(Radio Iowa) – Republican Senator Chuck Grassley is dismissing what he calls “doomsday predictions” about how Amy Coney Barrett might rule as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. “Democrats and their allies shouldn’t claim to know how any judge would rule in any particular case,” Grassley said. “Just look at history.”  Grassley delivered an 11-minute defense of President Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court this (Monday) morning as hearings on Barrett’s nomination got underway. “A good judge understands it’s not the court’s place to rewrite the law as it sees fit. It’s not his or her place to let policy, personal or moral principles dictate an outcome of a case,” Grassley said. “We are fortune Judge Barrett’s record clearly reflects this standard.”

Grassley quoted the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who Barrett is nominated to replace. He also offered Barrett advice.  “Judge, you’ll no doubt be asked how you’ll rule on questions and issues,” Grassley said. “I expect you’ll follow the example of Justice Ginsburg. A nominee should offer no forecasts, no hints of how he or she will vote.” Grassley recited what he described as “high praise” of Barrett’s record as a law professor at Notre Dame, a judge and as a mother.  “To sum up, Judge Barrett’s qualifications and character are impeccable,” Grassley said. “Unfortunately, I expect the minority will try to rustle up baseless claims and scare tactics as they’ve done for decades, anything to derail the confirmation of a Republican nominee.”

All 22 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will deliver opening statements today (Monday). Democrats have criticized the timing of Barrett’s nomination for the November 10th U.S. Supreme Court hearing for a constitutional challenge of the Affordable Care Act. Iowa’s other Republican Senator, Joni Ernst, joined the Judiciary Committee in 2019. Her remarks will come later, then Barrett will speak.

DES MOINES– The Office of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is reminding Iowans participating in the fall harvest that Gov. Reynolds has already suspended the weight limits for transportation of agricultural supplies and commodities on state highways. Section 120 & 121 of the current Public Health Disaster Proclamation issued on September 18, 2020, allows vehicles transporting agricultural supplies and commodities including but not limited to livestock, milk, crop supplies, and agricultural waste (not exceeding 90,000 pounds gross weight) without a permit, for the duration of this proclamation. It also waives hours of service requirements while transporting these loads. 

 This proclamation applies to loads transported on all highways within Iowa (excluding the interstate system) and those which do not exceed a maximum of 90,000 pounds gross weight, do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit determined under the non-primary highway maximum gross weight table in Iowa Code § 321.463 (6) (b), by more than 12.5 percent, do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds and comply with posted limits on roads and bridges. 

The Iowa Department of Transportation is directed to monitor the operation of this proclamation to ensure the public’s safety and facilitate the movement of the trucks involved in our state’s harvest. The current proclamation expires at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2020, unless extended by Governor Reynolds for another thirty days before that date.  

(Radio Iowa) – Fort Dodge police are investigating a fatal motorcycle accident that happened shortly after 7 o’clock this (Monday) morning.  When officers arrived, they found an unresponsive male lying in the grass near the intersection of Hawkeye Avenue and Second Avenue Northwest. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The preliminary findings indicated that the male was operating a motorcycle traveling westbound when he lost control and struck a tree at the intersection. The identity of the victim is not being released at this time.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports there were three accidents over the weekend, with one resulting in an arrest.

Friday evening, 28-year old Kody Mitchel Ross Havens, of Anita, was driving a 2015 Harley Davidson motorcycle westbound on White Pole Road at Frontier, when he lost control of the machine. The cycle entered a ditch. Havens told authorities he had gotten too far over onto the shoulder of the road before his motorcycle crashed. The accident happened at around 6:30-p.m.    Havens suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries, and was transported by private vehicle to his residence. The Harley sustained about $5,000 damage. Kody Havens was cited for Failure to Maintain Control, and Leaving the scene of a personal injury accident.

Authorities says 47-year old Chad Edward Polivka, of San Tan Valley, AZ, was charged with OWI/1st offense, Failure to Maintain Control, and Leaving the Scene of an accident, after the 2019 Audi SUV he was driving left the road as it was westbound on 200th Street, at around 11:25-p.m. Friday. The vehicle struck a tree at the Lake Panorama National Golf Course in Panora, causing $15,000 to the SUV and and estimated $300 damage to the tree.  Polivka suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries, but was not transported to the hospital.

And, at around 5:40-a.m. Saturday, a 2010 Chevy Traverse SUV driven by 60-year old Pamela Sue Carruthers, of Jefferson, was traveling south on Highway 25 in Guthrie County, just south of 310th, when a deer ran into the vehicle. The SUV sustained about $5,000 damage. Carruthers was not injured during the accident.

(Radio Iowa) – Advocates for Iowa’s 50-thousand blind and visually-impaired residents are asking state officials to let them vote by mail independently, using assistive technology for absentee ballots. Right now, blind Iowans are unable to vote from home without another person there to help. Jane Hudson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, says many people don’t want to go to the polls because of the coronavirus pandemic.  “So they can’t vote independently and privately. They have to depend on someone else and that’s not voting,” Hudson says. “Voting, you’re supposed to be able to do privately and secretly, and no one else knows what your vote is.”

