(Radio Iowa) – Iowa lawmakers are close to giving legal recognition in Iowa to the so-called “smart contracts” used for digital currency, like Bitcoin. Representative Jeff Shipley of Fairfield says a Des Moines-based software company and some Iowa real estate agents are interested in conducting financial transactions using these computer-generated agreements.

“Iowans who are on the cutting edge of, I guess, cryptofinance or the emerging technological implications of this,” Shipley says. “…This bill ensures Iowans have access to world-leading contracting technologies and making sure that Iowa Code reflects the reality of 2021.” Representative Liz Bennett of Cedar Rapids says other states have passed similar legislation about cryptocurrency or virtual money that is being used to buy things.

“The way a smart contract works is basically like a soda machine,” Bennett says. “You put your coin in — or your Bitcoin. It drops down. It hits a lever. It causes other things to happen within the machine and boop! The arm goes up and gives you your Dr. Pepper. And what’s really important to note is that without any of those mechanical conditions being fulfilled, we’re not able to reach the end of the contract or the point where you get your Dr. Pepper.” Representative Steven Hansen of Sioux City says it is cutting edge stuff — but he notes there are concerns about fraud and tax avoidance.

“There’s going to come a time when the state treasurer and others are going to raise the red flag on companies like Bitcoin,” Hansen says, “and we’re going to have to step in and start regulating them more aggressively.” The House had a 15 minute debate of the concepts behind the bill before passing it unanimously. Earlier this month, the Senate approved the proposal without any debate. Senators will have to accept a minor change the House made in the bill before it can be sent to the governor.

Police in Shenandoah say no injuries were reported after an SUV struck a building housing the Page County Veterans Affairs Office. The Page West Building at 615 Northwest Road was hit Tuesday afternoon, when the vehicles’ brakes failed on the vehicle, causing it to crash in a wall of the building, and pushing the wall in.

Additional information is currently not available.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Nebraska faces charges following a traffic stop Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say 41-year-old Brandon Robert Leonard, of Omaha, was arrested for speeding, failure to have a valid driver’s license and fugitive from justice. He was also arrested on a valid Douglas County, NE. warrant for probation violation on the original charge of possession of a controlled substance. He was being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail.

Sheriff’s deputies had stopped Leonard’s vehicle on Highway 34 at Stanton, for traveling 93 mph in a 55 mph zone.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports four recent arrests.

• At around 3-p.m. Tuesday (Today), 35-year old Bryce William Messinger was transported from the Shelby County Jail to Pott. County, where he was wanted on a warrant for failure to pay child support/non-support.
• At around 2-p.m. Tuesday, 29-year old Aaron Gar Nelson, of Red Oak, was transported from the Buena Vista County Jail in Storm Lake, to the Pott. County Jail in Council Bluffs. Nelson faces a Violation of Parole charge.
• Early this (Tuesday) morning 41-year-old Jillian Rae Rodriguez, of Omaha, was arrested for Failure to Appear. She was taken into custody after being transported from Mills County.
• and, Monday afternoon, 25-year-old Melissa Ly Halbert, of Omaha, was arrested on several charges, including: Criminal Mischief 1st (Damage over $10,000); Driving While License Revoked; Reckless Driving; Failure to Use Seat Belt, and Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability. She was transported to the Pott. County jail from the jail in Douglas County, NE. Bond was set at $10,000 on the Criminal Mischief charge.

(Radio Iowa) – The two Iowa State University students who died in a boating accident Sunday morning at Little Wall Lake in Hamilton County have been identified. The students are 20-year-old Yaakov Ben-David, a sophomore accounting major from Washington, D-C, and 19-year-old Derek Nanni, a freshman chemistry major from Normal, Illinois. Both died when the boat they were practicing in with the Crew Club overturned in the lake.

I-S-U says the three students who were rescued will not be identified to protect their privacy. A statement from the school says more information won’t be released until the investigation and the university’s internal review is complete. The statement says that could take several weeks.

(Des Moines, IA) Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) said Tuesday, “Effective immediately, Iowans with barriers to scheduling a vaccine appointment or who do not have internet access who are 65 and older, or 64 and younger with an underlying health condition as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)  here, can call 211 or (800) 244-7431 and a vaccine navigator will assist them with scheduling a vaccine appointment. Translation services are available.

