(Radio Iowa) – Three lawmakers have given the green light to a bill that would limit the length of trains passing through Iowa, but all three say it could get stopped in a House committee. The bill would make it illegal for trains to be more than one-point-six miles long. That would be up to 130 rail cars according to Chris Smith of Tama, a Union Pacific conductor and engineer. He’s a local leader in the SMART T-D union that represents railroad workers.

“Currently, there is no legislation that restricts the length of trains,” Evans says. “Right now they’re operating up to 15,000 feet, which is three miles. Infrastructure in this state was never designed to handle that…It blocks crossings in towns for extended periods of time.”

Mike Triplett, a lobbyist for Union Pacific, says train traffic is regulated by the federal government because it’s interstate commerce — and the proposed eight-thousand-500 feet limit on trains running through Iowa is unconstitutional. “If this bill were to pass and Nebraska says I’d like to do one better and we’re going to go 8000 and then Illinois goes 6000, the supply chain gets wrecked,” Triplett says.

Brad Epperly, a lobbyist for B-N-S-F Rail, says states can’t preempt federal law when it comes to regulating trains.  “It would be something along the lines of nullification,” Epperly says, “and that was decided by the Civil War.” Republican Representative Brent Siegrist of Council Bluffs has some concerns about the bill, but voted in subcommittee to keep it alive for further debate. “I’ve been stuck like we all have at rail crossings,” Siegrist says.

He said “Once it gets to 100 cars..” he starts getting irritated. Republican Representative Tom Determann of Camanche says lawmakers need to gather more information before taking action on the bill.

“We have some problem in eastern Iowa with the CP/KCS thing and especially so I’m inclined to take it to committee for more discussion,” he said. The merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads is expected to increase train traffic between Sabula, Iowa and Kansas City according to the Iowa D-O-T.

(Radio Iowa) – Relatives of Alexander Jackson reacted after he was found guilty by a Linn County jury Wednesday of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents and sister. The jury didn’t believe Jackson’s claim that an intruder killed his dad Jan, mom Melissa, and sister Sabrina. Jackson’s cousin, Danielle Jackson-Parsons, didn’t either and spoke with KCRG TV after the verdict.

”Alex wanted everyone to think that he was a victim in this case and we’re very glad today that that was proven to not be true,” she said. She says the pain of the family’s loss will never go away.

Relatives say they will not forget slain Cedar Rapids family

”We just want everyone to know that Jan, Melissa, and Sabrina were incredibly loved, and they have a family who loves them and a family that will keep them in our hearts,” Jackson-Parsons said.  Alexander Jackson’s defense attorney, Tyler Johston, tells KCRG TV the defense team believes he didn’t do it, and they plan to appeal.

”Alex is 22 years of age and is going to spend the rest of his life in prison for a crime that he didn’t commit,” Johnston said. “We’re just very sorry for Alex, I feel very bad for him and hopefully we’ll prevail on appeal.” They have 45 days to appeal. Jackson will be sentenced on March 3rd to a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would let Iowans pay extra for a license plate that bears the message “don’t tread on me” has cleared a Senate subcommittee. If the bill becomes law, a specialty Iowa license plate in the image of the yellow Gadsden Flag would be created, with a three inch tall coiled rattlesnake on the left side of the plate and the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me” along the bottom.

Republican Senator Scott Webster of Bettendorf said he voted to advance the bill out of a subcommittee to continue discussing the proposal. “I have a lot of veterans in my district that I think may be supportive of this,” Webster said.

Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, opposed the bill. “I do want to emphasize there’s no disrespect in my comments, but it has become a different symbol,” Bisignano said. “It’s become an extreme right symbol, an aggressive symbol, a challenging symbol.” Senator Mike Klimesh, a Republican from Spillville, said he’s not sure whether the bill will get approved in the Senate Transportation Committee, but it’s now eligible for debate there.

Missouri has a license plate similar to what is being proposed in Iowa. (photo from Missouri DMV website)

About a dozen states sell Gadsden Flag specialty license plates, including Missouri and Kansas. The Gadsden Flag design dates back to the Revolutionary War. More recently, Libertarians have used the flag as a symbol of limited government. It was flown at tea party protests against President Obama’s health care law and it was among many banners carried into the U.S. Capitol during rioting two years ago on January 6th.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has been called in to review the death of a child from Emmetsburg.

The DCI says Emmetsburg Police received a 911 call on January 19th about an unresponsive child. Police and EMT’s performed life-saving measures before transporting the child to the Palo Alto County Hospital.

The child was then transferred to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, where it died on January 24th. The DCI was called in after an autopsy was conducted the next day by the State Medical Examiner. No other details on the investigation are being released at this time.

Officials with the Glenwood (IA) Police Department report the arrest on Wednesday (1/25/23), of 22-year-old Desean McVay, of Glenwood. McVay was arrested on a Mills County Warrant. He posted a $2,000 bond and was released from custody.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by the staff and board members of New Hope on Thursday, January 26th, 2023, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Bargain Shoppe location in Atlantic.

New Hope originally began in 1978 with a group of parents that had children with disabilities getting services from organizations throughout the state. The parents decided to open a thrift shop in Carroll to raise money to purchase land that would eventually become a campus for their children to receive the care they needed while being close to home.

