(Radio Iowa) – A giant version of the two familiar figures in the “American Gothic” painting are returning to the eastern Iowa town of Anamosa. The sculptures of the pitchfork-holding farmer and his daughter are 25-feet tall. They were created by artist Seward Johnson to pay tribute to painter and Iowa native Grant Wood. Anamosa Chamber Director Leanna Boone says it’s the second time the town’s hosted the towering couple.

“In 2018, we were given the opportunity to have the sculpture in town and it was great,” Boone says. “It brought in tourism from all over and really helped the businesses in town. From then, we set a goal to have it back in town permanently, to purchase it.” For now, the town is renting the sculpture, which is called “God Bless America.” Anamosa is Wood’s birthplace, which is why Boone believes it should reside there for good. She says the recognizable couple will soon be ready to be the backdrop for photos.

“We’ve got a local crane operator coming in and he’ll be setting it up,” Boone says. “One of the local contractors who’s working on our facade program has a lift in town that we’re going to be able to use. We’re just going to watch it happen. It’s really an amazing sight to see that get set up and we encourage people to come down and watch.” The community is planning events around the sculpture which will be announced soon.

A man from eastern Iowa’s Linn County was injured during an ATV rollover accident in Guthrie County, Saturday night. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, 48-year-old Jeffery Allen Barth, of Marion, was riding a Polaris ATV northbound in the 260th block of Lost Trail at around 8:50-p.m. and traversing a left hand curve. Barth was traveling too fast. The ATV lost traction on the gravel and entered the east ditch at a high rate of speed.

When it launched off the roadway into a ditch and overturned, Barth was ejected. He suffered possible severe internal injuries due to blunt force trauma. The ATV came to rest facing west in the ditch, with Barth lying next to it, near the fence line. Authorities say the vehicle had traveled 182-feet in the ditch after it left the roadway.

Barth was transported by Panora EMS to the Guthrie County Hospital. He was cooperative and submitted to a breath test. His BAC (Breath Alcohol Content) approximately 30-minutes after law enforcement arrived at the hospital, or about one-hour after the accident, measured 0.55 (nearly seven-times over the legal limit of .08).

Officials say Barth was revoked for a prior OWI and had no insurance for the ATV. An ignition interlock device was required but not present. Criminal charges will follow. Authorities cited Jeffery Barth for Failure to Maintain a reasonable and proper speed, Careless Driving, and Violations of his Restricted License. The ATV sustained about $500 damage. Authorities say Barth was apparently participating in an organized ATV event when the accident occurred, and was found shortly after the wreck.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports Deputies executed two search warrants over the weekend, and arrested three people on drug charges. The first warrant was executed at around 11:34-p.m. Saturday, at 305 E. Nuckols Street, in Red Oak. As a result of the investigation, 23-year-old Dawson Squires and 35-year-old Ashley Farmer, both of Red Oak, were arrested on two Class-D felony counts each, of Delivery of Marijuana.

And, at around 6:50-p.m. Sunday, a search warrant was executed at a residence in the 300 block of E. Elm Street in Red Oak. As a result, 25-year-old Andrew Brammer, of Red Oak, was arrested on three Class-D felony counts of Delivery of Marijuana. All three subjects were transported to the Montgomery County Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – An eastern Iowa man was given a suspended sentence for insurance fraud. The Iowa Insurance Division says 59-year-old William Michael Velky of Hiawatha, recently pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false insurance claim The investigation found Velky was involved in a two-car accident in Cedar Rapids in October of 2020 that involved property damage and injury.

The Insurance Division says Velky called and to get an automobile insurance policy by telephone after the accident — and then claimed the wreck had occurred after he started the insurance policy. He received the suspended five-year jail sentence and was ordered to pay a one-thousand dollar fine.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who’ve filed for unemployment benefits are no longer receiving an extra 300 dollars per week in federal unemployment payments. Governor Reynolds ordered the change, which took effect Sunday. Iowa State University economist Peter Orazem says since Iowa is one of the first four states ending these payments early, it’s a bit of a national experiment on unemployment benefits. “It will be a relatively unusual opportunity for us to see the extent to which those unemployment benefits actually matter for whether or not people are interested in accepting employment,” Orazem says.

