites that we have in the state, and the AQI is represented by a dot on the map,” Hutchins says. “It’s a colored dot and you can compare that to the AQI number.” In recent years, Iowa’s air has been polluted by wildfires as far away as Canada. The next time it happens, Hutchins says the map will come in handy, as there are things Iowans can do to stay safe.

“It’s a good idea to limit outdoor activity, especially physical activity like exercising, that sort of thing,” Hutchins says, “if you are an individual that is susceptible to that type of impact.” He also suggests limiting your time near pollution sources — like busy roads. This is National Clean Air Week.

The Adair County Engineer’s Office reports the 110th Street Bridge replacement project over the North River, between Riverside and Quebec Avenues, in northern Adair County, was completed ahead of schedule, and the road is open. The project began Jan. 19th and was scheduled to be finished May 31st.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office says a man from Yorktown was arrested April 30th, for Indecent Contact with a Child. 42-year-old Justin Allen Sickler was taken into custody following an investigation conducted by the Page County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa Department of Human Services. Sickler was booked into the Page County Jail and later released on $4,000 bond, pending future court proceedings.

Justin A. Sickler

The Page County Sheriff’s Office, Monday, received a complaint about a woman walking up and down Main Street in Coin, yelling and screaming causing a disturbance to the neighborhood.
A Page County Deputy made contact with 30-year-old Destiny Estalin Louise Graham, of Coin, in the 400 block of Main, after she was pointed out by a witness as being the female causing the disturbance.

Destiny Graham

The Deputy witnessed Graham yelling while talking with the witness. Graham became agitated and allegedly began causing a loud ruckus with her yelling and screaming while the Deputy was attempting to calm her down. Graham refused to lower her voice and talk with the Deputy and began yelling and screaming, causing even more of a disturbance. When Graham refused to calm down after several attempts from the Deputy speaking with her and warning her of the criminal offense she was committing, she was told she was under arrest and began to scuffle with the Deputy.

Graham was arrested and transported to the Page County Jail on charges of Disorderly Conduct, and interference with Official acts. She later posted a $600 bond and was released pending future court appearances.

A traffic stop Tuesday (today) in Red Oak, resulted in the arrest of 61-year-old Dale Ellsworth Burns, of Red Oak. Burns was taken into custody for Driving While License Suspended, x3. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $491.25 bond.