(Radio Iowa) – The head of the Iowa Department of Public Health says her own experience with one of the Covid vaccines shows adverse reactions are incredibly rare. During a forum with A-A-R-P members yesterday (Thursday), Kelly Garcia talked about getting the single-dose shot of Johnson and Johnson vaccine in March. It’s the vaccine that’s been on pause after six cases of blood clotting were identified among the seven million doses given.

“I normally don’t talk about myself, but…I have a blood clotting disorder. I’m a woman in the age span of the six women who were affected by the Johnson and Johnson vaccine,” Garcia says. “I took the Johnson and Johnson vaccine…and I am absolutely well and just fine today.” Garcia says European officials lifted their pause on the Johnson and Johnson vaccine because the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risk of blood clots.

“There are side effects in nearly every drug that we take to treat anything,” Garcia says. “But what I want to remind folks is that this is unbelievably rare and the pause was really centered around equipping physicians to recognize if someone had this condition and treat them appropriately.”

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s website (as of 5-p.m. Thursday) showed more than 930-thousand Iowans have completed the two-shot series of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and Garcia says that’s almost half of Iowa’s adult population.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that has cleared the Iowa Senate would set up a new January hunting season for deer — but only in counties where all the state licenses for harvesting antlerless deer were not sold. Senator Ken Rozenboom says the bill would let deer hunters use long-barrelled rifles during that period.

“The purpose of this season is not to hunt for sport, but rather to manage the size of the herd,” Rozenboom says, “which is why more efficient and effective firearms are being authorized.” Rozenboom’s bill also calls on the Iowa Insurance Division, the Iowa D-O-T, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University to complete a study of the state’s deer herd by the fall of 2023.

“To get a thorough look at the overall deer population and it’s impact on crops, on trees (and) property loss, medical costs and fatalities due vehicle accidents with deer,” Rosenboom says. Rozenboom, who is from Oskaloosa, says this won’t be the last bill he sponsors on the subject. “I have become convinced that the deer population in parts of the state, including in my senate district, that those populations are sometimes out of control,” Rozenboom said, “or out of balance anyway.”

The bill also significantly cuts the civil fine for hunters caught illegally shooting an antlerless deer. The Iowa Farm Bureau supports the legislation, arguing deer are damaging and eating crops. Groups including Pheasants Forever, the Iowa Bow Hunters Association, the Iowa Conservation Alliance and the State Police Officers Council oppose the bill.

A man from Riverton was arrested April 18th following a brief pursuit. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports a Fremont County Deputy was on a traffic stop, when a Nissan Xterra SUV failed to move over and slow down. After the Deputy at the traffic stop notified other deputies with a description of the vehicle, another Fremont County Deputy was able to locate the vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop near the 3700 Block of Highway 2.

William Joseph Estelle

The suspect vehicle led deputies on a short pursuit with speeds reaching 80 miles per hour. The chase ended with the arrest of 45-year-old William Joseph Estelle. He was charged with Eluding, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Estelle was also later charged with Violation of Parole. Fremont County Deputies were assisted by the Page County Sheriff’s Office and the Shenandoah Police Department.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports an investigation into a hit-and-run property damage accident late Thursday night in Tabor, resulted in the arrest in Randolph, of 26-year-old Christoper Miller, from Sidney. Miller was arrested for OWI/2nd offense, having no valid driver’s license, no insurance, and striking an unattended vehicle. He was being held at the Fremont County Jail on a $2,000 bond. The Fremont County Sheriff’s K9 Unit assisted in handling the arrest. 

Christopher Miller

Authorities had received a call at around 10:20-p.m. with regard to a vehicle that had been struck at Linden Court in Tabor. A witness advised deputies the vehicle struck a parked motor vehicle and then fled the scene. Deputies were also advised a caller was following the vehicle from the scene. Deputies located the vehicle on Main Street of Randolph.

(Radio Iowa) – The A-C-L-U of Iowa has filed a third lawsuit seeking to strike down the state’s denial of Medicaid coverage for transition-related surgery for transgender Iowans. The group’s legal director, Rita Bettis Austen, says this lawsuit makes the same argument against the denial. She says they believe it is both unconstitutional and a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The A-C-L-U won the first case in 2018, and then Iowa Legislature passed a bill that allows organizations using public insurance dollars to opt-out of covering transgender surgery.

