(Radio Iowa) – Two Romanian men who used credit card skimmers in eastern Iowa to try and get debit card information from nearly 200 people were each sentenced to 10 months in prison. Thirty-year-old Stefan Busoi and 29-year-old Razvan Diculescu were sentenced after pleading guilty in November to possession of device-making equipment.

Employees at a bank in Dubuque and police found credit card skimmers and pinhole cameras on three A-T-Ms in June of 2020. They used traffic and A-T-M video footage to determine that the two men installed the skimmers and cameras and arrested them when they returned to an A-T-M.

Both were in the United States unlawfully on fake Greek passports at the time of their arrest

ANKENY, Iowa – APRIL 28, 2021 – The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday, that due to circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline for REAL ID enforcement has been extended from October of this year to May 3, 2023. However, the Iowa Department of Transportation is encouraging anyone who plans to fly on a commercial airline or enter a federal building that checks identification upon entrance to consider obtaining a REAL ID sooner rather than later.

Darcy Doty, Iowa DOT Customer Services Bureau director says, “Currently 53% of driver’s license and ID holders or 1.3 million Iowans have a REAL ID marked card. This is great progress, but we want to assure that anyone who wants a REAL ID obtains one before the deadline and that we are doing all we can to help them bring the correct documentation with them when they come into get a REAL ID.”

SAMPLE of a “Real ID” w/the required gold star

To get a REAL ID marked card, federal law requires you to verify your identity by providing the same documentation you provided when you got your first license or ID card. You will need to visit any Iowa driver’s license or ID issuance location and bring documents that prove your identity, social security number, Iowa residency, and proof of legal name changes – if your name is different from the name on your identity document. You can use our helpful online tool to build a list of documents you need to bring with you. You must obtain the REAL ID marking by making an appointment to appear in person at a DOT facility or receive service in person at a county issuance location. The REAL ID marking is not available the first time through online renewal or a kiosk.

Once the REAL ID star has been added to your card, you will be issued a REAL ID compliant card whenever you renew your license. To determine if you have a REAL ID compliant cards look for the star surrounded by a gold circle in the upper righthand corner of your Iowa issued, driver’s license or ID. If your license or ID is up for renewal you can receive a REAL ID marked card for no additional cost. If you wish to receive the REAL ID marking on your card outside of your renewal period, it will cost $10, or the standard cost of a replacement card.

Customers are not required to get a REAL ID marked card. If you don’t plan to use your state-issued card to fly or enter a federal building you don’t need to worry about getting one. You may also use another acceptable form of ID in place of a REAL ID. In addition, having a REAL ID does not change your ability to use your Iowa driver’s license or ID for uses such as driving, renting a vehicle, writing a check, purchasing alcohol or tobacco, or entering a casino.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests. At around 8:40-p.m. Tuesday, 38-year-old Marlen Martinez-Solares was arrested following a traffic stop, near Oakland at 390th and Highway 6. She was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. And, at around 5:20-a.m. Tuesday, 41-year-old Kantauo Mark was arrested following a traffic stop for speeding 77 mph in a 55 mph zone near Highway 6 and 350th Street, which is also near Oakland. Mark was arrested for Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender, and Providing False Identification information.

Monday night, 27-year-old Jacob Dwayne Jens was arrested in Avoca, for Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender. The report said Jens allegedly attempted to hide his red 2005 Dodge Caravan on the south side of a restaurant on the north side of Avoca.

(Des Moines) – The Iowa Department of Public Health, Wednesday (Today), reported there were 547 additional positive COVID-19 cases, for a pandemic total of 393,458, and three additional deaths, for a statewide total of 5,930 since the start of the pandemic. Deaths at long-term care facilities in Iowa account for 2,314 of the total number of deaths statewide.

