(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Transportation Commission has approved new rules that align with a change by state lawmakers determining when a car or truck involved in a wreck needs a salvage title. D-O-T Motor Vehicle Division director, Melissa Gillett, presented the change. “This legislation increased the threshold for issuing a salvage vehicle title designation when the cost of the repair of a wrecked or salvaged motor vehicle exceeds 70 percent of the fair market value of the vehicle,” she says. Gillett says it ups the damage needed for a salvage title.

She says the threshold for a salvage title previously required damage of up to 50 percent of the cost of the vehicle. Gillett says the rules also clarified how the damage will be figured. “The changes also incorporate comments received from insurance auto auctions and Copart to clarify that damage levels will be confirmed by the direct entity with direct knowledge of the damage — such as an insurance provider or vehicle repair facility,” according to Gillett.

The Transportation Commission approved the change at its meeting today (Tuesday) in Ames.

(Radio Iowa) – Traffic on the state highways was down some at the end of the year. Stuart Anderson of the D-O-T gave a report today (Tuesday) to the Transportation Commission. “Did drop a bit in December, we were about two percent below the December 2019 levels. So again, still hovering right around our levels from pre-COVID,” Anderson says. He says rail traffic saw a similar pattern. “January was down three percent from January 2021 rail carload levels. That is driven really across the board,” Anderson says.

“The one sector that has shown some growth herein recent months is on the coal side. We are seeing with the high natural gas prices some shifting to coal, which is doing a little bit of a rebound from a long-term trend of being down for the amount of coal being shipped on the rail system.”

He says the shipment of grain continues to be strong. “They’re lower than January of 2021 — but January ’21 was a really high point — it was the highest since 2015 in terms of the amount of grain shipped on rail, 2022 was the second-highest since 2015. So, still pretty good news on our grain shipment,” Anderson says. Anderson says air travel continues to hold around 88 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

(Radio Iowa) – A key lawmaker is taking steps to launch an investigation of a northern Iowa judge accused of manipulating the process for nominating a district court judge. House Judiciary Committee chairman Steven Holt of Denison, a Republican, has introduced a resolution that would give his committee authority to investigate Judge Kurt Stoebe of Humboldt. “If these allegations are true, then they go beyond just an individual’s service on a commission and speak to their integrity on the bench,” Holt says.

Governor Reynolds says other members of the nomination commission told her Stoebe coached a candidate and make negative comments about another who was applying to be a district court judge. The governor ordered the commission to reconvene to redo the process in November and Stoebe stepped down as the commission’s leader. Holt says serious allegations have been made against Stoebe and the legislature needs to exercise its oversight authority to seek more information and, if necessary, issue subpoenas to get it. “If indeed a judge is willing to commit these acts in order to advance a favored candidate, including lying about one of the candidates withdrawing their name from consideration, how can an attorney or a citizen come before this judge and have faith in the integrity of the process?” Holt asks.

Holt says his proposal is not an impeachment resolution, but an attempt to discover whether the allegations against Stoebe are true and whether he faces sanctions for his conduct. Representative Mary Wolfe, of Clinton, is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. Wolfe says the legislature has the authority to impeach, but she says this investigation is unprecedented. “We have some concerns that it is opening a door that has never been opened before,” Wolfe says, “and we’re not sure, at this point, what might be on the other side.”

Wolfe says she has no doubt the Judicial Qualifications Commission is reviewing the allegations against Stoebe and a legislative investigation would duplicate those efforts. “Unnecessarily wasting taxpayer dollars and legislative time,” Wolfe says.

Separate bills pending in the House and Senate are proposing changes in the commissions nominating district court judges.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports five arrests and one accident took place from Feb. 1st through the 7th. Yesterday (Monday, Feb. 7th), deputies arrested 50-year old Mark McNary, of Walnut, on warrants for Arson in the 3rd Degree and Criminal Mischief in the 4th degree.  McNary was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held until his later release by his own recognizance.

On Saturday, Cass County Deputies arrested 52-year-old Richard Fineran, of Council Bluffs, on a warrant for Violation of Probation.  Fineran was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held. Last Thursday, 50-year-old Mark Paulsen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Simple Assault.  Paulsen was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held until his later release.

And, there were two arrests on February 1st: 30-year-old Diamond Young, of Des Moines, was arrested by Cass County Deputies, on a warrant for Failure to Appear.  Young was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held until his later release after time served; And, 19-year-old Maria Mullenberg, of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant for Aggravated Assault.  Mullenberg was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held until her later release on bond.

And, as we previously reported, on February 2nd, Cass County Deputies were dispatched to the area East of 590th St on Eastland Road.  Responding Deputies found that a white 2018 Chevrolet Silverado being operated by Donald Sonntag, of Atlantic, drove off the roadway to the right.  The vehicle left the roadway, struck a farm drive, continued down the ditch and collided with the embankment of a small culvert; resting in an area of shallow water.  Sonntag was transported to Cass County Memorial Hospital for evaluation.  The vehicle sustained disabling damage approximated at $6,500.