(Radio Iowa) – Republicans and two Democrats in the Iowa House have voted to let any Iowa parent certify they’ve taught their child to drive, so the teenager can try to get a driver’s license. It would end required completion of driver’s ed courses at their local school, a commercial driving school or the D-O-T’s online courses before a teen is eligible for a driver’s license. Representative Joel Fry, a Republican from Osceola, says as a home schooling parent, a state law passed in 2013 has let him teach driver’s ed to four of his children.

“I can tell you the amount of time that I spent with that child in driver’s education far outweighs the amount of time I received when I went through driver’s education in the school system,” Fry says. Representative Sharon Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City, says licensed instructors teach defensive driving skills in challenging conditions parents often avoid — and driver’s ed vehicles are equipped with an extra brake.  “I’m not saying parents are bad teachers,” Steckman says. “I’m just saying they do not have the background and ‘the brake’ to teach their kids to drive.”

Fry says parents who choose this option would have a vested interest in teaching their child to be a safe driver. “Who’s going to pay the insurance and liability and all of the damages that would incur should they get in an accident? It’s me. It’s not the school,” Fry says. “It’s me as the parent.” Iowa is currently among the majority of states that still require completion of driver’s ed courses before student drivers may take the written exam and driving test in order to get their license.

Eight states, including Nebraska, let parents certify their child has completed a period of parent-led practice driving rather than a driver’s ed course.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Jim Smith #462, a 27-year-veteran of the Patrol, was shot and killed on Friday, April 9, 2021, while attempting to arrest a barricaded subject in Grundy Center. Iowans statewide share the Iowa State Patrol’s grief in the loss of Sergeant Jim Smith. The Patrol and the family of Sergeant Smith have announced the following schedule of public funeral services.

VISITATION:

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Reiff Family Center-Funeral Home and Crematory

216 3rd Avenue SE

Independence, Iowa 50644

*MASKS ARE REQUIRED*

SERVICE: 

FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2021

10:00 a.m.

Independence Community High School

1207 1st Street West

Independence, Iowa 50644

*MASKS ARE REQUIRED*

OFFICIAL IOWA STATE PATROL SERGEANT JIM SMITH MEMORIAL FUND:

A memorial fund approved by the family has been established at BankIowa in Independence, Iowa. Interested persons can mail or drop off contributions to the Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Jim Smith Memorial Fund at the BankIowa branch located at 305 Enterprise Drive, Independence, Iowa, 50644, or at any BankIowa branch located in Independence. The family intends to establish a memorial scholarship in remembrance of Sergeant Jim Smith.

(Radio Iowa) – Lawmakers continue to discuss how distribution of the nickel deposits on bottles and cans of beer and carbonated beverages that are sold in Iowa might be restructured. A key senator is expressing doubts, though, that this is the year the so-called Bottle Bill will be changed. Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver points to April 30th, which is the target date for ending the 2021 legislative session. “There is still progress being made,” Whitver says, “but it will be difficult to wrap that up in the next three weeks.”

Republican Representative Shannon Lundgren of Peosta is among the House members hoping to come up with a compromise by that deadline.  “We are probably starting to run out of time,” Lundgren says, “so I think we have to come with some language and get that out there.” Representative Chuck Isenhart, a Democrat from Dubuque, says something must be done to address the declining number of options for consumers who want to return the empties and get their deposits back. “I think we need to be cognizant of consumer convenience,” Isenhart says. But Senator Whitver says no single solution has emerged that has enough support to pass either the House or Senate.

“If there are 12 different ideas, there’s not one and you need one to make it law and I know a lot of legislators, a lot of interests on every side are working on this,” Whitver says. “We haven’t got a whole lot closer than we were in January.” During an appearance on Iowa P-B-S this weekend, Whitver agreed with an interviewer that debates about the Bottle Bill are a bit like “Groundhog Day” since they restart EVERY January when the legislature convenes.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol tweeted a message today (Monday) from the family of slain Trooper Jim Smith. The message says the Department of Public Safety and Sergeant Jim Smith’s family would like to thank the public for the amazing show of support since he was killed in the line of duty Friday. It says they have quickly realized that many people are grieving with them. The Patrol says they have posted a memorial display of Sergeant Smith’s patrol car at the District 10 Office in Oelwein.

ISP Sgt. Jim Smith

The tweet says anyone wishing to honor Sergeant Jim Smith should feel free to stop by with cards, flowers, and condolences. Smith was shot Friday while trying to help arrest a man in Grundy Center.

Sheriff’s deputies in Page County, Friday, arrested a man in Clarinda on a charge of Harassment by electronic communication. Authorities say 18-year-old Coleton Eugene Richardson was arrested in the 1100 block of South 16th Street. He was released from custody, after posting bond.