Today, New Hope has five Bargain Shoppes in Carroll, Coon Rapids, Perry, Jefferson, and Atlantic. The organization has evolved beyond thrift stores, and now offers day programs and services, residential services, home support, employment services, and are working to add childcare to the long list of services. 100% of the proceeds from the donations and purchases at the New Hope Bargain Shoppe help support New Hope’s mission of enriching the lives of individuals with disabilities.

(Photo submitted)

The Atlantic store is located in the Hy-Vee Plaza in the building previously known as the Salvation Army. New Hope is open to shoppers on Tuesday-Friday 10AM-7PM and Saturday & Sunday 10AM-5PM. Donation items are accepted Monday – Friday 10AM-5PM and Saturday & Sunday 10AM-4PM.

New Hope Bargain Shoppe is located at 1600 E 7th Street in Atlantic. Their number is 712-250-8310.

For more information about the services New Hope provides, how to get involved, or to donate, visit http://www.newhopevillage.org.

(Radio Iowa) – Pro football fans in Iowa who’d like to see the Super Bowl in person in Arizona next month need to roll up their sleeves and donate blood. Josh Murray, spokesman for the American Red Cross in Iowa, says a special promotion between the agency and the N-F-L runs through the end of January — that’s next Tuesday.  “Anyone who comes to give blood, you’ll be entered into a chance to win two tickets to the Super Bowl,” Murray says. “We also will take care of your airfare, hotel accommodations for three nights, and we’re also going to give you a gift card for $500 for other expenses that you might have while you’re there.”

One in seven patients who go to a hospital need a blood transfusion, but only three-percent of Americans give blood. If you’ve never donated a pint before, Murray says it’s an easy procedure — and it’s vital to saving lives. “The whole donation process from door-to-door is going to be about 45 minutes, but the donation itself takes less than 10 minutes,” Murray says. “We have to ask some questions and check your blood pressure, things like that, before we get you situated. The donation will be quick, then we’ll get you some snacks and get you on your way.”

Wintertime is the slowest time of the year for blood donors, so Murray says they’ve tried to make it as simple as possible to sign up to give. “It’s really easy. You can go 1-800 Red Cross or you can visit RedCrossBlood.org,” Murray says. “Both those places will ask for your ZIP code, you put that in and it’ll come up with all the opportunities to give over the next several weeks in your area. You find one that works for you or your location and you’re able to make an appointment right there.”

The Super Bowl is scheduled for February 12th.

DES MOINES – Governor Reynolds today (Thursday) announced that 23 communities have been awarded a total of $9 million in grants to advance water quality projects. Among those communities is Farragut, Harlan, Mondamin, Shenandoah and Treynor. (See a link to the complete list at the bottom of this report) The funding is made available through the Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Financial Assistance Program, which was created as a part of Senate File 512, the first legislation signed into law by Governor Reynolds in January 2018.

The 2022 program received 60 applications requesting more than $24 million in water quality grants. A committee consisting of designees from the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship judged the Wastewater and Drinking Water Financial Assistance Program applications based on the program’s priorities.

Priorities for grant awards include: Disadvantaged communities; Projects that will significantly improve water quality in their watershed; Projects that use alternative wastewater treatment technologies; Communities with the highest sewer or water rates; Projects that use technology to address nutrient reduction; and projects to address improvements to drinking water source waters.

The program receives a portion of the tax on metered water and had more than $9 million available for allocation in 2022. Grants will be awarded through the program on an annual basis through 2039. The Wastewater program has assisted a total of more than 50 communities through a total of nearly $18 million in water quality grants since the first awards were granted in 2019. The program is expected to have approximately $6 million in available funds in 2023 based on the portion of tax that will be allocated to the program.

The award list is available HERE.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) — A structure fire Wednesday night in Council Bluffs resulted in the death of a man and a dog. According to Council Bluffs Fire Investigator Dan Roberts, firefighers were called to the scene at 114 Blackhawk Street at around 8:50-p.m.  Roberts says upon arrival, fire crews found smoke and fire coming from the house. They were informed that someone could be trapped inside.

Firefighters who made quick entry into the house to conduct search and rescue and extinguish the flames, found a deceased male victim and a dog.

The incident remains under investigation. The victim’s identity will be released following confirmation during an autopsy.

(Radio Iowa) – Black bears would become a protected species under legislation working its way through the Iowa House. Representative Dave Jacoby of Coralville says the goal is to let state officials regulate hunting if the black bear population grows. “I think it’s important for Iowans if we do see a shift or a reintroduction naturally of black bear in Iowa that we have a system,” Jacoby says, “that we don’t want to shoot them on site, but going through the Department (of Natural Resources) and the legislature decide on how we want to handle possible open hunting seasons.”

Jacoby says he sponsored the bill after hearing from a number of people in Winneshiek County. “A couple of years ago a couple of some black bear were seen in Winneshiek (County),” Jacoby says, “and I think there’s also some black bear that venture into Iowa more than we know.” The bill directs the Department of Natural Resources to monitor the population of black bear in Iowa and set up a hunting season if the population needs to be controlled or reduced at any point. “I happen to be experience in Superior National Forest up north,” Jacoby says. “I’ve been around bears for the last 40 years and frankly I’m more scared of getting trampled by a moose than a bear.”

Todd Coffelt of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says if the population increases, a so-called “season” for black bear should be included in the part of state law about “fur harvesting.” “Even though we may use the word hunt for black bears,” Coffelt says. For example, there’s currently a coyote season in Iowa, alongside seasons for trapping smaller animals like mink and muskrats. That season started November 5th and ends January 31st.