The secretary of state’s office says the legislature has to change the law for this to happen, but lawmakers declined to do that earlier this year. Advocates disagree, pointing to recent changes that were made to election procedures without full legislative approval. Carrie Chapman, president of the Iowa Council of the United Blind, says she’s had someone help her fill out an absentee ballot, but she says blind Iowans have a right to vote privately and independently.  “There’s people that don’t have an option of having someone come and help them,” Chapman says, “and especially during the pandemic, they may be high risk, so having someone come into their home is a whole other ballgame in terms of that.”

Groups representing blind Iowans have been asking the secretary of state and lawmakers for more than a year to approve an accessible absentee ballot system. Then voters could use a computer program at home that would read the ballot out loud, allow them to mark the ballot, print it, and mail it to their county auditor.

(By Katarina Sostaric, Iowa Public Radio)

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department reports seven arrests took place over the weekend. Early Sunday morning, 27-year old Brandon Scott Lawrence, of Creston, was arrested at the intersection of Monroe/Maple St on a Union County Warrant for failure to appear original charge Theft 5th Degree. Lawrence was also charged with Possession of controlled substance 2nd offense and Possession of Paraphernalia. He is being held in the Union County Jail on $2.000 cash or surety bond. Sunday afternoon, 34-year old Skyler Lee Mcintosh, of Creston, was arrested at the intersection of Hwy 34/Osage during a traffic stop and charged with Possession of Paraphernalia, Possession of Controlled Substance 1st offense, and driving while barred. McIntosh was being held in the Union County Jail on $1,300 cash or surety bond.

Sunday morning, 35-year old Nicole Adrienne Sider, and 45-year old Harold Michael Roberts, both of Creston, were arrested on separate Domestic Abuse Assault charges. Sider was later released on $1,000 bond. Roberts was released on a $300 bond. 41-year old Justin Lawrence Moorhead, of Des Moines, was arrested Sunday afternoon for Public Intoxication. He was later released on a $300 bond.

And there were two arrests on Friday: 45-year old John Anthony Neely, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County warrant. He was taken into custody at the Union County Clerk of Court’s Office, and held in the Union County Jail on a $5,000 cash only bond. Friday night, 26-year old Andrew Thomas Palmer, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. He was later released on a $1,000 bond.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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A woman who swerved to miss a squirrel crashed her SUV into a parked pickup truck in Red Oak, Sunday afternoon. According to Red Oak Police, 73-year old Donna Margaret Lewis, of Red Oak, was driving a 2012 Jeep Compass northbound in the 1400 block of N. 6th Street at around 3:55-p.m., when she swerved and lost control of her SUV. The vehicle struck a parked 2015 Chevy Colorado pickup, registered to Norman Edward Thompson.

Lewis was transported by Red Oak EMS to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital. She was cited for Failure to Maintain Control. Damage from the collision amounted to $6,000 each.

The State of Iowa’s Coronavirus dashboard, Monday, indicated (as of 10-a.m.), there were 432 new cases of COVID-19 since 10-a.m. Sunday, for a total of 100,052. There is one more positive case of the virus in Cass and Adair County, for a total of 235 & 99 respectively; 14 more cases in Harrison County; eight more in Guthrie County, and six more in Madison County. There are also five more positive cases of COVID-19 in Pottawattamie County, two more in Union County and one additional case in Montgomery County.

There have been four more deaths statewide since 10-a.m. Sunday, for a total of 1,464. The IDPH says of the reported deaths, 985 were related to a pre-existing medical condition. There have been a total of 864,455 Iowans tested for COVID-19 to-date, with 762,797 total Negative results. There have been 4,199 results received since 10-a.m. Sunday, with 3,619 of those Negative, and 571 Positive. Officials say 11.6% of persons tested had a positive test result.  Iowans who have recovered from the virus number 76,500.

Hospitalizations are up from Sunday’s 438, to 449 today. The IDPH says: 109 patients with COVID-19 are in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (compared to 100 Sunday); 53 people with COVID symptoms were admitted to a hospital (compared to 63 Sunday); and 39 patients are on a ventilator (1 less than Sunday). Western/Southwest Iowa hospitals report 24 people hospitalized (2 less than Sunday), eight are in an ICU (1 more than yesterday), one person was admitted, and no one was on a ventilator.

There remains 54 Long-Term Care (LTC) facility outbreaks in Iowa. There are 1,169 positive cases of COVID among patients and staff at those facilities, and there have been 739 deaths since the outbreak began. The IDPH reports 629 persons recovered from the virus at LTC’s.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases in each county, along with the 24-hour change in case numbers {+#}; the number of persons recovered, and the total number of [deaths] (if any), since the pandemic began,

• Cass, 235 cases {+1}; 192 recovered; 2 deaths
• Adair, 99{+1}; 56; 1
• Adams, 55; 30; 0
• Audubon, 116; 44; 1
• Guthrie, 337 {+8); 200; 13
• Harrison County, 454 {+14}; 192; 5
• Madison County, 310 {+6}; 200; 2
• Mills County, 292; 148; 1
• Montgomery, 134 {+1}; 102; 5
• Pottawattamie County, 2,654 {+5}; 1,975; 43
• Shelby County, 310; 277; 1
• Union County,  189 {+2}; 120; 3