Coleton Richardson

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports three people, including two from Cass County, were arrested on outside agency warrants last week. At around 12:10-a.m. on April 5th, 34-year old Lyndsey Marie Cottrell and 41-year old James Bernard Block, both of Cumberland, were arrested on warrants out of Madison County. Both were transferred directly to the custody of Madison County deputies. And, on April 4th, at around 8:45-p.m., 41-year old Nicholas Arthur Hardisty, of Orient, was arrested on an outstanding warrant out of Union County. He was directly transferred to the authority of their deputies.

On April 5th, 44-year old Cory Robert Haag, of Fontanelle, was arrested at the Adair County Sheriff’s Office in Greenfield, on an Adair County Felony warrant for: A controlled substance violation; Child Endangerment/bodily injury by exposure to Meth, and Possession of Marijuana/2nd offense. Haag was released later that same afternoon on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

And, on April 10th at around 12:01-a.m., 20-year old Alexander Steven Smith, of Creston, was arrested for Possession of marijuana/1st offense, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was cited at the scene, and released.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Monday, reported two arrests from the past few days. At around 12:43-a.m., Sunday, Adams County Deputies saw a vehicle parked in the middle of the road on Locust Avenue. They conducted a welfare check on the vehicle’s occupant, and subsequently arrested 49-year-old Christopher Boswell, of Corning, for OWI/1st offense. And, at around 10:15-a.m. Friday, Adams County Deputies and workers with the Dept. of Human Services conducted an investigation at 400 12th Street, in Corning.

Upon further investigation, 37-year-old Jarrod Brown, of Corning, was arrested on charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia.

Both men were transported to the Adams County Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Natural Resources Commission is amending its rules to allow hammocks to be used in state parks and camping areas. State Parks Bureau Chief, Todd Coffelt, says some people use hammocks for sleeping instead of a tent or camper. “You still have to rent a site — but if there are trees mature enough that can be used for banding your hammock to it — then we want to provide that. It’s just that there’s care in doing that, getting it tied up there so that the tree isn’t harmed,” Coffelt says.

The proposed rules lay out how the hammocks are held up with straps and bands. You can hammer nails or screws into trees to hold up your hammock. He says the use of hammocks depends on where you are. “Not every park has the right height of tree to hold up a person like me, that I would be comfortable sleeping in,” he says. “But it is different for everybody.” Coffelt says they also want to avoid having too many hammocks in one tree. “If you can find two trees that are the right distance apart — you’re going to put a hammock up. Then you are going to start what I call the ladder effect where you have a hammock above a hammock, above a hammock. And we have to address that, because part of what we do is protecting the resource,” according to Coffelt.

He says they are going to allow only two hammocks, or camping units together. “You can’t stack them six high. Nature just isn’t built for everything we want it to do sometimes. We want to work with people and accommodate that as much as we can,” Coffelt says.

Any interested person may submit comments concerning this proposed rulemaking. The D-N-R is taking comments on the proposed rule change. You should send comments no later than 4:30 p-m on June 2nd. Comments should be directed to: Sherry.Arntzen@dnr.iowa.gov. There will be a conference call public hearing at 10 a-m June 2nd.

(Radio Iowa) – Safety inspectors discovered the radio system employees inside the Anamosa State Penitentiary used to communicate was malfunctioning more than a year before the inmate attacks that killed two Anamosa employees. K-C-R-G T-V was first to obtain the report Iowa’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued last August. It was based on an inspection in February of last year. Iowa OSHA investigators warned the prison’s communication system would not show the location of an emergency if an employee radioed that he or she was being attacked. OSHA said the system had other deficiencies, including dropped calls within the prison.

The OSHA report also indicated some prison staff assigned to respond to emergencies within the prison were not always available because of other duties. Iowa OSHA labeled these violations serious and levied a 20-thousand dollar fine against the Iowa Department of Corrections. The agency is appealing the fine and a spokesman declined to comment on the report. “We’ll address any issues the investigations may reveal and we’ll do what’s necessary to protect our people. Nothing is more important than that,” Reynolds says. “Changes may require additional investment, something that I am fully committed to doing, and this includes making sure that the department and its facilities are adequately staffed.”

Last week, House Republicans proposed a 20 MILLION dollar increase in the prison system’s budget. Last month, Majority Leader Jack Whitver announced SENATE Republicans were proposing a four MILLION dollar increase and he discussed the budget decision on Friday, before OSHA’s August report was publicly released. “We rolled out that number the day after the incident happened, so that process of figuring out how much we need, if there are safety concerns, has not been vetted,” Whitver said. “The House rolled their number out maybe two weeks later to where they had done a little bit more work. Obviously, it’s going to come somewhere in between there, after talking with both the governor and the director of corrections.”

Whitver made his comments during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.