Vaccine navigators are available 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by dialing 211 or (800) 244-7431 and selecting the vaccine prompt number 9.”

The IDPH continues to urge all Iowans to continue practicing the mitigation measures that can slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

• Wear a mask or face covering
• Practice social distancing with those outside your household
• Clean your hands frequently with soap and water
• Stay home if you feel sick
• Get tested if you are exposed to, or have symptoms of COVID-19
• Get a COVID-19 vaccine when you are eligible
• If you have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, review CDC guidelines here.

(Iowa DNR News) – A new federal law goes into effect on April 1, that requires the operator of a boat with an installed Engine Cut-Off Switch (ECOS) to use the ECOS link while operating on all federally navigable waterways. In Iowa, that means the four flood control reservoirs: Coralville, Rathbun, Red Rock and Saylorville; and the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

The link is usually a coiled bungee cord lanyard clipped onto the operator’s person, personal floatation device or clothing and the other end attached to the cut-off switch, but there are plenty of variations on the market, including electronic wireless devices.

When an operator is wearing a link while underway, the engine will cut-off if the operator is separated from the operating area, an occurrence that can happen if the operator is ejected from the vessel or falls within the vessel.  The shutdown of the engine is essential for safety reasons. If the operator is ejected from the vessel, the shutdown may prevent the operator from impacting the vessel’s spinning propeller, and may aid the operator in safely returning to the drifting vessel.

The intent of these new laws is to improve safety for all recreational boaters by reducing the potential for propeller injuries to recreational vessel operators, other users of the nation’s waterways, and marine law enforcement officers responsible for responding to runaway boats. Boats with motors less than 3 horsepower are excluded from the law.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has authority to enforce federal law on the federal reservoirs, the U.S. Coast Guard patrol has the authority to enforce federal law on the border rivers.

(Radio Iowa) – The budgets for Iowa high school sports, music and other activities that have taken a hit during the pandemic may get a boost. Many schools had dramatically fewer ticket sales for games, reduced student fees and cancelled fundraisers. A bill ready for debate in the Iowa Senate would let school boards shift money from a district’s general education budget to cover deficits in extracurricular programs or co-curricular activities like speech competitions. The options would be available for last year — when there were no springtime music concerts or track and golf meets — and for the current school year as well as the next.

Senator Tim Goodwin of Burlington, a former teacher and coach, explains the details.

The proposal has already won unanimous approval in the Iowa House. Representative Ras Smith of Waterloo says school activities outside of the classroom are an important part of a student’s experience.

Some of Iowa’s largest schools lost tens of thousands of dollars in ticket sales as attendance at football and basketball games was often limited to parents and siblings of the players. Governor Reynolds set statewide restrictions on fans in the stands in mid-November as Covid cases surged in Iowa, but lifted those limits in December.

(Radio Iowa) – The statewide bicycle ride that was initially designed to compete with RAGBRAI is finding it can’t compete with COVID-19. Iowa’s Ride is being modified and this year will be Iowa’s Ride Weekender. Organizers had hoped to go from Iowa’s eastern border to the west, the opposite direction of RAGBRAI, but several overnight stops have pulled out due to the pandemic.

A post on the Iowa’s Ride Facebook page says it’ll now just be July 16th through the 18th in Eldora. There will be a designated 40 to 50-mile bike route on Saturday and several riding options on Friday and Sunday. RAGBRAI will start the following weekend and runs July 25th through the 31st, pedaling 454 miles from Le Mars to Clinton.

The Atlantic Police Department reports four arrests. On Sunday, 33-year-old Receiver Berdon, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication, and, 28-year-old Renson Berdon, of Atlantic, was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated.

On Saturday, 19-year old Rachael Stanley, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Theft in the 3rd Degree. And, on March 25th, 18-year old Dante Watkins, of Atlantic, was arrested on Cass County warrants for two counts of Probation Violation.

All four subjects were booked into the Cass County Jail, where Watkins and the Berdon’s remained, as of Tuesday.