Iowa’s positivity rates continue to slowly decline. The 14-day average is 4.0%, and the 7-day average is 3.8%. Virus hospitalization are steady, at 184. There are 37 patients in ICU, and 24 patients on ventilators. There were 38 persons with COVID symptoms admitted to hospitals in Iowa over the previous 24-hours, an increase of 20 from Tuesday.

In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western/southwest Iowa): 15 COVID patients are hospitalized; eight are in an ICU; two people were admitted with symptoms of the virus, and there remain five people on a ventilator.

Vaccinations administered as of Wednesday amount to over 2.25-million, with more than 999,451 of those vaccinated having their series completed.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

Cass, 1,447 cases; {+1}; 54 deaths
Adair, 978; {+5}; 32
Adams, 345 {+2}; 4
Audubon, 516 {+1}; 9
Guthrie, 1,276 {+3}; 29
Harrison County, 1,912; {+3}; 73
Madison County, 1,704; {+3; 19
Mills County, 1,771; {+3}; 21
Montgomery, 1,099;{+2}; 37
Pottawattamie County, 12,015; {+28}; 164
Shelby County, 1,353 {+2}; 37
Union County, 1,321; {+4}; 32

The on-air newscast at 8:10-a.m., with Ric Hanson.

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Officials with the Creston Police Department report two arrests. On Tuesday, 26-year-old Matthew Hamm, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear. He was later released on a $600 bond. And, 47-year-old Angela Wimber, of Afton, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Union County warrant for OWI/1st offense. She was released on a $1,000 bond.

And, a man residing in the 500 block of W. Mills, in Creston, reported to police on Tuesday, that someone took the rear license plate off his vehicle. The loss was estimated at $5.

The 7:07-a.m. broadcast news from News Director Ric Hanson.

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(KETV, Omaha) – A man who escaped from a corrections center in Nebraska was apprehended late Tuesday night, in Carter Lake. According to KETV, a man in his early 20’s – whose name was not immediately available – was serving a six-year sentence for robbery at the Omaha Correctional Center. He escaped from a nearby work release facility, but was arrested a short time later.

Omaha Police told the tv station the man got into an argument at a work release facility, when he attempted to get away. Guards called for backup around 11:30 p.m., after they tried to spray him with mace. The man took off, still wearing an ankle monitor. It’s unclear how he escaped. Police said at some point he cut off the monitor, which sent a signal to police and other agencies. Officers found him at the Super 8 near Airport Drive and Locust in Carter Lake, where he was arrested.

Police said he was not armed but called him “dangerous.” Officers said the man sprained his ankle, but no one else was hurt. He’s now in police custody in Iowa and is expected to be transferred back, once Omaha Police get the proper warrant.

(Radio Iowa) – The man accused of killing a Fort Dodge pastor was found guilty by a Scott County jury on Tuesday. Joshua Pendleton was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the death of Rev. Allen Henderson, who was attacked outside St. Paul Lutheran Church on October 2, 2019. Pendleton pleaded not guilty after he was found competent to stand trial. The trial began last week in Davenport. It was moved to Scott County because of pre-trial publicity.

Pendleton will be sentenced June 18 in Webster County District Court in Fort Dodge.

(Radio Iowa) – A nonprofit group for Iowans who are Asian American and Pacific Islanders is releasing its findings from a months-long study on the community’s attitudes and perceptions about sexual violence. Study author Loulwa Soweid  says participants reported barriers in reporting and preventing sexual violence within their communities, and they need more resources from the state.

Soweid says, “Participants were saying, ‘We want more education about our rights, we want more support from organizations, we want access to jobs.'” One of the big challenges is language. Soweid says, at first, it was disheartening to see the same patterns and barriers people have experienced in the past. “Then I shifted my perspective, and I think in the end, it just means there’s still work to be done,” Soweid says, “Change can be slow.”

The group “Monsoon Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity” facilitated the community listening sessions. The first round began last July and ended at the beginning of this year. The group plans to host more listening sessions in the future for other underrepresented populations in Iowa.

(reporting by Kassidy Arena, Iowa Public Radio)