A second lawsuit was filed after that bill became law — but was dismissed before being heard. “In this most recent case the Iowa Supreme Court ruled on procedural grounds that we first have to seek and be denied coverage,” Austen says. She says Aiden Vasquez sought coverage and has been denied, and they are now taking the state to court again. “This law brings significant harm to our clients and others who rely on Medicaid who desperately need this surgery. And it is important to realize that this policy has no basis in medicine or science,” according to Bettis. ”

Gender dysphoria in some cases puts people at risk of death by suicide — and significant distress.” Vasquez made a statement about the lawsuit during a zoom call with reporters. “I desperately need this surgery. Having to jump through so many hoops just to try to get coverage for this surgery has been mentally and emotionally very draining and difficult. It is hard to know that the state has gone out of its way to discriminate against me and block my medical care just because I am transgender,” Vasquez says.

Mika Covington, who also is transgender, was a part of the original lawsuit. Austen says Covington’s latest request for coverage is still in process and she says Covington would join the lawsuit if the request is denied by the state.

SHENANDOAH — Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) applauded the announcement of $22,549,000 in new federal investments to improve water and sewer infrastructure in three cities within Iowa’s Third Congressional District.

The investments were part of nearly a half a billion dollars in funds for rural water, energy, and biofuel infrastructure announced today by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development.

“Access to safe and sanitary water infrastructure and clean drinking water should be universal in our great nation, but that requires investments that will keep our communities healthy,” said Rep. Axne. “I’m pleased to see more than $22 million in Rural Development funds coming back to southwest Iowa today to help our rural communities implement the upgrades and maintenance needed to provide for their communities.”

The three projects within Iowa’s Third Congressional District are:

• Anita: A $1,880,000 loan and $401,000 in grant funding to improve the municipal sewer system by building a Submerged Attached Growth Reactor treatment system and an ultraviolet disinfection treatment system. These improvements will extend power from Anita Municipal Utilities to the lagoon system and upgrade the lift station.
• Shenandoah: A $17,743,000 loan and $2,000,000 in grant funding to expand and upgrade the city’s wastewater facility and infrastructure. Funds will be used to install a four-million-gallon equalization basin, an ultraviolet disinfection station and a flood-risk-protection berm.
• Sidney: A $525,000 grant to complete infrastructure improvements to the city’s water system, including a new plant and transmission main, a water storage tower and new water meters.

The full list of projects announced today can be found here.

The Harlan Police Department is asking for your help in identifying a man and a woman who allegedly tried to break into the bill changer at local laundromat, and in the process caused quite a bit of damage. The couple drove away in a blue Pontiac Grand Prix 4 door with out of state plates. Any help would greatly appreciated. Thank You!!!

As the result of an investigation by the Council Bluffs Police Department and Homeland Security, a man from Omaha convicted on child porn offenses, was sentenced Wednesday to serve nearly 12 1/2 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Acting U-S Attorney Jan Sharp, with the District of Nebraska, said 33-year old Nicholas Andrew Travis received his sentence Wednesday, following his conviction for Receipt of Child Pornography. After his release, Travis will be required to serve a 5-year term of supervised release, and is required to register as a sex offender. He was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment.

On Jan. 24, 2020, special agents and task force officers with Homeland Security executed a search warrant at Travis’ apartment at the Open Door Mission, in Omaha. They seized his cell phone, which Travis admitted he used to download child porn from the internet, while at his apartment in Omaha. A forensic examination of the phone revealed 3,127 images and videos depicting children, specifically girls between the ages of three and  10, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The case was brought to the court as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice.

Page County Sheriff’s Deputies, Tuesday, arrested 39-year-old Andrew Jackson Paez. He was taken into custody on a Page County Warrant for Violation of Probation on his sentencing Charge of Arson in the 2nd degree.

Andrew Jackson Paez

Paez was arrested at the Atchison County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office. His cash or surety bond was set at $5,000.

(Radio Iowa) – This year’s Special Olympics Iowa Summer Games have been cancelled due to COVID-19 but spokeswoman Karen Whitman says they -do- plan to hold a Virtual Summer Games instead. “What that will entail is a month-long sports competition during the month of May,” Whitman says, “and then at the end of the month, we will be having healthy athlete screening experiences, a virtual series that will hold some other activities, and then we will also have our Opening Ceremonies on May 26th.”

It’s expected there will be about one-thousand participants from across the state participating in this year’s games, for events that usually draw four-to-five-thousand athletes to Ames each summer. Whitman says the virtual format isn’t as good as being in-person, but it will have to do. “Some of it will be done on Zoom,” she says. “We will be having all of those registration links come out at the beginning of May and then some of it will be based off of our Facebook page, which is Special Olympics Iowa.”

Whitman is hopeful for an in person format for the games returning in 2022. Learn more about this year’s events at: soiowa.org