Governor Reynolds and other Republicans have argued the 300 dollar federal bonus — on top of the regular state unemployment benefits — has discouraged people from returning to work. Orazem says there’s been some research on what happened when the extra FEDERAL pandemic-related unemployment benefits dropped from 600 to 300 dollars a week last summer.

Peter Orazem

“The change in labor supply behavior at that time was relatively modest,” Orazem says, “but of course that was in the middle of the surge in pandemic cases around the United States, so there were multiple things going on.”

Orazem says the question in 2021 is why the labor market hasn’t expanded as Covid vaccines became available. “So this is going to provide us some indication as to what is the importance of the vaccine versus what is the importance of the unemployment benefit,” Orazem says. Iowa’s unemployment rate for April was three-point-eight percent. The other change that took effect Sunday deals with the taxes Iowa businesses pay into the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund. Businesses that had pandemic-related layoffs were not being assessed a higher tax rate. That tax break ended yesterday.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Three juveniles suffered only minor injures after they lead authorities in central Iowa on a pursuit Monday morning. The vehicle they were in was reported stolen from the Waverly area. The teens, including the 15-year-old driver and two 16-year-old passengers, were taken into custody. Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla told KCCI the incident started around 7:20 a.m. on Interstate 80 east of Des Moines when an Iowa Department of Transportation officer located the stolen vehicle occupied by the three teens.

The DOT officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver took off, leading the officer on a chase on Interstate 80, then southbound on Highway 65. Dinkla said the pursuit was called off due to the volume of traffic in the area and other safety concerns. At 7:44 a.m., emergency crews responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash at the Highway 5 exit at Fleur Drive. Dinkla said the driver attempted to exit there and crashed. He said the vehicle involved matched the description of the stolen vehicle.

The juveniles have not been identified.

(Radio Iowa) – A northern Iowa man and his son, who lives in southern Minnesota, are charged with being involved in the storming of the U-S Capitol. The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Omaha says they arrested Daryl Johnson of St. Ansgar on Friday on charges related to the events at the Capitol on January 6th. The FBI says they received a tip that Johnson and his son, Daniel Johnson of Austin, were both inside the Capitol during the riot. Daryl Johnson’s Facebook page allegedly had several references in comments to being present in the building at the time, with both Johnsons later being identified through video and photos.

The FBI also received tips that Daniel Johnson had posted video on Snapchat while being inside the Capitol. Daniel Johnson was arrested on Friday by FBI Minneapolis special agents. Both have been charged with: entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

**UPDATE 5:22-p.m. 6/14/21**  Council Bluffs Police Officers were able to locate and arrest Lindsy Maves without further incident, Monday. Maves was charged with Attempted Murder, Arson 1^st and Willful Injury. Maves was booked into Pottawattamie County Corrections on these listed charges.

Police in Council Bluffs are looking for a woman who faces an Attempted Murder charge. Officers were called at around 4:34-a.m. to 1435 North 15^th Street, to investigate a female that was found in-front of the location with severe burns on her body. Officers, along with medics from the Council Bluffs Fire Department, arrived on scene and the victim was immediately transported to UNMC for treatment. She was identified as 37-year-old Christine Weilage, of Council Bluffs.

Officers determined that the original incident occurred in-front of 1413 Ave. K.  Detectives and Crime Lab techs gathered evidence at the scene. Their initial investigation indicates Weilage was involved in a disturbance with the suspect, 28-year-old Lindsy Maves, of Council Bluffs.

Lindsy Maves

At some time during this incident Maves allegedly sprayed a flammable substance on Weilage and then lit her on fire. A witness to the incident attempted to put the fire out and while doing so Maves again attacked Weilage by hitting her in the face with an unknown object. Maves then left the area before officer’s arrival. As of the latest information, officers were unable to locate Maves.

The incident remains under investigation. If you have any information about the incident, or the possible whereabouts of the suspect, Lindsy Maves. please contact the Council Bluffs Police Department at 712-328-4728 or Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867, thank you for your assistance.